What is To the Manor Born? Links Merchandise Desktop Theme Frames No Frames

Welcome to - here to provide you with original quality Desktop Themes to download and enjoy on your own PC. For inspiration we have drawn on that great British institution - the British Sitcom (with the odd footie theme thrown in for good measure). With over 40 fun TV and soccer desktop themes to choose from we are sure you will find some fun here. Be sure to visit the rest of this website (it's awesome) before leaving. Click on Frames or No Frames to access the main menu. This web page features one of Britain's most popular sitcoms of all time - To the Manor Born.

To the Manor Born topped the British ratings in 1979-81. Created by Peter Spence, To the Manor Born was truly the BBC's class comedy act! Penelope Keith starred as the formidable Lady Audrey fforbes-Hamilton who, burdened with death duties following the untimely demise of her husband, Martin fforbes-Hamilton, had little option but to find a buyer for her 400 year old country seat, Grantleigh Manor. Find a buyer she did! In fact she found a noveauriche buyer who had made his fortune in the supermarket business. Enter Peter Bowles, as the quintessentially English gentleman, Richard DeVere - his father was the of a Polish immigrant grocer. Lady fforbes-Hamilton moves into the Old Lodge. She soon takes a dislike to the new Lord of the Manor and when she finds DeVere planning to re-model Grantleigh Manor by ripping out an antique Adam fireplace she starts to see Red! DeVere's live-in mother, Mrs. Polouvicka, played by Daphne Heard, was famous for her old Polish sayings - her are one or two of the more memorable ones.......

"The cat who eats from the dogs bowl get's her whiskers bitten off."

"The Tea Pot that is left the longest grows coldest."

"There are more ways of getting to the top of the tree than sitting on an acorn."

"The naked man fears no pick-pockets."

Throughout her love hate relationship with DeVere, Audrey's closest friend and confidant Marjory Frobisher, played by Angela Thorne, is a true brick. Other necessary support is provided by Brabinger, her long time Butler played by John Rudling. The series has a happy ending when, after three successful years in the ratings, Audrey fforbes Hamilton becomes Audrey DeVere and once more returns to the Manor.

Originally intended for radio, the show was diverted to the small screen by the BBC where a total of 21 x 30 minute episodes were aired between 1979 and 1982. The show finally aired on it's intended medium in 1997, with Keith Barron (from the holiday romp, Duty Free) as DeVere.

Finally, a piece of comedy trivia. The creator Peter Spence lived in the Somerset village of Cricket St. Thomas where the events of this comedy series actually happened. The widow of the owner of the 1000-acre estate had moved into the small estate lodge and watched a businessman transform the place. The series was actually filmed on the Cricket St. Thomas estate with Cricket House playing Grantleigh Manor. If you would like to visit Cricket House you can by arrangement with Warner Holidays - yes Grantleigh Manor (Er! Cricket House) has now been bought by Warner Holidays who have opened it as a Hotel. Contact them at their website www.warnerholidays.co.uk

Links to other to the Manor Born Web sites!

Here are a few web links to other To the Manor Born sites on the net. If you find others please let me know and I will add them here for subsequent visitors to explore.

Visit the To the Manor Born International Appreciation Society.

Visit the Comedyzones web page - Comedy Classics Page - To the Manor Born

Visit the ubiquitous TTMB Quotes web page.

Visit UKTV's To the Manor Born web page.

To the Manor Born Videos and Books

The To the Manor Born Desktop Theme is another fun desktop theme from those happy folks at . The Theme features themed start-up and shutdown screens, hi-colour (24-bit) desktop wallpaper, animated cursor set and new desktop icons. Also included are new windows event sounds taken from various To the Manor Born episodes. We have included a full feature screensaver with sound capability (optional) constructed using Screen Saver Studio Deluxe featuring more To the Manor Born pics and sounds. Full installation instructions are provided in a web-page Readme file and the whole theme downloads in a convenient zip file.

If you don't have a copy of Microsoft Plus! help is at hand in the form of Desktop Themes, a shareware desktop theme manager published by Jonathan Potter at Left Side Software. Click on to get your copy.

The following thumbnails will give you an idea of the screens used in this theme.

Click here to download the To the Manor Born Desktop Theme Version 1.0 (1.25Mb)

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