Customer Reviews

Are You Being Served?, Vol. 10

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

 

 

This DVD features the episodes, "The Agent", "The Punch and Judy Affair", "Is It Catching?", "A Personal Problem", "Front Page Story" and "Sit Out". These episodes range from 4-star to 5-star. The best episode is "The Punch and Judy Affair", which is the last episode with the funny Mr. Goldberg and the VERY funny Mr. Lucas. It also has the last appearance of Miss Bakewell, (Young Mr. Grace's secretary) and Elsie the cleaner. Because of a strike, the staff perform a life-size Punch and Judy for the strikers' offspring. The next best episode is "Sit Out", which has the staff strike because of Old Mr. Grace's idea of giving them a 10% salary cut. "Front Page Story" is next in line and has Mr. Humphries become editor of the staff magazine. While trying to get their bonus, Mr. Humphries holds a beauty contest with an award of 600 pounds and a trip on Old Mr. Grace's boat (the only reason Old Mr. Grace went for giving away 600 pounds). Assuming she'll split it six ways, Mr. Humphries has Miss Brahms enter, but when she finds out the second part of the award (the boat trip), she refuses to enter. Because of that, Mrs. Slocombe "sacrifices herself". The next episode I liked was "The Agent". In this episode, Mr. Goldberg runs an agency to give people better jobs. Two people he helps get better jobs (or at least better salaries) are Mr. Humphries and Mrs. Slocombe. In "A Personal Problem" Captain Peacock gets thrown out of his home and Mrs. Peacock gets interested in Mr. Rumbold. Because of this, she becomes his new secretary. The questionable episode is "Is It Catching?". It doesn't explain why Mr. Lucas and Mr. Goldberg left. It doesn't even explain how Mr. Grossman came to be with them! Anyway, the plot is skimpy too. Mr. Humphries contracts this "Marine's Disease" and has to be quarintined with the rest of the staff. The worst part is all these cast changes including (Mr. Grossman-an okay actor, but doesn't have much personality) (Mr. Spooner-trys to be a Mr. Lucas, but he never will be) and (Old Mr. Grace-not funny and strange beacause he's a 53 year old playing a 90 year old) Even the lighting on the set isn't as good! Despite this episode, I recommend this DVD for Are You Being Served? fans because it is nessicary to see the transition between the seventh and eighth season. For people who have never seen the show, I would recommend volume 9, and if you like it, I would buy volume 10 and then the rest.

Volume 10 of the Are You Being Served? set (also available in the Seasons 6-10 boxed set which any fan should own) is an interesting set of episodes. It includes the last two shows with Mr. Lucas and Mr. Goldberg (The Agent and The Punch and Judy Affair), the first episode with Mr. Grossman and Mr. Spooner and the only episode featuring both Young Mr. Grace and Old Mr. Grace (Is It Catching?). The episodes, however, are mediocre at best.

"The Agent" is good as it features Mr. Goldberg (the best of the Mr. Grainger replacements) as an employment agent who works to find new jobs for Mrs. Slocombe and Mr. Humphries at one of Grace Brothers' biggest competitors. Although I find it repetitive, "The Punch and Judy Affair" is a fan favorite (it is also Trevor Bannister's favorite). The staff put on a life size Punch and Judy show as a way to make amends for crossing the company picket line. In "Is It Catching?" Mr. Humphries contracts Marine's disease and the staff is forced into quarantine. This episode is rather silly. "A Personal Problem" has Mrs. Peacock working as Mr. Rumbold's secretary to make Capt. Peacock jealous. Peacock must find out if she is playing games or is really attracted to that "bald-headed, jug-eared twit" and ends up on the ledge of Rumbold's office window to find out what's going on (or off). "Front Page Story" had interesting possibilities as Mr. Humphries becomes editor of a company gossip paper, but the opportunity for a controversial story on the store's canceled bonuses turns into a beauty contest to try to swindle money out of Old Mr. Grace. Miss Brahms refuses to compete so Mrs. Slocombe represents the department in sexy attire causing Capt. Slocombe to ask, "Would you like to tell the judges your name and what planet you come from?" Of course, it will be someone else from the ladies and gents department winning a weekend on Old Mr. Grace's boat due to an innovative ploy. Finally, in "Sit Out" threats to relegate the ladies and gents department to the basement cause a protest on the roof.

This DVD is not the best of AYBS? If you are a big fan of the series, get the boxed set so that you have everything. If you are a casual fan, I recommend volumes 2 and 1 in that order and, for the latter half of the series, volumes 9 and 11.

As I have already stated I have volumes 1-4 on DVD. The reason I started getting Are You Being Served on DVD is because my PBS station was sold, and they hadn't bought the rights to the British sitcoms. I was so upset, but when I found that Amazon and this seller had them in stock, I was so happy! I have to admit Mr. Humphries is my favorite character! Boy he does make me laugh! From Mrs. Slocum to Mr. Lucas "Are You Being Served" is my favorite British sitcom! Thank you very much Amazon!

"Are You Being Served?: Volume 10" is still funny but you can tell the plots are weaker and the cast is changing. We still have the colorfully coiffed Mrs. Slocombe (Mollie Sugden), cheeky Miss Brahms (Wendy Richard) and mincing Mr. Humphries (John Inman) in their territorial and quirky arguments, but you can feel the aging of the series, and laughter winding down. There are still laughs and smiles, but not as many. This disc includes the following episdoes: "the Agent," "The Punch and Judy Affair," "Is It Catching?" "A personal Problem," "Front Page Story" and "Sit Out." Most of the discs run 3 hours and I find watching three series in a row, you need a break before you sit down for another 90 minutes. Overall still entertaining though.

AYBS part 10 is a carry over of the last season of Mr. Lucas into the first season of Mr. Spooner. It is decent enough and actually a must have if only for the fact that you need to have the last episodes of Mr. Lucas. Mr. Spooner comes in trying to replace Mr. Lucas with similar lines as you might expect from Lucas but are not delivered nearly as well as Lucas might have done. The other characters continue to do their thing and we also see the last of "Young Mr. Grace". Old Mr. Grace, his brother takes over for him as he heads off to do "research". It's an odd plot, but at least its addressed unlike the Lucas-Spooner situation. Worth buying, only if you have parts 1-9 first.

The staff of Grace Brothers continue their unlikely but funny antics. Most of the humour is innocent enough, but there are a few adult humour references too (and usually these are funnier!)

To hell with Mr. Spooner, I want Mr. Lucas back!

There was no helping the deaths of Arthur Brough (Mr. Grainger) & Harold Bennett (Young Mr. Grace), but Our Trevor was ALIVE!


Shame on Croft & Lloyd for replacing Bannister with Berry & shame on Bannister for not having the foresight to realize that he was irreplaceable on AYBS!