original_network sweet sixteen 
To the Manor Born is a ___MASK6___ sitcom that first aired on BBC1 from 1979 to 1981 . A special edition appeared in 2007 . Starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles , the first 20 episodes and the 2007 special were written by Peter Spence , the creator , while the final episode in 1981 was written by Christopher Bond , the script associate . The title is a play on the phrase " to the manner born ," from Shakespeare ' s " Hamlet " (" Though I am a native here and to the manner born , it is a custom more honoured in the breach than the observance .") Gareth Gwenlan OBE ( 26 April 1937  8 May 2016 ) was a Welsh television producer and director , best known for his work on shows such as " The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin ", " To the Manor Born ", " Only Fools and Horses ", and " High Hopes ". In 1983 he was appointed Head of Comedy for ___MASK52___ Wales , a position he held until 1990 . Dame Penelope Keith , DBE , DL ( born Penelope Anne Constance Hatfield ; born 2 April 1940 ) is an English actress , active in all genres , including radio , stage , television and film and primarily known for her roles in the British sitcoms " The Good Life " and " To the Manor Born ". She succeeded Lord Olivier as president of the Actors ' Benevolent Fund after his death in 1989 , and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire ( DBE ) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to the arts and to charity . Sweet Sixteen is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 in 1983 . It stars Penelope Keith and was written by Douglas Watkinson and directed and produced by Gareth Gwenlan . Only Fools and Horses is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan . Seven series were originally broadcast on ___MASK54___ in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991 , with sixteen sporadic Christmas specials until its end in 2003 . Episodes are regularly repeated on UKTV comedy channel Gold and occasionally repeated on ___MASK54___ .