Dame Patricia Routledge says ‘late Pope Benedict was said to be an unlikely fan of Keeping Up Appearances’

Dame Patricia Routledge has revealed that the late Pope Benedict was said to be an unlikely fan of her BBC sitcom, Keeping Up Appearances.

The actress, 93, played the ever snobbish Hyacinth Bucket, who hilariously pronounced her surname “Bouquet”, in the comedy which aired from 1990 to 1995.

The much-missed series had quite a number of famous fans, said to include both the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II, but it’s most surprising high-profile viewer was reportedly Pope Benedict.

As reported by MailOnline, the Channel 5’s documentary Keeping Up Appearances: 30 Years Of Laugh claims his Holiness used to do an impression of the iconic TV character.

Dame Patricia said in the one-off: “There’s a rumour that Pope Benedict did an impression of Hyacinth’s telephone catchphrase, ‘Hello, this is the Bouquet residence.’

“If the rumours are true, his Holiness wasn’t the only high-profile fan.

“We were one of the Queen Mother’s favourite sitcoms, which was lovely, and the Queen enjoyed it, too. Hyacinth would have been flattered beyond words, and why not.”

The claim comes following Benedict’s death on New Year’s Eve at age 95 following 10 years of retirement from the papacy, and after increasingly frail health.

Current Pope Francis eulogised his predecessor at the funeral earlier this month after his lying in state in St Peter’s Basilica.