You Rang, M'Lord?

- Season 3

(1991)

In a public park Ralph spots Teddy courting Madge's maid Rose, as well as seeing Agatha with another, younger man, which leads to a fight with Lord George and the intervention of P. C. Wilson. Alf cons Mrs. Lipton into believing she is baking cakes for the local orphanage when, in fact, he is selling them to the proprietress of a café. He gets in touch with Myrtle, his former partner from his knife-throwing act, and asks her to pose as his wife to prevent Mrs. Lipton from marrying him

After his ordeal in the park, Ralph stays at the Meldrums' to recover but is paranoid and asks Ivy to be his food and wine taster, getting her drunk. Cissy and Poppy confront their father with Agatha's murky past and he considers finishing with her. Myrtle arrives at the house and, posing as Alf's wife, tells Mrs. Lipton she will not divorce him, sending the cook into a plate-smashing rage. It is not the best time for the children Alf has paid to pretend to be grateful orphans appreciating her cakes to turn up, asking for their money.

Following the plate smashing incident, Mrs. Lipton fears for her job, but Alf speaks up for her and she is not sacked. However she takes to her bed and the other staff must do the cooking. Cissy stands as a Labour candidate, whilst Poppy brings home her new beau, the rich and handsome Dickie Metcalfe. Ivy takes tea at the Sunshine Pantry where she discovers her father's cake selling scam and forces him to stop it.

P. C. Wilson cheers up Mrs. Lipton with a bunch of flowers - from the front garden - whilst Lady Lavender invites the staff to the wedding of her pet parrots. With Cissy a potential Labour candidate and himself anxious to join the board of governors of the BBC, Lord George feels he should take on the workers' point of view and invites three of his factory staff to a dinner of fish and chips. The evening is neither a flop nor a success though it awakens Teddy's liking for fish and chips and unites Alf and James in their discontent that they are not the workers enjoying...

When Poppy tells Agatha of her engagement to Dickie Metcalfe Agatha is appalled. He is a penniless fortune hunter, blackmailing Agatha over her indiscretions. Poppy, however, will hear nothing bad about Dickie and they drive off to Gretna Green to get married. The family and the staff give chase and catch up with them at Watford Gap where Dickie escapes in Cissy's plane and Ralph takes pot shots at him, incurring his wife's admiration for once. Poppy also reiterates her fondness for James but Ivy is annoyed that she treats him like her lap-dog and he obeys.

James is offered the post of butler with Ralph Shawcross and, apart from Alf, nobody wants him to leave, particularly love-struck Poppy, who promises to pay him more money to stay, and Ivy. Mabel, the daily skivvy, is also grateful to him when he lends her rent money and there is general jubilation when the job offer is withdrawn. Not only that but Cissy has been elected as a Socialist member, to her father's horror but the staff's delight. Alf's advice to Teddy to feign impotence to get out of marrying Madge Cartwright, however, backfires.

Lord George treats the entire household, including P. C. Wilson, who drives the bus, to a picnic at stately Peabody Hall. Nobody is surprised to find that Ralph and Agatha are also there with their staff - except Lord George, supposedly. Teddy finds he has feelings for Ivy whilst Poppy and James renew some unfinished business. Ralph has a nice afternoon nap due to the brandy with which Agatha has plied him and he thanks George for 'entertaining' her. In the evening both households join together for a sing-song round the campfire.