Set in 1944 at the vicarage of Merton-cum-Middlewick, the story begins with Penelope Toop, a former actress turned vicar’s wife, who is struggling to conform to the rigid social expectations of her village. When an old acting friend, Clive Winton, pays a surprise visit, the two decide to sneak off to the theater. To avoid a scandal, Clive disguises himself in one of her husband’s suits and a clerical collar. However, the plan goes awry when the village busybody, Miss Skillon, catches them in a compromising (but innocent) position and proceeds to get accidentally drunk on cooking sherry, leading to her being hidden away in a broom cupboard.
The chaos escalates exponentially with the arrival of several other men in identical religious attire. An escaped German Prisoner of War breaks into the house and steals the vicar’s clothes to use as a disguise. Simultaneously, the Bishop of Lax (Penelope’s uncle) arrives early, and a visiting preacher, the Reverend Arthur Humphrey, shows up for his Sunday duties.
As the night progresses, the characters find themselves caught in a whirlwind of confusion. With four “vicars” running around the house—some real, some fake, and one a fugitive—the plot descends into a madcap chase. Doors slam, identities are swapped at breakneck speed, and the local police are called in to untangle the mess. By the time the curtain falls, the “vicar-count” is high, the Bishop is bewildered, and the audience is left breathless by the high-speed physical comedy and the inevitable, hilarious restoration of order.
