Are You Ready To Laugh??

Do you like to laugh? If so, then the Are You Being Served Collection 1-5, (AYBS for short) is for you! This collection features the first 34 episodes of this long running BBC comedy. For those of you who have never seen an episode of AYBS, here is a rundown of the basics, including the main characters, and what to expect from this hilarious TV show. Almost every episode in the AYBS series takes place on a single floor of Grace Brother’s department store. The show features the crazy antics of the Ladies and Menswear departments, who share the floor together. This makes for some hilarious high jinks!

Mrs. Slocombe, senior salesperson, and Miss Brahms, the junior, run the ladies department. Mrs. Slocombe is quite a character. She never admits what her true age is, and it comes into question quite a few times over the course of the series (she insists that she is in her 㦊’s” while everyone else guesses 50+). One of the great things about Mrs. Slocombe is her hair. It is always a different color, and always outrageous (she has had purple, pink, green, blue, multicolored…always varying from episode to episode). Her passion is her cat, Tiddles, whom she refers to as “her p***y” (in a totally innocent way, of course. Expect lots of jokes and misunderstandings about that! Mrs. Slocombe really is kindhearted, despite her gruff exterior and biting humor. Miss Brahms, the junior, is young and pretty. She has the face of a high society woman, but when she opens her mouth, watch out! She is constantly picked on for her Cockney accent, and a big issue with her character is whether or not she is “common.” Half of the male staff are always coming on to her.

On the menswear side, there are three assistants, Mr. Grainger, Mr. Humphries and Mr. Lucas. Grainger, the senior salesman, is a gruff old man who is set in his ways. He resents the presence of the ladies department on his floor, and is always peeved by their displays of undergarments. Mr. Grainger is by far the oldest on the floor, and quite often he falls asleep on the job and misunderstands much of what is said, making for some hilarious mishaps. Mr. Humphries is a very endearing character. The big question concerns his sexual orientation. (Is he or isn’t he? We’re never given a direct answer) He has an exaggerated walk, voice, and sense of fashion. His best friend is his mother, and he is a kindhearted man. Mr. Lucas is the junior. He has a very sarcastic humor and is always poking fun of the rest of the staff. He smokes on the floor, is constantly late for work, and is always in trouble.

The remaining characters include Captain Steven Peacock, who is the floorwalker. His job is to greet customers and to direct them to the desired departments and designate which salesperson is to assist them. Peacock takes his position very seriously. He constantly brings up his military career, and likes to admonish the rest of the staff. Captain Peacock, however, is a bit of a flirt, which quite often affects his job. Mr. Rumbold is the manager of the Ladies and Mens departments. Often called “Old Jug Ears (for obvious reasons, by the staff), he has lots of harebrained ideas for improving sales. Mr. Harman (who replaces a short-lived character named Mr. Mash) works in the janitorial department. He is constantly being shooed off the floor, yet always seems to be in the know. The maintenance workers always seems to profit more than the department workers do! Finally, there’s Mr. Grace, head of Grace Brothers Department Store, who is quite old, and has a penchant for young, scantily dressed secretaries.
So what exactly is this show about? Well, there are plenty of laughs (there is a lot of sexual humor), misunderstandings, and hilarious physical comedy as well. Do not think that this show can be in any way limited by where it takes place. The interaction between characters is hysterical. There are always misunderstandings among them (such as in the classic Dear Sexy Knickers episode, in which a love note of that title circulates the floor, and each person who reads it thinks that it is from someone else). Odd things have been known to happen (customers losing diamonds, security cameras installed that distract everyone from their work, fashion shows to boost business, monkeys running loose, who is in love with whom, will someone be fired? The list goes on and on.

The purchase price for this set may seem expensive, but it is well worth it. There are 7 discs in total, the last featuring bonus material that showcases a few of the cast members including John Inman (who plays Mr. Humphries), Mollie Sugden (Mrs. Slocombe), and Wendy Richard (Miss Brahms). Go out and buy this set! You’ll want to watch every episode, and then you’ll watch them again and get you’re friends hooked as well!