Characters

Alf Stokes
(Paul Shane)

Alf Stokes

Alf Stokes was the scheming butler of the series. He is Ivy's father and in spite of being separated is still married to Ivy's mother. He also has a relationship with Mrs. Lipton. Throughout the series, Alf devises a number of schemes to scam Lord Meldrum of his money and possessions, although these usually fail.


James Twelvetrees
(Jeffrey Holland)

James Twelvetrees

James Twelvetrees was the footman, a stern, upright and honest character. However, he was not always a likeable character, usually siding with the gentry instead of his own class and often quite unpleasant to the other servants and those he considered lower than him.


Ivy Teasdale
(Su Pollard)

Ivy Teasdal

Ivy is the well meaning, but rather naive maid, the daughter of Alf. Her familial relationship with Alf is largely a secret, but she is forced to tell Henry when he spots the two alone in her bedroom. She later tells James when she needs his help to get Alf out of trouble. Despite her honesty, she is often persuaded to take part in her father's schemes.


Lord George Meldrum
(Donald Hewlett)

RLord George Meldrum

The master of the house, Lord Meldrum is a respected member of the gentry, in charge of the Union Jack Rubber Company and various other interests. In the 1890s he had married the only daughter of Lord and Lady Southwick and they had raised two children prior to his wife's death in 1924. In 1915 he had been conscripted as a Colonel into the British Army and had served in the Infantry on the Western Front. He has old-fashioned Victorian values, with a respectable title and position in society.


The Honourable Teddy Meldrum
(Michael Knowles)

The Honourable Teddy Meldrum

Lord Meldrum's younger brother, a Captain in the British Army in 1915 serving in the Infantry on the Western Front, where he was badly injured by a shell and carried back to the field hospital by Stokes and Twelvetrees. By 1927 The Honourable Teddy is still unmarried and living in his brother's house. The stereotypical upper-class fool, he has had relationships with five previous housemaids and has fathered children with all of them: he cannot resist their "shiny, scrubbed faces" and scent of carbolic soap.


P.C. Wilson
(Bill Pertwee)

P.C. Wilson

P.C. Wilson is the local Bobby, although rarely appears to be doing his job, preferring instead to dine nightly with the servants. This was apparently the custom because the police would then overlook any indiscretion made by the family. He is generally extremely ineffective as a policeman.


Mrs. Lipton
(Brenda Cowling)

René Artois

Mrs. Lipton is the cook and had joined the Meldrum household as a young housemaid in her teens. She gradually rose through the ranks to become Cook. Her culinary skills are legendary on the street and she is rarely seen out of the kitchen. While a usually kindly woman who shows sympathy for her "betters" and equals, at other times she can be particularly scathing towards those she considers lower.


Lady Lavender Southwick
(Mavis Pugh)

Lady Lavender Southwick

Lady Lavender is Lord Meldrum’s mother-in-law. She resides with her parrot, Captain, in the second bedroom of the house. She is very wealthy and has interests in many businesses including a large number of shares in the Union Jack Rubber Company.


Poppy Meldrum
(Susie Brann)

Poppy Meldrum

Poppy, Lord Meldrum's younger daughter is a "bright young thing", who attends 'wild' parties with her friend, Jerry. She is quite a snob about her position in society, often ready to remind those lower down the social class of her elevated position, although at other times she confesses to feeling trapped by it. Throughout the series, she is attracted to the footman James Twelvetrees, whom she delights in leading on, despite being aware of the problems it could cause for him. She has an on-off relationship with Jerry and eventually marries him.


Cissy Meldrum
(Catherine Rabett)

Cissy Meldrum

Cissy is Lord Meldrum's elder daughter. Although attractive, she dresses in a masculine style, takes part in men's sports and activities such as flying, and her feminine "chum" Penelope is a frequent house guest. Thus, although never explicitly stated, there are many suggestions that Cissy is a lesbian, or at the very least helps them out when they’re busy! A pleasant character who shows genuine concern for family and servants alike, often giving away feminine items such as dresses to Ivy. She proclaims herself a socialist and stands as a candidate for the United Workers Party, winning a seat on the council through Stokes' machinations.


Henry Livingstone
(Perry Benson)

Henry Livingstone

Henry is the boot-boy and was abandoned as a child in a basket on the steps of the Livingston Road Orphanage. Although the second lowest rank in the house, Henry is often the most insightful character, something which usually gets him into trouble - for not conforming to the expected etiquette and making inappropriate comments, he is usually soundly clipped about the ear.


Mabel Wheeler
(Barbara New)

Mabel Wheeler

Mabel is the scullery maid and does not live in the Meldrum household but resides with her unemployed husband in a poor part of London; she is regarded by some of the others as an outsider. Because of her rank and social status, she is not allowed to have meals with the other servants.

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