Are You Being Served?

For other uses, see the original British sitcom, other uses, and Are You Being Served? (disambiguation).

Are You Being Served?
File:Are You Being Served pilot title card.jpg Title card of pilot
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Jeremy Lloyd & David Croft
Written by	Jeremy Lloyd David Croft Michael Knowles John Chapman
Directed by	David Croft Bernard Thompson Harold Snoad Ray Butt Gordon Elsbury John Kilby Martin Shardlow
Starring	Mollie Sugden Frank Thornton John Inman Wendy Richard Nicholas Smith Trevor Bannister Arthur English Harold Bennett Arthur Brough James Hayter Alfie Bass Mike Berry Larry Martyn Kenneth Waller
Theme music composer	Ronnie Hazlehurst
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	10
No. of episodes	69 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	David Croft
Producers	David Croft Harold Snoad Bob Spiers Martin Shardlow
Running time	30 minutes
Original release
Network	BBC1
Release	8 September 1972 – 1 April 1985
Related
Comedy Playhouse Are You Being Served? (film) Are You Being Served? (Australian TV series) Beane's of Boston Grace & Favour

Are You Being Served? was a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the men's and women's departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John Chapman. The idea for the show came from Lloyd's brief period working at Simpsons of Piccadilly in the early 1950s, a clothing store which traded for over 60 years until 1999.

In 2004, it came 20th in Britain's Best Sitcom.

Characteristics

Are You Being Served? featured humour based on sexual innuendo, misunderstandings, mistaken identity and occasional slapstick. In addition, there were sight gags generated by outrageous costumes which the characters were sometimes required to wear for store promotions, and gaudy store displays frequently featuring malfunctioning robotic mannequins. The show is remembered for its prolific use of double entendres.

The main humorous base of the series was a merciless parody of the British class system. This permeated almost every interaction and was especially evident in the conversations between the maintenance men and the ostensibly higher-class store personnel. The episodes rarely left the store, and to parody the stereotype of the British class system, characters rarely addressed each other by their given names, even after work. When they did, it was almost always for a comical effect.

The main characters included stereotypes such as:

• the effeminate Mr. Humphries, who lived with his mother;
• Captain Peacock, the haughty floorwalker who purportedly fought in the North Africa Campaign of World War II (but was actually in the Service Corps and was never in a combat situation);
• the snobbish and boisterous Mrs. Slocombe with her ever-changing hair colour;
• Miss Brahms, a young, attractive, working-class, cockney-speaking junior assistant to Mrs. Slocombe; *
• Mr. Grainger, a 40-year veteran of Grace Brothers who often fell asleep on the job;
• Mr. Rumbold, the autocratic, obsequious (to Young Mr. Grace), easily confused section manager;
• Mr. Lucas, the young, money-less, woman-chasing junior salesman;
• Young Mr. Grace, the very old, rich but stingy, woman-catching store owner; and
• Mr. Harman and Mr. Mash, the maintenance men who installed mechanized display units in the Ladies and Gents' Departments and got scolded by Captain Peacock for being on the floor during working hours.

The show spawned many catch phrases including:

• "Are you free?", usually said by Captain Peacock to the staff; more often than not, the staff are noticeably free, and each would look solemnly from side to side before answering, "Yes, I'm free, Captain Peacock." John Inman remarked, when Mr. Humphries trilled, "I'm free!", it became his own personal catchphrase.

• Whenever one of the staff asked Captain Peacock if he was free, he would look all around the floor and then say, "At the moment, yes."

• "They'll ride up with wear", about the length of pairs of trousers or sleeves of jackets that were sold. In fact, it was used to justify selling anything that did not fit the customer; ("They'll ride down with wear" was actually used a couple of times.)

• "MENSwear", (in a very masculine, but fake, voice), whenever Mr. Humphries answered the phone;

• "...and I am unanimous in that!" (Mrs. Slocombe);

• "Weak as water!" (Mrs. Slocombe);

• "A glass of water for Mr. Grainger!" (Mr. Lucas);

• "What makes you think it's a 'he?!'" (or "him") was a phrase that Mr. Humphries always said whenever someone asked him a question about a friend that he mentioned (whom he always referred to as "my friend"). They assumed almost automatically that the friends he referred to were male.

• Whenever Young Mr. Grace addresses the staff he says "You've all done very well!" The staff always responds in unison, "Thank you, Mr. Grace!"

• Whenever someone would see Young Mr. Grace for the first time, he or she would turn to someone who had seen him previously and say, "That's Young Mr. Grace?" and the other person would answer, "Old Mr. Grace doesn't get about as much."

During its run, the series attracted some mild criticism for its reliance on sexual stereotypes and sexual double entendres, including jokes about Mrs. Slocombe's "pussy" (cat) e.g. Mrs Slocombe: "Animals are very psychic; the least sign of danger and my pussy's hair stands on end". John Inman's camp portrayal of Mr. Humphries as an effeminate man could easily be misinterpreted by viewers. Inman pointed out that Mr. Humphries' true sexual orientation was never explicitly stated in the series, and David Croft said in an interview that the character was not homosexual, but "just a mother's boy". With a broad mixture of stereotypical gay characteristics, some apparent heterosexual attractions, and always picking up on ambiguous words such as 'queen', 'gay' and 'camp', viewers were left wondering about Mr. Humphries' sexual orientation. In an episode of the spin-off Grace & Favour, the character is further described as neither a "woman's man" nor a "man's man" and as being "in limbo".

The characters sometimes broke the fourth wall for a comical effect.

Cast

Actor / actress	Character	Duration
Frank Thornton	Captain Stephen Peacock	Pilot - Series 10
Mollie Sugden	Mrs. Betty Slocombe	Pilot - Series 10
John Inman	Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries & Mrs Humphries	Pilot - Series 10
Wendy Richard	Miss Shirley Brahms	Pilot - Series 10
Nicholas Smith	Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold	Pilot - Series 10
Arthur Brough	Mr. Ernest Grainger	Pilot - Series 5
Trevor Bannister	Mr. Dick/James Lucas	Pilot - 1979 Special
Harold Bennett	Young Mr. Grace	Pilot - 1981 Special
Larry Martyn	Mr. Mash	Pilot - 1975 Special
Stephanie Gathercole	Mr. Rumbold's Secretary	Pilot - Series 2
Nina Francis	Miss Ainsworth	Series 2 - Series 3
Moira Foot	Miss Thorpe	Series 3
Arthur English	Mr. Beverley/Harry Harman	Series 4 - Series 10
Penny Irving	Miss Bakewell/Miss Nickelson (Movie)	Series 4 - The 1979 Special
James Hayter	Mr. Percival Tebbs	Series 6 and The 1978 Special
Vivienne Johnson	Nurse	Series 6 - The 1981 Special
Alfie Bass	Mr. Harry Goldberg	Series 7 - The 1979 Special
Mike Berry	Mr. Bert Spooner	Series 8 - Series 10
Milo Sperber	Mr. Grossman	Series 8 Episodes 1 - Episode 4
Benny Lee	Mr. Klein	Series 8 Episodes 5 - Episode 7 & The 1981 Special
Kenneth Waller	Old Mr. Grace	Series 8 and The 1981 Special
Debbie Linden	Secretary	Series 8 Episodes 1 - Episode 4
Louise Burton	Secretary	Series 8 Episodes 4 - The 1981 Special
Candy Davis	Miss Belfridge	Series 9 - Series 10
Diana King Diana Lambert	Mrs. Peacock	Series 4 and Series 9 Series 10
Doremy Vernon	Canteen Manageress	1975 Special - Series 10
Keith Hodiak	Seymour	Series Ten
Pat Astley	Mr. Grace's Nurse	Series 5 Uncredited

Characters

Main article: List of Are You Being Served? characters

After The Show

• Frank Thornton (15 January 1921) after the show ended in 1985 he had minor roles in several shows and later reprised his role as Captain Peacock in spin off show Grace & Favour from 1992-1993 which quickly ended. In 1997 he took on the role of Herbert 'Truly' Truelove in Last Of The Summer Wine a part which he still plays today.

• Mollie Sugden (21 Juky 1922 - 1 July 2009) after the show sugden also reprised her role as Mrs Slocombe in Grace & Favour, she later starred in episodes of The Bill,she appeared in a 2003 episode of Little Britain where a regular character who claims to have been Sugden's bridesmaid, and never talks about anything else. Sugden appears herself in the final episode of the first series where the character throws a knife at her back to silence her after she does not recognise the woman and says that her only bridesmaid was in fact somebody else. Sugden never worked after that due to ill health. Sugden died aged 86 on 1 July 2009 of natural causes,Her final public appearance was at her Are You Being Served? co-star Wendy Richard's funeral four months previously.

• John Inman (28 June 1935 - 8 March 2007) became one of the nation's best known pantomime dames and appeared in over 40 pantomime productions across the United Kingdom.[8] He also toured to Australia to star in a number of productions including Bedside Manners (2003) and a revival of Are You Being Served? (2001) as a stage show at Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane. In 2004, Inman made additional television appearances in Doctors and Revolver. He never worked again after 2004 due to ill health and later died on 8 March 2007 aged 71,He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium after a funeral on 23 March 2007.[14] It was reported in July 2007 that Inman left his entire estate, including more than £2.8m, to his partner Ron Lynch. The only other portion of his estate given to someone else was a £5,000 bequest to the Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund. The Daily Mail newspaper said at the time that Inman's "estate is believed to be the highest profile will of a gay man in a civil partnership since the ceremonies became legal in 2005".

• Wendy Richard (20 July 1943 - 26 February 2009) after the show ended became more known as heroine and matriarch Pauline Fowler in hit soap Eastenders where she was involved in many high profile story lines and became the nations sweetheart. She became the most famous actor out of the "Are You Being Served" cast due to the character, Richard decided to quit the show in 2006 due to her wanting to do other things and her character was killed off that year, she appeared in various shows after leaving including a part in series 2 of Benidorm and Big Brothers Little Brother. Richard shockingly announced on 5 October 2008 that she had breast cancer yet again, her agent announced she had died on the 26th February 2009 aged just 65 with her husband John Burns at her bedside. On the day of her death a remembrance programme dedicated to Richard was broadcast on BBC One.

She made a half hour programme called Wendy Richard: To Tell You the Truth, documenting the last three months of her life; it was broadcast on BBC1 on 19 March 2009.

Richard was the youngest member of the cast and the youngest out of the cast to die.

• Nicholas Smith (5 March 1934) In 2005 Nicholas Smith was also featured in a supporting role as Vicar Clement Hedges in the Academy Award-winning film, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. In 2008 he appeared as a vicar in Last of the Summer Wine. He rarley works now on television.

• Arthur Brough starred in "Are You Being Served" from 1972 - 1977 all was going well when, on Easter Sunday 1978, Arthur Brough's wife of 50 years, Elizabeth, died, and the emotionally devastated Brough announced he was quitting acting.According to his daughter, he stayed with her for a few weeks, during which timeDavid Croft and Jeremy Lloyd made contact to say they were writing him into the next series. Unfortunately, he died just six weeks after his wife, on 28 May 1978, in Folkestone. Croft decided not to have another actor take over the part of Mr. Grainger, so his character in Are You Being Served? was replaced by Mr. Tebbs, played by James Hayter who only played the role for one series in 1978.

Episodes

The cast of Are You Being Served? in late 1981: from left to right: back row Arthur English as Mr. Harman, Wendy Richard as Miss Brahms, Benny Lee as Mr. Klein, Mike Berry as Mr. Spooner. front row Nicholas Smith as Mr. Rumbold, Frank Thornton as Captain Peacock, Mollie Sugden as Mrs. Slocombe, Vivienne Johnson as the nurse, John Inman as Mr. Humphries, Kenneth Waller as Old Mr. Grace, Louise Burton as Mr. Grace's secretary.

Main article: List of Are You Being Served? episodes

Are You Being Served? was first broadcast on 8 September 1972 on the BBC, in the form of a pilot for the series Comedy Playhouse. It only aired when it did because of free airspace created by the Munich massacre during the 1972 Summer Olympics. The pilot was reshown at the beginning of the first series on 14 March 1973. That first series was aired in the same timeslot as Coronation Street on ITV, and consequently received relatively little attention. However, repeats shown later in the year were much more successful.

Although the pilot was produced in colour, the videotape was wiped in the 1970s leaving only a 16mm black-and-white film telerecording. In 2009 the pilot episode was restored to full colour using the colour recovery technique previously used for the Dad's Army episode Room at the Bottom. The restored version was first shown on BBC2 on 1 January 2010 as part of an 'Are You Being Served' special night. It is not currently available on any DVD release yet.

The show went on to receive huge audiences, with later episodes attracting up to 22 million viewers. After 10 series, 69 episodes and a 13-year run, Are You Being Served? came to an end on 1 April 1985.

In addition, the cast performed in character for a stage sketch on the BBC1 programme Variety on 19 June 1976.

Theme song

The theme song, written by the show's co-writer David Croft and composer Ronnie Hazlehurst, consists of a lift girl (whose voice was provided by Stephanie Gathercole) announcing each floor over the musique concrète sounds of a cash register (which basically serves as the only percussion instrument) and a simple musical accompaniment.

A remix of the theme was released in 1996 by a dance act calling itself "Grace Brothers", and featured samples of John Inman and Frank Thornton.

There is a homage to the theme song in the Ladytron song "Paco!" from the album "604", and New Zealand band Minuit's "I hate guns". A version of the theme song is featured on the album The Ape Of Naples by the experimental music group Coil. The theme song has also been covered by Australian band Regurgitator on their 1999 album ...art. Pop singer Jamelia's song "Window Shopping" (from her 2006 album Walk with Me) begins with a sample of the familiar cash register sound effect as well as Mrs. Slocombe's voice inquiring, "Good morning, Mr Grainger; are you free?".

Film

Main article: Are You Being Served? (film)

In 1977, an Are You Being Served? film was released using the same characters and cast. It was set in the fictional resort of Costa Plonka, in Spain. The film was an adaptation of the very successful stage version of the show, which played at the Winter Gardens Theatre, Blackpool over the summer of 1976.

Other countries

The series has become very popular in the United States on PBS stations and on BBC America, as well as in many Commonwealth nations around the world. A U.S. adaptation pilot episode called Beane's of Boston aired on 5 May 1979 on CBS, but it didn't make it to a full series. An Australian version, also called Are You Being Served?, ran for sixteen episodes from 1980 to 1981. It starred John Inman as Mr Humphries and June Bronhill as character similar to Mrs Slocombe. The store's name was changed to Bone Brothers as Grace Brothers was the name of an actual department store chain in Australia. The show was aired in Canada during the late night on YTV.

Grace & Favour

Main article: Grace & Favour

In 1992, most of the original cast reunited for a spin-off show called Grace & Favour. This series was called Are You Being Served? Again! in the United States and Canada.

Merchandise

Seven early episodes were novelised for a book, written by Jeremy Lloyd, called Are You Being Served? - Camping In and other Fiascos. This was written in 1976, and republished in 1997 by KQED Books. The seven episodes featured are Camping In, Up Captain Peacock, Wedding Bells, His and Hers, Coffee Morning, The Hand of Fate and The Clock.

In 1995, KQED Books published Are You Being Served - The Inside Story by Adrian Rigelsford, Anthony Brown, and Geoff Tibbalis, with a foreword by Jeremy Lloyd, and sub-titled: "The Inside Story of Britain's Funniest - and Public Television's Favorite - Comedy Series". In 212 pages, the book's six chapters cover: The Cast of Characters, Behind the Scenes, The Episodes, The Spin-offs, Trivia Quiz, and Glossary. ISBN 0-912333-04-9.

In 1999, I'm Free! The Complete Are You Being Served?, a guide to the series, was published by Orion Books. It was written by Richard Webber, with contributions from David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd.

A board game was also produced in the 1970s. Players moved round a board resembling the shop floor to purchase one item from each of the four counters and leave the store, before their opponents and without going over budget.

DVD releases

Series One to Eight, including the black & white version of the pilot episode and all five Christmas specials from those years, are available on DVD in the UK (Region 2). Are You Being Served: the Movie was released in 2002. Series Nine and Ten are expected to be released by 2012.

All ten series, as well as both series of Grace & Favour (in packaging titled Are You Being Served? Again!) and the film are available on DVD in Region 1 (North America).

All ten series, as well as both series of Grace & Favour (in correctly-titled packaging) and the film have been released in Australia (Region 4).

A DVD titled Are You Being Served? - Best of The Early Years and Are You Being Served? Christmas Specials have also been released.

DVD Title		Disc No.	Year	Ep. #	DVD release			Special episodes
					Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
	Complete Series 1	1	1972-1973	6	27 August 2002	25 July 2005	2 March 2006	The Pilot B&W version
	Complete Series 2	1	1974	5	27 August 2002	19 September 2005	8 June 2006	—
	Complete Series 3	2	1975	9	27 August 2002	30 January 2006	5 October 2006	1975 Christmas Special
	Complete Series 4	1	1976	7	27 August 2002	27 March 2006	7 March 2007	1976 Christmas Special
	Complete Series 5	1	1977	7	27 August 2002	5 June 2006	6 June 2007	—
	Complete Series 6	1	1978	6	30 September 2003	28 August 2006	3 October 2007	1978 Christmas Special
	Complete Series 7	1	1979	8	30 September 2003	25 August 2008	6 March 2008	1979 Christmas Special
	Complete Series 8	1	1981	8	30 September 2003	7 September 2009	7 August 2008	1981 Christmas Special
	Complete Series 9	1	1983	6	30 September 2003	TBA 2010	2 October 2008	—
	Complete Series 10	1	1985	7	30 September 2003	TBA 2011	5 March 2009	—
	Complete Series 1-5	6	1972-1977	34	27 August 2002	2 October 2006	TBA	Same as individual releases
	Complete Series 6-10	5	1978-1985	35	30 September 2003	TBA 2011	TBA	Same as individual releases
	Complete Series 1-10	11	1972-1985	69	7 September 2003 11 August 2009	TBA 2012	TBA	Same as individual releases

See also

• List of films based on British sitcoms

External links

• Are You Being Served? at BBC Online
• Are You Being Served? at the British Film Institute
• Are You Being Served? at British Comedy Guide
• Are You Being Served? at the BFI's Screenonline
• Are You Being Served? at IMDb
• Are You Being Served? Central