Are You Being Served?

I know I did a post on this already, but for some reason, I actually like watching this show. I watched it when I was younger, but never really got into it or understood why they talked different than me or my mom. But, since I know what they're talking about on the show, I kinda like watching it now. And plus, something I never got until recently is that over in England, they don't call each series of shows a season like we do in the States. They call the seasons of the show a series, like Season 1 would be Series 1 or something like that. Pretty cool! That's another cool thing the Brits have going in their favor: good TV!

Are You Being Served?

Storyline
-Taking place in the fictional Grace Brothers Department Store in London, England, the store has a strong pre-WWII dress code and feel to it, being kept very traditional. It is run by the Grace Brothers, who appear rarely on the show.

-The show mainly takes place on one floor of the store. The show revolves around their work in the department store and things that happen to the characters

-There are many odd characters, including Mrs. Slocombe, whose hair color is a different color of the rainbow almost every time, and who is fond of her cat Tiddles, Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold is the executive of the store, Mr. Stephen Peacock is the very stereotype of high class London: high class, posh Cockney accent and charming, who has charge over 2 small teams of sales assistants, Miss Shirley, an attractive working class woman with obviously strong Cockney accent, who works in Ladies clothing and accessories, Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries is a suggested closet gay man who is a true gentleman, Mr. Dick Lucas who is in Sales who thinks he's a regular Ladies man.

Characters
Mollie Sudgen: Mrs. Betty Slocombe
-Head of the Ladies Department
-Fond of her cats and makes suggestive comments about her "cat"
-Changes her hair color VERY often

John Inman: Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries
-The typical stereotype of the typical English gentleman, kind, polite, helpful and dignified.
-Makes suggestions at him being gay, but has said he has friends of all shapes and sizes and sexes

Frank Thornton: Capt. Stephen Peacock
-Department floorwalker
-Veteran of WWII in North Africa
-Typical stereotype of posh London: high class accent, gentlemanly

Wendy Richard: Miss Shirley Brahms
-Has a strong working class Cockney accent
-Is very intelligent

Nicholas Smith: Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold
-Manager of the Ladies and Gentleman department

Trevor Bannister: Mr. Dick Lucas
-Has little sales skills
-Frequently late with outlandish excuses
-Ladies man

Arthur English: Mr. Beverley Harman
-Replaced Mr. Mash as the maintenance man
-Liked to annoy Mr. Peacock by being on the floor during open store hours

Harold Bennett: Young Mr. Grace
-Owner and chairman of the store

Arthur Brough: Mr. Ernest Grainger
-1st and longest serving Senior of the Men's department

Kenneth Waller: Old Mr. Henry Grace
-Took over the store when Young Mr. Grace left to write a book on bird watching

Did You Know?
-The name of Mrs. Slocombe's cat is Tiddles
-The store that the Grace Brothers Department Store is based on is Clements, the first department store opened in England. It was located in Watford, North London, but closed in 2005
-"Are You Being Served?" started out as a Comedy Playhouse series in 1972 to fill gaps in TV space during the 1972 Munich Olympics, which was getting a lot of news reports because of the Black September incident
-The only actors to appear in all 10 series was Molly Sudgen, John Inman, Frank Thornton, Wendy Richard, Nicholas Smith
-The only other department to be seen on the show is the toy department