
Sir Giles and Lady Maud Lynchwood are not the most happily married of aristocrats. She wants an heir but he cheats on her with incompetent dominatrix Mrs Forthby. The pair agree to divorce but, to stop Maud hanging onto her ancestral home Handyman Hall Giles approaches the Ministry of Transport, suggesting the house be demolished to make way for a motorway. At a public meeting Lady Maud, supported by Blott, her gardener, whips up local support against the motorway, leading to a riot with the destruction of buildings and her ultimate arrest.
Sir Giles and Lady Maud Lynchwood are not the most happily married of aristocrats. She wants an heir but he cheats on her with incompetent dominatrix Mrs Forthby. The pair agree to divorce but, to stop Maud hanging onto her ancestral home Handyman Hall Giles approaches the Ministry of Transport, suggesting the house be demolished to make way for a motorway. At a public meeting Lady Maud, supported by Blott, her gardener, whips up local support against the motorway, leading to a riot with the destruction of buildings and her ultimate arrest.
In the wake of the riot naive civil servant Dundridge is sent to Worford by devious ministers as the PM opposes any other route for the motorway than Handyman Hall. Released from prison Lady Maud entertains him behind her husband's back, charming and flattering him and she is much cheered when he agrees that the motorway should take the form of a tunnel going under the grounds and not through them. A dismayed Sir Giles is all too happy for his solicitor to pay a young lady to get Dundridge drunk and compromise him.