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Are You Being Served?: The Inside Story of Britain's Funniest and Public Television's...

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_Are You Being Served?_ is arguably the only British comedy show outside of _Monty Python_ which has shown up on every state's public broadcasting channel. Yet, despite this wider-than-usual American market penetration, the show is obscure to even careful viewers. Why did Mr. Lucas suddenly depart the show? What happened to Mr. Grainger? Are more episodes of the revival show of the staff in retirement forthcoming? Why did the show go through so many Senior Assistants on the men's counter? This book answers all these questions--and dozens more.

Its exceptionally well-designed pages--reminiscent of a Grace Brother's shopping bag--lead you through the beginnings of the show, give a detailed episode guide, and provide lots of behind-the-scenes information and interviews. One of the things I particularly enjoyed was the inclusion about the suprising number of other versions of the show. It was a treat learning there was actually a movie made from the show (and, yes, it's available on Amazon); that John Inman actually went down under to make a uniquely Australian version of the show; and that the staff of Grace Brothers sometimes appeared on stage in London.

To be sure, this is no seminal effort on the foundations of British comedy. But it is a fun, bathroom-reading kinda book that would make an excellent, thoughtful stocking stuffer for the anglophile in your life.

This might as well be Round About Everything You Wanted To Know About Are You Being Served?. Why write about a TV series? With the exception of soap operas, a TV series that goes on for the good part of a decade isn't something to brush aside lightly, especially in the UK, with its limited, government-subsidized budgets given to the BBC. Are You Being Served? began with a pilot episode in 1972, then as a series in itself, lasting from 1973 to 1985. 12 years and 10 seasons wasn't that bad for a British TV series--look at Doctor Who and 'Allo 'Allo.

The inspiration is the most important thing--without it, there wouldn't have been a show. Leave it to Jeremy Lloyd, one of the co-creators, to work two years at Simpson's department store and get canned for selling drinks on the floor on a hot day! Two years and he came up with this much output? I've been working four years in the same place; what can I come up with?

For each regular character, there is a description, followed by a short bio of the actor who played said character. Naturally, there is a lot more print on the two most popular characters--John Inman (Mr. Humphries) and Molly Sugden (Ms. Slocombe). The book says that Mr. Humphries was camp, not gay, but doesn't explain the difference. Camp basically means openly flamboyant and more relaxed in extroverted emotion without the sexual orientation issue. I liked all the characters, though Mr. Humphries and Mr. Lucas were on the top of my list.

Things I didn't know that raised my eyebrows was Mike Berry's past career as a singer, as a contemporary of the Beatles.

There is also a season by season guide, with a synopsis to the stories, guest cast, original date of transmission, and ratings from * to ****. Going through this part, I realized that with the exception of the first and fourth seasons (1973, 1976), no season was completely pristine--there were bound to be some substandard stories. I agree with most of the ratings, and yes, the overall ratings were a bit uneven during the last three, when each season was every other year instead of every year. The book also includes the episodes of Grace and Favour, titled Are You Being Served Again? for the US, as well as the Australian series never aired here, and the various spinoffs.

There's also glossary of British slang in the back of the book as well as in the margins, which is as nice as ninepence for the uninitiated.

At the end of the day, anyone trying to get behind the scenes of this hit series will get a rattling good time. So read on to the top of your bent.

'AYBS?' has many of the distinctions that make it a notable TV show. It boasts both a black-and-white episode (the pilot) and a 'lost' episode. It's been made into a feature film and a stage play. There's a spinoff series, 'Are You Being Served? Again', known as 'Grace and Favour' in the UK. An Australian version of the series was produced, as well as a pilot for an American rendition that never saw release. These little factoids and many other things are in the book for the fan's reference.

Also given are very brief synopses of the episodes, as well as mini-bios of the show's main characters and the actors who portray them. There's Mrs. Slocombe's (Molly Sugden) discussions about her... pet cat, Capt. Peacock's (Frank Thornton) marital woes, the biting wit of Mr. Lucas (Trevor Bannister), and other details. Then there's John Inman and his effeminate and flamboyant portrayal of Mr. Humphries, the quintessential "campy over-the-top allegedly gay" character. A good portion of Inman's bio talks about the controversy regarding Humphries's implied homosexuality. As for Mr. Humphries himself, he has stated many times on the show that he's "neither one way nor the other"...

Another neat addition is the glossary of British terms- the slang and vernacular commonly heard on the show. It's good to have when you're watching the show on the west end of the pond and you're not quite sure what a "till", an "electric fire", or "sacking" is. Unfortunately, not all of the various terms heard on the show are defined. I'm still trying to figure out what an "argybargy" (I think that's how it's spelled) is. And just what is a "bloody palaver" (spelling again) anyway? Can anybody help me out on these ones?

Are You Being Served was one of the first, and for my money, probably the very best Britcom shown on PBS. Pre-Monty Python, the humor relied on timeless British wit rather than on the physical comedy which has predominated in the 30 years since it's debut. What a joy to see fabulous British actors doing what they do best---speaking the Queen's English with unmatched ability, the better to show that great use of language allied with a wonderful sense of humor makes for unparalleled entertainment. This book traces the history of the show, reviews and rates each episode, profiles the cast and director, and, in the most enjoyable chapter of all, reveal the actual processes by which episodes were made at Sheppard's Bush studios. Since this book seems very much aimed at an American audience, it would be nice if the author spent some time discussing the differences between British and American television: How much are British actors paid, why so few episodes were made per season, etc. Still, it is wonderful to see actors who care more about "mucking in" and helping each other out rather than screaming about lack of pay, etc. In the British system, the play (or sitcom) is the thing, and I, for one, appreciate the difference (not to mention a much higher level of talent overall!). In sum, an excellent book and a great companion for your next Are You Being Served watching party, where hopefully, the partygoers get to dress as their favorite characters! Just be sure to plan carefully; we wouldn't want a party where everyone would come dressed as Mrs. Slocombe and Mr. Humphries, now would we?? On second thought, it might be more fun that way!!!

Although Monty Python's Flying Circus is still the most celebrated British comedy TV series to hit the states, I've yet to see any other BBC show match `Are You Being Served?' as the funniest. The `Inside Story' companion book is a helpful guide for American fans of this landmark BBC sitcom.

`AYBS?' has many of the distinctions that make it a notable TV show. It boasts both a black-and-white episode (the pilot) and a `lost' episode. It's been made into a feature film and a stage play. There's a spinoff series, `Are You Being Served? Again', known as `Grace and Favour' in the UK. An Australian version of the series was produced, as well as a pilot for an American rendition that never saw release. These little factoids and many other things are in the book for the fan's reference.

Also given are very brief synopses of the episodes, as well as mini-bios of the show's main characters and the actors who portray them. There's Mrs. Slocombe's (Molly Sugden) discussions about her... pet cat, Capt. Peacock's (Frank Thornton) marital woes, the biting wit of Mr. Lucas (Trevor Bannister), and other details. Then there's John Inman and his effeminate and flamboyant portrayal of Mr. Humphries, the quintessential "campy over-the-top allegedly gay" character. A good portion of Inman's bio talks about the controversy regarding Humphries's implied homosexuality. As for Mr. Humphries himself, he has stated many times on the show that he's "neither one way nor the other"...

Another neat addition is the glossary of British terms- the slang and vernacular commonly heard on the show. It's good to have when you're watching the show on the west end of the pond and you're not quite sure what a "till", an "electric fire", or "sacking" is. Unfortunately, not all of the various terms heard on the show are defined. I'm still trying to figure out what an "argybargy" (I think that's how it's spelled) is. And just what is a "bloody palaver" (spelling again) anyway? Can anybody help me out on these ones?

'Late!

This is a fun book that any fan of the British series, "Are You Being Served?" will enjoy. Full of interesting facts about the actors, producers and directors and bits of trivia, this companion book will be more than enough for any fan of Mr Humphries or the hilarious, cat loving, Mrs. Slocombe. There are summaries of all of the episodes, that also include the second series, "Grace and Favour" and the movie that follows the gang as the go on vacation together. It even includes the episodes of the Australian version, which lasted for two seasons. A well rounded book for a long lasting British sitcom and a must have for any fan of the series!

To tell the truth when I ordered the book I was not expecting much. I figured it was just a book thrown together to help raise money for PBS stations, and I was COMPLETLY WRONG! The pictures alone are priceless and the behind the scenes info is great. It also features a list of the Cast's carrer highlights (very informative & complete) so you can see what other FILMS, T.V series and theater projects the cast was involved in. A trivia section had me scratching my head and the season by season episode guide (with ratings) is indespensible for fans. As I said before the pictures are great and the overall look of the book is incredible. Worth every cent a must buy for AYBS fans. The Q&A with Jeremy Loyd gives great insight on how characters were originally developed and then taken over by the actors. Want to know what department store AYBS is modeled after??? It is in this book and a picture of it is included. As I said before I was overjoyed with the content and look of this book. GREAT STUFF!!!!

Having thoroughly enjoyed Richard Webber's superb tribute to the series, I was a little skeptical (I must confess) about the ability of this book to measure up. Well, I needn't have been. This is an absolutely delightful and extremely informative behind-the-scenes companion book.

The authors have liberally seasoned the book with plenty of anecdotes from the cast and crew. The history of the series (how it came about, how the characters were created and cast, why certain cast members left, and so on) is very well presented. In a couple of instances, a question and answer format is used with writer Jeremy Lloyd and director Bob Spiers, which adds to the overall conversational feel of the book. The authors have even included a segment on Simpson's (the store on which Grace Brothers' was modelled) and have solicited comments from its General Manager.

Also dealt with are the movie, the stage show, the 90's sequel (Grace and Favour also known as Are You Being Served? Again!), and the US and Aussie spinoffs. The book includes complete episode guides for the series, the 90's sequel and (briefly) the Aussie spinoff. Finally, it concludes with a cute little 100-question trivia quiz on the series and a glossary of British terms (the book is very much directed towards a US audience).

Nearly half the book is devoted to bios of the writers (Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft), the main cast members and the characters they portrayed, with roughly 3-5 pages devoted to each. Though fairly brief, the bios are actually quite informative and certainly interesting.

The book itself is an 8" x 9" 212-page softcover. The paper is comparatively thin but of a fine quality nonetheless. Many of the pages are coloured, some with decorative trims or background patterns, and the margins are very wide and filled with tidbits of information. The book is rife with colour and b/w photos from the show. The quality of some of the larger photos is not the best (they're a bit blurry or grainy--as though they've been enlarged a bit too much); nevertheless the selection of scenes (some of which are quite comical) is very good indeed. All in all, the effect is very pleasing.

In conclusion, this is a very colourful, user-friendly book that is, quite frankly, as much fun to thumb through as it is to read. Whether you get this book or Richard Webber's, you'll not be disappointed. Very highly recommended!

My sister gave me this book for my birthday. I thought I knew everything about "Are You Being Served?", as I have watched the show on UNC-TV for years and I have seen every episode at least 10 times over. Boy was I wrong.

I didn't know what to expect when I got this book....I was pleasantly surprised..it has priceless pictures of all the cast. It's a great memorial for cast members that are no longer with us.The book is very informative and answers just about any questions you may have had about the cast members and the show. Mrs. Slocum, Mr. Humpries, Mr. Peacock and all the others, I feel as though I know them personally now!! This is a must for any "Being Served?" fan.