Customer Reviews

Are You Being Served? Again! (The Complete Series)

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am very happy that this adorable BBC series is now available on DVD. For fans of Are You Being Served?, Grace and Favour (known as AYBS? Again! in the USA) was a fun way to see Mr. Humphries, Miss Brahms, Capt. Peacock, Mrs. Slocombe, and Mr. Rumbold together again. Yes, there are often the same old jokes like the stuck elevator and Capt. Peacocks womanizing, but the new setting brought a lot of freshness to the show. The Grace Bros. employees who stuck with the company until its closing (which, of course, does not include Mr. Lucas; Trevor Bannister probably would not have done this show anyway) receive, as their pension, a country manor house. They must abandon past titles (however reluctantly) and work together so that the manor house earns money. The best part of the series is the adorable character Mavis Moulterd, daughter of the gruff farmer of Millstone Manor (played by Fleur Bennett). As is customary, she shares the bed with the chef. Of course, with the staff quitting after meeting Mr. Rumbold, Mr. Humphries is given the chef's quarters. The sexual, but in a cute way, tension between Mavis and Mr. Humphries really makes the show. The rich colors of the countryside also make this series refreshing when compared to the monotonous store setting of AYBS? Plus, we finally get to see Mrs. Slocombe's pussy[cat]!

The DVD includes all 12 of the episodes that were originally aired on BBC in 1992-93. The first episode can also be found as an extra on the DVD set for seasons 6-10 of AYBS? The menu page is a little awkward to use when choosing an episode. To pick an individual episode, you click the arrow key on the DVD remote the number of times to correspond to the episode number on the disc (i.e. 5 times to get episode #5). Other than that, the shows play great. The extras include cast bios (only a list of T.V. and film appearances which was disappointing) and trailers of other BBC shows. I wish there was more on the history of the series. For more on this show, see volume 7 of the first AYBS? DVD box set where John Inman talks a little bit about it in an interview. Lack of extras aside, if you like the characters of AYBS?, you will like AYBS? Again!

Seeing the characters (minus Mr. Lucas and the maintenance personel like Harmon) back in action is like finding an old friend after 20 years abscense. The faces might have changed but the personalities remain the same. Highly recommended.

ARE YOU BEING SERVED? AGAIN! (aka GRACE & FAVOUR) follows the adventures of the Grace Bros. Dept. Store staff of ARE YOU BEING SERVED fame. Young Mr. Grace has finally passed on, under some rather remarkable circumstances, and has invested the Grace Bros. pension fund in some unconventional ways. The beneficiaries of the scheme are those loyal employees who remained with the store until closing day - Mr. Rumpold, Capt. Peacock, Mrs. Slocombe, Mr. Humphries, Miss Brahms and Mr. Grace's 'nurse du jour' Miss Lovelock. The staff learns that their pensions will keep them just off the dole and that their primary asset is Millstone Manor, a country bed and breakfast held in trust with Mr. Rumpold as manager. When they arrive to inspect the property they find the establishment in a shambles and Miss Lovelock in permanent residence. The group decides to run the manor with the aid of Mr. Moulterd, the home farm manager and his daughter Mavis.

As with the original series there are a series of running gags, some carried over from the original series. Mr. Rumpbold is still an incompetent bore, Capt. Peacock a skirt chaser, Mrs. Slocombe still fusses over her pussy, Miss Brahms continues to have things 'get up her nose' and Mr. Humphries' mother continues to supervise him from a distance. While still an ensemble piece the focus is very much on Humphries and his relationship with Mavis Moulterd. While still very much 'neither here nor there' the two share a bed and many clever double entenderes.

This series is as hilarious as the original series. We are treated to glimpses into some more of their lives and would probably had gotten more had the series continued. Sadly the series only ran 12 episodes, long before it considered all its possibilities. I would have liked to learn what happened to some of the other Grace Bros. staff, (Mr. Harmon, Mr. Lucas and others) and find out what happened to Peacock and Rumpold's wives. There was still lots to be said about Mr. Humphries and Mavis, Capt. Peacock and Miss Lovelock and Mrs. Slocombe and Mr. Moulterd.

I would recommend this to fans of the original series and also to those of TO THE MANOR BORN.

This show didn't get the time or funding it needed from the BBC to develop as fully as it could've with even another 6-12 episodes. They were clearly building toward a marriage between Mr. Humphries and Mavis, which would clearly have been a marriage of inconvenience. But the series was cut short before they got there. John Inman even indicated that the cast would have leapt at filming a few more episodes if an independent production company had come along after the BBC backed out, but it didn't happen and we're now long past that window of opprotunity. Billy Burden ("Mr. Moulterd, M-O-U-L-... We know...") passed away a while back and Mollie Sugden and Frank Thornton are both into their 80s now.

Many classic moments here for even a 12-episode run. The hokey harvest dance brought back many impromptu Grace Bros. production numbers. Mrs. Slocombe turns up in court dressed head to toe in black only to be told by Mr. Humphries that "it's only a country court, it's not Nuremberg." I'll never lose the site of the Millstone Manor gang cleaning the sheets either. We also get some background on Mrs. Slocombe's youth when she was a "great big, walloping land girl" evacuated to the country.

As delightful as it was, the dated Grace Brothers Department Store set has been replaced by an English Manor. All of the old familiars are there along with some wonderful new characters. The earthy Morris Moultered (Billy Burden), his innocent "milk maid" daughter (Fleur Bennett), the forgetful corporate lawyer (Michael Bilton), and a feisty young lady (Joanne Heywood) who inhered the "groom's quarters" - make their appearances in these new adventures of the now-retired Grace Bros Staff.

Unlike the old series, this one has a continuing story line that includes "fillers from the past" - Mr. Slocumbe makes an appearance, and we learn of Mrs. Slocomb's antics in her youth. Mr. Moultered, played by the quirky Billy Burden is still smitten with Mrs. Slocomb in their earlier years when he knew her as "the Tiverton bicycle....".

The court scene - after Mrs. Slocomb "steals a gypsy cart" - has so much sidebar humor - it's worth watching several times. Add a rather unconventional Cricket match, a pub dart game, a village "Ripley type" museum, and you have a wonderfully balanced serving of British comedy that'll lift your spirits - just like the good old AYBS.

Now, some may object to the abundance of double entendres sprinkled throughout the dialogue; however, it's all done in character and "borderline good taste".

The country settings are nothing short of picturesque and charming - thanks to the excellent technical crew. The sound track is clear AND in stereo!

All said - this is a fitting reunion for our favorite department store sales staff.

John, Wendy, Nicholas, Mollie, and Frank - bravo! Oh, and Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Croft, thank you for serving us again.

Fives Stars? Yes!

My husband and I are big fans of British comedies, and when I discovered "Are you being served? Again!" I had to add this to our collection. We were not disappointed. True, this would probably not go over well with anyone not acquainted with the original series. But for those who remember (and loved) the antics of the staff at Grace Brothers Department store, this DVD series is well worth the cost. We only wished there were more than 12 episodes.

There is something quite funny and charming about the sexual innuendo of these characters; it just never comes off as offensive, but rather ribald. Miss Brahams tells about the blokes down at the local pub having their hands all over her, and you can see the wheels turning in Mrs. Slocumb's head as she casually asks, "Which pub was this, Miss Brahams?" We adored the young actress who portrayed Mavis the housemaid; her crush on Mr. Humphries and his dismay over it made the series. And it's rather fun to see pompous Captain Peacock finally put jug-eared Mr. Rumbold in his place.

A few episodes seemed to end abruptly, and we would have like to seen more about Mr. Moleturd (the hilarious caretaker) and Mrs. Slocumb's past relationship. Nothing's perfect. But this series is great fun if you're a fan of the original British show. Buy it, and enjoy.

Wonderful sequel that was cut short in it's prime. It has been shown here in the states on PBS once or twice, but not with as heavy rotation as the original series. To correct another reviewer so slightly, I believe that Mr. Grace doesn't bequeath the staff an estate; if I recall correctly, this is the Grace Brothers Staff Home, and the staff are left to make a going concern (country inn) of it to eat in their retired years. Mr. Humphries may have still been a junior (even if not THE junior) at the end of the original series, and Ms. Brahms was a junior. Between her junior years and the sequel, she did a turn (for many years) as Pauline Fowler on "Eastenders", also a fine show. Mr. H and Miss B are both in the sequel as well as Mrs. Slocombe and Capt. Peacock. Mr. Molterd has to be one of the funniest characters I have ever seen. This one is even more hysterical than the original, I think.

This show is a forgotten jem of Brittish Comedy. The show takes the orignal characters of Are You Being Served and sets them in a country setting. They have inheritted a manor owned by Mr. Grace after he dies and are forced to make money off of it. The show introduces some new characters, Mr and Miss Molturd and Ms. Locklock and none of the people who played the "junior" in the orignal series are there (no trever banister). I'm glad the BBC is finally making this product avaible for public purchase as hasn't been on TV for years.

The greatest shame is this show only had 12 episodes, partly due to Ms. Slocombe's actoress's illness. This show had alot of potential.

Loved this series even without the hierarchy of the GB's store.So great to see my favorite cast of characters in another setting which allowed for greater enjoyment.Lots of the same double entendre's the show is famous for and catch phrases each character is identified with.My favorite episode is when the mummified cat is found in the wall and the group takes it to a museum to be displayed.Mrs.Slocom tells a museum worker that she has a pussy of great antiquity and wants the curator to take a look at it. Hillarious.Buy it and enjoy if you loved the first series.The new characters are great, especially Mr.Molturd,and i am unanimous in that!

I purchased the Complete Series of Are You Being Served in 2003, I have since watched them all 3 times over & still enjoy them. Are You Being Served Again, I thought was better than the original series, I was born in England & now live in Australia & to see that beautiful Manor House in the series makes me feel like I'm back home. I have just ordered The Series of Are You Being Served Again as we cannot get these wonderful show's on dvd over here. I'm looking forward to lots of pleasant hours of viewing to come. Jane Jennings Victoria, Australia.