The overenthusiastic son of Lord Emsworth is The Hon. Frederick Threepwood, "Freddie," (Jack Farthing, Shakespeare's Globe: Romeo and Juliet) who is an aggressive womanizer, playboy, and gambler who takes every opportunity to exploit the family status while lovingly trying to resolve uncomfortable circumstances that seem to endlessly evolve at the manor. Lord Clarence, on the other hand, desperately seeks the pleasure and peacefulness of his pastoral landscape, especially spending quiet moments with his beloved prized pig, "the Empress."
Clarence, when coerced by his sister to rectify some humiliating circumstance that the family has unwittingly created, offers the most baffling, unintelligible explanation which is generally interpreted and rectified by the beloved and long-suffering family butler, Sebastian Beach (Tim Vine, Not Going Out) who faithfully saves the day and the reputation of the family.
Blandings: Series 2 is a delightful British comedy produced by Mammoth Screen, filmed in Northern Ireland, and produced by writer Guy Andrews. This is a wacky and silly story of a family who is constantly intruded upon by meaningless people with unexposed motives like the obnoxious Duke of Dunstable (Harry Enfield), who is intent on having Clarence committed to a lunatic asylum. Or Galahad "Gally" Threepwood (Julian Rhind-Tutt), Clarence's younger brother, who has written a family expose' that if published would disgrace the family. Unconscious Clarence and Connie are perplexed when they are busied by a movie crew who has overtaken the manor to produce a film that will render a nice penny to the sneaky Freddie. The Empress disaappears, and there's a family plot to unite two star-crossed lovers.
In Blandings: Series 2's seven episodes, there are guest appearances by the aforementioned as well as John Sessions, Celia Imrie, Max Olesker, Ruby Thomas, James Fleet, Daisy Beaumont, Robert Bathurst, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sophie Colquhoun, Zoe Boyle, Michael Brandon, Nichola McAuliffe and Rose Leslie. And it's always a pleasure to see the disgruntled Scottish gardener Angus McAllister, played by Ron Donachie, with his sometimes annoying Scottish brogue.
If you find Blandings: Series 2 a little corny for your taste, give this outrageous family a chance to reveal their marvelous zany comedy. I had as much fun watching this show as I did with the Carry On gang way back in the day. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the insane antics throughout Blandings Castle and I know you will too.
