On the eve of the event, We Love Budapest talks to its main organiser, András Szijj, and actor Jeffrey Holland (James Twelvetrees).
Perhaps surprising to today's British TV viewers, You Rang, M’Lord? still has a devoted following here in Hungary. Jeffrey Holland, who plays the stern footman James Twelvetrees, puts it this way: “The series is so successful because of the highest standards all round. The sets, the costumes, the props, the actors and of course, the writing. Also the fact that it was 50 minutes in length, so you can really get involved with the stories. For a long time, I didn’t know that the show was still so popular in Hungary and to be invited by all the fans is unbelievable! My thanks go to all the people who have done the mammoth task of organising the whole event!”
The iconic butler of the show, Alf Stokes often described James as pompous and po-faced. But Holland says: “James is a sad soul in many ways. He knows his place or station in life and expects everyone else to know theirs! In fact, I could describe him as the biggest snob in the house! His one weakness, of course, is his obsession with Miss Poppy! That is a social divide that can never be crossed!” András Szijj’s favourite character is Mabel. “I’m really sorry that she [Barbara New – ed.] is no longer with us”.
András Szijj sees the success of the show lying in the same intelligence found in the black humour here. “Hungarian is a colourful and highly creative language. Black humour is very expressive and its wit lies in its intelligence. The same can be said about the Hungarian language, too. Also, back in those days, Hungarian dubbing was exceptional. The jokes are really funny in Hungarian.
And because of its intelligence, black humour transcends generations. My three-year-old niece loves the series, too, so when we watch it together, her, my parents and me, there are three generations sitting on that couch having a great time.”
The story of the meet-up begins with the spark lit among the Facebook group for fans of the series, after one of the organisers, Zsuzsa Polgár, explained how she had organised a similar event in London. Then András, another eager lover of the series, took the matter in his own hands. He set up a website to raise money, aiming at three million forints for the flight tickets, accommodation and expenses of the actors – who all said yes to the invitation straight away. Donations soon flooded in and now seven million forints has been raised, plenty for a pretty good party. The location is still secret, as only those who have donated can attend. No tickets will be sold. Another special guest, the British ambassador to Hungary, Iain LindsayOBE, will also be there.
András tells us that when the actors were contacted, they were all immediately really positive about the invitation, saying yes even though no kind of fee was offered. All the same, if a paying job came up for the same date, they would have to cancel. This happened to be the case with sitcom veteran Su Pollard (Ivy). Jeffrey Holland speaks highly of the cast: “We really enjoyed our time doing the show. It took two weeks to record an episode because of its length and we went away to film the location scenes in beautiful Norfolk. It's a great gift to be able to do a job that you enjoy!Those of us who survive are often in touch with each other. Su Pollard and I both live in London so we meet quite a lot at various functions. Also Perry Benson and I are often talking on the phone and I see Michael, too”. Susie Brann and Michael Knowles also sent videos to their Hungarian fans.
And about favourite scenes and moments from the series, Jeffrey Holland
says: “I have so many favourite memories of doing the series but I think one is definitely shooting the Servant’s Ball. We all got to dress up in our finery and dance the night away!”
András Szijj adds: “My favourite scene is when Miss Poppy and Dickie Metcalfe decide to marry and elope to Gretna Green, so Teddy and Rose get the same idea and want to elope, too. So Teddy is sneaking out the door with several suitcases, when Lord Meldrum enters and asks him where he is off to. So Teddy makes something up, I don't remember what, but it doesn't really matter. Lord Meldrum then asks why he needs so much stuff and Teddy says that he needs to dress up for dinner. But he has, like, four or five suitcases. And this answer all makes sense to Lord Meldrum and he helps open the door. For me, this scene, making fun of the aristocracy, reflects black humour perfectly. This scene has the essence of the whole series in it”.
It seems like all of Budapest is in a state of excitement as András tells us that many hotels, restaurants and bars have offered their services for free, while individuals have gone out of their way to help out. There are many secrets about Saturday's event, and there are certainly some surprises in store. As Jeffrey Holland enthuses: “This will be my first visit to Hungary and my wife Judy and I are looking forward to it! Who knows, it may be the first of many visits!”
And apparently Mr Holland already seems to be having a great time in our city as he has shared a photo of himself on Twitter.
Hungry in #Hungary Well where else would you go for dinner in #Budapest ? pic.twitter.com/sfptVqAuB9— Jeffrey Holland (@JeffHolland07) September 19, 2018
