Episode 1 || 30 September 1979 || Synopsis || Manor Trivia First episode of Series 1 (seven episodes) From The Times: "New series, of seven parts, with Penelope Keith, hyphenated, haughty and recently widowed in Grantleigh Manor." Guest cast: Jonathan Elsom (house agent J.J. Anderson), Dennis Ramsden (solicitor Arnold Plunkett)   A U D R E Y: "That does not alter the fact that, at bottom, he's a grocer." Audrey fforbes-Hamilton is attending the funeral of her husband Marton. The rector offers consolation: "He walked in the way of the Lord, and served him right." "Yes, it certainly did," Audrey agrees. Richard DeVere, a London-based businessman, is viewing the old Grantleigh Manor lodge with an eye to buying it as a country house for himself and his mother. The lodge is not what he expected, but he decides the manor itself may be more to his liking. Despite the protests of J.J. Anderson, the house agent, Richard sneaks into the manor to peer around, but finds himself in the middle of the funeral reception, where Audrey mistakes him for the caterer. Audrey is in high spirits--far from grieving for her loss, she tells her friend Marjory that she now has precisely what she wanted--full possession of Grantleigh Manor, where the fforbes-Hamiltons have lived for 400 years. "I can't pretend that Marton pegging out like that wasn't the most wonderful thing that's ever happened," she says. "Just think: the Grantleigh estate, all mine now. All I've ever wanted. It's too good to be true!" Her celebration is short-lived, however, for Arnold Plunkett, her solicitor, wants to have a word with her. "Arthur, this is a funeral," Audrey complains. "You must learn not to combine business with pleasure." Arthur, however, brings the very unpleasant news that she is, in fact, broke and must sell the manor to pay off her creditors. Audrey is horrified. "We've been here through wars, plagues, floods, famine and Labour governments!" she says, and then begins to cry. She apologises to Arthur for this outburst; "I'm not normally given to crying. It's only since we joined the Common Market that I've picked up these beastly Continental habits." Despite the money she has raised from the far-flung reaches of the family, Audrey is outbid at the estate auction. Audrey's principal concern was that the manor would fall into the hands of an Arab--in which case, she was certain, the place would be rebuilt stone by stone in Abu Dhabi. "'England for the English'," as we used to say about India," Audrey says. The house is sold to...Richard DeVere, who turns out to be the head of Cavendish Foods, a multinational corporation that operates, among other things, a chain of supermarkets. Marjory is immediately impressed by the charming DeVere, and points out that at least he's English; Audrey is nonetheless horrified. "But he's trade!" she wails. When Marjory tries to defend Richard's professional standing, Audrey points out that it "does not alter the fact that, at bottom, he's a grocer." Worse, Audrey is unable to find him in "Who's Who." "Perhaps he's so important he's ex-directory," Marjory suggests. "Marjory," sniffs Audrey, "the Queen is in here." Still, the seeds of a plan are already taking root; while she will not agree with Marjory that DeVere is "Mr Right," she admits that he might very well be "Mr Convenient." A U D R E Y: "We've been here through wars, plagues, floods, famine and Labour governments!"   A U D R E Y: "And fifty pence!" The licence plate on Richard's Corniche convertible reads "RDV 1." While at school, Audrey and Marjory had deportment classes with a Miss Archibald. Richard's winning bid on the manor and estate was £876,000; Audrey's limit was £875,000, although she offered an additional "fifty pence, cash!"

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