Are You Being Served?

the cast would even perform a production number which, while obviously under rehearsed, was never quite as bad as you would have expected.

Along with the wacky scenarios and musical numbers came the double entendres that are at the heart of the AYBS love it or hate controversy . Each episode is a non stop steam of jokes about Mrs. Slocumbe's "pussy" cat Tiddles, Mr. Humphries gayness, Mr. Lucas's sex drive, the dirty old Grace brothers and their nubile secretaries and much more along those lines. Yet, to fans of the series at least, these jokes are done in such way as to be almost charming and goofy instead of sleazy and smarmy. To be fair some of the jokes are extremely politically incorrect by today's standards as are some of the broader ethnic caricatures that pepper the odd episode but, put into context, their potential offense is greatly softened. Compared to the stereotypes that populated both British and American TV at the time AYBS's are positively enlightened. Also AYBS's humor is never mean spirited and that may, in the end, be its saving grace.

Still it is extraordinary how successful the series has become considering its stage bound production and obviously tight budget (some of the wacky displays the series are famous for look as if they were put together by a kindergarten art class and each episode has it's share of flubbed lines left in to avoid having to re-shoot a scene). Yet it is arguably the most popular Brit-com in America today. AYBS has spawned a feature film, an Australian version of the series with Inman reprising his role as Mr. Humphries, and a sequel series Grace and Favour (known as Are You Being Served Again? in America ) which finds many of the original cast members retired and running a hotel out of the late Mr. Grace's country estate with occasionally charming if not inspired results.

On the Web there are a pair of excellent sites dedicated to AYBS. The best of the lot is Jeff Rice's Are You Being Served Page with features loads of information and goodies plus a AYBS fan bulletin board. Also definitely worth a visit is the newer site Scott Nash's Are You Being Served The WebPage.

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