Sir Bernard's Stately Homes

Sir Bernard's Stately Homes is a British TV comedy series first shown in 1999 on BBC Two and later repeated on Play UK. Only six ten-minute programmes were produced, all written by and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. It bore many similarities to the more well-known Rock Profile. The series was directed by Edgar Wright, and produced by Myfanwy Moore, who would become the producer of Little Britain.

Sir Bernard's Stately Homes
Genre	Comedy
Written by	Matt Lucas David Walliams
Directed by	Edgar Wright
Starring	Matt Lucas David Walliams
Composers	Tim Atack Matt Lucas
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producer	Jon Plowman
Producer	Myfanwy Moore
Editor	Robin Parsons
Running time	10 minutes
Production company	BBC
Original release
Network	BBC Two
Release	12 May (1999-05-12) – 16 June 1999 (1999-06-16)

Plot

The central character is Bernard Chumley, played by Matt Lucas, who was already a regular stand-up character of Lucas' and would go on to be a fixture of Little Britain. In each edition, Sir Bernard and his friend Anthony Rogers would investigate a number of country estates while searching for the Golden Potato, an advertising stunt which would win them a year's supply of Allen's Crisps ("the cheaper crisp!")

Each house is named after a character or actor from Grange Hill. Further popular culture is revisited at the end of episode 5, in which the pair eat snacks on a rollercoaster dressed as scouts, in a similar fashion to a group of scouts in a well-known edition of Jim'll Fix It. David Foxxe, Paul Putner, Rowland Rivron, Rhys Thomas, and Julie T. Wallace appeared throughout the series. The script editor was Barry Cryer.

Episodes

No.	Title	Original release date
1	"Baxter Grange"	12 May 1999 (1999-05-12)
First of a six-part spoof documentary series in which renowned theatrical raconteur Sir Bernard Chumley - with his criminal sidekick, Anthony Rodgers - tours the stately homes of the good and the great. Tonight, they visit the past home of Lord Nelson, aiming to fill the great admiral's shoes in more ways than one.
2	"Browning Abbey"	19 May 1999 (1999-05-19)
Second of a six-part spoof documentary series in which renowned theatrical raconteur Sir Bernard Chumley - with his criminal sidekick Anthony Rodgers - tours the stately homes of the good and the great. Tonight they visit the fictional Browning Abbey where they are soon waylaid by a treasure hunt for the elusive Golden Potato, the prize for which is a year's supply of crisps.
3	"Yates Castle"	26 May 1999 (1999-05-26)
Sir Bernard meets his match in the shape of a sex maniac called Dame Lily who takes him hostage. A game of strip poker is the only way to win his freedom.
4	"Bronson House"	2 June 1999 (1999-06-02)
At the palatial retreat of the Princess Royal, Chumley discovers a rival film crew.
5	"Kendall Park"	9 June 1999 (1999-06-09)
Things get a little gruesome for Chumley and Rodgers when they visit spooky Kendal Park.
6	"Stebson Towers"	16 June 1999 (1999-06-16)
The spoof documentary series ends with Sir Bernard and Anthony closing in on the glittering Golden Potato.

External links

• Sir Bernard's Stately Homes at IMDb