Keeping Up Appearances star shares raunchy on-set secrets from BBC sitcom
Judy Cornwell played the sexually frustrated Daisy in classic BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, and 30 years after the show ended she is still inundated with fan mail
Judy Cornwell, best known for her role as Daisy in the popular 90s sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, has shared some behind-the-scenes insights from the show. The actress, who played the cardigan-wearing, sexually frustrated sister of Patricia Routledge's Hyacinth Bucket and wife of Onslow (Geoffrey Hughes), revealed that the laughs were just as plentiful off-screen as they were on.
"People used to identify with the dynamics, especially when Onslow used to panic when Daisy was getting randy. And then Daddy going off on a bike without his coat... it resonated with Brits about how everybody has to cope with family, and that we are eccentrics."
After impressing him during her time on The Dick Emery Show, she became part of the talented ensemble cast of writer Roy Clarke's hilarious show.
Judy fondly remembers: "Harold picked me for Daisy, which was perfect. I enjoyed playing that part, working with people I respected and liked. Patricia was the perfect Hyacinth, thanks to years of great theatre experience. She gave a brilliant performance. And it is fair to say she was shocked by how big the show became, given all her other work."
She also shared, "Clive [Richard] was a very good actor and quite serious fellow off-set, but they were a perfect foil to each other. Everyone got on well. And even when we weren't filming we would meet up for lunch and catch up on gossip."
Judy knew from the start that the sitcom would be a hit, especially as it was filmed in front of a live audience. She recalls: "Geoffrey and I got on the set, sat together in bed and it collapsed. Our legs flew in the air and we just rolled over each other. It was hard to get the audience to simmer down – they were hysterical. Everything we ever did on or off script would make the audience laugh."
She added: "We were always up to stuff. He was very naughty and used to pinch my bottom under the covers and say rude things. And he would always say it before I had a line so I would get the giggles, leaving the audience wondering what was the matter with me. I used to get my own back – I would kick him underneath the covers. We had a lot of fun and naughtiness.
"Geoffrey's sense of humour was brilliant, and our families became friends. He was fun, very loyal and we had this great ability to work fast. He and I sank into our characters very quickly – after a couple of read-throughs, we had it down. Roy's script was brilliant and Harold was just a fun man who let us play around. From that we made magic."
Judy fondly remembers styling Daisy with her iconic grey cardigan and Onslow with his scruffy vest, even using sandwiches to add authenticity to the costume: "I went down to the BBC wardrobe room and found this grey cardigan, which was awful, and I thought, 'That is it! ' I put it on along with some terrible old sandals. They were my own from home, which were worn and raggedy. And Geoffrey's vest we used to make grubbier by throwing some sandwiches from catering on it before shooting."
The audience adored Daisy's attempts to bring the romance from her novels to life with Onslow, a sentiment shared by Judy: "Harold gave me a Mills and Boon book, and I said she can have a romantic book every week. And I was then at a publishing dinner where the Mills and Boon people came leaping up and said, 'Our book sales have gone through the roof'."
Speaking about the show's end in 1995, Judy put any rumours of tension to rest by saying: "There was no bitterness or ill feeling. We all wanted to do other things."
As the BBC moved on to cast Dame Patricia Routledge in 'Hetty Wainthropp Investigates', Judy turned her focus to writing, crafting works like her memoir, 'Adventures of a Jelly Baby'. Meanwhile, 'Keeping Up Appearances' has continued its international success, with over 100 countries airing repeats.
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