Digging Up Appearances – Old Red Lion

Inspired by the 90s British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, this creative horror-comedy play will delight you with macabre hilarity whether or not you’re familiar with the source material.

Decades after the sitcom is set, Sheridan is going through a heartbreaking divorce and, through the powers of a magical amulet, accidentally resurrects his dead mother, Hyacinth. Seeing her son’s life isn’t as wonderful as she hoped or expected it would be, Hyacinth takes it upon herself to guide Sheridan and get his life back on track. She also has an insatiable appetite for human flesh. Hilarious horror-comedy antics ensue.

I have never seen a single episode of Keeping Up Appearances but knew just enough from cultural osmosis to not be completely lost while watching this play. Some jokes went over my head; I assume they were references to the sitcom. Based on the riotous laughter from the audience around me I’m guessing these jokes were effective for fans of the TV show. For those, like me, who have never seen the show, these references were thankfully rare and Digging Up Appearances contains plenty of jokes that work perfectly even without knowledge of the source material. The script is fast-paced and packed full of hilarious jokes. There’s a little bit of everything: wordplay, dramatic irony, prop comedy, farce, grossout humour, and so on. If one joke doesn’t appeal to your tastes, another joke will come along within the next minute that certainly will. 

The two actors – who also wrote the fantastic script – are both hilarious and have excellent chemistry. Anton Tweedale plays Sheridan Bucket. He is the straight man of the duo, although has his own moments of overt silliness every now and again. Jack Robertson dazzles as the reanimated Hyacinth Bucket. I can’t comment on how accurate a depiction this is of Patricia Routledge’s character from the TV show, but it is a hilarious performance, nonetheless. Robertson, in glorious drag, commits absolutely to Hyacinth’s faux-sophisticated just-so mannerisms and shrill voice, and has great fun indulging in the more horrific aspects of this zombified version of the character.

I can personally attest that you don’t need to be a fan of the sitcom to enjoy Digging Up Appearances. A hilarious script and two fantastic performances ensure that this horror-comedy stands on its own merit.

Digging Up Appearances will be performed again for a Mother’s Day Special on 15th Marchat the Old Red Lion, with tickets available at https://weareoldred.co.uk/.

Reviewer: Charles Edward Pipe

Reviewed: 7th February 2026

North West End UK Rating: