Product Details

• Actors: John Inman, Mollie Sugden
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 7
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: BBC Video
• DVD Release Date: August 27, 2002
• Run Time: 1110 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000069HXD
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,810 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Are You Being Served? created a standard for the British sitcom. When the Ladies' Department of Grace Brothers store is forced to share a floor with the Men's Department, the stage is set for delightful battles between men and women, senior and junior staff, and management and employees. The show was originally conceived as a vehicle for Trevor Bannister as the irreverent Mr. Lucas, a junior salesman who sardonically punctures the store's rigid hierarchy; but it soon became clear that mocking the established order isn't half as funny as taking it very seriously--with all the delicious pettiness that results. Mincing Mr. Humphries (the effervescent John Inman) and imperious Mrs. Slocombe (comic powerhouse Mollie Sugden) swiftly became audience favorites, ably backed up by snooty, lecherous Capt. Peacock (Frank Thornton), affable Miss Brahms (Wendy Richard), and curmudgeonly Mr. Grainger (Arthur Brough). That these talented performers cultivated a engaging comic rapport is no surprise, but it's constantly amazing that the writers were able, over dozens of episodes, to find inventive but believable new spins on the department store scenario, turning security cameras, daffy sales promotions, and even malfunctioning Christmas decorations into brilliant comic set-ups. The later series continued to be enjoyable even after the loss of several of the original cast members, but the first five series (which originally aired from 1972 to 1977) have the perfect balance of prickly personalities. A gem of a show, well deserving of the reverence of its rabid fans. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description
There's plenty of laughter in store when an unbelievably quirky contingent of sales clerks makes shopping at Grace Brothers the comic experience of a lifetime. The staff has been hard-at-work polishing and pressing all 34 classic episodes from the first five series of this beloved BBC comedy, many available on video for the first time (including the rarely seen, black-and-white Pilot episode). Also included is a bonus disc containing close ups of your favorite Are You Being Served? stars and more!

DVD Features:
Interviews:Who's Who
Other:Trivia
TV Spot

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are you free?, July 23, 2002

By	Matthew Gladney (Champaign-Urbana, IL USA) - See all my reviews

I'm free!

I am so happy to see this hilarious series become available on DVD. My previous forays into BBC comedies on the digital format have been "Fawlty Towers" and "As Time Goes By". Both series looked absoutely wonderful. Crisp, clear, and with rich colors. I have no doubt that this new offering of Are You Being Served? will be the same.

Set in old-fashioned Grace Brothers Department Store, "Are You Being Served?" was a long running comedy series which followed the day to day antics of the Mens and Ladies Wear departments, both on the same floor. It was, in its own way, a microcosm of society (albeit a slightly off society). You've got a young man who is after the ladies (Mr. Lucas), a young lady who is looking for a man to treat her right (Ms. Brahms), an older woman who changes the color of her hair nearly every episode (Mrs. Slocombe), a gay man (Mr. Humphries), a snooty floorwalker who steps out on his wife occasionally (Captain Peacock), and a slighltly aloof department manager, mostly concerned with the health of the sales figures (Mr. Rumbold). And who can forget the doddering, but lovable, old man who is still in love with his wife after years and years of marriage (Mr. Grainger). The actors do an outstanding job with their roles, and there is plenty of chemistry present between them. It was obvious that they were having an enjoyable time together.

This collection of the first 5 series (or seasons) of the show are a great introduction to the first-time viewer, and an absolute treaure for those of us who have grown to love it over the years. Many of the highlights of the episodes revolve around crazy ideas the staff come up with in order to drum up business, including dressing up in outrageous costumes, adopting a German touristy look, and opening the store early (an idea which the staff puts an abrupt end to in one hilarious episode). Oh, and I still get a kick out of Mrs. Slocombe's references to her cat.

"Are You Being Served?" ran for twelve years in Britain, and, coincidentally enough, it ran for twelve consecutive years on my local PBS station - a marker of its great humor, fabulous characters, and enduring charm. I can't wait to own it on DVD.

89 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars some details from the BBC America site, July 12, 2002

By	jmy9595 (Burnsville, MN, USA) - See all my reviews

Here's the info from the BBC America site. Looking fwd to these:

> The staff has been hard-at-work polishing and pressing all 34 classic episodes from the first five series of this beloved BBC comedy series, many available on video for the first time (including the rarely seen, black-and-white Pilot episode). Also included is a bonus disc containing close ups of your favorite Are You Being Served? stars and more!

Volume One: Pilot - Dear Sexy Knickers - Our Figures Are Slipping - Camping In - His and Hers - Diamonds are a Man's Best Friend

Volume Two: The Clock - Cold Comfort - The Think Tank - Big Brother - Hoorah for the Holidays - The Hand of Fate

Volume Three: Coffee Morning - Up, Captain Peacock - Cold Store - Wedding Bells - German Week - Shoulder to Shoulder

Volume Four: New Look - Christmas Crackers - No Sale - Top Hat & Tails - Forward Mr. Grainger - Fire Practice

Volume Five: Fifty Years On - Oh What a Tangled Web - The Father Christmas Affair - Mrs. Slocombe Expects - A Change is as Good as a Rest

Volume Six: Founders Day - The Old Order Changes - Takeover - Goodbye Mr. Grainger - It Pays to Advertise

DVD extras include:

"Funny Turns - John Inman" - A close-up look at the career of the infamous John Inman

"Funny Women - Mollie Sugden" - Up close and personal with Mollie Sugden

"A Life on the Box: Wendy Richard" - A peek at the career of Wendy Richard

Who's Who

Trivia

Trailers and more!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This set is "All done very well", July 16, 2002

By A Customer

Thank God! It's certainly taken some time for the staff of Grace Brothers department store to make an appearance on DVD, but it looks like it's well worth the wait. Purists take note, this is the FIRST time we'll see EVERY episode from the first five seasons of this show in chronological order (previous VHS versions only collected the episodes in a clumsy "Best of" configuration...

Few details on the extras at this point, but who cares, as long as I have Mr. Humphries, Mrs. Slocombe, Miss Brahms, Mr. Grainger, Captain Peacock, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Rumbold and Young Mr. Grace in all their digital glory, I'll be one customer extremely well served.

I hope I hope I hope they release seasons 6-10 later on and complete the "Are You Being Served?" DVD experience!