Hyacinth Pat’s reboot jibe ‘sad’

ACTRESS Kerry Howard, who plays a young Hyacinth Bucket in the Keeping Up Appearances prequel, has described Patricia Routledge’s response to the new drama as “sad”.

Young Hyacinth is one of the comedies announced for the BBC’s landmark sitcom season, with the corporation revisiting much-loved classics such as Are You Being Served? and Porridge.

The one-off episode is set before Hyacinth married long-suffering Richard and becomes a suburban snob. It sees her in poverty in a grim house in the 1950s with her drunkard dad and three sisters.

Patricia starred in the original series but earlier this year suggested that she was unimpressed with the idea of revisiting some of Britain’s best-loved TV series.

“Why are they doing this sort of thing?” the actress, 87, was quoted as saying. “They must be desperate. Remind me to switch off.”

But Kerry ( above), 34, said: “Oh, it’s so sad, isn’t it? She was scathing about the whole project.” THE word ‘pixilated’ means ‘Slightly mad or confused, having been led astray by pixies’.