"Are You Being Served?" (1972) TV series 1972-1985

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Creators:

David Croft
Jeremy Lloyd

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Release Date:

21 March 1973 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

The misadventures of the staff of a retail floor of a major department store.

Plot Keywords:

Store | Department Store | Sitcom | Cockney Accent | Innuendo

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Mollie Sugden	...	Mrs. Betty Slocombe (69 episodes, 1972-1985)
John Inman	...	Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries / ... (69 episodes, 1972-1985)
Frank Thornton	...	Captain Stephen Peacock (69 episodes, 1972-1985)
Wendy Richard	...	Miss Shirley Brahms (69 episodes, 1972-1985)
Nicholas Smith	...	Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold / ... (69 episodes, 1972-1985)
Trevor Bannister	...	Mr. Dick Lucas / ... (48 episodes, 1972-1979)
Arthur English	...	Mr. Beverley Harman (48 episodes, 1976-1985)
Harold Bennett	...	Young Mr. Grace (46 episodes, 1972-1981)
Arthur Brough	...	Mr. Ernest Grainger (34 episodes, 1972-1977)

Also Known As:

"Grace Brothers"

Runtime:

28 min (69 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:TV-PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Elstree Film Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The "lift voice" heard during the theme song played in each episode is that of Stephanie Gathercole who plays Mr. Rumbold's secretary in the earliest episodes.

Goofs:

Continuity: The sex of Mrs. Slocombe's cat, Tiddles, frequently changes from him to her.

Quotes:

Captain Peacock: [walks up to the manageress] Did you notice that I was clicking my fingers, clearing my throat and banging my spoon on the table?
Canteen Manageress: I did notice it, yeah.
Captain Peacock: And what message do those actions convey to you?
Canteen Manageress: Well, when my two-year-old does it, it usually means he needs to go to the potty.
Captain Peacock: Your truculent behavior has not gone unnoticed and will be reported!
Canteen Manageress: Good! That's what I hoped. Then perhaps the management will realise that sacking my waiting staff is more trouble than it's worth because I ain't serving.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Comedy Connections: Just Good Friends (#5.7)" (2007)

I loved this show

I remember watching reruns of this show on PBS in the 90s, I must have watched every episode ten times. The only American show that could be compared to AYBS is probably Threes Company, if only for the dirty jokes that pop up on every episode. It was a little weird seeing such proper British people casually tossing off filthy double entendres, but that was part of the charm, the characters were largely oblivious to the fact. My favorite character was Mrs. Slocombe with her sky-high neon-colored hair. She and Mr. Humphries made the show, just like Karen and Jack make Will & Grace, if you get my drift. Mrs. Slocombe had the funniest reactions to every event, no matter how small, and was quick to petulance after her fragile ego was even slightly bruised. I still laugh when I recall scenes from the show, for instance when she walked in one day wearing a brown outfit and Mr. Lucas said "how now brown cow", and she glared at him. I'm laughing as I type this. Or the time when Mr. Rumbold became ill and Mrs. Slocombe took over the whole department and used his office, she started ordering all these fancy things befitting an executive, like a new suit, and Mr. Travis said "She looks like Rocky Marciano". Then she ate the meringue and got a call from Mr. Rumbold not to eat the meringue, and became violently ill. My favorite Mrs. Slocombe episode, if there is one, is when she can't get home so she stays at Grace Brothers upstairs and has a self-contained apartment. One-by-one, all the other characters, who couldn't get home either, drop by to stay at her apartment and she has to accommodate them all. It's hilarious! There's also one episode where Joanne Lumley makes an appearance and she's young and sexy, she's selling perfume or something.

This wasn't the best show ever made, but the characters are so well crafted that you feel like Grace Brothers could be a real department store somewhere. Even in the 70s, when this show was made, Grace Brothers seems hopelessly old-fashioned and out of date.