The Last of the Baskets is a Britcom that aired on ITV from 1971-72, starring Arthur Lowe, Ken Jones, and Patricia Hayes.
When the 12th Earl of Clogborough (Richard Hurndall) dies after holding his title for 93 years, his heir is an unlikely one. The heir in question is Clifford Basket (Jones), the son of naughty cousin Clarence, a lower-class man recently fired from a job Oop North in a doorbell factory where he worked as a boiler room sweeper.
Inheriting a stack of unpaid bills and Clogborough Hall, a run-down mansion in Little Clogborough-in-the-Marsh, Clifford and his mother, Alfreda (Hayes), move into their previously unknown family home, much to the dismay of the snooty butler, Redvers Bodkin (Lowe), who cares not for their lower-class ways.
While still existing in the archives, the series is unable to be watched as it hasn't been re-aired since 1972 nor released on home media or streaming, but a domestic recording of the series' theme has been uploaded to YouTube, taken from the original transmission of "A Chip Off the Old Block", which can be heard here
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The Last of the Tropes:
- Back for the Finale: Mr. Armitage, who had been in half of Series 1's episodes, was absent from Series 2 except for "A Tisket, a Tasket", the final episode.
- Big Fancy House: Clogborough Hall was in its prime, but by the time Clifford moves in, it's falling apart and collapsing into the marsh.
- British Brevity: The series only ran for thirteen episodes over two series.
- Complete-the-Quote Title: The first series episode "Do Unto Others..." takes its title from George Bernard Shaw's quote, "Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you".
- Gold Digger: In "For Richer, for Poorer", Bodkin attempts to get Clifford married to a rich girl as a solution for his financial troubles.
- The Jeeves: Bodkin is a stereotypical stuffy, officious, levelheaded butler, who clashes with the lower-class attitudes of Clifford and Mrs. Basket, such as when tasked with serving bottles of brown ale on a silver platter.
- Lady Drunk: Mrs. Basket is often drunk and has a particular love for brown ale.
- Last-Name Basis: Bodkin is on one with Clifford, as in tradition with butlers and their employers.
- Lower-Class Lout: Clifford and Mrs. Basket are a pair of uncouth commoners who clash with their snooty butler Bodkin.
- Meaningful Name: Clifford Basket had an ancestor known for always passing the death sentence. According to Bodkin, he was called "the Hanging Basket".
- Non-Idle Rich: Much to the horror of Bodkin, who is only used to serving those who don't want to lift a finger, Clifford wants to sign onto the Labour Exchange in "Nice Work If You Can Get It".
- Oop North: Clifford and Mrs. Basket come from Northern England and fit all the lower-class stereotypes of Northerners, much to the irritation of Bodkin.
- Plot-Triggering Death: When the 12th Earl of Clogborough dies in "End of the Peer", Clifford gains his title and home and sets up the series.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: Series 2 has "The Hound of the Baskets", a play on The Hound of the Baskervilles.
- Pun-Based Title: The first episode, "End of the Peer", is a play on "end of the pier"; "peer" meaning "a member of one of the five ranks", referring to the deceased Earl of Clogborough.
- Short-Runners: The series only lasted two series totalling thirteen episodes.
- Shout-Out:
- The episode, "I Gotta Horse", is titled after a phrase commonly used by UK racing tipster Prince Monolulu.
- "For I'm to Be Queen of the May" is titled after a lyric from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem, "The May Queen".
- Small Role, Big Impact: The most significant thing the 12th Earl of Clogborough does in his only appearance in "End of the Peer" is dying, but his death sets the scene for the series, i.e. Clifford taking over his title and gaining Bodkin as a butler.
- Titled After the Song: The final episode, "A Tisket, a Tasket", is titled after the nursery rhyme "A-Tisket, A-Tasket".
