Each week, we will be taking an in depth look at some of the best sitcoms and comedy shows from both the UK and the USA.

Today we will be looking at a comedy that had a remake last year but was not as successful as the original – Are You Being Served?

Opening title Sequence / Theme Tune

About the Show

Summary of Plot

The misadventures of the staff of a retail floor of a major department store. – IMDb

Number of Seasons / Episodes

10  Seasons

Characters:

Mollie Sugden – Mrs Betty Slocombe

John Inman – Mr Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries

Frank Thornton – Captain Stephen Peacock

Wendy Richard – Miss Shirley Bahms

Nicholas Smith – Mr Cuthbert Rumboid

Trivia

+The name of Mrs. Slocombe’s pussy was Tiddles.

+ 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.

+ Mrs Slocombe’s best friend Mrs Axelby is the only person regularly mentioned by a main character who does not eventually appear in the show (and to a lesser extent, Mr Lucas’s mother). Throughout the series, numerous characters are mentioned repeatedly who finally show up onscreen several seasons later. This includes Old Mr Grace, Mrs Peacock, Mrs Rumbold, Mrs Grainger, Miss Hurst of Novelty Candles, Mr Patel of Accounts, Seymour of Maintenance, and Mr Humphries’ mother.

+ The store in the series was based on Simpson’s Department Store.

+ The show was initially conceived as a starring vehicle for Trevor Bannister (Mr. Lucas), following his popularity on the ITV sitcom The Dustbinmen.

+ Mr. Lucas’s first name is given in early series as James but he’s referred to as Dick Lucas, later on.

+ All scenes in all the episodes were filmed entirely in television studios.

+ Subject to a remake, with an all new cast, playing the original characters First screened by the BBC on 28th August 2016. In celebration of 60 years of comedy on the BBC

Classic Clips

Stuck Lift

Greater Sales