The Princess is in her room playing the drum, which the pets hate. She explains that she's drumming because Great-Auntie is coming over and she promised a show. The narrator asks the Princess if she will be doing the show on her own, and the Princess responds that everyone will be in it but "they don't know it yet".
She then says that there will be ice cream in the show and goes into the kitchen to try to make ice cream using ice and cream. The Chef tells her that's not how ice cream is made, but offers to make some. The narrator asks what everyone will do in the Princess's show, but she hasn't thought of it. She soon decides on juggling, magic tricks, and a plate-spinning act, and the narrator asks if she'll have a rehearsal.
The Princess initially doesn't know what one is, but then decides to. She makes the Maid the juggler, the King and Queen the magicians (pulling a toy rabbit from a hat), and the General the plate-spinner. None of them know how to do their tasks, but the Princess tells them to "have a practice". Then, she sets up some bed sheets on the washing line to be "curtains". However, the other prospective performers cannot learn their tricks and inform the Princess of it.
Great-Auntie then arrives, so the Princess sits her down and starts the show. However, the adults perform incompetently and Great-Auntie laughs and heckles. The Princess runs off to brood, while the Chef serves everyone else ice cream. The King tries to cheer the Princess up by saying that everyone did their best, then the Princess has an idea: have everybody (this time with the Prime Minister, Admiral, and Gardener included) improvise. This works, and the show is a success. The episode ends with everyone congaing.
This episode provides examples of
- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Puss wears earmuffs when the Princess plays the drum.
- Captain Obvious: The Princess says, "I'm drumming" even though everyone can see and hear that she is.
- Death Glare: The Queen gives the King the stink eye when he tells her she's doing the magic trick wrong.
- Innocently Insensitive: The Prime Minister asks the Princess earnestly, "Is your show supposed to be rubbish? Because if it is, you did a good job!".
- The Heckler: After the King and Queen fail to pull the rabbit from the hat, Great-Auntie yells, "That was a rubbish trick!". Then, when the General breaks his plate, she shouts, "He can't spin plates for toffee!".
- Ladies and Germs: Because Great-Auntie is the only woman in the audience, the Princess addresses them as "Great Auntie and gentlemen".
- Magic Skirt: When the Queen does a cartwheel in the new show, her dress stays in place.
- Not So Above It All: The Queen, who's usually pretty sensible, has a conversation with her sticky bun.
- Pull a Rabbit out of My Hat: The King and Queen try to do the "rabbit in hat" trick with a toy rabbit, but they can't.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: The Princess announces the show with "This— is— the— show!".
- So Bad, It's Good: In-Universe, the Prime Minister calls the badly-performed show "marvellously awful".
- Stylistic Suck: Discussed when the Prime Minister asks the Princess if the show was "supposed to be rubbish".
