The premise of Fackham Hall is that it’s a spoof of British period dramas – and this one centres on the fictional Davenport family. Lord and Lady Davenport, after a series of unfortunate events, now need to marry off their youngest daughter to first cousin Archibald to keep hold of their manor.

There is, however, a problem: young Poppy fled the altar to run away with her manure delivery man. That only leaves Rose – a “dried-up husk of a woman” at 23 – who also isn’t fond of cousin Archibald. Things become even spicier when Eric, an adult orphan boy, is tasked with delivering a letter to Fackham Hall. Inevitably, he crashes into Rose and it’s love at first sight, leading to a secretive romance. 

Complications occur, however, as not only is Eric perceived to be a lowly thief, there’s been a murder; Lord Devonshire is dead and so Rose and Archibald are to be wed.

This fast-paced tale, cleverly co-written by comedian Jimmy Carr, definitely provides enough gags to produce some laughs.

One of the most apt references to modern times is the on-call servant “Alexa”, who recently replaced “Siri” – Lady Devonshire was convinced Siri was listening in to their conversations, after all.

Another great reference is that of houseguest J.R.Tolkien (played by Jason Done) who is taking in the world around him as inspiration for his unpublished books. Take the part, for example, when he overhears Lady Devonport call her daughter, “my precious”.

Throughout the film, there’s an abundance of sexual innuendos, crude references, and ludicrous shenanigans.

While the performances can be funny, there are some scenes that didn’t land well, such as Great Aunt Bonaparte (Sue Johnston) talking as if she’s a young teenager. 

Round the dinner table, Great Aunt Bonaparte would contribute to conversation by saying outlandish phrases such as “wasteman just got merked”.

The whole parody is rather silly, and the storyline is mostly predictable, but if you’re up for some light relief, then it’s a suitably watchable pastime.

In cinemas now, an all-star cast features: Damian Lewis as Lord Davenport; Katherine Waterston as Lady Davenport; Emma Laird as Poppy; Tom Felton as Archibald; Thomasin McKenzie as Rose; and Ben Radcliffe as the orphan boy, Eric.

My rating

6.5/10