{{Short description|British TV sitcom (1972–1985)}} {{About|the original British sitcom|other uses|Are You Being Served? (disambiguation)}} {{Use British English|date=June 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}} {{Infobox television | image = AYBS title.jpg | caption = Typical intertitle | genre = Sitcom | creator = {{Plainlist| *Jeremy Lloyd *David Croft }} | developer = | writer = {{Plainlist| * Jeremy Lloyd * David Croft * Michael Knowles * John Chapman * Derren Litten (2016) }} | director = {{Plainlist| * David Croft * Bernard Thompson * Harold Snoad * Ray Butt * Gordon Elsbury * John Kilby * Martin Shardlow }} | starring = {{Plainlist| * Mollie Sugden * Trevor Bannister * Frank Thornton * John Inman * Wendy Richard * Arthur Brough * Nicholas Smith * Larry Martyn * Harold Bennett * Arthur English * James Hayter * Alfie Bass * Mike Berry * Kenneth Waller * Benny Lee * Milo Sperber }} | theme_music_composer = Ronnie Hazlehurst | open_theme = | end_theme = | composer = | country = United Kingdom | language = English | num_series = 10 | num_episodes = 70 | list_episodes = List of Are You Being Served? episodes | executive_producer = David Croft | producer = {{Plainlist| * David Croft * Harold Snoad * Bob Spiers * Martin Shardlow }} | editor = | location = | cinematography = | camera = Multi-camera | runtime = 30 minutes | company = BBC | network = BBC1 | first_aired = {{Start date|1972|09|08|df=y}} | last_aired = {{End date|1985|04|01|df=yes}} | related = {{Plainlist| * ''Comedy Playhouse'' * ''Are You Being Served?'' (film) * ''Are You Being Served?'' (Australian TV series) * ''Beane's of Boston'' * ''Grace & Favour'' }} }} '''''Are You Being Served?''''' is a British television sitcom that was broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was created and written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft. Croft also served as executive producer and director. Michael Knowles and John Chapman also co-wrote certain episodes with Lloyd and Croft. Produced by the BBC,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/579093/ |title=BFI Screenonline: Are You Being Served? (1973–1985) |publisher=Screenonline.org.uk |access-date=21 April 2014}}</ref> the series starred Mollie Sugden, Trevor Bannister, Frank Thornton, John Inman, Wendy Richard, Arthur Brough, Nicholas Smith, Larry Martyn, Harold Bennett, Kenneth Waller, Arthur English, Alfie Bass, James Hayter and Mike Berry.
Set in London, the show followed the misadventures and mishaps of the staff and their regular rotating series of customers at the retail ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments in the flagship department store of a fictional chain called Grace Brothers.
The series was broadcast on the BBC for 10 series, totalling 69 episodes between 8 September 1972 and 1 April 1985, including five Christmas specials. The sitcom proved a ratings hit with UK audiences, and gained international recognition when broadcast across several English-speaking countries, including Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the Republic of Ireland, and the United States; the latter gaining it a loyal following when PBS television stations began airing reruns in the mid-1980s, along with other British sitcoms.
''Are You Being Served?'' was one of several television series predominant at the time that were adapted for the cinema screen, and a feature film of the same title was released in 1977. A spin-off television series, ''Grace & Favour'' ran from 1992 to 1993 with the same main cast. In 2004, ''Are You Being Served?'' was ranked 20th in a television countdown of ''Britain's Best Sitcom''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Britain's Best Sitcom – Top 11 to 100|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sitcom/top11to100.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040112040531/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sitcom/top11to100.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 January 2004|work=BBC|access-date=7 October 2013}}</ref> A one-off revival episode with a new cast was created in 2016. The sitcom – including its pilot and Christmas specials – the spin-off and the film have since been released on DVD.
==Premise== ''Are You Being Served?'' depicted the lives of the staff of a fictional department store, Grace Brothers. Its main characters served in the clothing departments for men and women, alongside their senior staff, maintenance workers and the store's owner. The sitcom focused on the relationships among staff, their attempts to improve sales, and the effects of local events that impacted the store's running.
A key humorous aspect of the series was a parody of the British class system, which permeated the interactions among management, sales personnel and the maintenance staff. The episodes rarely featured locations outside the store, with most of the action taking place on the shop floor and the staff-only areas. Characters also rarely addressed each other by their first names, even after work, instead using their surnames in the manner of "Mr", "Miss", or "Mrs".
The sitcom featured humour based on sexual innuendo, misunderstanding, mistaken identity, farce, 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 sometimes featuring malfunctioning robotic mannequins. The show is remembered for its prolific use of double entendres. Alongside the comedy, some episodes also conducted specialised dance routines which were choreographed either to be natural or sometimes comedic in effect.
==Production== ===Programme conception=== The idea for the show came from Lloyd's brief period in the early 1950s working at Simpsons of Piccadilly, a clothing store which traded for over 60 years until its closure in 1999.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/264230.stm|title=Going Down: 'Grace Bros' store closes|publisher=BBC|date=1 February 1999}}</ref> The inspiration for the store has also been credited to the former Clements of Watford where the concept of the floor walker character Captain Peacock was devised.<ref>{{Cite web|title='Watford has Clements running through it'|url=https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/16995303.final-remnant-clements-watford-close/|access-date=2021-10-12|website=Watford Observer|date=19 October 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
===Broadcast=== right|thumb|Logo used for the pilot episode and series one; from series two onwards, the quotation marks were removed. ''Are You Being Served?'' was originally produced as a standalone pilot episode for the BBC Television ''Comedy Playhouse'' series, but the episode was not selected for broadcast. During the 1972 Summer Olympics, television coverage of the games was interrupted by the Munich massacre. The BBC, faced with a gap in the schedules, selected the unused pilot episode to fill a 30-minute slot on Friday 8 September. The episode was not well received by critics, but David Croft's reputation as a writer enabled him to gain support from the BBC's Head of Light Entertainment, Bill Cotton, to turn the pilot into a series. After Croft agreed to a limited budget and a short production schedule, a first series of five further episodes was commissioned. The series was broadcast with the repeated pilot episode as episode one on Wednesday 14 March 1973. Cotton expressed some dissatisfaction with the character of Mr Humphries, and reportedly told Croft to "get rid of the poof". Croft refused to alter his scripts and threatened to quit, telling Cotton, "If the poof goes, I go".<ref name="1972Olympics">{{Cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6430147.stm |title=Obituary: John Inman |access-date=4 October 2015 |work=BBC News|date=8 March 2007 }}</ref>{{sfn|Clayton|2024|p=9}}{{sfn|Berman|2011|p=11}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Slide|first1=Anthony|title=Some Joe You Don't Know: An American Biographical Guide to 100 British Television Personalities|date=1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|location=Westport, Fairfield County, Connecticut (United States)|isbn=9780313295508|page=122|edition=illustrated|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_S4f-nobIxEC&pg=PA122}}</ref>
The first series was initially aired on a Wednesday timeslot, in competition with the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. As a consequence, ''Are You Being Served?'' received relatively little attention, but when the BBC later repeated the show on a Friday evenings primetime slot, its popularity soared.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1490146.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312142530/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1490146.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 March 2007|title=Obituary – John Inman|newspaper=The Times|date=9 March 2007 | location=London|first1=Sam|last1=Coates|first2=Anushka|last2=Asthana}}</ref>{{sfn|Clayton|2024|p=9}}
The sitcom was recorded at BBC Television Centre in London in front of a live studio audience, on two main adjoining sets, the Grace Bros shop floor and the staff canteen. The cast and crew rehearsed and filmed one episode each week.<ref name="telegraph-291025">{{cite web |date=19 December 2009 |title=Filming & production |url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0068040/locations/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date= |website=imdb |publisher=}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=IMDB is not a reliable source|date=November 2025}}
After a successful 13-year run, ''Are You Being Served?'' came to an end on 1 April 1985.
Of the original cast, only John Inman, Mollie Sugden, Frank Thornton, Wendy Richard and Nicholas Smith appeared in all 69 episodes. The same five later featured in the sequel sitcom, ''Grace & Favour'' (also known as ''Are You Being Served? Again!''). The cast performed in character for a stage sketch on the BBC1 programme ''Variety'' on 19 June 1976.
===Restoration of the 1972 pilot=== Although the pilot was produced in colour, the videotape was wiped in the 1970s, leaving only a 16mm black-and-white film telerecording, which was made for international syndication to countries where colour television broadcasts had not yet been adopted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vintagebrittv.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/comedy-playhouse-are-you-being-served.html |title=Vintage British TV: Comedy Playhouse – Are You Being Served? (BBC) 8th September 1972 |publisher=Vintagebrittv.blogspot.co.uk |date=7 January 2010 |access-date=21 April 2014}}</ref> In 2009, the pilot episode was restored to colour using the colour recovery technique previously used for the ''Dad's Army'' episode "Room at the Bottom". The restored colour version was first shown on BBC2 on 1 January 2010 as part of a special ''Are You Being Served?'' night. {{As of|2026}}, the colour version has yet to be released on DVD or Blu-ray.
===Character development=== The 1972 ''Comedy Playhouse'' pilot had originally been conceived with Mr Lucas as the lead character, providing a vehicle for Trevor Bannister's acting career. In the early episodes, Lloyd and Croft recognised that the characters of Mr Humphries and Mrs Slocombe were raising the most laughter from the studio audience, and as a result they became breakout characters, receiving the best lines in the scripts of the new series. The phrase "I'm free!" was first spoken by Mrs Slocombe in the pilot. John Inman reportedly first used the phrase behind the scenes which amused his colleagues so much that Mollie Sugden suggested to the writers that Inman should be given the line in future scripts. Inman developed "I'm free!" as his camp catchphrase in Series 2, and it rapidly became one of the most popular catchphrases in British comedy.{{sfn|Clayton|2024|p=9}}
===Theme tune=== {{listen | filename = Are You Being Served.ogg | title = "Are You Being Served?" theme | description = | format = Ogg }}
The theme tune, written by the show's co-writer David Croft and composer Ronnie Hazlehurst, consists of an imaginary lift girl, voiced by Stephanie Gathercole, also Mr Rumbold's first secretary, (r.n. Reeve), (1944–2011), announcing each floor over the ''musique concrète'' sounds of a cash register and a simple musical accompaniment.{{citation needed|date=March 2026}}
The 1977 ''Are You Being Served?'' film has a different version of the theme tune which is longer, in a different key and without the floor announcements. A remix of the theme was released in 1996 by a dance act calling itself "Grace Brothers", and featured vocal samples of John Inman and Frank Thornton.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Grace-Brothers-Are-You-Being-Served/release/1064519|title=Grace Brothers – Are You Being Served?|website=Discogs|date=20 October 1996 |access-date=8 October 2016}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2026}}
There is an homage to the theme tune in the Ladytron song "Paco!" from the album ''604'', and New Zealand band Minuit's "I Hate Guns". A lugubrious version of the theme tune is featured on the album ''The Ape of Naples'' by the experimental music group Coil. The theme tune 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?"{{citation needed|date=March 2026}}
The song was also used in a 2016 Audi advertisement for its Quattro range.{{citation needed|date=March 2026}} In the same year, Goldie Lookin Chain used the tune extensively for their song "Waitrose Rap".<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VFvQ6LYer4</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2026}}
==Cast== {{Multiple image <!-- Essential parameters --> | align = right | direction = vertical | width = 300 <!-- Image 1 --> | image1 = Cast of Are You Being Served BBC 1970s.jpg | width1 = | alt1 = | caption1 = Original cast of 1972–75. (''From left''): Mollie Sugden, Wendy Richard, Trevor Bannister, Nicholas Smith, Larry Martyn, Arthur Brough, John Inman, and Frank Thornton. <!-- Image 2 --> | image2 = Aybs1981.jpg | width2 = | alt2 = | caption2 = Series 8 cast of 1981. ('''''left to right'''''): (''top'') Arthur English, Wendy Richard, Benny Lee, Mike Berry; (''bottom'') Nicholas Smith, Frank Thornton, Mollie Sugden, Vivienne Johnson, John Inman, Kenneth Waller, Louise Burton <!-- up to |image10 is accepted --> | header=Cast of ''Are You Being Served?'' | footer = | footer_align = <!-- left/right/center --> | footer_background = | background color = }}
===Main cast=== * John Inman as '''Mr Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries''': a camp-acting sales assistant (later senior) in the gentleman's department. The character is implied as having a sexually fluid lifestyle,<ref name="Basic">{{cite news|title=I'm Free! – The Complete ''Are You Being Served?''|publisher=Orion Books|year=1999}}</ref> frequently telling colourful stories and using double entendres that leave his orientation in doubt. * Mollie Sugden as '''Mrs Betty Slocombe''': a senior sales assistant and head of the ladies' department, portrayed with a different hair colour in each episode. She is vain, snobbish, pugnacious, and prone to drink. She frequently tells stories about her pet cat, referring to it as "my pussy".<ref>{{cite book|last=Slide|first=Anthony|title=Some Joe You Don't Know: An American Biographical Guide to 100 British Television Personalities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_S4f-nobIxEC&pg=PA233|date=January 1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-29550-8|page=233}}</ref> * Wendy Richard as '''Miss Shirley Brahms''': a young, attractive, working-class, Cockney junior sales assistant to Mrs Slocombe, who sometimes refers to her as "dead common". * Frank Thornton as '''Captain Stephen Peacock''': a haughty floorwalker who purportedly fought in the North Africa Campaign of World War II, although in one episode a wartime acquaintance reveals him to have been a NAAFI corporal. Croft designed the character to command respect - or crave it. He is the nominal floor manager. * Arthur Brough as '''Mr Ernest Grainger''' (series 1–5): a 40-year veteran of Grace Brothers, a senior sales assistant and head of the gents' department. Croft devised the character as being somewhat unlikeable and displaying his age, such as sleeping during opening hours. Brough made his final appearance as Grainger in the 1977 film, dying before the sixth series. * Trevor Bannister as '''Mr James/Dick Lucas''' (series 1–7): a young, penniless, womanising junior salesman in the gents' department, often cheeky and mocking to the female staff. Bannister appeared until the end of the seventh series. He was due to return, but a job in the theatre conflicted with the show's taping schedule. He asked the BBC to change the schedule, but they refused. In an interview after the show's conclusion, Wendy Richard claimed it was originally devised as a platform for Bannister. * Nicholas Smith as '''Mr Cuthbert Rumbold''', the autocratic, obsequious, bumbling and incompetent manager of both departments. His prominent ears and confused reactions are used to comic effect. * Harold Bennett as '''"Young" Mr Grace''' (series 1–8): the elderly, frail, miserly, and oversexed owner of Grace Bros, often seen with his attractive secretary and/or nurse. Bennett died following the eighth series, prior to the broadcast of the 1981 Christmas special; his character was referenced in the first episode of the spinoff series ''Grace & Favour''. * Larry Martyn as '''Mr Mash''' (series 1–3): a working-class stock and maintenance man at Grace Bros, often hounded from the floor by Captain Peacock. Mash helped demonstrate the specially-designed comic display units that featured in episodes. Martyn left after the 1975 Christmas special; he simultaneously appeared in the series ''Spring & Autumn'', and could no longer manage both schedules. * Arthur English as '''Mr Beverley Harman''' (series 4–10): a working-class stock and maintenance man at Grace Bros, who has more friendly relations with the floor staff than Mr Mash. Harman was created after Mash's departure, and became a staple of the series. * James Hayter as '''Mr Percival Tebbs''' (series 6): a prominent salesman assigned to the men's department in order to replace Mr Grainger. The character lasted only for the sixth series, after which Hayter was paid generously to voice Mr Kipling television adverts. * Alfie Bass as '''Mr Harry Goldberg''' (series 7): a Cockney tailor, brought in to replace Mr Tebbs after retiring. Bass dropped out of the programme following the conclusion of the seventh series. * Mike Berry as '''Mr Bert Spooner''' (series 8–10): a junior sales assistant, with similar traits to Mr Lucas. Berry replaced Bannister following his departure. * Kenneth Waller as '''"Old" Mr Henry Grace''' (series 8): "Young" Mr Grace's even-older brother, who took over the running of Grace Bros while his younger brother took a sabbatical to write his memoirs. Like ''Dad's Army''{{'}}s Clive Dunn, Waller was much younger than his character's age used makeup to "age up". The actor replaced Bennett, who left the series after the first episode of Series 8 due to declining health. "Old" Mr. Grace wasn't received well by fans, so he was dropped in favour of bringing back "Young" Mr. Grace as an invisible character. * Milo Sperber as '''Mr Grossman''' (series 8): an expert shoe salesman assigned to the shop floor between men's and ladies'. The character was a replacement for Mr. Goldberg, but Sperber dropped out after four episodes to take a lucrative movie role. * Benny Lee as '''Mr Abraham Klein''' (series 8): a sales assistant assigned to the gents' department to help out with upcoming sales in the store. Like Sperber, Lee lasted only four episodes. * Candy Davis as '''Miss Belfridge''' (series 9–10),: the final and longest-lasting of Mr Rumbold's secretaries, an attractive younger woman heavily implied to be having an affair with Captain Peacock.
===Recurring cast=== * Freddie Wiles as '''Goddard''' (series 1–6): a non-speaking chauffeur to "Young" Mr Grace, who was usually assisting the elderly man in standing up. * Hilda Fenemore as '''Elsie''' (series 2–7): a cleaner at Grace Brothers on friendly terms with the maintenance men, but treated with disdain by the department staff due to her lower social class. The character was also referred to as Ivy and Daphne. * Moira Foot as '''Miss Thorpe''' (series 3): a secretary to Mr Rumbold. * Doremy Vernon as '''Mrs Diana Yardswick''' (series 3–10): the canteen manageress at Grace Brothers, famous for serving unappetising food and her distinctively unfriendly service. Her full name is only revealed in later series in separate episodes. * Penny Irving as '''Miss Bakewell''' (series 4–7): the young, naïve secretary to "Young" Mr Grace, who frequently accompanied him around the store and on several implied romantic conquests. * Diana King and Diana Lambert as '''Mrs Peacock''' (series 4, 8–10): the wife of Captain Peacock, who (correctly) suspects that he has extramarital interests. * Vivienne Johnson as '''Mr Grace's Nurse''' (series 6–8): a permanent companion to both "Young" and "Old" Mr Grace, whose competence as a medical professional is outshined by her sex appeal. The character was dropped after both Mr Graces became off-screen presences. Another nurse, uncredited and non-speaking, appeared in the first five series and was played by Pat Ashley. * Jimmy Mac as '''Warwick''' (series 7–9): a maintenance colleague of Mr Harman's who assists with the department's displays. * Keith Hodiak as '''Seymour''' (series 9–10): another maintenance friend of Mr Harman's, more relaxed and cheerful than Warwick, and more involved in the department's activities.
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center; width:100%" |+ style="background-color:#eaecf0; border:1px solid #a2a9b1;" | Character appearances series 1–10 and Grace & Favour ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16%;" | Character ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16%;" | Actor ! scope="col" colspan="11" style="width:21%;" | Are You Being Served? ! scope="col" colspan="2" style="width:21%;" | Grace & Favour |- ! align="center" width="8%"|Series 1 ! align="center" width="8%"|Series 2 ! align="center" width="8%"|Series 3 ! align="center" width="8%"|Series 4 ! align="center" width="8%"|Film ! align="center" width="8%"|Series 5 ! align="center" width="8%"|Series 6 ! align="center" width="8%"|Series 7 ! align="center" width="8%"|Series 8 ! align="center" width="8%"|Series 9 ! align="center" width="8%"|Series 10 ! align="center" width="8%"|Series 1 ! align="center" width="8%"|Series 2 |- | scope="row" colspan="15" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | '''Cast''' |- | Mrs Slocombe | Mollie Sugden | colspan="13" {{CMain}} |- | Captain Peacock | Frank Thornton | colspan="13" {{CMain}} |- | Mr Humphries | John Inman | colspan="13" {{CMain}} |- | Miss Brahms | Wendy Richard | colspan="13" {{CMain}} |- | Mr Rumbold | Nicholas Smith | colspan="13" {{CMain}} |- | Mr Grainger | Arthur Brough | colspan="6" {{CMain}} | colspan="9" {{N/A|}} |- | Mr Lucas | Trevor Bannister | colspan="8" {{CMain}} | colspan="5" {{N/A|}} |- | Young Mr Grace | Harold Bennett | colspan="2" {{CRecurring}} | colspan="7" {{CMain}} | colspan="4" {{N/A|}} |- | Mr Mash | Larry Martyn | colspan="2" {{CRecurring}} | colspan="1" {{CMain}} | colspan="10" {{N/A|}} |- | Mr Harman | Arthur English | colspan="3" {{N/A|}} | colspan="8" {{CMain}} | colspan="2" {{N/A|}} |- |Miss Bakewell | Penny Irving | colspan="3" {{N/A|}} | colspan="1" {{CRecurring}} | Colspan="1" {{CRecurring}} | Colspan="1" {{CRecurring}} | Colspan="2" {{CMain}} | Colspan="5" {{N/A|}} |- |Mr. Grace's Nurse |Vivienne Johnson | colspan="6" {{N/A|}} | colspan="3" {{CMain}} | colspan="4" {{N/A|}} |- | Mr Tebbs | James Hayter | colspan="6" {{N/A|}} | colspan="1" {{CMain}} | colspan="6" {{N/A|}} |- | Mr Goldberg | Alfie Bass | colspan="7" {{N/A|}} | colspan="1" {{CMain}} | colspan="5" {{N/A|}} |- | Mr Grossman | Milo Sperber | colspan="8" {{N/A|}} | colspan="1" {{CRecurring}} | colspan="4" {{N/A|}} |- | Mr Klein | Benny Lee | colspan="8" {{N/A|}} | colspan="1" {{CRecurring}} | colspan="4" {{N/A|}} |- | Mr Spooner | Mike Berry | colspan="8" {{N/A|}} | colspan="3" {{CMain}} | colspan="2" {{N/A|}} |- | Old Mr Grace | Kenneth Waller | colspan="8" {{N/A|}} | colspan="1" {{CMain}} | colspan="4" {{N/A|}} |- | Miss Belfridge | Candy Davis | Colspan="9" {{N/A|}} | Colspan="2" {{CMain}} | Colspan="2" {{N/A|}} |}
==Episodes== {{Main|List of Are You Being Served? episodes}} {{:List of Are You Being Served? episodes}} ''Are You Being Served?'' was initially broadcast from 1973 to 1985. Each series had between five and nine episodes. Counting the pilot episode, all episodes and specials from the series, and the film, the show ran for sixty-nine episodes and ten series. Each episode was self-contained, with no continuing story or theme throughout the series.
===Film=== {{Main|Are You Being Served? (film)}} In 1977, as for many other British sitcoms of the time, a feature film was released. The film version of ''Are You Being Served?'' followed the staff of Grace Brothers taking a package holiday together while the store is closed for redecoration, a loose adaptation of the play version from the year before. Set in the fictional resort of Costa Plonka, in Spain, the entire cast of the television series reprised their roles in the film.{{sfn|Rigelsford|Brown|Tibballs|1995|pp=181–183}} Reviews of the film were generally mixed, with the ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' reviewer John Pym declaring, "The humour consists mainly of withering selection of patent British puns; an inflatable brassiere, some let's-insult-the-Germans jokes and a rickety thunder-box which bolts from the outside are thrown in for good measure."<ref name="mfb-review">{{cite journal|journal=Monthly Film Bulletin|title=Are You Being Served?|last=Pym|first=John|volume=44|issue=516|year=1977|publisher=British Film Institute|location=London}}</ref>
===''The Best of Are You Being Served?'' (1992)=== Buoyed by the huge success of the series in the United States, BBC America commissioned a special straight-to-VHS compilation in 1992. Running at 78 minutes, ''The Best of Are You Being Served'' featured newly shot scenes of Mr Humphries reminiscing with his elderly mother, Annie, about his time working at Grace Brothers. Both roles were played by John Inman. The additional sequences were filmed in America, when John Inman was in Phoenix, AZ to promote the show on the local PBS channel, and directed by Don Hopfer.
===2016 revival=== {{main|You Can't Teach a New Dog Old Tricks}} In 2016, a one-off revival episode was announced and filmed at dock10 studios. It was broadcast as part of BBC's Landmark Sitcom Season, a celebration of 60 years of television sitcoms.<ref name=media/> It was set in 1988 with the original characters, played by a new cast.<ref>{{cite news |title=All-star cast of Are You Being Served? remake spotted arriving for filming at Salford Quays |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/tv/star-cast-you-being-served-10996391 |newspaper=Manchester Evening News}}</ref>
Actors John Challis portrayed Captain Peacock and Sherrie Hewson and Roy Barraclough were cast as Mrs Slocombe and Mr Grainger respectively, with comedian Arthur Smith as Mr Harman. Mr Humphries was portrayed by Jason Watkins, Miss Brahms by Niky Wardley, and Mr Rumbold by Justin Edwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/2035/are_you_being_served_2016_cast_watkins_hewson/|title=New Are You Being Served? cast revealed|first=British Comedy|last=Guide|website=British Comedy Guide |date=22 February 2016|access-date=8 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35774053|title=Alf Garnett back as part of BBC sitcom revival|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|date=10 March 2016|access-date=10 March 2016}}</ref> New characters introduced in the show included Young Mr Grace's grandson, also called Young Mr Grace, played by Mathew Horne; Miss Croft, named as a tribute to series co-creator David Croft, played by Jorgie Porter; and newcomer Mr Conway, played by Kayode Ewumi. The episode was written by Derren Litten. The BBC issued a press release saying: "It's 1988 and Young Mr Grace is determined to drag Grace Brothers into, well 1988, but he has a problem on his hands. Mr Humphries, Captain Peacock, Mr Rumbold and Mrs Slocombe all seem to be stuck in another era. A new member of staff, Mr Conway, joins the team but will he help shake things up or will he just put a pussy amongst the pigeons?"<ref name="media">{{cite web |date=22 February 2016 |title=Are You Being Served? is returning to BBC One |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2016/are-you-being-served |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223204938/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2016/are-you-being-served |archive-date=23 February 2016 |access-date=8 October 2016 |website=BBC Media Centre}}</ref>
The episode was aired in August 2016 to universally poor reviews for both the writing and the acting.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/08/28/are-you-being-served-made-mrs-browns-boys-look-like-wodehouse--r/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/08/28/are-you-being-served-made-mrs-browns-boys-look-like-wodehouse--r/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Are You Being Served? made Mrs Brown's Boys look like Wodehouse – review|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/leisure/showbiz/14710408.Are_You_Being_Served__remake_panned_by_viewers/|title=Are You Being Served? remake panned by viewers|website=Your Local Guardian|date=29 August 2016 }}</ref> No further episodes were commissioned.
==Other adaptations== ===Spin-off=== {{Main|Grace & Favour}} Almost immediately after the cancellation of ''Are You Being Served?'' in 1985, the cast began suggesting a spin-off to Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft. Though all felt the department store format was exhausted, it was suggested the characters could be moved to a new location. In 1992, most of the original cast reunited for ''Grace & Favour'' (known as ''Are You Being Served? Again!'' in the United States and Canada). The new series followed the characters after Young Mr Grace's death, when they are forced to run a hotel in a dilapidated manor house that was purchased using their pension fund. ''Grace & Favour'' ran for two series.{{sfn|Rigelsford|Brown|Tibballs|1995|pp=175–179}}
===Play=== In the summer of 1976, a stage adaptation of ''Are You Being Served?'' ran at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Directed by Robert Redfarn, John Inman, Mollie Sugden, Frank Thornton, Wendy Richard, and Nicholas Smith reprised their characters from the television show while the characters of Mr Lucas, Mr Grainger, and Mr Mash were recast. The play had basically the same plot as the film version which would debut the next year, though Young Mr Grace's role was omitted entirely and Mr Mash had less to do than Mr Harman in the film. Reviews for the play were mixed; a writer for the Blackpool ''Diarist of the Stage'' declared it the funniest show he had seen in thirty years, while Michael Leapman from ''The Times'' declared the play to be worthless except for the final line, though he admitted he had never seen the television show.{{sfn|Rigelsford|Brown|Tibballs|1995|p=186}} The play has occasionally been run at other theatres since.
===American adaptation=== In 1979, Garry Marshall, in the midst of success producing and directing ''Happy Days'' and its spin-offs, produced a pilot for an American version of ''Are You Being Served?'', ''Beane's of Boston'', remaking the episode, "German Week" for the television pilot.
At the time, Americanised versions of British series, including ''Three's Company'', ''All in the Family'', and ''Sanford and Son'' were doing well in the ratings, and Marshall hoped to capitalise on this with his script for the production.
Most of the characters were substantially similar to those of the UK version, with slight name changes in some instances. The one significant difference was that the Rumbold character was replaced by "Franklin Beane" (George O'Hanlon, Jr.), the young nephew of the proprietor who has recently been put in charge of the department.
Jeremy Lloyd's ''Laugh-In'' partner, Alan Sues, was cast as Mr Humphries, a decision Lloyd regretted, saying Sues had been miscast.
Other cast included future ''Magnum, P.I.'' star John Hillerman as Mr Peacock, Charlotte Rae as Mrs Slocombe, Lorna Patterson as Miss Brahms, Tom Poston as Mr. Beane (the Mr. Grace equivalent), Larry Bishop as Mr. Lucas, Morgan Farley as Mr. Grainger, and Don Bexley as Mr. Johnson (the Mash/Harman role).
Ultimately, CBS passed on ''Beane's of Boston'' and a full series was not produced.{{sfn|Rigelsford|Brown|Tibballs|1995|p=187}}
===Australian adaptation=== {{Main|Are You Being Served? (Australian TV series)}} An Australian adaptation, also called ''Are You Being Served?'', ran for two series and sixteen episodes from 1980 to 1981 on Network Ten. It starred John Inman as Mr Humphries, who travels to Australia on loan from Grace Brothers to work for the Grace brothers' cousin, Mr Bone at his department store, Bone Brothers (the name Grace Brothers being the name of an actual department store chain founded in Sydney in 1885). Renamed versions of characters from the original series rounded out the cast including June Bronhill as Mrs Crawford, a copy of Mrs Slocombe, and Reg Gillam as Captain Wagstaff, a copy of Captain Peacock. Jeremy Lloyd adapted episodes for the show from his own scripts from the British ''Are You Being Served'', drawing from the then-new episodes of the seventh series for series one of the Australian version, and a selection of older episodes for series two. Lloyd would later say he hated the process of adapting the episodes, which were mostly left intact with the exception of some topical jokes, which were changed or deleted.{{sfn|Rigelsford|Brown|Tibballs|1995|pp=187–188}}
===Dutch specials=== The TROS, the Dutch broadcaster that showed ''AYBS?'' in the Netherlands, invited over the key faces of the original cast twice to reprise their characters on Dutch television (albeit not for a full, half-hour episode). First in 1976, Dutch comedian André van Duin entered a shop and ran into Mr Humphries, Miss Brahms and Mrs Slocombe.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zoeken Beeld en Geluid|url=https://zoeken.beeldengeluid.nl/program/urn:vme:default:program:2101608130113561531|access-date=2021-10-12|website=zoeken.beeldengeluid.nl}}</ref> A different special was made in 1994, on the occasion of the 30 years jubilee of the TROS. This time, the search was for a replacement for Mrs Slocombe, with Mollie Sugden, John Inman, Frank Thornton, Wendy Richard, and Trevor Bannister all reprising their roles.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zoeken Beeld en Geluid|url=https://zoeken.beeldengeluid.nl/program/urn:vme:default:program:2101608050037590731|access-date=2021-10-12|website=zoeken.beeldengeluid.nl}}</ref> In 1985 John Inman also assisted in character as co-presenter for a quiz.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zoeken Beeld en Geluid|url=https://zoeken.beeldengeluid.nl/program/urn:vme:default:program:2101608050037030631|access-date=2021-10-12|website=zoeken.beeldengeluid.nl}}</ref>
==Reception== The series gained much of its popularity with TV viewers by "pushing the envelope" through its deliberate-yet-subtle use of risqué visual gags, innuendo-infused dialogue and cleverly disguised sophomoric humour. These comical devices also attracted some mild criticism, in part for relying on sexual stereotypes and double entendres – e.g., Mrs Slocombe discussing her cat (always referred to as her pussy): "Animals are very psychic; the least sign of danger and my pussy's hair stands on end."
John Inman's portrayal of Humphries' over-the-top antics and sharp-tongued, witty responses, along with his trademark catch-phrase "I'm free!", were enthusiastically embraced by many audience members. The character has since evolved into a gay icon in popular culture. Despite this, Inman pointed out that Mr Humphries' 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".<ref name="Basic"/> 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".
===International broadcasts=== The series was shown in the United States on PBS stations and on BBC America, as well as in many Commonwealth nations around the world. PBS first began airing it (on 24 stations) in 1987, and viewership steadily climbed as more stations carried it. By the early 1990s, it had gained such a loyal following that American viewers of the show formed fan clubs and were in large attendance wherever cast members made guest appearances.
''Are You Being Served?'' aired in Canada in prime time on Global Television Network in the mid-1980s and late night on YTV. The show aired on Saturday evening prime time from the mid-1980s to late 1990s. It was also available to Canadian viewers from most border PBS stations in the United States.
The series was successfully screened in Australia. It began on ABC Television in 1974 and was repeated by ABC in Australia several times.<ref name="19860602CollierShayneAgain">Collier, Shayne. Again and again and again. ''The Sydney Morning Herald – The Guide'': 2 June 1986, p.1, 6. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jPMjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=M-gDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3379%2C1018520]</ref> By 1978, the rights to early episodes had been acquired by the commercial Seven Network who gained a larger audience than it had received on the ABC.<ref name="19781025Semmler">Semmler, Clement. Why 'Are You Being Served?' is our top-rating program. ''The Sydney Morning Herald'': 25 October 1978, p.8. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sZ1WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=j-YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=857%2C8631034]</ref> ''Are You Being Served?'' was ranked as the top-rated show on Australian television for 1978, being watched by 2,255,000 people in five cities.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110931962 |title=Australian TV shows top ratings. |newspaper=The Canberra Times |date=30 December 1978 |access-date=11 August 2013 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> New episodes were aired on ABC until 1984. After that, the last series was broadcast on the Seven Network.
The entire series was screened in New Zealand on TVNZ.
==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 Tibbals, 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.{{sfn|Rigelsford|Brown|Tibballs|1995}}
In 1998, Are You Being Served? 25 Years, a guide to the series was published by Orion Media. It was written by Richard Webber with David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd. The book contains an introduction by the actress Joanna Lumley. The book is 176 pages. 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. This book as stated on Amazon is 176 pages. It also contains the introduction by Joanna Lumley, so it is probably a reprint of the 25th anniversary book.
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=== All episodes exist in the BBC Archives. All ten series, as well as both series of ''Grace & Favour'' are now available on DVD in the UK (Region 2). The ''Are You Being Served?'' film was released in 2002. A colour-restored version of the original pilot episode has yet to be released commercially but is available in the US to stream on BritBox.
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'' 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.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:99%; left:0 auto; text-align:center;" |- !colspan="2" rowspan="2"|DVD title !rowspan="2"|Discs !rowspan="2"|Year !rowspan="2"|Ep. # !colspan="3"|DVD release !rowspan="2"|Special episodes |- !Region 1 !Region 2 !Region 4 |- | style="background:#ffd1dc;"| !Complete Series 1 |1 |1972–1973 |6 |27 August 2002 |25 July 2005 |2 March 2006 |The Pilot B&W version |- | style="background:#73c2fb;"| !Complete Series 2 |1 |1974 |5 |27 August 2002 |{{nowrap|19 September 2005}} |8 June 2006 |— |- | style="background:#50c878;"| !Complete Series 3 |2 |1975 |9 |27 August 2002 |30 January 2006 |{{nowrap|5 October 2006}} |1975 Christmas Special |- | style="background:#bf00ff;"| !Complete Series 4 |1 |1976 |7 |27 August 2002 |27 March 2006 |7 March 2007 |1976 Christmas Special |- | style="background:#ed9121;"| !Complete Series 5 |1 |1977 |7 |27 August 2002 |5 June 2006 |6 June 2007 |— |- | style="background:#00a550;"| !Complete Series 6 |1 |1978 |6 |{{nowrap|30 September 2003}} |28 August 2006 |3 October 2007 |1978 Christmas Special |- | style="background:#f984e5;"| !Complete Series 7 |1 |1979 |8 |30 September 2003 |25 August 2008 |6 March 2008 |1979 Christmas Special |- | style="background:#01796f;"| !Complete Series 8 |1 |1981 |8 |30 September 2003 |7 September 2009 |7 August 2008 |1981 Christmas Special |- | style="background:#c50;"| !Complete Series 9 |1 |1983 |6 |30 September 2003 |24 May 2010 |2 October 2008 |— |- | style="background:#B57EDC;"| !Complete Series 10 |1 |1985 |7 |30 September 2003 |13 September 2010 |5 March 2009 |— |- | style="background:#000;"| !Complete Series 1–5 |6 |1972–1977 |34 |27 August 2002 |2 October 2006 |N/A |Same as individual releases |- | style="background:#000;"| ! {{nowrap|Complete Series 6–10}} |5 |1978–1985 |35 |30 September 2003 |N/A |N/A |Same as individual releases |- | style="background:#000;"| ! Complete Series 1–10 |11 |1972–1985 |69 |7 September 2003<br />11 August 2009 |13 September 2010 |1 April 2010 |Extra Disc with Profile Specials on Mollie Sugden, Wendy Richard etc. The 2009 R1 reissue comes in the smaller 2 disc thinpak cases instead of standard Amaray keep cases. |}
==See also==
*British sitcom * List of films based on British sitcoms
==References== ===Citations=== {{Reflist}}
===Sources=== * {{cite book | last1 = Rigelsford | first1 = Adrian | last2 = Brown | first2 = Anthony | last3 = Tibballs | first3 = Geoff | title = Are You Being Served?: The Inside Story of Britain's Funniest – and Public Television's Favorite – Comedy Series | publisher = KQED Books | date = 1995 | location = San Francisco | isbn = 0-912333-04-9}} *{{cite book |last1=Clayton |first1=David |title=I'm Free!: The Life and Times of John Inman |date=26 September 2024 |publisher=History Press |isbn=978-1-80399-308-9 |page=9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T_n3EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT11 |access-date=25 October 2025 |language=en}} *{{cite book |last1=Berman |first1=Garry |title=Best of the Britcoms: From Fawlty Towers to The Office |date=16 February 2011 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-58979-526-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gwyG_Qd9h_EC&pg=PA11 |page=11|access-date=25 October 2025 |language=en}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote}} {{commons category}} *{{BBC programme|b00722yk}} *{{BBC Online|comedy/guide/articles/a/areyoubeingserve_7770355.shtml|''Are You Being Served?''}} (Archived BBC Comedy page) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20071108215833/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/5389 ''Are You Being Served?''] at the British Film Institute *{{British Comedy Guide|tv|are_you_being_served}} *{{Screenonline TV title|579093}} *{{IMDb title|0068040}} *[http://home.hiwaay.net/~emilyj/ ''Are You Being Served? Virtual Video Vault''] *[http://www.minki.net/aybs/ ''Are You Being Served? Forever''] *[http://www.gracebrothers.net/ ''The Grace Brothers' Multimedia Department''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223045805/http://www.gracebrothers.net/ |date=23 December 2019 }} *[http://www.aybscentral.com ''Are You Being Served? Central'']
{{Are you Being Served?}} {{David Croft}} {{Jeremy Lloyd}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Are You Being Served? Category:1972 British television series debuts Category:1985 British television series endings Category:1970s British sitcoms Category:1970s British workplace comedy television series Category:1970s LGBTQ-related sitcoms Category:1970s sex comedy television series Category:1980s British sitcoms Category:1980s British workplace comedy television series Category:1980s LGBTQ-related sitcoms Category:1980s sex comedy television series Category:BBC television sitcoms Category:Comedy Playhouse Category:Television series created by David Croft (TV producer) Category:English-language British television shows Category:Television shows set in London Category:Television shows adapted into films Category:Television shows adapted into novels Category:Television shows adapted into plays Category:Television series by BBC Studios Category:Television series set in shops Category:Television shows set in department stores Category:Television series created by Jeremy Lloyd