Mapp Lucia
I write as an affectionate and loving viewer of the series rather than having read the books.
Mrs Emmiline Lucas (aka Lucia) returns to social activity after several months of grief-stricken seclusion following the loss of her husband, wealthy barrister Phillip Lucas (aka 'Peppino' to Lucia).
Lucia is probably based upon Edwardian novelist and ''celebrity' Marie Corelli, who similarly affected to speak Italian and demonstrate artistic endeavour.
Lucia's neighbour Daisy Quantock finally achieves an 'audience' with Lucia. It seems that the inspiration for an imminent Elizabethan pageant was originally Lucia's but in her forced absence Daisy has taken over its management. Lucia was to play Good Queen Bess, but now it's Daisy.
Unfortunately, Daisy - a rather comical figure who seems to be the butt of most that goes wrong - lacks Lucia's innate ability to manage people as well as her sense of flair, timing and acting ability. Daisy's abilities do not match her ambitions.
When Daisy asks Lucia to come back and offers her a minor part, in consideration for Lucia's distractions, Lucia isn't having it.
Instead, Lucia persuades close friend Georgie Pilsen to come with her to Tilling in Sussex to look at a holiday let which Lucia envisages will be for two months. (There is nothing about Lucia's friendship with Georgie - which plainly goes back many years - to indicate that it is anything other than platonic by the way.) Georgie remembers Miss Mapp from a visit she made to Riseholme two or three years ago and is delighted to accompany her to view the property.
When they arrive, both are struck by the fact that when they make enquiries, everyone seems to be expecting them. Mapp is polite but pushy, describing the property - Mallards, with grounds of about 0.75 acres - as she shows them round then describing the leading residents of Tilling as she entertains Lucia and Georgie to tea and strawberries. It is however notable that Mapp doesn't let Lucia get a word in edgeways.
Mapp is happy to be letting to Lucia and agrees a price of 15 Guineas a week (a Guinea was £1 plus 1 shilling: £1.05 in today's money, but with very much more purchasing power in 1930). Fruit and vegetable produce is excluded as they are contracted to the local greengrocers Twistebans. These points come to significance later.
Later, Lucia and Georgie are looking around town and notice a nice house - Mallards cottage- over the road from Mallards, just right for Georgie to let for the stay. Upon enquiry, it is found to be owned my Mrs Susan Wyse.
As they look through the windows, Lucia and Georgie see a handkerchief waving from a window of Mallards and two figures scuttle over the road and inside. They are Diva (Godiva) Plaistow and Quaint Irene Coles. Mapp explains that the let has been agreed but is coy about the amount charged. Irene explains that the amount charged per the estate agent is 12 guineas a week and the two ladies want to see if Mapp obtained more. It turns out that there is a rental 'chain' in operation- Mapp lets to Lucia, then rents at 8 Guineas/week from Diva, who in turn rents Irene's house at 5 Guineas/week, who moves into the Lobster Fisherman's cottage at 2 Guineas/week, who - at the end of the chain - has a makeshift shanty on the beach.
Irene explains (for the viewers' benefit) that if Mapp has made Lucia pay 'though the nose' for Mallards (with its Bloomenfeld piano), this addition should be passed along the line - 'Equality, Fraternity and Noseality!' quotes Irene, playing a few notes upon the piano.
Mapp has charged more, but she isn't letting on or passing any of this gain along to her confederates.
We see that Mapp doesn't play 'with a straight bat', neither with Lucia nor her own acquaintances.
Lucia and Georgie then head to the Traders' Arms in Tilling for the night. There is a misunderstanding when the landlady thinks that they are married and require but one double room, giving a condescending 'nod nod wink wink' when Lucia explains that she and Georgie are not married; but after an indignant Lucia puts the matter right, they are then entertained to a drink by Major Benjy Flint (a military type of course) and Algernon Wyse (monocled and dressed rather like Tweedledum or Tweedledee: he's rich enough to be considered eccentric). Both are enthusiastic golfers.
Afterwards, Lucia and Georgie head to their bedrooms, each made significantly uncomfortable by the realisation that they can hear each others' movements next door. These are not the reactions of would-be lovers! Downstairs, an increasingly inebriated Benjy discusses the new pair with a similarly drunk Mr Wyse, Major Benjy pointing out that Georgie has a toupee, commenting that he thinks Lucia is 'damned attractive' and voyeuristically speculating upon the 'fol-de-rol' (ie, sex) taking place upstairs.
Of course, there isn't any. Mapp & Lucia contains nothing sexual, nor do any of the main characters have children. The most it does is to show that Benjy is straight and to strongly hint that Georgie is gay and later, that Quaint Irene is gay too - both aspects that weren't really talked about in 1930, or even that much more in 1985. In depicting a gay-straight platonic relationship between Lucia and Georgie, the book was virtually breaking new ground.
This also brings us to the question of age- how old are the characters supposed to be?
Well, the book doesn't specify - probably 40s to 50s. What we get here is the more mature end of that spectrum - Prunella Scales (Mapp) was about 53 when series 1 was made, Geraldine McEwan (Lucia) 53 also, Nigel Hawthorne (Georgie) 56 and Dennis Lill (Major Benjy) 43 (but balding and gruff, so he seems 10 years older). So, roughly mid-50s. That makes sense if we are looking at two socially competing, domineering women.
When I was watching the series when it was first shown in 1985, I was quite young and not particularly interested in the leading ladies from 'that' perspective, my eyes being mostly upon Foljambe (Georgie's servant) from that point of view.
Now 40 years or so older, I have to say I agree with Major Benjy that Lucia - with her syrupy, seductive tones and enunciation and her red bob, with great wardrobe - is bewitching. Mapp is portrayed as dowdy, tweedy and colourless in her approach to clothes. It says much for the ability of both actresses that they play the characters so well as seemingly to extract every last ounce of personality from them. Lucia is the clothes horse, Mapp a dowdy country 'gel'.
Next day, meeting at the estate agents Woolgar & Pipstow, Georgie gets his let of Mallards cottage from Mrs Wyse and he and Lucia are all set to stay after the Riseholme fete.
Back at Riseholme, Lucia seems to gad airily about the village as if in a dream, showing no concern for the fete as we are treated to Daisy Quantock's attempt to act out the part of Good Queen Bess knighting Francis Drake by belabouring poor Georgie about his head and neck with a wooden sword.
Daisy comes to see Lucia for advice but is plainly losing it and asks Lucia to direct the fete.
Lucia agrees and begins to push things into shape- including a lot of direction of the hapless Daisy. She also tries to get the milkman Mr Beresford - given the part of a messenger because his white horse is being used as the Queen's palfrey - to be on time for his cues!
Eventually, Daisy goes to see Lucia, gives up and asks Lucia to take the part of the Queen. Lucia agrees (having plainly been set on playing no other part all along) and the hapless Daisy now finds herself, with a sort of inevitable poetic justice - playing the part she had offered Lucia earlier- the part of Mrs Drake.
Now Lucia is in full control.
I write as an affectionate and loving viewer of the series rather than having read the books.
Mrs Emmiline Lucas (aka Lucia) returns to social activity after several months of grief-stricken seclusion following the loss of her husband, wealthy barrister Phillip Lucas (aka 'Peppino' to Lucia).
Lucia is probably based upon Edwardian novelist and ''celebrity' Marie Corelli, who similarly affected to speak Italian and demonstrate artistic endeavour.
Lucia's neighbour Daisy Quantock finally achieves an 'audience' with Lucia. It seems that the inspiration for an imminent Elizabethan pageant was originally Lucia's but in her forced absence Daisy has taken over its management. Lucia was to play Good Queen Bess, but now it's Daisy.
Unfortunately, Daisy - a rather comical figure who seems to be the butt of most that goes wrong - lacks Lucia's innate ability to manage people as well as her sense of flair, timing and acting ability. Daisy's abilities do not match her ambitions.
When Daisy asks Lucia to come back and offers her a minor part, in consideration for Lucia's distractions, Lucia isn't having it.
Instead, Lucia persuades close friend Georgie Pilsen to come with her to Tilling in Sussex to look at a holiday let which Lucia envisages will be for two months. (There is nothing about Lucia's friendship with Georgie - which plainly goes back many years - to indicate that it is anything other than platonic by the way.) Georgie remembers Miss Mapp from a visit she made to Riseholme two or three years ago and is delighted to accompany her to view the property.
When they arrive, both are struck by the fact that when they make enquiries, everyone seems to be expecting them. Mapp is polite but pushy, describing the property - Mallards, with grounds of about 0.75 acres - as she shows them round then describing the leading residents of Tilling as she entertains Lucia and Georgie to tea and strawberries. It is however notable that Mapp doesn't let Lucia get a word in edgeways.
Mapp is happy to be letting to Lucia and agrees a price of 15 Guineas a week (a Guinea was £1 plus 1 shilling: £1.05 in today's money, but with very much more purchasing power in 1930). Fruit and vegetable produce is excluded as they are contracted to the local greengrocers Twistebans. These points come to significance later.
Later, Lucia and Georgie are looking around town and notice a nice house - Mallards cottage- over the road from Mallards, just right for Georgie to let for the stay. Upon enquiry, it is found to be owned my Mrs Susan Wyse.
As they look through the windows, Lucia and Georgie see a handkerchief waving from a window of Mallards and two figures scuttle over the road and inside. They are Diva (Godiva) Plaistow and Quaint Irene Coles. Mapp explains that the let has been agreed but is coy about the amount charged. Irene explains that the amount charged per the estate agent is 12 guineas a week and the two ladies want to see if Mapp obtained more. It turns out that there is a rental 'chain' in operation- Mapp lets to Lucia, then rents at 8 Guineas/week from Diva, who in turn rents Irene's house at 5 Guineas/week, who moves into the Lobster Fisherman's cottage at 2 Guineas/week, who - at the end of the chain - has a makeshift shanty on the beach.
Irene explains (for the viewers' benefit) that if Mapp has made Lucia pay 'though the nose' for Mallards (with its Bloomenfeld piano), this addition should be passed along the line - 'Equality, Fraternity and Noseality!' quotes Irene, playing a few notes upon the piano.
Mapp has charged more, but she isn't letting on or passing any of this gain along to her confederates.
We see that Mapp doesn't play 'with a straight bat', neither with Lucia nor her own acquaintances.
Lucia and Georgie then head to the Traders' Arms in Tilling for the night. There is a misunderstanding when the landlady thinks that they are married and require but one double room, giving a condescending 'nod nod wink wink' when Lucia explains that she and Georgie are not married; but after an indignant Lucia puts the matter right, they are then entertained to a drink by Major Benjy Flint (a military type of course) and Algernon Wyse (monocled and dressed rather like Tweedledum or Tweedledee: he's rich enough to be considered eccentric). Both are enthusiastic golfers.
Afterwards, Lucia and Georgie head to their bedrooms, each made significantly uncomfortable by the realisation that they can hear each others' movements next door. These are not the reactions of would-be lovers! Downstairs, an increasingly inebriated Benjy discusses the new pair with a similarly drunk Mr Wyse, Major Benjy pointing out that Georgie has a toupee, commenting that he thinks Lucia is 'damned attractive' and voyeuristically speculating upon the 'fol-de-rol' (ie, sex) taking place upstairs.
Of course, there isn't any. Mapp & Lucia contains nothing sexual, nor do any of the main characters have children. The most it does is to show that Benjy is straight and to strongly hint that Georgie is gay and later, that Quaint Irene is gay too - both aspects that weren't really talked about in 1930, or even that much more in 1985. In depicting a gay-straight platonic relationship between Lucia and Georgie, the book was virtually breaking new ground.
This also brings us to the question of age- how old are the characters supposed to be?
Well, the book doesn't specify - probably 40s to 50s. What we get here is the more mature end of that spectrum - Prunella Scales (Mapp) was about 53 when series 1 was made, Geraldine McEwan (Lucia) 53 also, Nigel Hawthorne (Georgie) 56 and Dennis Lill (Major Benjy) 43 (but balding and gruff, so he seems 10 years older). So, roughly mid-50s. That makes sense if we are looking at two socially competing, domineering women.
When I was watching the series when it was first shown in 1985, I was quite young and not particularly interested in the leading ladies from 'that' perspective, my eyes being mostly upon Foljambe (Georgie's servant) from that point of view.
Now 40 years or so older, I have to say I agree with Major Benjy that Lucia - with her syrupy, seductive tones and enunciation and her red bob, with great wardrobe - is bewitching. Mapp is portrayed as dowdy, tweedy and colourless in her approach to clothes. It says much for the ability of both actresses that they play the characters so well as seemingly to extract every last ounce of personality from them. Lucia is the clothes horse, Mapp a dowdy country 'gel'.
Next day, meeting at the estate agents Woolgar & Pipstow, Georgie gets his let of Mallards cottage from Mrs Wyse and he and Lucia are all set to stay after the Riseholme fete.
Back at Riseholme, Lucia seems to gad airily about the village as if in a dream, showing no concern for the fete as we are treated to Daisy Quantock's attempt to act out the part of Good Queen Bess knighting Francis Drake by belabouring poor Georgie about his head and neck with a wooden sword.
Daisy comes to see Lucia for advice but is plainly losing it and asks Lucia to direct the fete.
Lucia agrees and begins to push things into shape- including a lot of direction of the hapless Daisy. She also tries to get the milkman Mr Beresford - given the part of a messenger because his white horse is being used as the Queen's palfrey - to be on time for his cues!
Eventually, Daisy goes to see Lucia, gives up and asks Lucia to take the part of the Queen. Lucia agrees (having plainly been set on playing no other part all along) and the hapless Daisy now finds herself, with a sort of inevitable poetic justice - playing the part she had offered Lucia earlier- the part of Mrs Drake.
Now Lucia is in full control.
