User reviews

Another poster here managed to remember in more detail than I probably could had I seen an episode yesterday, but I shall strive to provide you my opinion with the fuzzy memory that serves me still.

Let me start by saying that as an avid fan of British comedies for as far back as I can remember, 'Are you being served?' counts to me as one of the best ever created.

As a young child, I would sneak from my room late at night to enjoy the ribald comedy of Benny Hill, then later in life the silliness of Monty Python and then even later, the more serious humor of Good neighbors and butterflies.

Are you being served is by far one of the funniest overall continued series that I've ever seen, whether it's American or British, mostly due to the nature of the characters and the unique situation in which they all work. The one liners and the double entendres help to make this better than most other shows of it's time and even now.

If you've never seen this series, give a few of them a try and I'm sure that you'll fall instantly in love as I did.

Are You Being Served is one of the best sitcoms of all time. From fabulous actors to the great lines each series of this show has at least one magic moment.

It's pure pantomime humour that can be enjoyed by the whole family and it is because of this that the show is timeless.

The catchphrases come thick and fast and the exploits of Mr Humphries and co continue to bring smiles to peoples faces across the world.

It was about the sixth series when this show started to fade with the numerous cast changes not helping. The major loss was Trevor Bannister as Mr Lucas who was just fantastic in this show. After he left the show began to sink.

Overall a great show that is well worth watching.

I love this show so very much! Ever since I first had the honour of viewing this show for the first time, I have loved it. I have seen each episode more times then I can remember, and yet still every night I watch them again. I have grown to know ALL the characters personally, and feel like I am a part of what feels very much like real life at Grace Brother's Department Store. What the characters said, and everything that happened, I know as a very pleasant dream. Dive into the joy of the working staff of this wonderful series, and you will not want to leave. Listen, and you can almost hear the wonderful Mr. Humpries's saying "I'm Free!"

On another note, I must just give a huge thank you to everybody was ever involved in Are You Being Served?, and Are You Being Served, Again?. Because of this show, I grew to love many other wonderful BritComs (British comedies). Thank you to all cast members, crew, the very men who brought the show to TV, extras, etc. To those who have passed on, rest in peace brothers and sisters. You may have departed this world, but I for one will never forget you, and the wonderful contributions you made. To the fictional staff of Grace Bros., thank you for allowing us a just a peek into you lives. I just wish I did not have to leave. Thanks all, your work is remembered certainly by me, and millions of fans past, present and definately future. Grace Bros. will continue to be open, as long as someone keeps watching and remembers.

I'm now 30 years of age and grew up watching Allo Allo, 2.4 Children, Only Fools and Horses, One foot in the Grave etc, all of which I have wonderful nostalgic feelings for. I've always felt Brits make the funniest sitcoms, maybe i have an inbuilt British humour. Only in the last 2 years i bought series one of this to see what all the fuss was about, without any shadow of a doubt this is the funniest sitcom ever, no matter what mood i'm in i can put one of these on and laugh out loud, to the people who moan that the jokes were repeated i'd like to remind them of how many years this ran for and just how successful it was and still is. The movie was horrible, why did they make it!! However the sitcom all the way through was hilarious, Mollie and John i think made the series but all the cast were wonderful, especially young Mr Grace. There was an innocence about the series hidden deep amongst all the double entendres. High points for me were from the episodes Camping in, Oh what a tangled web and Friends and Neighbours. Maybe the show dipped a bit at series 9, but series 10 was a class act.

I don't understand how anyone could bash this show. Yeah, there were a lot of sexual references in it, but it's not near as bad as some of the shows we see on TV these days. There are other Brit-coms like Monty Python that show actual nudity. AYBS does not. I could never get tired of this show. Frankly, I've been a fan of it for years and I hate that it's not currently on our local PBS station. Thankfully, I have taped episodes from when it did air so that if I feel like watching a real comedy, I can just pop in a videotape of AYBS and laugh away. This is an outstanding comedy and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a good laugh. To all the people who have left nice comments about the show, all I can say to you is "You've all done very well."

The classic British comedy is set at a fictional posh London department store names Grace Brothers. The ladies department joins the gentlemen department on the same floor. It is brilliantly casted with Wendy Richard MBE, John Inman, Trevor Bannister, Frank Thornton, Mollie Sugden and Roger Brough. This series was brilliant and one of the top British comedies to air around the world especially in the United States when it aired in the nineties. I enjoyed the camaraderie among the cast. They seemed to have as much as the audience.

I have to say that this has to be one of the best British Comedies I have ever seen. The humor is fascinating and yet so down to earth. I enjoy watching Ms. Slocumb just to see what color her hair is going to be next, which was one of the claim to fame of the show. Also the innuendos that Mr. Humphries may or may not be gay, is he or isn't he? There are so many good things to say about this series. I am currently in the process of buying the complete series on DVD along with Are You Being Served Again and Are you Being Served: The Movie. Though I have watched this series often and for a long time, the one's I watched were usually on PBS in the United States and I know that it is impossible for me to have seen every single episode. I also watched many of the episodes of Are You Being Served Again and thought they too were great, I only wish it had lasted much longer than 3 seasons. I can hardly wait to own all of them on DVD so that I can continue to watch them anytime I choose and actually see "every" episode. If you haven't seen these yet, they are well worth the watch and the purchase. I suggest you buy the DVD's so that you and future generations can enjoy a fun filled, clean, and wonderful British Comedy.

Other British Sitcoms I enjoy and that I would suggest checking out...

Keeping up Appearances, Open All Hours, The Vicar of Dibley, Waiting for God, As Time Goes By, and Fawlty Towers

And this show goes to prove that. Now you know that a sitcom is bound to have a fair share of oddball characters. This one has plenty of them. Enter, the staff of Great Britain's "Grace Brother's" Department store--perhaps the wackiest lot on the isle. Grace Brothers spares no expense to bring you goofy promotions, mucked-up display units, and bizarre situations. Then there are the employees--they aren't as normal as they seem either. For example there's the aloof Captain Peacock, who has quite the practice on the side-often with secretaries. Then there is Mrs. Slocomb, senior saleswoman, who has a cat, which she refers to constantly by another name. Mr. Humphreys, by most accounts swings two directions. The dopey Mr. Rumbold and Young Mr. Grace, who run the company spend more time in confusion than any real managment work. Other odd birds like stocky Mr. Tebbs, insinuating Mr. Maash, cockney-ditz Miss Brahams, cranky Mr. Grainger, jolly Mr. Harmon, and the ever nasty canteen manageress. These characters manage to get themselves into ever oddball situation percievable with humor that is comparable to All in the Family, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. A definite A+. So serve yourself...Grace Brothers is waiting...just beware of the disply units bearing steel wool...

As much of a fan as I am of British humor, I honestly could never get into this show. I usually watched if it happened to be on TV, but it never actually made me laugh. The premise is a group of people, mixture of young and old, who work in a London department store. Except for Mr. Humphries and Mrs. Slocumb, none of the other characters are humorous. The jokes mostly revolved around sex. Every episode had a female mannequin who did some kind of obscene trick. Mr. Lucas was always saying something off-color to Miss Brahms about her appearance (it was portrayed as funny, but would be considered sexual harassment in this day and age). The other women often had on short, tight dresses. Maybe that's why it didn't make me laugh all that much. I like British comedies that are sarcastic and witty. Are You Being Served is just sophomoric humor and women are treated like objects. Somewhat mediocre if you ask me. Plus I'm not interested in shows about people at work. Like The Office and Superstore. Nothing in the show happens outside of the characters' workplace. How boring! And they're always working a job that's relatively low on the totem pole. But the focus of the show isn't the job, it's the characters' quirky personalities. Whatever, I still find those types of shows to be dull. I used to work in a library. A day never went by without drama and bizarre situations thanks to the customers. Now that would make for an entertaining show.

Awful, truly awful. As a little boy in the 1970's there was very little on TV, but we had to endure this. Even before the concept of political correctness had emerged I found the relentless smutty innuendo and gay suggestion dull, repetitive and predictable.

What a waste- and all this from a time when Fawlty Towers was being produced. There was other stuff on TV to keep an eight-year old entertained.

How this ran for a decade is beyond comprehension. I guess it's Americans giving this show great reviews- just what must they think of us Brits?

Are You Being Served is a fantastic example of British humor at its finest. Granted, with almost 30 years since the telecast of the first episode, some of the humor has become dated. However, the cast and script-writers took the concept of double entendre to a whole new level with the jokes in the show (the best one I think being about Mrs. Slocum's cat, if you get my drift!). The thing that makes the show stand the test of time is that they did not have to resort to outright obscenity and crudity to get the humor across. It requires a little bit of thought to follow some of the jokes, which while base, are veiled in "false propriety". It is something that I would have no problem letting my children watch because they would not get the jokes until they were old enough to understand and deal with the humor. What comedy today can we say the same about? The show also has the ability to pull you in, make you privy to the "secret jokes" and make you feel part of the club. You become bound up in the inside jokes and personalities, and can identify with the characters (within reason: who can understand the concept of Mrs. Slocum's changing hair-colors?!). Overall, it is a great series and well worth watching, even 27 years later!

This TV series was awesome in its day. It made humor out of everyday moments that could happen to any working person. It was funny in a sweet and positive manner.

Unfortunately, in the current age, it is hard to imagine such a show ever existing or getting made. For that reason, it is even more precious to be able to watch the old shows, and to feel a sentimental attachment to actors and writers who are gone, but who tried their best to give positive moments of fun to their audiences, and who succeeded. Thank you!

If you like your humour subtle, sophisticated or avant garde, then don't watch Are You Being Served. Written by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd who between them were also responsible for the likes of 'Allo allo and It Ain't Half Hot Mum, this is British humour designed for a British audience. That means infantile situations overloaded with telegraphed jokes both visual and verbal, overt gender and racial stereotyping involving underdressed bimbos and silly foreigners and, lashings of suggestive innuendo. And we love it. Whether it's Mrs Slocombe's hair colour variations or concerns about her "pussy", Mr Humphries' camp remarks and mincing gait or Miss Belfridge asking Captain Peacock if he thinks her new bra is too small. It's like a wedding list. Mostly old, little new, everything borrowed and frequently blue! Think about it; the series ended in 1985, all of the main cast are dead and it's still being shown on T V to appreciative audiences in January 2020. Doubt we'll be able to say that about Better Things or Mum in 35 years time!

Reading some of the previous reviews, I'd just like to say something about the series' popularity and some of the perceived stereotypes.

The goings-on at Grace Bros aren't a favourite with everyone. Coming 20th in a 2004 'Britain's best sitcom' poll (beating many contenders with the advantage of having been made more recently) nevertheless is a reminder of how popular this comedy remains.

I find nothing sinister or offensive about 'Are You Being Served?' Some things done and said would be frowned upon today. This also goes for other excellent comedies of the past like 'Fawlty Towers'. However a modern audience understands there is no underlying prejudice directed singularly towards any particular section of society. Everyone is made to look a laughing stock; all manners and personalities are ridiculed.

Perhaps the show is watched today because we haven't changed much since the 70s: workplaces still abound with gossip; colleagues still jostle for power and put on airs; bumbling managers and difficult customers are common.

As for John Inman, I don't think his portrayal of an openly camp figure - hilarious, at ease and unafraid to be himself - was a negative put-down for homosexual people. If anything his benevolent persona did some good. England and Wales legalised consensual homosexual activity in 1967 - 5 years before AYBS was first broadcast. Arguably, making someone's effeminate traits a subject of good-natured laughter was a good way of removing hostility towards gay people. Just as 'The Vicar Of Dibley' convinced people that female vicars could be a good thing, the charisma and likeableness of Mr Humphries at least showed audiences that, gay or not, such a person was a welcome personality to have around.

This kind of humour does not belong to the past alone. Both amateur and professional contemporary comedies owe much to (or could learn from) the comic timing, expressions and double entendre-laden scripts typical of 'Are You Being Served?'

So this show is lots of fun and plenty of us Brits like it too.

I was shocked to learn that the actor, Felipe Izquierdo, who played the school boy in the penultimate episode of the final series in early 1985 was actually 20 years old when it was filmed: he looks barely 12 or 13!

Anyways, I have fond memories of AYBS and remember watching it as a youngster. Obviously the early series are far superior to the latter with the replacement actors and characters not being a patch on the original imo.

These were the days before political correctness when comedy allowed people to have a laugh without fear of a minority of perpetually offended making complaints.

Sadly comedy is so much more anodyne and bland today.

In my opinion this is, quite simply, the worst sit-com ever made ... ANYWHERE ... and if I could give it a zero, I would.

How it even has the nerve to call itself comedy is beyond me. Maybe, to get swans like Fawlty and Python, you have to go through ugly ducklings like this, but I sure wish we'd never heard of Grace Brothers.

It was part of an unfortunate trend in the UK for shows where you always knew what the first words out of a character's mouth would be, followed by an explosion of canned laughter from what I can only assume was a lobotomized audience. Some have compared it to the 'Carry On' movies and, while there is a superficial resemblance to the worst of them, this show outstrips them all by a country mile for sheer unfunniness.

Unbelievably, it was the most popular comedy series on British TV at one time, and ran for a mind-boggling 10 seasons. Eleven too many for me.

ARE YOU BEING SERVED had a long run on British TV, from 1972 to 1985. This groundbreaking series paved the way for many other famous Brticoms. But this one was the first to feature a gay character and delighted audiences with its naughty and unending double entendres.

Set in a dismal department store, Grace Brothers, the basic plot revolves around the sales people in the ladies' and gents' departments, forced to share floor space. Of course there are other store employees and many hapless customers. This basic structure saw something like 69 episodes filmed over 13 years as well as many cast changes.

The series was first seen as a starring vehicle for the swinging bachelor, Mr. Lucas, played by Trevor Bannister. As the junior sales clerk in the men's department, Lucas was always short of money and anxious to get out of the store to chase "birds." But after a few episodes two other characters emerged from the pack as audience favorites.

The blowzy Mrs. Slocombe, played by Mollie Sugden, was a middle-aged woman with an ever-changing hair color. She could switch between Cockney and Posh accents in a heartbeat and was often the butt of Lucas' crude jokes. Mrs. Slocombe had an alarming habit of referring to her "pussy" but was always blithely unaware of how these stories were taken by others.

The character of Mr. Humphries, played by John Inman, embraced many gay stereotypes but at heart he was a sweet and non-threatening character. Like Mrs. Slocombe, he had his own set of double entendres, but he winkingly made it known he knew exactly what he was saying.

Other main characters included the pompous floorwalker, Captain Peacock, played by Frank Thornton; the busty sales girl Miss Brahms, played by Wendy Richard, the crusty senior sales clerk, Mr. Grainger, played by Arthur Brough, the dim manager, Mr. Rumbold, played by Nicholas Smith, and the ancient store owner, Young Mr. Grace, played by Harold Bennett.

There were also crude maintenance men, Mr. Mash, played by Larry Martyn, who was succeeded by Mr. Harman, played by Arthur English, and a series of busty-but-dumb secretaries.

After Bannister left the series and Brough passed away, there was a series of replacements for these characters but none were terribly successful. Pop star Mike Berry had a decent run as Mr. Spooner, "the junior," and a series of actors had turns replacing Brough as "the senior." Alfie Bass, James Hayter, Benny Lee, and Milo Sperber all had short runs.

Over all the years, however, the hearts of the series were Mollie Sugden and John Inman. Both were superb comic actors who were game for just about anything. Anything here meant outlandish costumes (Inman often in drag), musical numbers, dances, and knock-about slapstick comedy that was done live and apparently in front of an audience. Sugden was often asked to wear ridiculous costumes, ranging from rompers to lederhosen. Inman even appeared as his own mother.

The bottom line is that this series was silly but sweet. Its crude language and situations were easily forgiven because the actors were so damned good. Like a handful of other TV classics, ARE YOU BEING SERVED has never stopped running. This was a famous import for PBS) along with other Britcoms) and became a staple of that network.

The show was so popular, it spawned a 1977 movie in which the gang all go on holiday together. There was also a sequel series called GRAVE AND FAVOUR or ARE YOU BEING SERVED AGAIN? In which Sugden, Inman, Thornton, Richard, and Smith all retire to the country and run a hotel (owned by Grace Brothers) in exchange for free board.

And what do I mean by "everything"? The show's history:

Originally the protagonist was supposed to be Mr. Lucas getting a job in the men's department at a department store, he has trouble with his job but somehow manages to survive. In the meantime, he is also a womanizer who tries to hit upon the younger female employee of the women's department. In trouble on his first day, he redeems himself when he was able to sell the senile store owner his own coat and impress his colleagues. Mr. Lucas, in short, was supposed to be the show's star.

But as the show continued, Mr. Lucas ended up being just a side character, and the actor who played him was unhappy about that. Still, the show worked because the comedy involved the employees' interactions with the various customers as well as each other, malfunctioning automated store displays, having to sell inferior merchandise to customers ("It will ride up with wear!"), and so on. Some sexual innuendo features into this, but most of the humor involves the social systems of the various employees and customers.

Problems did crop up as the show progressed. Mr. Lucas left the show, and his place was taken by an inferior character before his spot was simply eliminated. The same was true of the eldest men's department employee, with two replacements who also failed. Presumably the show had to be canceled before the remaining actors would die off.

Quality comedy we no longer have the pleasure of enjoying since the toxicity of political correctness poisoned our fun!