Are You Being Served?
1 9 7 3 - 1 9 8 4 (UK)
60 x 30 minute episodes
This was English seaside humour at its most traditional. Once
nicknamed "Are You being Stereotyped?" the series was a
cross between mucky postcards and music hall cheekiness, with some
1970s "poof" and "pussy" jokes thrown in a la
Benny Hill for good measure.
The doors of Grace Brothers department store first opened in
1973 as part of the BBC's Comedy
Playhouse launching the staff of Ladies and Gentleman's
Ready to Wear on the British public. The atmosphere was quaint and
old-fashioned.
 John
Inman camped it up as tape measure-brandishing men's sales
assistant Mr Humphries - always ready to mince over and take an
inside leg measurement. Although Mr Humphries was never explicitly
called a homosexual in the show, the innuendo was loud and clear.
Gay rights groups initially reacted with outrage to Inman's
character but his "I'm free!" catchphrase was being
repeated across the country within weeks of the first shows - and
the character is now a gay icon.
Also appearing were Wendy Richard - bursting her blouse buttons
as flighty Miss Brahms (who went on to lofty heights as Pauline
Fowler in EastEnders);
Mollie Sugden as Mrs Slocombe, Frank Thornton as floorwalker
Captain Peacock and Trevor Bannister as Mr Lucas.
The blowsy, overbearing Mrs Slocombe was an all-year-round
pantomime dame with piled up mauve (or pink or blue or green) hair
and an unseen, much-fussed-about cat. Her pussy (nudge, nudge) had
originally existed, but suffered stage-fright and was sacked.
A film version of Are You Being Served? was released in
1977 with more of the same old formula. In 1992 the main cast of
the show was reunited in a spin-off, Grace and Favour, set
in a country mansion hotel which they inherited from young Mr
Grace. Unfortunately he had bought the house with their pension
fund!
In 1979, CBS attempted an American version of the show called Beanes
Of Boston. Despite being written by AYBS? writers
Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, the attempt was unsuccessful and
only one 30 minute episode aired.
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