Film / Fackham Hall

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Fackham Hall is a 2025 period comedy/parody movie that spoofs period dramas like Gosford Park and Downton Abbey. It is directed by Jim O'Hanlon and stars Ben Radcliffe, Thomasin McKenzie, Katherine Waterston, Lizzie Hopley, Emma Laird, Damian Lewis, Tom Felton and Jimmy Carr.

In England's interwar period, orphan and pickpocket Eric Noone (Radcliffe) is hired as a servant at Fackham Hall, home of the noble Davenport family. However, the family is not without their troubles; Lord Davenport (Lewis) has no surviving sons, and his eldest daughter Poppy (Laird) left her fiancé (and first cousin) Archibald (Felton) at the altar to elope with a commoner. This means that the family's last hope of keeping Fackham Hall in the family is for his second daughter Rose (McKenzie) to marry Archibald in her sister's place.

However, thanks to a chance meeting, Eric and Rose fall in love with one another. Their secret relationship is complicated as Eric rises through the ranks of Fackham Hall's staff and Rose's mother Prudence (Waterston) puts increasing pressure on Rose to go ahead with the marriage to Archibald. And things take a turn for the worse after a murder investigation makes Rose's marriage all the more urgent and points to Eric as the prime suspect...

The film was released on December 5, 2025.

Previews: Green Band Trailer, Red Band Trailer, UK trailer.

Fackham Hall contains examples of:

• Ambiguous Syntax:
  • Rose says that succession laws only permitting a male heir to Fackham Hall are, "pardon my French, un enorme cruche du merde." ("a massive crock of shit")
  • When Eric first introduces himself to Rose, he says "Well, it was nice to meet you. Eric." She replies, "It's Rose, actually."
  • Rose asks Darvesh Khaled if he fought with her father during the Great War, and he replies, "No, we were on the same side."
  • Cyril tells Eric "Wrong side of McAllister on day one, that's a record." Eric is holding a phonograph record in his hand and thanks Cyril for noticing.
  • When J. R. R. Tolkien arrives at the wedding, an usher asks him, "Are you bride or groom, sir?" He replies, "Actually, I'm a guest."
  • Lord Davenport discusses with his wife Prudence what to do now that their daughter Poppy's marriage to Archibald has fallen through:
    Prudence: What about Rose?
    Lord Davenport: It’s illegal for sisters to marry.
    Prudence: Pity. But what if Rose were to marry Archibald?
  • When Prudence brings this ultimatum to Rose, telling her that another lady must marry Archibald, Rose replies, "You can't, you're married to father!"
  • When Richard gets pinned beneath a dead deer on the hunt:
    Alexander: Sir, shall I take him back to the house and call a doctor?
    Lord Davenport: No, no. Just chop his legs off and roast him for dinner.
    Alexander: What about Richard, sir?
  • Archibald tells Rose he found a poem that reminded him of her and asks her permission to read it. She says yes... so he reads it silently to himself and closes the book.
  • When Inspector Watt says he's here regarding the murder, Cyril tells him, "I'm afraid you're too late. Someone's already done it."
  • Inspector Watt also asks Cyril who the last person to see Lord Davenport alive is, and he replies "The murderer." Watt goes, "Just as I thought..."
  • When told that Inspector Watt would like everyone's presence in the drawing room, Prudence asks, "What if we haven’t got him a present?"
  • After the funeral, Tolkien tells Bert "Truly a beautiful service." Bert is wearing tennis clothes and holding a racket, and replies, "Oh, thank you. Although in hindsight, I probably should have attended the funeral."
  • Eric comforts a grieving Rose and puts his hand on her arm, telling her "It's so hard." She replies, "Thanks, I've been working out."
  • When Inspector Watt makes an arrest, he says, "In that case, I'm arresting you for murder. And in that case are my toothbrush and my pajamas," he says as he points to a suitcase.
  • Archibald asks Rose how she slept, and she replies, "By lying on my bed and closing my eyes."
• ...And That Little Girl Was Me: At the end, the elderly narrator reveals that she's Rose Davenport recounting the events of her life.
• Advertising by Association: Spoofed in the green band and red band trailers, advertising this film as "From the studio that watched the first two seasons of Downton Abbey".
• Amusingly Awful Aim: Archibald will often blame the gun he's given, but he can't aim for shit. When tasked with hunting, he doesn't manage to get any of the animals they spook, and instead managing to shoot Lord Davenport in the chest twice by accident. Becomes a Chekhov's Gag when, upon learning that Eric is his long-lost brother, tries resecuring his position as heir by shooting him point-blank in the face... only to miss. On top of that, the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue mentions that this second humiliation drove Archibald to try and shoot himself, only to miss once again.
• Artistic License – History: The Davenports second son died in the Hindenburg crash, but the Hindenburg crashed in 1937 and the movie is set in 1931.
• Bait-and-Switch: The movie is replete with these gags:
  • Lord Davenport gives Poppy a family heirloom on her wedding day. He pulls out a jewelry box, opens it, and it turns out to be empty.
    Lord Davenport: It's a necklace box.
  • Poppy runs out of the church to be with the working-class man she loves, and it first seems as if she's running toward a handsome shirtless man. In fact, she's running toward Lionel, the fat, slovenly manure salesman.
  • At a fancy dinner, the din of dozens of diners' silverware scraping on plates is so loud that Lord Davenport has to shout to try and hold a conversation. However, everyone hears him and quiets down when he makes a polite "ahem" to give a speech.
  • As Rose and Eric prepare to sneak out and go to a pub, Rose says she'll need a working-class disguise and looks at the clothesline with a maid's costume on it. Cut to her wearing a makeshift dress made from a tablecloth that was also on the clothesline.
  • At the pub, Eric orders two of his usual from the bartender. The bartender brings out two fruity tiki cocktails in hurricane glasses.
  • Also at the pub, a woman tries to sell Eric a rose. He replies, "I already have a rose of my own." Rose smiles, thinking he's referring to her, but is confused when Eric pulls a rose out of his back pocket and sets it on the table.
  • Rose tells Eric that she dreams of going to visit the famous city of lights, romance, and poets known as... Blackpool.
  • Darvesh Khaled says that he got his limp from the First World War and refuses to specify. A flashback reveals that on the day of the armistice, he was having a wank in the top bunk of the barracks, fell out, and landed on his knee.
  • Later, Darvesh says that Lord Davenport saved his life during the war. A flashback shows that while they were in a foxhole together, Lord Davenport told Darvesh "You should get that mole checked out."
  • When the police inspector's car pulls up to Fackham Hall, it seems as if a woman's getting out, but in reality Inspector Watt likes wearing tights and high heels when he drives.
  • As Eric is arrested for Lord Davenport's murder, it seems to be in the middle of a Gray Rain of Depression outside. It turns out that the gardener just has bad eyesight and has been showering everyone with a hose.
  • When Eric and Bill try to escape from the jail cell, they try to steal a spoon off the guard's desk to dig their way out. They notice a pickaxe that's within reach, so they eagerly grab that... and use it to help grab the spoon.
• Bait-and-Switch Gunshot: Angry at Eric stealing both his birthright and his bride, Archibald pulls out a pistol and tries to shoot him. Cut to a closeup of the bullet hole in the stained glass window behind Eric... while Eric himself is unharmed, because Archibald is a terrible shot.
• Bawdy Song: A pianist performs a comedic song called "I Went to the Palace with my Willy Hanging Out" about suffering a Wardrobe Malfunction at Buckingham Palace.
• The Bechdel Test: Parodied with the Bechdel twins, two sisters who only ever talk about men and wanting to get married.
• Bestiality Is Depraved: The reason Bill's in the same jail cell as Eric—his "forbidden love" Mildred is a donkey.
• Big Fancy House: The title manor in the English countryside that most of the film is set at is certainly an example. The house is almost palatial in size, includes a large live-in staff, and features a wide variety of lavishly decorated rooms including (but not limited to) a drawing room, library, music room, dining hall, and study. The exterior and many of the interior scenes were filmed at Knowsley Hall near Liverpool—which is a real life example of this trope.
• Bouquet Toss: One is performed... at the funeral of Lord Davenport.
• The Butler Did It: Discussed. After Lord Davenport's murder, Inspector Watt suggests that Richard or Alexander may be culprits, suggesting they're angry at being humiliated and demoted under Lord Davenport's employ.
• Brick Joke: Prudence says she suspected there'd be a police inspector who has trouble holding things. Inspector Watt boasts that she's wrong and accidentally drops the notebook in his hand a second later. Near the end of the film, when Watt pulls out handcuffs to arrest the real murderer, he drops them as well.
• Butt-Monkey: Richard, one of Lord Davenport's servants, is subjected to plenty of injuries, including falling down an open trapdoor, accidentally getting his fingers and head trampled trying to get out the trapdoor, and getting crushed by a deer falling out of the sky.
• Chase-Scene Obstacle Course: As Eric flees Mrs. McAllister, he runs through a busy fetê. He's able to navigate easily on foot, but she crashes several times on her motorcycle.
• Chekhov's Gun:
  • The letter that Eric is given to deliver to Fackham Hall is forgotten for much of the film, until Eric reads it and realizes it proves he's the long-lost nephew Nathaniel.
  • Lord Davenport tells Eric about his "secret cigar and money drawer" in his desk. Eric later sneaks in and steals the money there when he goes to run away with Rose.
• Chekhov's Gunman: The bald Cockney man at the pub works as a guard in the jail where Eric is held. He helps Eric escape and evade the police because they were both at the pub at the time of Lord Davenport's murder.
• Child Soldiers: Lord Davenport at one point mourns the tragic death of his nephew Nathaniel in the First World War, saying he was just a child. A flashback shows Nathaniel was a literal child charging into battle with a grenade in each hand. This becomes Chekhov's Gag when it's revealed that Nathaniel survived the war, was mistaken for a war orphan, and grew up to be Eric Noone.
• Chippendales Dancers: As Mrs. McAllister walks Eric through his new job at Fackham Hall, they pass one in the hallway.
• Clue, Evidence, and a Smoking Gun: According to the narrator, "As the orphan lad approached, he sensed this must be Fackham Hall. He could tell by its grandeur, presence, and its sign saying 'Fackham Hall'."
• Cue Card... Pause: The vicar has a habit of poorly timing the punctuation of his sentences during his sermons at the wedding.
  "For God is strong and mighty and made us all hard. ...And made us all. Hard as life may be, He is there to show the way."
  "God is there shining a light and today, he's shining a light for these two arseholes. ...And today, he's shining a light on these two. Our souls are eternally in His debt. Amen."
  "You may kiss the choir boys. ...You may kiss. The choir boys will now sing 'Ave Maria'."
• Curse Cut Short: As Poppy, Rose, and Prudence have a tearful reunion, great-aunt Bonaparte tells them that they're being a bunch of whiny c(*CAR HORN*)nts.
• Death of a Child: At the pub, one of the waifish little chimney sweeps suddenly has a coughing fit and drops dead. One of the patrons mentions he was only seven years old, and everyone toasts him as London's longest-lived chimney sweep.
• Detective Mole: Discussed and Played for Laughs. Inspector Watt suggests he could've done the murder and points out he has motive, saying he's a "failed police inspector desperate for a case to solve," and rhetorically asks "I mean, where was I on the night of the murder?"
• Embarrassing Cover-Up: Patricia has a habit of giving these out; when Rose was driving Lord Davenport's car, she told Lady Davenport that Rose was "werestling with a tricky dump," and when Poppy would sneak out to meet with Lionel, Patricia said Poppy was in the woodshed whittling a dildo.
• Erotic Asphyxiation: The old newspaper clippings mention that Lord Davenport's youngest son Ringo died from a "fatal strangle-wank". Lord Davenport says of his sons "I console myself knowing that at least they died doing the thing they loved."
• Everyone Is a Suspect: There are plenty of people with motive to murder Lord Davenport, including Archibald seeking to inherit Fackham Hall, Alexander for recently being demoted, Eric for not being allowed to date Rose, and Fifi Valentine for having her business offer spurned.
• Extra! Extra! Read All About It!: Eric passes a paperboy holding up half-blank newspapers saying "National ink shortage, read all about it!"
• Extreme Doormat: Cyril the butler is so subservient to his employers that when Archibald accidentally slaps him, Cyril apologizes "that my face interrupted the flight of your hand."
• Failed a Spot Check: As Inspector Watt gives a speech to all the residents of Fackham Hall, he tells them all that if he finds anything strange in his investigation of Lord Davenport's murder, he will spot it with absolute certainty. He fails to notice someone wearing a giant panda costume on his right.
• Fake Facial Hair: The outrageously-mustachioed Inspector Watt goes to the coatrack to hang up his hat, coat, and mustache, which is revealed to be fake with a more modest mustache underneath.
• Fake Period Excuse: After Rose gets in an argument with her and storms off, Prudence tells the rest of the dinner guests that Rose is moody because "It's her time of the month. Where she menstruates."
• Female Misogynist: Lady Prudence believes strongly in traditional roles for women, telling Rose that things like reading and thinking are "men's work."
• Finish Dialogue in Unison: When Eric and Rose first meet, they both say they were captivated by the sight "of an incredibly beautiful woman with the kind of carefree essence that makes a man glad to be alive!"
• Five-Second Foreshadowing: Mrs. McAllister asks Eric if he remembered to close the cellar hatch. Richard falls down the open hatch a few seconds later.
• Frame-Up: Eric gets arrested for murder after someone plants a wide array of weapons, including knives, pistols, and grenades, in his bunk in the servants' quarters.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus:
  • On a map of Fackham Hall and its surrounding environs, local landmarks include "WWII Memorial (Coming Soon)," "Stone/Paper/Scissors Henge", and plenty of celebrity references like "Ricki Lake", "Carrie-Under-Wood", "Phoebewaller Bridge", and "Jonah Hill".
  • One of the letters briefly shown on Lord Davenport's desk is a letter confirming his renewed membership in the Royal Society for the Hunting of Pandas, signed by a "Mr. D. Attenborough".
• Freudian Slip: It's revealed that Alexander is Mrs. McAllister's son when he slips up and accidentally refers to her as "mum."
  Alexander: Sometimes I accidentally call people "mum." Do it all the time. Don’t I, Mrs. Mum? Mrs. McAllimum. Mrs. McAllimommy. ...McAllister. Mrs. McAllister.
• Friendly Address Privileges: When J. R. R. Tolkien arrives, Lord Davenport introduces him to his family as "J.R.R. Tolkien, the writer." Tolkien replies, "Please, call me J.R.R. Tolkien, the writer."
• Frivolous Lawsuit: One "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue Title Card mentions that Bill Bobaggins sued J.R.R. Tolkien for defamation by naming a character after him and causing reputational damage... while also pointing out that Bill is already a "convicted donkey-fucker."
• Funny Background Event:
  • When Rose and her mother are arguing about Poppy's marriage, they're completely oblivious to Lord Davenport choking on his food in the background and desperately trying to get their attention. And to top off the irony, they're talking about Lord Davenport's health and the line of succession.
  • In Eric's Establishing Character Moment, he pickpockets a wealthy man's watch and gives it to a poor beggar. As he walks away feeling satisfied, the rich man recognizes the beggar holding his watch, calls over a policeman, and the beggar gets beaten and arrested.
  • A nanny is seen hanging a baby from a clothesline "to dry".
  • After Eric is mistakenly hired as Fackham Hall's new hall boy, the man who actually was planning to show up for the interview is scene in the background being told by Cyril the position has been filled.
  • When Eric and Rose go to sneak out to the pub, he absentmindedly throws away a cigarette butt away behind him. It lands inside Lord Davenport's car, and a servant is seen desperately trying to put out the growing fire.
  • As Eric runs through a fetê, there are a pair of sumo wrestlers in the background.
• Genteel Interbellum Setting: The film is set in 1931, with the narration alluding to events like the Great Depression.
• Heir Club for Men: The law states that Fackham Hall can only go to the next man in line of succession of the Daveport family. Lord Davenport's four sons are all dead from historically significant tragedies, and his eldest nephew is MIA, so the only way his family can stay is if he marries off one of his daughters to his surviving nephew Archibald before they die. With the reveal that Eric is that MIA nephew, he's able to marry the love of his life Rose and they can keep the estate.
• He Went That Way: As Eric escapes the jail through the vehicle entrance, the bald Cockney guard tells the pursuing police that Eric climbed through a window, and watches with a smile as the police all try to squeeze through it one at a time.
• Historical Domain Character: A pre-publication J. R. R. Tolkien and a pre-politics Adolf Hitler make appearances in the story.
• Historical In-Joke: J.R.R. Tolkien's alleged "Orcish" is actually Old English. Tolkien was an avid medievalist and fan of Old English literature who even wrote his own translation of Beowulf.
• Human Head on the Wall: Lord Davenport's funeral request was that his body be taxidermized and set up in a display with the animals he hunted.
• Hypocritical Humor:
  • Archibald promises to listen to Rose and never interrupt her while constantly stopping her from getting a word in.
  • Austin Blane writes about "months of backbreaking work and ingenious sleuthing on my part," when in reality it was just his secretary doing all the research while he napped.
• Idle Rich: Exaggerated with Lord Davenport, who literally doesn't have to lift a finger to do anything—he has his valet reach around him from behind and act as his hands.
• I'll Never Tell You What I'm Telling You!:
  • Lord Davenport tells everyone at the reception to spare Archibald embarrassment by not mentioning the wedding:
  Lord Davenport: Specifically, the disastrous wedding, Archibald being humiliated at the altar, the enthusiasm with which the bride fled from her jilted fiancé. And please, no mention of Archibald’s animalistic wailing from the vestry, which we all pretended we couldn’t hear.
  • Eric claims he's great at keeping secrets, then starts rattling off all the secrets at the orphanage he's kept in detail.
  • Inspector Watt says "I received an anonymous tip from Mrs. McAllister..."
• Immediate Self-Contradiction: After their crash Rose promises Eric she'll look where she's going from now, only to back away and trip over a log.
• Impossible Theft: Eric is such a skilled pickpocket that he's able to steal the trousers off of Mr. Blaine's legs without him realizing it. This later becomes Chekhov's Skill when he's escaping from jail: he's able to steal the guards' handcuffs and chain them to a cell door, then steal the pants off more guards to slow them down.
• Impoverished Patrician: Archibald's branch of the Davenports is rather low on money and their estate is decrepit, hence why he's so eager to put up with marrying Rose and inherit the far superior Fackham Hall.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: After Archibald complains that his hunting rifle has poor aim, Eric shows it's not by firing a single bullet at the bottle. The bullet misses the bottle... only to fly back, light a woman's cigarette, ricochet off the cloche on a waiter's serving tray and fly back the way it came, pop the bottle on a cork of champagne by the woman, shatter the bottle, and go back inside the barrel of the gun.
• I'm Standing Right Here: Prudence talks about how terrible of a bride her daughter Rose would be, then pans over to reveal Rose is sitting right next to her.
  Prudence: Oh, come on, Humphrey. Who’d want old Rose? She’s twenty-three. A dried-up husk of a woman. Barren, desiccated, a wizened old walnut of a spinster... Rose, darling, would you pass the milk?
• I Need to Go Iron My Dog: The excuse Cyril will make to Lord Davenport as to why Eric quit is that he contracted rabies, found employment elsewhere, died, fallen pregnant, and ran away.
• Instantly Proven Wrong:
  • Prudence says she suspected there'd be a police inspector who has trouble holding things. Inspector Watt boasts that she's wrong and accidentally drops the notebook in his hand a second later.
  • When Rose and Prudence try to reassure Poppy about Lionel leaving her, saying that it was just in the heat of the moment, she replies that Lionel told her he was very calm and had been thinking about it for days.
• I Warned You: Exaggerated. Prudence tells Cyril, "I told you one of the staff would fall for our eldest daughter, find an envelope full of Humphrey’s money in a drawer, steal it, coax Rose out by throwing stones at her window, and attempt to drive away, only to be thwarted by a police investigator who has trouble holding things."
• Juggling Loaded Guns: Archibald accidentally shoots Lord Davenport in the chest, with Lord Davenport only surviving because the bullet hitting his pocket watch. Just as Archibald says he's learned a lesson in gun safety, he accidentally misfires and shoots Lord Davenport again. Thankfully, Lord Davenport has a flask in his other pocket.
• Line-of-Sight Alias: At the pub, Rose Davenport tries to come up with an alias and starts looking around. She notices a flower, a postcard for a Cornish city, and a bottle of wine... in other words, Rose-Devon-Port. The bartender doesn't suspect her at all.
• Lohengrin and Mendelssohn : At the church for Poppy's wedding, the organ player starts playing Chopin's funeral march before realizing he read the sheet music wrong and switches to Wagner's bridal march.
• LOL, 69: After being jilted at the altar by Poppy, Archibald angrily kicks a sign that says "HYMN 69 707". The last number flips upside down, changing the sign to "HYMN 69 LOL".
• Lost Orphaned Royalty: Eric turns out to be Nathaniel Davenport, Lord Davenport's disappeared nephew who's the rightful heir to Fackham Hall.
• Lots of Luggage: Fifi Valentine brings nearly a dozen suitcases for her stay at Fackham Hall. A poor maid named Gladys is tasked with carrying most of them in all at once.
• Love at First Sight: When Eric and Rose first meet, Eric is riding his bike and notices Rose driving her car in the opposite direction. They share a loving look in slow-motion... and then Eric immediately gets run over by her.
• Meaningful Name: The orphaned Eric's last name is Noone, pronounced "No one."
• Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Mrs. McAllister is meant to be Scottish, which is indicated only by her rolling her R's and an otherwise entirely British accent.
• Nun Too Holy: Some of the dirty secrets Eric knows about the nuns at the orphanage include Sister Mary stealing church donations and Sister Jude going to Amsterdam for Sex Tourism.
• Old-Timey Ankle Taboo: In Darvesh's World War One flashback, he was masturbating to a postcard showing a woman in a heavy dress showing off her lower leg.
• One Dialogue, Two Conversations: When Eric tells Mrs. McAllister he's learned the truth and is going to tell everyone at the church, he's referring to the revelation that he's actually the long-lost Nathaniel Davenport, but she thinks he learned she's Lord Davenport's killer.
• Pedophile Priest:
  • Sister Jude tells Eric he has a visitor at the orphanage, because "Our door is always open to unknown men with an interest in specific children."
  • Later, Eric partially alludes to a secret where "Father Jessup tricked four choir boys into..."
• Pocket Protector: Lord Davenport manages to get saved by this twice in a row from Archibald's Reckless Gun Usage, first from his pocket-watch in his left pocket, and then from his Bloody Mary flask in his right.
• Pretentious Latin Motto: The entrance sign to Fackham Hall includes the motto "Incestus ad infinitum".
• Punny Title: Fackham Hall sounds like a proper name for a country estate, but it also sounds very close to "fuck 'em all." This gets acknowledged several times in the film, when Eric says "fuck 'em all," and people think he's saying "Fackham Hall."
• Raging Stiffie: After Eric delivers tea to Rose's room and has a brief chat with her about reading and romance, he leaves with an erection clearly visible through his pants.
• Really 700 Years Old: One relative of the Davenports is Rose's great-aunt Bonaparte. When asked if she's related to Napoléon Bonaparte, she replies that he was her nephew. Her "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue card reveals that she was born in 1725.
• Real Tragedy, Fictional Victim: Lord Davenport's eldest son George died in the sinking of the Titanic, and his next son John died in the Hindenburg disaster.
• Red Herring Secret: Eric is a prime suspect in Lord Davenport's murder because he was out late the night of the murder, stole cash from the cigars-and-money drawer of Lord Davenport's desk, and tried to run away with Rose. He was actually sneaking out to the pub with Rose, but takes the fall so her reputation isn't tarnished.
• Repeat What You Just Said: In a conversation at a dinner party, J. R. R. Tolkien hears Lady Davenport refer to her husband with the pet nickname "my precious." He immediately asks her to repeat her full sentence, then jots down in his notebook the other half of what she says, which was "In your trousers."
• Royal Bastard: Richard and Alexander, two of Lord Davenport's servants, are actually his bastard sons, the result of his long-running affair with Mrs. McAllister.
• Royal Inbreeding: Marrying cousins is a time-honored tradition among the Davenport family, with Poppy being betrothed to her first cousin Archibald. Poppy and Rose's mother Prudence scolds them for "inexplicably" wanting to marry men from outside their family.
• Runaway Bride: Poppy leaves her fiancée Archibald at the altar so she can go marry Lionel.
• Running Gag: Running gags in the film include Archibald having terrible aim with a gun, Humphrey's Hand gestures actually being done by a servant putting his arms through under Humphrey's armpits, and the vicar's habit of misplacing punctuation in his sermons.
• Severely Specialized Store: At the fetê, there's one vendor selling nothing but trampolines and another selling nothing but gymnastics crash pads, both of which Eric uses when fleeing Mrs. McAllister in the chase scene.
• Shout-Out:
  • The Davenports' butler is named Cyril, or "Cyri" for short. They give him instructions like he's Siri, instructing him to tell them the weather and play music. They also said they fired a prior servant named Alexa for eavesdropping on their conversations and hopes Cyri doesn't do the same.
  • One of the nobles attending Poppy and Archibald's wedding is named Lady Gaga.
  • Rose shows Eric a book she's reading, called One Shade of Grey.
  • Lord and Lady Davenport's deceased sons are named John, Paul, George, and little Ringo. When he thinks he's shot and has a Go into the Light monologue, he says they'll all come together again, tells Rose "I want to hold your hand," calls out to his dear Prudence, and inexplicably mutters "I am the walrus".
  Bert: His mind's turned fevered...
  • The pub Eric and Rose go to is called the Dog & Drake, with its sign depicting Snoop Dogg and Drake.
  • Lord Davenport's lawyer is named Darvesh J. Khaled, or D.J. Khaled for short.
  • The entire character of Inspector Watt is a reference to Hercule Poirot and his mystery novels by Agatha Christie. The large mustache he has in his introductory scene (before he hangs it up) specifically calls to Kenneth Branagh's portrayal of him in Murder on the Orient Express (2017). Later, during a Who's on First? scene caused by "His name is Watt?" someone suggests "Branagh" for a name.
  • When Mrs. McAllister calls the police, the answering machine has references to Clue, saying "If you have been murdered with a candlestick, dial seven. If you have been murdered with a rope..."
  • Eric drops the literary quote, "Reading brings us to unknown friends." Rose identifies it, "That's Balzac's!" Eric protests, "No, it's true!"
• Signs of Disrepair: When Eric prepares to leave Fackham Hall, he steal a black-and-white picture of Rose and Poppy, with the words "Peacock & Sleater" below it. He tears the picture in half to keep the Rose portion, with its text now reading "Cock Eater".
• Skip to the End: After Eric's identity as Nathaniel Davenport is revealed and Archibald is arrested, Rose asks the vicar if they can just pick up where the wedding left off but with Eric instead.
• The Sleepless: Cyril the butler says he never sleeps because it would interfere with his duties.
• Snooty Haute Cuisine: One of the exotic rich foods people are seen eating at Fackham Hall include whole fried sea turtles.
• Something Only They Would Say: At the pub, Rose is forced to sing along to a Cockney song and try to figure out the lyrics as she goes, lest the other bar patrons figure out that she's a posh Davenport. Even though she badly butchers the lyrics, everyone else accepts it anyway.
• Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: At her wedding to Archibald, when the vicar asks if anyone objects to the marriage, Poppy says she can't marry Archibald because she loves someone else and runs out of the church.
• Strange Minds Think Alike: At the pub, Eric tell Rose about a dream where his penis fell off and he couldn't go to the doctor because he was also late for school. In response, Rose admits she had the same dream.
• Straw Misogynist: While Lord Davenport supports Rose's progressivism, his nephew Archibald finds the idea of educated women to be quaint, but otherwise views Rose with contempt. The only reason why he pursues her after her sister leaves him at the altar is because A) his own family home is struggling financially, and B) he doesn't want to be showed up by Eric, whom she does fancy.
• Straw Nihilist: Archibald's mother Phyllis has no happiness in her life after the loss of her husband and elder son, to the point where she goes on a tangent about how everyone's going to die and life is meaningless at her own son's wedding.
• Surprise Incest: Eric learns that his true heritage would make him Rose's cousin. Thankfully for their relationship, the Davenports love Royal Inbreeding.
  Bill: If you’re Lord Davenport’s long-lost nephew, that makes you Archibald’s older brother. Which means…?
  Eric: I'm the rightful heir to Fackham Hall-
  Bill: You had sex with your cousin.
• Tempting Fate: The newspaper clipping announcing the death of Lord Davenport's son Paul has the headline "PAUL DAVENPORT: 'LIGHTNING WON'T STOP ME PLAYING GOLF!'"
• There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Lord Davenport is found to be stabbed, shot, poisoned, splashed with acid and choked. This all turns out to be the result of an Accidental Suicide, exacerbated by the Worst Aid instructions he gave to Mrs. McAllister as she tried to save him.
• Toilet Humour:
  • Eric and Rose try to have a romantic conversation while J. R. R. Tolkien is in a nearby bathroom having a very loud and difficult bowel movement.
  • Inspector Watt has a habit of passing gas whenever he bends over.
  • Eric smells the letter Rose sent to him while he was in jail and smiles. A flashback reveals she had accidentally dropped it in her chamber pot.
• "Ugly American" Stereotype: Fifi Valentine, wife of Archibald's friend and best man Bert, is a wealthy American woman who sticks out like a sore thumb and doesn't care at all for the decorum of British high society. She even tries to strongarm Lord Davenport into selling her the entire estate of Fackham Hall. This leads to her becoming one of the suspects after Lord Davenport is found dead.
  Bert: Remember, Fifi, the Davenports are one of the most eminent families in the whole of England. So, please, try not to be too American.
  Fifi: Oh, please, honey. They’ll barely notice. (slings baseball bat over her shoulder)
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The film ends with a slideshow detailing the fates of various characters in the story; Archibald tried to commit suicide by shooting himself (he missed), Poppy jilted another 22 grooms before breaking tradition and marrying a second cousin, Lady Davenport spent the rest of her life campaigning for the woman's right to vote to be repealed, the vicar died in a bunker in Berlin in April 1945, Eric and Rose honeymooned in Blackpool, and Lord Davenport remained dead.
• Who's on First?:
  • At several points, Eric says "fuck 'em all" when referring to the Davenports and is mistaken for saying "Fackham Hall".
  • Eric and Rose do this while discussing their favorite literature:
    Eric: I forget who coined the phrase, but reading brings us to unknown friends.
    Rose: That's Balzac's!
    Eric: No, it's true! I think it was a French novelist.
  • Inspector Watt is subjected to this when he first meets with all the residents at Fackham Hall.
    Cyril: This is Inspector Watt.
    Lady Davenport: Well, I don't know. Inspector... Phillips?
    Cyril: No. His surname is Watt.
    Archibald: I see. What is his name?
    Cyril: Robert.
    Poppy: Robert what?
    Cyril: Exactly.
  • Eric later invokes this when he's confronted by the murderer near the end, letting out a Big "WHAT?!" to summon the inspector without the murderer realizing.
• Worst Aid: This is the cause of Lord Davenport's death. After accidentally stabbing himself with his letter opener, he tells Mrs. McAllister to get the knife out by shooting it out with his revolver. He also takes a swig of whiskey to help with the pain but accidentally grabs a bottle of poison. Unsurprisingly, this goes horribly wrong, and now he has several new bullet wounds in his chest and poison coursing through his system. He then tells Mrs. McAllister to get the bullets out by using a bottle of sulfuric acid to dissolve them. This, too, fails. His last-ditch effort to save the poison from reaching his brain is to tell Mrs. McAllister to use his belt as an Improvised Tourniquet... around his neck. The combination of stabbing, bullet wounds, poison, acid burns, and strangulation finally does him in at this point.
• X Days Since: At the jail, one of the guards brings a cake to celebrate thirty straight years of no prisoner escape attempts. Eric then tunnels through the ceiling and lands on the cake before taking off running.
• You Just Told Me: Inspector Watt coaxes Archibald into admitting he's an Impoverished Patrician this way.
  Inspector Watt: I’d wager your mother can’t wait to move in here and leave your crumbling family home.
  Archibald: (scoffs) Who told you our house was falling apart?
  Inspector Watt: You just did.