"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

Color:

Color | 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)

A British Comedy Classic!

This series ran from 1972 to 1985, but as British series typically only do six or seven episodes in a season, there are only sixty-nine episodes in all.

The series focuses on the relationship between the staff of the ladies' department and the gentlemen's department in a mid-priced department store in London. Also involved in the humor and bickering are the floorwalker, the department manager, and the owner of the store. There were several cast changes, but most of the crew stayed on through the entire run.

As Frank Thornton (Captain Peacock, the floorwalker) points out in interviews, this show is appealing because it's about shops. Everybody knows what goes on in a shop. We see the bickering for display space, the outrageous lies told to clinch a sale, and the petty squabbles as management institutes ridiculous rules.

The one flaw to the series is that continuity stank. The departments in question bounced from floor to floor over the years, not because they were moved, but because the writers forgot where they were supposed to be!

A blessing to fans of the series is the new DVD collection which includes 34 episodes from the first five seasons. There were four Christmas episodes that are rarely shown on television, and two are in the time frame of this set. Also included is "Top Hat and Tails," which had been "lost" for twenty-five years. Once you see it, you'll understand why someone "lost" it until just recently (there's a scene that was surely considered inappropriate at the time).

This series has its down moments, but every episode brings laughs and joy. The quick wit and hilarious physical comedy remain timeless, even as the clothes seem more dated and the political references get stale.