1 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:07,040 The family could be watching it and roaring with laughter 2 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:11,600 and the children would think, "I don't know what they're laughing at, "but it does seem to be funny." 3 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:15,520 I'll take the customer into the changing room, Mr Grainger, put his clothes on a coat hanger. 4 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,760 And come straight back, Mr Humphries. 5 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:23,680 It was fun and it was playful and it was good-natured, and it was sort of innocent. 6 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:27,680 Oh, Miss Brahms, that was very naughty. 7 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:29,080 Hee hee hee! 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,320 It was a big show. Everyone would watch it. For years. 9 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:34,760 It ran for years. It was a big event. 10 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,240 Display went to a lot of trouble with that animal. Pull the reins. 11 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,320 Aagh! 12 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:45,080 David Croft had to fight every year to get them to... "Couldn't you get Thames to do it? 13 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:47,160 "It's a bit down-market for the BBC." 14 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:54,720 We were a breath of fresh air with comedy at that particular time. 15 00:00:54,720 --> 00:01:00,800 Are you free, Mr Lucas? I'm sorry, Captain Peacock, this lady's looking for something large in Y-fronts. 16 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:05,960 It got such an audience reaction, they said, "Hello, we've got a success on our hands." 17 00:01:05,960 --> 00:01:08,120 I'm free! 18 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,840 Are You Being Served? first aired in 1972 and became a firm family favourite, 19 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:21,680 running for 13 years on BBC One, chock-full of innuendo, dodgy lifts and the occasional customer. 20 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,200 Madam would care to see the shorts. 21 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:27,840 Oh! 22 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:32,480 Are You Being Served? told the story of life on the clothing floor of Grace Brothers department store. 23 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:39,000 It ran for ten series, sold across the globe, but it was a show that the BBC never really wanted. 24 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:42,680 They all wanted to give you the sack except Mr Lucas. Ha-ha! 25 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,880 Dear boy. Yeah, he wanted to send you to the knackers yard. 26 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,160 From the word go it was a struggle, dreamt up out of financial 27 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,120 desperation by the writer and performer Jeremy Lloyd. 28 00:01:55,120 --> 00:02:00,080 He'd just given up his career in America to be with his new wife, Joanna Lumley, back in the UK. 29 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,640 Bobby! Oh, come on. The party's over. 30 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:05,560 Oh, darling, what are you doing here? 31 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:08,120 Well, I live here. I'm trying to get you to go home. 32 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,720 I came back and I'd spent most of my money and Joanna said, 33 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,120 "Write about something you know." 34 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:15,920 I said, "Well, I know about Simpson's." 35 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:19,600 She said, "Well, there you are, Simpson's. Write about a store." 36 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,240 And I said, "That's a rather good idea." 37 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:26,880 During Jeremy Lloyd's youth, he'd worked at the department store Simpson of Piccadilly. 38 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:33,120 He lasted only two and a half years, but it gave him enough insight to put pen to paper. 39 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:39,480 I met David Croft when he and I were called in to help with a show that had been written by Jilly Cooper... 40 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:45,240 ..starring my ex-wife, I think at the time, Joanna Lumley. 41 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:49,680 He mentioned this show and we agreed to meet and talk about it. 42 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,080 He'd already sold it in point of fact to ATV, I think. 43 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:01,040 I said, "Look, if you get it back, I'll gladly work with you and produce it." 44 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,440 David Croft is a genius, there's no doubt about that 45 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:04,920 when you consider his background. 46 00:03:04,920 --> 00:03:10,800 David Croft was a producer at the BBC at the time, working for head of light entertainment Bill Cotton, 47 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:13,200 and was the department's golden boy 48 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,080 after creating the hit sitcom Dad's Army. 49 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,080 I am wearing a toupee. 50 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:23,760 A wig, if that makes it any clearer. 51 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:28,840 So if any of you want a good laugh at my expense, now's your chance, 52 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:30,480 cos I'm going to show it to you. 53 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:42,440 The reason it was commissioned is that the BBC wanted six comedy pilots. 54 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:47,360 In those early days, the BBC used to do a series of pilot shows 55 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:49,800 under the banner of Comedy Playhouse 56 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,400 and they were half-hour pilots 57 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:56,480 that people had thought might have a bit of mileage 58 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:01,600 and were worth exploring with a view to running into series. 59 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:06,040 And so they'd all be shown and, according to audience reaction and the way things went, they'd say, 60 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:10,080 "Yeah, I think that's the one we're gonna go for this year and give it a try." 61 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:12,800 Comedy Playhouse was an idea that was designed 62 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:16,600 to keep successful comedy writers Galton and Simpson at the BBC. 63 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:21,840 They'd come up with Steptoe And Son and Croft wanted to get in on the act. 64 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,200 David, who was very popular at the BBC, said, "Well, I've got one." 65 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:31,360 And they didn't even ask what it was. They said, "Well, just write it." 66 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:35,480 I had nobody to answer to, particularly. Bill Cotton liked the idea. 67 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:42,200 There were other shows on at the same time, like On The Buses, My Wife Next Door. 68 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:45,600 Nobody had ever written a show about a store. 69 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,080 So it was original and unique. 70 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:49,880 Aye-aye, opening time. 71 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,120 Stand by for the stampede. Tie, Mr Lucas. 72 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:57,480 Yes, of course, Captain Peacock. Anything in particular, sir? Straighten your tie. 73 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:01,680 It was an outline of what people said and the departments and the sort of conversations 74 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,720 that I remembered, and the floor walkers and everything like that. 75 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:07,640 They were all based on characters that actually were at Simpson's. 76 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,840 If you would trouble to read the memo from the accounts department, 77 00:05:10,840 --> 00:05:13,800 you would know they prefer ballpoints. Correct, Mr Humphries? 78 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:15,400 Ballpoints, Captain Peacock. 79 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:22,800 Captain Peacock was Major Huskisson, who was a director. 80 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:26,040 Major Huskisson always wore a carnation, red carnation, 81 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:27,320 in his button hole, 82 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:35,440 which was delivered to his office by a local Jermyn Street florist every day, every morning. 83 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:40,480 I was at Catterick in my early days, yes, and I was a corporal for a few weeks. 84 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,560 They were exaggerations, obviously, 85 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:46,360 and Mrs Slocombe was Evelyn Whiteside, 86 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:48,840 who had immaculate white hair. 87 00:05:48,840 --> 00:05:54,120 She was similar in build to Mrs Slocombe. 88 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:58,560 She always looked as though she'd just come from the hairdresser, every day. 89 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:00,760 Of course, it's for madam to decide. 90 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:07,840 It's either cold and interesting in these. Or warm and safe in these. 91 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:11,360 She wouldn't suffer fools, though, but she was a great lady. 92 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:13,560 Listened to The Archers lately, have you? 93 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:19,280 Ooh, you're as common as muck. 94 00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:25,840 We had a pecking order and that was the man with the carnation, who was the floorwalker, 95 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:29,880 who was usually an ex-major, would point to assistants to say, "Are you free?" 96 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,320 And that pecking order would be depending how well-off the customer looked. 97 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:38,000 Mr Grainger, are you free? I'm very sorry, I'm afraid I can't help you, Captain Peacock. 98 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:42,440 If the head assistant didn't think he was going to spend very much, he'd pass him on to the second. 99 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:46,480 Are you available for a clip-on bow tie? 100 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:50,360 I have never been available for a clip-on bow tie. 101 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:52,200 The second would pass him on to the third. 102 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:54,600 Mr Lucas will attend to the customer. Forward, Mr Lucas. 103 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:55,800 They might even get to me. 104 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:58,360 I'd usually find somebody who looked very badly dressed 105 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,000 who wanted to spend a fortune, which annoyed everybody. 106 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,960 Let me serve him. I didn't make any commission last Friday. You sold that 38" long. 107 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,400 I know, but the man brought it back. His wife didn't like it. 108 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,280 It didn't fit her. Go on please, let me have him. 109 00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:11,680 It's Grainger's first. Well, he hasn't seen him. 110 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:13,760 I'm going to serve him. Well, don't mess it up. 111 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:17,600 Simpson's would deny it to their dying day, if any of them were still alive. 112 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:23,440 But the thing about putting their knee into the armhole of a jacket... 113 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,680 And you pull until you break all the stitches. 114 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:30,360 If you listen you can hear them go. 115 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,840 ..to make it seem larger and bring it back to the customer. "I've found one slightly larger. 116 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:39,520 "You must try this on, but don't wave your arms about too much." 117 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:44,720 Well, the trick in this, Mr Lucas, is to make sure the customer gets it home before the sleeves drop off. 118 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:49,280 I never saw it, so I don't know. But if he says it's true, then it must be true. 119 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:52,440 I am just about to find the "other pair" of trousers. 120 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:59,600 We don't knee trousers, Mr Lucas. 121 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:01,240 Don't we? No. 122 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:03,800 Well, you might have told me before. 123 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:06,560 By hook or by crook, you were going to make that sale. 124 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,720 If you had to jam the jacket on to the person, which I did frequently. 125 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:12,240 If you literally had to pull it on, 126 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:16,240 drag it around his waist and just get his belly in... 127 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:19,720 It's you, sir. Definitely you. Don't you think so, Mr Lucas? 128 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:22,160 Yes, it's definitely the customer. 129 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:24,000 It seems a little tight to me. 130 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,160 They are being worn tight this year, sir. 131 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:28,880 You played on their vanity to secure the sale. 132 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:30,880 Oh, that does suit madam. 133 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:35,360 Oh, that does suit madam. 134 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,400 Oh, that does suit madam. 135 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:47,360 With the seed of an idea and a basic plot, Croft and Lloyd set about fleshing out the script. 136 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:49,600 Well, David had an extremely good idea, 137 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,840 which was to put the ladies' and gentlemen's department on the same floor. 138 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:56,280 Who ever heard of a woman's department on this floor? 139 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:58,960 It's been men's ever since I was a boy. 140 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:01,000 That Mrs Pankhurst really started something. 141 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:02,880 That really made the show, I must say, 142 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:06,120 because there was all the conflict between the ladies and gentlemen. 143 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:09,880 Mrs Slocombe didn't like to take down your trousers without asking you first. 144 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:18,400 I think that if Mrs Slocombe wants to make any further inroads into my department, 145 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,080 she had better inform me personally. 146 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:23,440 David, actually, is brilliant at casting. 147 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:26,960 We'd all worked together at some time or another, I think. 148 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:29,760 Except Young Mr Grace, of course. 149 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:33,080 Young Mr Grace I saw in pantomime in Golders Green, I think. 150 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:36,320 He was very, very old and I rung up one of his fellow artists 151 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:38,800 and said, "Do you think he can learn it all right?" 152 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:40,800 And they said, "Oh, yes. He'll be all right." 153 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:45,240 You've all done very well. 154 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:48,920 David has this phenomenal brain. 155 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:55,440 It's like a casting filing system in his brain 156 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,640 and he'll see you in a small role or something 157 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,080 and he'll file it away in there. 158 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:04,400 Down Berrick Road, 35. Berrick Road. 159 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:06,000 Yes. I live with my dad. 160 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,480 He's six foot three, so don't you go getting any ideas. 161 00:10:10,680 --> 00:10:15,680 But then when he gets an idea for something new, because his writing 162 00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:22,160 is so good, he'll know exactly who is to play whatever role. 163 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:26,680 And then it will be your turn to be one of the main characters. 164 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:29,720 Oh, gosh, my suspender has gone! 165 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:39,840 You're not wearing suspenders. That's what I mean. They've gone. Oh, get back to... 166 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:42,120 They knew us all. They knew what we could do. 167 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:44,160 They knew how to write for us, you know. 168 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:45,880 So it fitted like a glove. 169 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:49,920 They were all people who'd done a lot of things before, a lot of shows before. 170 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:52,520 Trevor Bannister, for instance, had done an awful lot before. 171 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:56,520 Trevor Bannister had also worked with Croft and Lloyd, 172 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,800 but he was the only person in the cast to be well known to the public, 173 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:02,120 having been in a huge ITV hit, The Dustbinmen. 174 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:05,640 To Joe Soap the public, he was more well known than the others. 175 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:09,240 I mean, the others had done a lot of other stuff, but they hadn't been 176 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:12,360 on a weekly series in the same way that Trevor had. 177 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:15,560 I lead a very demanding social life. 178 00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:18,840 Doing what? You dirty pig. 179 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,440 Pardon? 180 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:25,720 I'm a sex symbol. Highly irresistible to the feminine gender. 181 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,600 Every housewife bin I empty. They can't help it, you see. They all want to undress me. 182 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:32,120 As for John Inman, he was just a jobbing actor at the time 183 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:35,960 and was not really known, apart from occasional stage and TV work. 184 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:41,280 When John Inman joined the cast, I think he was working selling hats at Austin Reed's 185 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:46,120 and he came in for the interview and never went back to Austin Reed's, although he'd been doing lots 186 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:48,480 of things before then, but when actors are not working, 187 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:52,040 they have to go and do something else that's not acting. 188 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:57,280 So when David Croft offered him the part of Mr Humphries, he was only going to give one answer. 189 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:01,720 Yes, of course John would, because John was out of work. 190 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,920 With the cast in place, work started on the pilot 191 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:11,280 and its aim was to replicate the success of a gang-show sitcom that Croft had initiated with Dad's Army. 192 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:14,320 I didn't realise till recently, but apparently, my claim to fame 193 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:16,560 is that I was actually the very first customer 194 00:12:16,560 --> 00:12:18,760 to walk through the doors of Grace Brothers. 195 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:24,080 What size are you, sir? Well, as a matter of fact, I was looking for the gents. 196 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:26,720 The trouble with pilots is that it's new 197 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,600 and the actors are a bit uptight, of course, 198 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:32,840 and you don't quite know how it's going to go. 199 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:37,280 Look, what's me not having a baby got to do with him not taking his trousers down? 200 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:43,360 The original character was only supposed to appear in the pilot. 201 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:45,440 Their idea was that they needed Rumbold 202 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:50,120 to introduce people and that they wouldn't need Rumbold after that. 203 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:55,760 But, and I took it as rather a nice compliment, they decided that they did need Rumbold after all. 204 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:57,960 So there I was throughout the whole thing. 205 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:02,320 Did you and Mrs Rumbold have a nice holiday? Oh, yes, thank you. We went to the Coconut Islands. 206 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:04,640 Oh. 207 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:08,560 Also, Croft and Lloyd felt the store Mr Rumbold was to manage would need 208 00:13:08,560 --> 00:13:11,680 to be a bit more down-market than the one it had been based on. 209 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:15,480 It was a kind of old-fashioned shop, if you know what I mean, 210 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:19,120 in a funny sort of way, because shops were changing at that time. 211 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:23,400 Don't worry about me. I don't wear 'em. 212 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:24,920 Bras, I mean. 213 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:27,120 I'm sure it's against staff regulations. 214 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:29,680 Still, I'm always prepared to look the other way. 215 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:31,360 You could've fooled me. 216 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:36,560 The set that we had, actually, was a sort of down-market Simpson's. 217 00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:38,600 It was a sort of Bon Marche type of set. 218 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:43,560 And we didn't want it to look too up-market and it certainly didn't. 219 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:50,840 I would have thought more like Gamages actually, 220 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:53,120 because it was such a sort of a muddle. 221 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:57,800 Probably Pontings and Barkers could have been similar from the way they acted. 222 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:02,760 That's better... Ooh, look what you've done to the nose! 223 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:08,040 Ooh, you've ruined it! No, I haven't. I haven't ruined it. 224 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:11,360 Well, they always look too perfect, these models anyway, don't they? 225 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:13,960 I mean, people do have crooked noses, you know. 226 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:17,240 Somebody might come in one day with a crooked nose, look at that dress 227 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:20,240 and say, "I'll have that dress. It'll go with my crooked nose." 228 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:23,120 It does make me laugh when you see interviews with the writers 229 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:26,160 and they talk about how they actually worked in shops like that 230 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:29,600 and all their research was based on their real-life experiences 231 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:32,440 and you think, "There was never anywhere like that ever!" 232 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,920 This is from our kung-fu range. 233 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:38,280 Quite a little relaxing thing it is. 234 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:40,680 Plenty of room under the arms for movement. 235 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:43,440 I get quite carried away when I put one of... HE SCREAMS 236 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:50,360 Some people would say it was set at the time it was actually filmed 237 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:54,440 and some people would say it was set earlier. 238 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:59,480 I think the look was based on a sort of '50s look 239 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:07,200 with Art Deco design put into the set itself. 240 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:14,920 Even though cast and crew felt the pilot had potential, the BBC decided it wasn't for them. 241 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:17,160 They didn't show it cos they didn't like it. 242 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:20,800 It was looking like only a miracle would save Are You Being Served? 243 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:24,040 Instead, it was a tragedy. 244 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:27,680 The Olympics of serenity have become the one thing the Germans didn't want them to be - 245 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:29,040 the Olympics of terror. 246 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,600 It was during the 1972 Munich Olympics 247 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:37,920 when terrorists kidnapped and murdered members of the Israeli team. 248 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:40,560 The games were postponed as a mark of respect for the dead. 249 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:44,360 The Olympic Games stands still. 250 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:48,280 The flags in the stadium at half mast. 251 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:51,920 Suddenly, the BBC found themselves with a gap in their schedules. 252 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:59,480 The BBC were desperate, with the blank screens, to put something on and they had a shelf with tapes on. 253 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:03,520 They said, "We've got that third-rate Comedy Playhouse thing. We'll stick that on." 254 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:07,920 As a result of that exposure, it got a very, very large audience. 255 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:12,840 Gawd blimey! Women drivers! 256 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:18,400 That'll do, Mr Mash. Instead of standing there making your sarcastic remarks, you could give us a hand. 257 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:21,960 They said, "Hello, we've got a success on our hands." 258 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:23,680 Having trouble with Mrs Slocombe? 259 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:27,200 All that women's lib's gone to her head, mate. Oh, I hope not. 260 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:31,800 If she burns her bra, we'll have to call out the London Fire Brigade. 261 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:37,000 Bill Cotton, who was the head of the BBC comedy department at the time, said, "Get rid of John Inman." 262 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,200 We'll take the series, but I don't want the poof." 263 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:42,280 There, there, Mr Grainger. Now you mustn't upset yourself. 264 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:45,280 We're right behind you, aren't we, Mr Lucas? Oh, right up to the hilt. 265 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:48,040 And we said, "No, he's marvellous," 266 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:54,440 you know, "and if you could bottle his charismatic charm, it would be of industrial strength." 267 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:56,040 She's got a nerve! What's the matter now? 268 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:59,000 She wants to remove my shirt and put a bra there instead. 269 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:06,000 So we went into series and did another half dozen, I think it was, to go out as a whole package. 270 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:14,760 One major development from the pilot was Mrs Slocombe's hair. 271 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,320 Mollie Sugden felt her character would give 272 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:20,040 Grace Brothers' hairdressing department a run for their money. 273 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:22,880 When David rang and said it was going to a series, 274 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:25,920 I thought, "Well, I've got to do something about my hair." 275 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:28,040 And that's when I got the idea. 276 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:32,640 And so I just... When I turned up for the first rehearsal, 277 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:34,720 I suggested that would it be a good idea 278 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:37,680 to have different coloured hair every week and David... 279 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:41,520 ..which I took to mean "yes". 280 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:43,800 It was a very funny idea. 281 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:45,640 It was a damn nuisance actually, 282 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:47,880 because it meant if you wanted to do a retake, 283 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:50,800 you had to make your mind up whether the scene was over. 284 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:58,480 It was during the first series that John Inman began to make his mark on the gangshow comedy. 285 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:04,560 I wasn't aware that he'd suddenly shine out in the way that he did, but I think the first time 286 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:08,480 people roared with laughter was when Captain Peacock said, "Are you free?" 287 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:10,840 Yes, I'm free, Captain Peacock. 288 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:14,360 He had an extraordinary walk as he walked across the floor, 289 00:18:14,360 --> 00:18:16,640 which got a tremendous laugh, so we kept that in. 290 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:21,400 It actually came from a shop assistant in Austin Reed's, 291 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:24,120 who had metal bits on his heels. 292 00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:30,720 Gradually, his part built up just because of his charismatic character, I would say. 293 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:32,600 What is the reason for this masquerade? 294 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:35,160 Well, I just wanted to look like an average man in the street. 295 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:42,920 The mannerisms came and he blossomed into this full-blown figure, which is, you know, 296 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:44,960 "I'm free!", Mr Humphries, you see. 297 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:48,040 Yes, I'm free, Mr Grainger. 298 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:52,080 We've never deliberately written a catchphrase, because you don't know what will take off. 299 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:54,880 But when one does take off, you hear about it afterwards. 300 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:56,320 Suddenly, everybody's saying it. 301 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,960 I'm free. I'm free, Mr Lucas. 302 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,000 The gentleman wishes to try on a dress. I'm free. 303 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:08,080 It did catch on very quickly because it was something that everybody said. 304 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:09,920 I'm free. I'm free. 305 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:11,920 I'm free. I'm free. I'm free. 306 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:14,680 I'm free. I'm free. 307 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:21,280 I think the viewers appreciated series two onwards more, 308 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:24,680 purely because they were more aware of the characters, 309 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:27,000 the idiosyncrasies of the characters. 310 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:32,680 Your customer's approaching, Mr Lucas. Carry on, Mr Lucas. 311 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:34,160 Just my luck! 312 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:39,000 None of the characters actually liked each other very much. 313 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:44,320 It's rather strange. We used to find that the public would say, "Oh, you all look as if you're such a team. 314 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:45,800 "You get on so well." We didn't. 315 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,280 We were stabbing each other in the back all the time. 316 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:52,640 Ernest, I've just had a complaint from Mrs Slocombe about young Mr Lucas. 317 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:56,440 Go on. Apparently, he allowed one of his customers to appear 318 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:58,720 in full view of her department in a state of undress. 319 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:04,320 It's the friction between two people that makes it comedy. 320 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:06,000 Where are you going, Mr Lucas? 321 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:08,560 I was just stretching my legs, Captain Peacock. 322 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:11,080 Back to your own area. Sir! 323 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,200 Blimey, it's like being in Colditz. 324 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,200 There were always sub-plots and, of course, Mr Lucas was always keen on Miss Brahms 325 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:21,000 and would occasionally fire the odd note with an elastic band over to her, 326 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:22,840 saying, "I don't half fancy you." 327 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:25,640 And Captain Peacock would pick it up and hand it to Mrs Slocombe, 328 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:28,120 who thought it was from him. That sort of thing. 329 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:34,000 "Dear sexy knickers..." 330 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:39,320 There was always something that happened. Mr Grace's birthday. 331 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:41,920 # Happy birthday to you 332 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,440 # Happy birthday to you 333 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:48,000 # Happy birthday, Mr Grace 334 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,080 # Happy birthday to you. # 335 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:54,400 I'm stuck! 336 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:59,600 There was always a plot and that's all you needed, just the basis of the plot, to hang all the words on. 337 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:02,080 It even had industrial relations from time to time. 338 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:06,640 The unions were very strong at that time and people were having a lot of strikes. 339 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:08,600 "They're out. Traffic chaos." 340 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:10,760 Ha! Up the workers! 341 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:12,480 Particularly years in the '70s... 342 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:14,840 '72, '73, '74 and again at the end of the '70s, 343 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:17,040 during the Winter of Discontent... 344 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:20,520 there were great surges of strike action on a scale that had not been seen 345 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:22,560 since the General Strike 50 years before. 346 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:26,160 So strikes, the experience of being on strike, the experience of suffering 347 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:31,080 from a strike as a consumer, were very familiar to people who were watching Are You Being Served? 348 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:33,360 in a way that they wouldn't be to viewers now. 349 00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:36,240 Look, one of the ways of bringing our grievances to the attention 350 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:39,600 of the hierarchy is to bung up the loos with plaster of Paris. 351 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:45,280 We did have Mr Mash, who was head of the union, calling everybody out on strike. 352 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:47,760 It has everything to do with me, Brother Slocombe. 353 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:53,640 I am shop steward and in that capacity I am convening an emergency 354 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:56,760 meeting in accordance with section 23 of the rule book. 355 00:21:56,760 --> 00:21:58,720 Mrs Slocombe said, "I'm not a brother." 356 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:01,400 He said, "You're a brother now, cos you're in the union." 357 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:06,040 Your tea should start when you sit and actually dip your biscuit in the cup. 358 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:12,280 Ooh, doesn't he speak well? Thank you, brother. 359 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:15,160 I am now about to put the motion on the table. 360 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:17,400 Some of the phrases are strange. 361 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,960 Now you could take that as a double entendre or not, as you like. 362 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:27,840 And one of the most iconic things 363 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:32,040 Are You Being Served? was famous for was its double entendres. 364 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,520 Are you all right, sir? 365 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:38,520 Well, it's not very often an 81-year-old man 366 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:42,160 gets stuck in the lift with a 19-year-old secretary. 367 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:45,440 Course I'm all right. Shut the doors. 368 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:47,720 The family could be watching it and roaring with laughter. 369 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:52,360 The children would think, "I don't know what they're laughing at, but it does seem to be funny." 370 00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:55,400 Don't let Peacock see you fraternising over there, 371 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,360 otherwise you'll get the rough edge of his tongue 372 00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:01,040 and I can tell you, it isn't very pleasant. 373 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:04,720 I don't think David and I thought it was risque humour, because it was our sort of humour. 374 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:07,480 I never have any trouble in getting up in the morning. 375 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:11,240 My pussy's just like an alarm clock. 376 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,080 All the pussy jokes were about a cat, you do understand? 377 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:19,800 Any other inferences are entirely in your mind. 378 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:22,880 You're lucky to have me at all, Captain Peacock. 379 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:25,480 I had to thaw me pussy out before I came. 380 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:31,320 Mollie never played it with anything but truth and sincerity. 381 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:34,480 Oh, Mr Rumbold, I hope this isn't going to take long. 382 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:38,120 My pussy's been locked up for eight hours. 383 00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:40,320 I'm afraid it's just not convenient. 384 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:45,480 I think it was obligatory to have at least one pussy joke, yes, per episode, yes. 385 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:48,200 All totally harmless and above board. 386 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:51,120 Well, the central heating broke down. 387 00:23:51,120 --> 00:23:54,720 I had to light the oven and hold my pussy in front of it. 388 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:59,840 Having worked for David Croft in many productions, you don't chip in with ideas. 389 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:03,440 You can suggest something, possibly, and one in 100 might get accepted. 390 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:08,080 It isn't an actor's job actually to invent lines. It's our job. 391 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:10,560 So this was not encouraged. 392 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,200 However, real-life experiences of the actors 393 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,720 would sometimes get a hearing and find their way into the scripts. 394 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:18,880 Thank you, sir. Don't worry about the sleeves. 395 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:21,520 They'll ride up with wear. Thank you very much indeed. 396 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:24,040 I'd gone to my local little tailor 397 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:30,840 and I bought a corduroy jacket off the peg, you know. 398 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:33,080 And I put it on and it was a bit... 399 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:35,360 Like this. 400 00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:39,840 And I think the sleeves were a bit long, you see. 401 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:44,080 And he said, "It'll ride up with wear." 402 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:48,520 I thought, "That's a good line. We must use that." And we did. 403 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:50,960 Don't worry about the sleeves, sir. 404 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:52,680 They'll ride up with wear. 405 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:54,000 They'll come down, sir, with wear. 406 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:56,600 They'll ride up with wear. 407 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,280 Don't worry if the wig is a little loose, madam. 408 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:01,160 You'll find it will ride up with wear. 409 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:04,360 They'll ride up with wear. 410 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:07,400 Don't worry, madam, they'll ride up with wear. Everything does. 411 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:12,920 And sometimes the scripts would require something a bit different, 412 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:15,520 aided and abetted by the props department. 413 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:29,560 The special effects department loved doing the show because they could invent things. 414 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:34,840 Anything I asked them for, they would just make it that much better. 415 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:36,680 An exploding cat, for instance. 416 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:42,360 They were like a lot of schoolboys and they loved doing the show. 417 00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:47,440 I remember the Father Christmas one that opened his raincoat. 418 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:49,440 Ho ho ho, little boy. 419 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:51,120 Have I got a surprise for you. 420 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:07,520 And we used to look forward to Friday, when the special effects men came. 421 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:08,800 What are they gonna do? 422 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:13,800 However wayward your figure, the Flexi-bra will cling to it and control it. 423 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:20,360 What worked less well were Grace Brothers' famous lift doors. 424 00:26:20,360 --> 00:26:24,200 Give us a hand. I've got Mrs Slocombe in here. 425 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:28,480 You push that side. I'll push this. 426 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:29,960 - Now, push! - Push! 427 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:34,000 The lift, yes! 428 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,600 We had a lot of different devices in order to open those doors 429 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:39,720 to the right cue and none of them seemed to work. 430 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:42,920 So the lift was... I used to say, "Cue the lift," 431 00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:47,120 and I just crossed my fingers and hoped for the best, you know. 432 00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:49,800 Shut, sesame! 433 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:54,480 18. Two 18s, 36... 434 00:26:54,480 --> 00:27:01,160 It was only two fellas at the back pushing two doors across on cue and, erm... 435 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:03,000 But even so, they'd get stuck. 436 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:06,440 Captain Peacock, in acknowledgement of your... Mr Lucas, the button! 437 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,520 Sometimes we'd be stood in there for ages 438 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:13,360 while they messed on with the lift doors. But erm... 439 00:27:13,360 --> 00:27:17,000 There weren't really such things as retakes then and we had to do that 440 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:20,240 or otherwise you wouldn't have got the cast out and on the floor. 441 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:28,600 Gawd, blimey! 442 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:31,200 Ain't there no privacy anywhere? 443 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:35,000 They were a wonderful cast. The thing is, they'd rehearse in the morning. 444 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:40,760 They'd go out for lunch and have a drink in the local pub and sometimes they'd come back in the afternoon. 445 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:44,240 And on studio days, lunch became a production in itself. 446 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:47,720 Do you know, I can't remember whether this is chicken soup or vegetable. 447 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:51,160 Well, taste it. Well, that's not going to make any difference. 448 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:55,840 The canteen was more or less shut then, or it was a very small 449 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:59,680 attendance, so we used to have a sort of picnic in the dressing rooms. 450 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:05,960 It was probably Wendy initiating good food and she would do the main course. 451 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:08,400 John would do the dessert. 452 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:12,240 Trevor would do the crisps and the biscuits. 453 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:16,560 Poor Mollie would be having her hair done, which was so ornate for the most time. 454 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:18,960 We used to look in the script at the beginning of the week 455 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:20,560 to see if there was any canteen scenes, 456 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:22,360 so we could nick the cutlery and china. 457 00:28:22,360 --> 00:28:24,360 We put it back. Wash it and put it back afterwards. 458 00:28:24,360 --> 00:28:26,280 It was nearly always in my room. Yeah. 459 00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:31,080 Usually after lunch, whoever wasn't back first had to do the washing-up. 460 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:32,840 But we had to do it in the bath, you know. 461 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:34,400 They have bathrooms in... As you do, yes. 462 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:39,280 As the series developed, the cast fast became household names 463 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:42,720 and would often be in demand on the entertainment shows of the '70s. 464 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,920 Pay a visit to this absolutely diddy-filarious 465 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:51,640 new store in Blackpool, Grace Brothers, where all the cast say, "Are you being served?" 466 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:02,680 However, John Inman began to outshine the others. 467 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:06,320 He was a very funny man. Easy to exploit his talent. 468 00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:10,480 He did become terribly popular. 469 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:12,880 Let's have a big hand on his entrance, if you please, 470 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:16,240 ladies and gentlemen, for that wayward Peter Pan from men's outfitters. 471 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:18,240 Please welcome Mr John Inman. Are you free? 472 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:28,040 John sort of came to the fore and didn't eclipse the others, but was the main focus a lot of the time. 473 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:31,160 I shall warm the end for you first. Oh, please do. 474 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:35,320 He's done all of Big Fun's stage gear... 475 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:37,440 Now then... 476 00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:40,600 We were doing the summer season of Are You Being Served? in Blackpool 477 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:41,960 and John's a Blackpool boy. 478 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:45,680 Walking along the street with him and I was just a tiny bit behind him, 479 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:49,120 but looking at people's faces as they walked towards him, 480 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:51,080 they were all so pleased to see him. 481 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:52,840 I mean, they really loved him. 482 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:56,160 The BBC's Television Personality of the Year. 483 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:58,640 Forward, Mr Inman! 484 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:02,360 APPLAUSE 485 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:06,760 In some of the episodes, obviously, they relied on him, 486 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:09,680 because some of them were a bit flat. 487 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:13,120 Oh, it's started me leg off. 488 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:17,240 This hasn't happened to me since I was a prefect in me primary. 489 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:21,040 Is there anything we can do to stop it? No, it's all right. It'll turn to hiccups in a minute. 490 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:24,040 HIC! Told you. Now what do we do? 491 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:30,560 Well, my teacher, Miss Hasswell, she used to get one of the boys to creep up behind me and give me a surprise. 492 00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:35,560 John was such a hit that in the middle of the series, 493 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:41,440 he was offered a job running a rock factory by ITV, I think, and he sort of abandoned us for a short while. 494 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:48,880 And this is what I want. 495 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,520 Hundreds of them coming off the assembly line. 496 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:53,680 We must keep going like we did before, 497 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:58,040 keeping the wheels of the Littlehampton Rock Factory turning faster than ever. 498 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:00,160 Percy, turn the wheel and let's get cracking. 499 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:12,560 It was quite inevitable that certain people in the cast 500 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:14,240 would have their own shows afterwards, 501 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:15,520 like Mollie and John Inman. 502 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:18,960 Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. 503 00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:23,440 He was offered so much more money if he would sign an exclusive contract. 504 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,880 I mean, David Croft, I don't think it's any secret, was very annoyed. 505 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:29,880 He just said, "That's all right. We'll just replace him. 506 00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:33,080 "Or we'll get somebody else to fit in that part." 507 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:37,920 But the BBC said, to everyone's surprise, you can't do it without John Inman. 508 00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:39,760 So for 18 months we didn't do it. 509 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:41,840 And then, of course, they did This Is Your Life. 510 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:51,200 And I think I said to him, "How's the rock factory going?" 511 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:53,720 as I was congratulating him. He said, "Don't ask." 512 00:31:53,720 --> 00:32:00,200 With John Inman not available, Croft and Lloyd signed Mollie Sugden up for her own series on the BBC. 513 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:02,960 We wrote a thing called Come Back Mrs Noah, 514 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:05,080 which was an idea of David's, 515 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:09,960 which was Britain's first spaceship, which she's won a knitting competition. 516 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:13,200 And she's the first person to be shown round it and it accidentally... 517 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:16,680 She presses a button and it takes off. 518 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:20,560 Now, can I go to the little girls' room? 519 00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:23,040 Often unfairly described as the worst sitcom ever. 520 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:24,760 It wasn't really. It was quite funny. 521 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:27,440 Agh! Agh! 522 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:32,080 In those days, unfortunately, the special effects weren't really up to scratch. 523 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:36,920 You could, if you looked clearly at the screen, you could see the wires supporting her in the air. 524 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:47,520 Mrs Noah didn't come back and John Inman's rock factory closed. 525 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:51,120 The series that he went into was a complete disaster, 526 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:53,200 sad to say, 527 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:58,280 and so he then came back and we then went on with Are You Being Served? 528 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:06,440 So John Inman returned to the BBC and his role of Mr Humphries, 529 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:09,720 only to have to deal with problems off-screen. 530 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:12,480 Whilst the series was very popular, 531 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:16,520 John Inman got a lot of flak from gay organisations, 532 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:20,360 saying that he was taking the mickey out of gay actors. 533 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:22,240 Are you free, Mr Grainger? 534 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:25,120 I couldn't see what they were objecting to, personally. 535 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:28,320 He was portraying a character that I've certainly met. 536 00:33:28,320 --> 00:33:33,400 I've met actually being served by characters like that in big stores. 537 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:35,560 Mr Humphries, Mr Lucas, are you free? 538 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:38,960 Yes, we're free, Captain Peacock. 539 00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:41,360 We never wrote him as a homosexual. 540 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:44,960 I thought he was very like people I'd worked with at Simpson's 541 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:50,080 who were, you know, just rather sort of, slightly effete. 542 00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:53,320 Mummy's boy, used to put his slippers in the oven at regulo four 543 00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:56,320 to be switched on just before he got home, so they'd be warm. 544 00:33:56,320 --> 00:34:00,000 Yes, of course I'm still your little boy. 545 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:02,600 No, I haven't changed a bit. 546 00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:05,080 Well, not much. 547 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:06,120 I think he's fun. 548 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:10,080 I think he's funny and don't tell me that gay men like that don't exist. 549 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:11,800 They absolutely do. 550 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:15,480 Just think of the thousands of inside legs that that's done. 551 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:20,520 The only time I do have a problem with it is when you see the writers of Are You Being Served? 552 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:22,520 claiming he's not gay. 553 00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:25,200 What sort of a school did you go to, Mr Humphries? Mixed. 554 00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:26,840 Oh, yeah, girls and boys? 555 00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:28,400 No, just boys. 556 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:34,040 Then I simply have to shrug and say that a writer does not know 557 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:37,880 his own text, because Mr Humphries is absolutely a gay man. 558 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:43,120 Oh, it's the Masked Stranger. Take my body but leave my jewels alone. 559 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:48,360 I was in New Zealand playing a club, a cabaret club, 560 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:54,120 and I got there and there were pickets outside, 561 00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:57,720 saying don't go and see this. 562 00:34:57,720 --> 00:35:00,960 They thought that Mr Humphries was a homosexual, 563 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:04,840 which I fought against for most of the series, you know. 564 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:08,040 I'm always saying unless you see him doing it over the counter, how do you know? 565 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:10,680 You know, I'm surprised you didn't wear the whole uniform. 566 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:14,120 Oh, well, I used to, but people kept wanting to touch me collar for luck. 567 00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:16,920 I bet you met a lot of nice girls that way. 568 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:18,480 I did. 569 00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:22,480 Not to mention a roving reporter, a trendy bishop, a string-vestite 570 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:25,520 and a dustman with a very interesting tale to tell. 571 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:27,560 That camp... 572 00:35:27,560 --> 00:35:31,640 And camp itself is very much part of the showbusiness tradition 573 00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:35,840 and people enjoy it and it's not even to do with your sexuality. It's to do with camp. 574 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:38,480 I like to make it quite clear that being of an affectionate 575 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:44,240 nature I have many friends of all shapes, sizes and sexes. 576 00:35:44,240 --> 00:35:50,920 Even this morning I had some amorous advances from a rag and bone man's horse which I repulsed. 577 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:53,920 You can see in John Inman that development of Kenneth Williams 578 00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:57,640 in Round The Horne, Julian and Sandy, all the Polari and stuff like that. 579 00:35:57,640 --> 00:36:01,960 Sort of carnival language I think that gay men would use as a secret code. 580 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:04,680 We do our own edition of Shakespeare, don't we? 581 00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:08,200 Lovely, mm! We've rewritten it ourselves in up to date Polari. 582 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:12,240 Includes such things as Much Ado About Nanti. 583 00:36:12,240 --> 00:36:15,080 All's Bona That Ends Bona. 584 00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:17,920 Two Omis of Verona. 585 00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:20,800 And As They Like It. 586 00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:23,600 It's like smuggling things in under mainstream television. 587 00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:27,880 Mr Humphries was a step on from that and actually it was overt. 588 00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:29,720 He didn't need Polari so much. 589 00:36:29,720 --> 00:36:31,520 He didn't need to speak in code. 590 00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:33,360 He is a sense that things are getting better. 591 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:36,040 Ooow! 592 00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:38,680 What on earth are you doing, Mr Humphries? 593 00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:40,960 There's a mouse round my drawers! 594 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:46,560 Fellow cast member Wendy Richard was also doing battle 595 00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:51,200 with outside elements, only these were closer to home. 596 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:56,240 I was aware that Wendy had some personal problems, 597 00:36:56,240 --> 00:36:58,960 usually to do with her boyfriends at the time. 598 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:03,480 I think she arrived with a black eye now and then. 599 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:09,960 We would hear about it, but the make-up department would take care of it. 600 00:37:09,960 --> 00:37:15,640 Jo Austin, a PA on the show, would often stay with Wendy Richard after the recordings. 601 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:20,920 You'd hear the arguments and other worse things and so on. 602 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:26,400 I mean, there was one particular sort of thing. 603 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:33,280 I heard her saying, "Don't hit my face! Don't cut my face!" 604 00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:36,760 You know, and what do you say? 605 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:43,760 She'd come perhaps and talk to me about it and I'd understand. 606 00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:48,760 So maybe I hope that I reciprocated. 607 00:37:48,760 --> 00:37:52,000 With what she gave me I was able to give her something back. 608 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:54,200 Wendy did talk about those things. 609 00:37:54,200 --> 00:38:01,320 One was sympathetic and so on, but that was within our little confine. 610 00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:08,000 I do hope I'm not too late. 611 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:13,120 I'm afraid Mrs Grainger failed to rouse me this morning. 612 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:16,480 Well, that's understandable, Mr Grainger. 613 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:19,160 Then in 1978, Are You Being Served? 614 00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:23,040 lost one of its most popular characters, the wonderful Mr Grainger. 615 00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:26,480 He was such a lovely character and so important in the show. 616 00:38:26,480 --> 00:38:29,000 It's the knack, you know. 617 00:38:30,680 --> 00:38:34,160 Arthur Brough, who played Mr Grainger, was a very dear friend 618 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:36,680 and it was very, very sad when we lost him. 619 00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:39,320 An irreplaceable colleague. 620 00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:43,600 Yes, indeed. One of nature's gentlemen. 621 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:51,240 And from then on, of course, they wanted to find someone to fill that niche and various people took over. 622 00:38:51,240 --> 00:38:54,280 James Hayter came in, lovely James Hayter. 623 00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:57,800 Ah, Mr Tebbs was also 18 months in soft furnishings. 624 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,680 I resigned when they introduced bean bags. 625 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:06,960 He sadly died later on, too, and then Alfie Bass came into that character. 626 00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:11,040 Wouldn't you rather split the commission three ways at the end of the week? 627 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:14,480 No. This is the way we've always done it and this is the way we'll carry on. 628 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:16,480 Right, Mr Lucas? Entirely, Mr Humphries. 629 00:39:16,480 --> 00:39:17,880 So be it. 630 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:21,280 Harry! Hello! 631 00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:29,920 It's awful to say, but he, sadly, died, too, so, erm... 632 00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:33,720 This is to do with the fact that all of the people we're talking about 633 00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:36,360 were reasonable ages when they were employed. 634 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:38,840 There must be something in there. 635 00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:40,320 Keep on trying. 636 00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:48,560 If I'd known my body was going to last this long, I'd have treated it better. Oh! 637 00:39:48,560 --> 00:39:51,040 I'll get my other machine. 638 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:55,720 Mr Grace. Mr Grace, can I send down to stock for another pair of tights? 639 00:39:55,720 --> 00:39:59,560 Only I've just caught these on my desk and I've laddered 'em, look. Oh. 640 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:06,560 The public would always say, of course, you've had no changes of cast, have you? 641 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:07,920 It's exactly the same people. 642 00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:10,120 We had constant cast changes. 643 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:14,760 Just as Croft and Lloyd were trying to fill Mr Grainger's shoes, 644 00:40:14,760 --> 00:40:18,040 another position came up for grabs in the men's department. 645 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:23,720 We sadly lost Trevor Bannister because it didn't fit in with some of his acting dates. 646 00:40:23,720 --> 00:40:28,720 I suppose the gentleman couldn't come and stick his leg up on the counter and I could do it from here? 647 00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:31,640 It was unfortunate. He was sort of double booked, as it were. 648 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:33,480 No, I suppose I couldn't! 649 00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:37,920 I had been offered a tour of a play just finishing in London. 650 00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:42,400 It was very difficult then to suddenly find that, 651 00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:45,080 "Oh, they're now going to do another series." 652 00:40:45,080 --> 00:40:49,680 And you say, "Well, I'm sorry, I can't do the series." 653 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:52,040 "What do you mean, you can't do the series?" 654 00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:55,800 But you went, "Well, I'm sorry. Because you've either got to change your dates. 655 00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:58,040 Well, no, I'm not giving up my job. 656 00:40:58,040 --> 00:41:02,760 "What d'you mean? I've got to give up my job, which pays 657 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:06,960 20 times more money than you're going to pay me for doing seven weeks' work." 658 00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:11,240 That was basically what happened. 659 00:41:11,240 --> 00:41:18,360 It was just sort of a letter between his agency and the BBC perhaps. 660 00:41:18,360 --> 00:41:20,200 It may have been my department. 661 00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:21,960 Mind you, I'm still behind him. 662 00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:24,040 We're all behind him! 663 00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:26,720 Only not so close. 664 00:41:26,720 --> 00:41:34,560 I'd done it for eight years anyway and I spied one or two jokes that we'd already done, so... 665 00:41:34,560 --> 00:41:39,080 Yeah, I'm right behind you, Captain Peacock. I'm right behind you, Mr Lucas. 666 00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:41,400 I'd rather you were behind Captain Peacock. 667 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:46,840 If you're top of the bill and suddenly you find someone 668 00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:50,240 who's not the top of the bill is getting all the laughs, it can be difficult. 669 00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:54,880 BOTH: Are you being served, sir? Good. 670 00:42:02,680 --> 00:42:08,320 Mr Lucas's position was hastily filled by pop singer Mike Berry as new boy Mr Spooner. 671 00:42:08,320 --> 00:42:11,080 # I love your smile. # 672 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:14,720 I've got to be very honest, the first script I got, 673 00:42:14,720 --> 00:42:20,720 it had Mr Lucas in it, but scrubbed out and "Mr Spooner". 674 00:42:20,720 --> 00:42:23,840 And I saw the odd "Mr Lucas" was left in. 675 00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:30,080 And if Trevor had been given that script having done all the episodes he'd done, 676 00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:35,160 I must say I would probably have turned it down, too, cos there wasn't much to do. 677 00:42:35,160 --> 00:42:39,320 It didn't matter to me. I mean, to me, it was a big break and I thought, "Wow, fantastic!" 678 00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:43,360 I want you to welcome your new assistant to this department, Mr Spooner. 679 00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:46,600 I'm sure you're all aware that Mr Spooner has already served time 680 00:42:46,600 --> 00:42:49,560 in the paint department, bedding and sports. 681 00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:53,440 Now, you'll be under Mr Humphries, who's under Mr Grossman, who's under Captain Peacock. 682 00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:57,200 I see. Like the bottom bun on a triple hamburger. 683 00:42:57,200 --> 00:42:58,880 I was terrified. I can't tell you. 684 00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:01,120 They probably didn't realise how terrified I was. 685 00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:04,200 This was a series I'd admired and loved and laughed. 686 00:43:04,200 --> 00:43:08,040 You'd have to fork out a few bob if you expected me to sit on your knee! 687 00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:10,680 I agree. I'd want danger money. 688 00:43:10,680 --> 00:43:13,840 If you sat on me knee, I'd want danger money. 689 00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:15,200 Not to mention scaffolding. 690 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:18,160 I went along to read for Jeremy and David. 691 00:43:18,160 --> 00:43:21,240 Trying to keep my lips from sticking to my teeth 692 00:43:21,240 --> 00:43:25,240 while I was reading wasn't easy, but I was very pleased to get it. 693 00:43:25,240 --> 00:43:28,080 Well, let's see how comfy the bed is. 694 00:43:28,080 --> 00:43:34,440 Ah! I supposed Mr Grace used to ring for his secretary when he wanted her to take something down in an hurry! 695 00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:39,080 Ooh! Agh! 696 00:43:39,080 --> 00:43:45,360 They were brilliant. Wendy, bless her, said to me that when she'd spoken to John, 697 00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:50,880 his praise of me was, "He can do it." And that was all I needed to hear. 698 00:43:54,080 --> 00:43:55,760 Even with a full cast in place, 699 00:43:55,760 --> 00:43:59,000 the BBC were never that keen to re-commission the show. 700 00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:02,960 It was popular with the audience, but this was not the case with management. 701 00:44:02,960 --> 00:44:07,800 It goes back to the general distaste that the BBC had for Are You Being Served? 702 00:44:07,800 --> 00:44:12,040 David Croft had to fight every year to get them... "Oh, couldn't you get Thames to do it? 703 00:44:12,040 --> 00:44:15,600 It's a bit down-market for the BBC," and so on. 704 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:19,760 Then the last two years, they realised they'd got something rather good on their hands. 705 00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:23,600 For what you are about to receive may you be truly grateful. 706 00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:29,240 Surely, sir, you mean "For what we are about to receive may we be truly grateful"? No, no, for what you 707 00:44:29,240 --> 00:44:32,960 are about to receive. We're lunching at the Savoy, aren't we, dear? 708 00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:34,760 I think everybody was surprised. 709 00:44:34,760 --> 00:44:36,440 We thought it had gone. 710 00:44:36,440 --> 00:44:39,840 And they decided they needed a comedy series quite quickly 711 00:44:39,840 --> 00:44:42,000 and there they were all coming back. 712 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:44,560 Thanks for the lift. 713 00:44:44,560 --> 00:44:46,800 Oh! This is most irregular. 714 00:44:46,800 --> 00:44:49,440 I was only using my initiative. 715 00:44:49,440 --> 00:44:52,240 I knew that the outside of the building was being painted 716 00:44:52,240 --> 00:44:55,000 and after a little light banter with the workmen every morning, 717 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:58,840 I took the advantage of their kind offer of a lift. 718 00:44:58,840 --> 00:45:01,120 There's white paint on the back of your coat. 719 00:45:01,120 --> 00:45:05,080 The last couple of series, we were writing Are You Being Served? 720 00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:08,920 and I said to David, "I've seen a psychic who's very, very good 721 00:45:08,920 --> 00:45:11,840 and he tells me my partner's about to have a heart attack. 722 00:45:11,840 --> 00:45:15,000 As you're my partner, it must be you. You'd better go and check." 723 00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:18,160 He said, "I'm with BUPA. I have one every six months. 724 00:45:18,160 --> 00:45:23,120 I said, "Look, I'm not going to write unless you go and get checked out." 725 00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:25,760 He said, "You're really difficult." 726 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:30,120 So I think he went the next day and as he lay on the table being checked out, he had the heart attack. 727 00:45:30,120 --> 00:45:33,520 So it saved his life. So he was out of action for a bit. 728 00:45:33,520 --> 00:45:37,160 So I think I had to finish off the last 12 Are You Being Serveds without him. 729 00:45:37,160 --> 00:45:40,800 And suddenly all the pussy stuff wasn't there. 730 00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:45,840 And my dirty lines weren't there. So I thought, "Oh!" you know. 731 00:45:45,840 --> 00:45:49,600 And then suddenly David came back for the last run-through or whatever, 732 00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:52,280 early run-through, and suddenly all the lines came back. 733 00:45:52,280 --> 00:45:55,440 So we thought, "Ah, you're the one with the dirty mind." 734 00:45:55,440 --> 00:45:59,480 Come and sit next to me, Mr Humphries, and give me a baby. 735 00:46:02,360 --> 00:46:07,840 As it got more successful, so the fees of the artists went up, so the costs went up. 736 00:46:07,840 --> 00:46:13,040 By now in its ninth series, as popular as ever and with more money, Grace Brothers opened its doors 737 00:46:13,040 --> 00:46:17,000 to more and more outlandish plots and elaborate set pieces. 738 00:46:17,000 --> 00:46:21,200 Did you say "trouble"? You don't know the meaning of the word. 739 00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:30,520 I think perhaps Jeremy was finding it a little difficult to come up with stories of things that could 740 00:46:30,520 --> 00:46:37,400 probably happen in a big store and so began to get a little bit more fantastic. 741 00:46:37,400 --> 00:46:40,440 You must lower me over the edge and I'll go and get the police. 742 00:46:40,440 --> 00:46:43,160 Isn't it a bit risky? I must do it. 743 00:46:43,160 --> 00:46:46,760 If I'm not home by one o'clock, me mother locks the door. 744 00:46:46,760 --> 00:46:49,840 I remember watching it and once they started Mrs Slocombe 745 00:46:49,840 --> 00:46:53,120 having a crush on Mr Humphries and that was a whole episode's plot 746 00:46:53,120 --> 00:46:56,400 that then got forgotten the next week and you sort of thought, 747 00:46:56,400 --> 00:46:58,160 "That's running out of stories, slightly." 748 00:47:01,120 --> 00:47:03,640 Ooh, that's lovely. 749 00:47:03,640 --> 00:47:05,880 They simply did everything and it ran out of steam. 750 00:47:05,880 --> 00:47:09,480 It's karma! It's kismet! 751 00:47:09,480 --> 00:47:11,200 It's... Kiss me! 752 00:47:13,640 --> 00:47:19,080 The bigger and bigger things got, it was because they'd run out of ideas. 753 00:47:22,360 --> 00:47:27,680 Are You Being Served? was bordering more on light entertainment 754 00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:30,280 really than on comedy drama. 755 00:47:30,280 --> 00:47:34,720 'It was sort of very revue-ish, but we all were, you see.' 756 00:47:34,720 --> 00:47:36,680 # ..To be like we were. 757 00:47:36,680 --> 00:47:39,200 # Perfect in every way. 758 00:47:39,200 --> 00:47:43,040 # What's the matter With kids today...? # 759 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:46,360 'It was a bit, sort of, stretching it, you know,' 760 00:47:46,360 --> 00:47:52,000 to imagine that the staff in a store like that would do that kind of thing. 761 00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:54,640 # Ask me, "When will the day be?" 762 00:47:54,640 --> 00:47:58,920 # The sweet day may be tonight! # 763 00:47:58,920 --> 00:48:02,960 When we got to the very end, we shot this big musical number, 764 00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:06,440 thinking, "Well, if this is the end, we're going out with a bang here." 765 00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:09,240 But we didn't really know whether it WOULD be the end. 766 00:48:12,600 --> 00:48:16,600 # Chanson... # 767 00:48:16,600 --> 00:48:19,080 Nobody quite knew it was the very, very end, 768 00:48:19,080 --> 00:48:23,280 so there wasn't that feeling of, we'll-never-meet-again sort of thing. 769 00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:25,920 It was, maybe we'll see each other next spring. 770 00:48:25,920 --> 00:48:29,400 # ..Encore... # 771 00:48:29,400 --> 00:48:33,160 I think, to be honest, that the BBC decided that enough was enough. 772 00:48:33,160 --> 00:48:36,320 # ..In my heart... # 773 00:48:36,320 --> 00:48:39,720 And therefore, I think, you just have to say, "OK, let's move on.". 774 00:48:41,600 --> 00:48:43,400 # More and... # 775 00:48:43,400 --> 00:48:47,240 I think there comes a time when you know it's time to stop, really. 776 00:48:47,240 --> 00:48:52,720 # ..Chanson d'amour... # 777 00:48:52,720 --> 00:48:54,960 You just run out of plots. 778 00:48:56,000 --> 00:48:57,840 # Rat, ta, ta, ta, ta! # 779 00:48:57,840 --> 00:49:02,480 The BBC were very reluctant to let it go really, but they went along with the idea 780 00:49:02,480 --> 00:49:06,640 that when we said we'd done enough, that was about it, you know? 781 00:49:06,640 --> 00:49:10,960 # Each time I hear... # 782 00:49:12,680 --> 00:49:17,360 Grace Brothers finally closed its doors on 1st April, 1985, 783 00:49:17,360 --> 00:49:18,560 when times were changing. 784 00:49:18,560 --> 00:49:19,600 # ..D'amour.... # 785 00:49:19,600 --> 00:49:23,720 We were beginning to see, even in the mid '80s, alternative comedy arriving. 786 00:49:23,720 --> 00:49:26,880 In fact, I think it was probably '87 that you would have seen 787 00:49:26,880 --> 00:49:29,200 French And Saunders appear on television. 788 00:49:29,200 --> 00:49:33,200 Have I seen that dress somewhere before? No, I had it specially made for me. 789 00:49:33,200 --> 00:49:39,280 I've seen Marti Caine wearing this on her show, That's Not My Dog. Look, look at this! 790 00:49:39,280 --> 00:49:41,680 So a new generation was beginning to emerge. 791 00:49:41,680 --> 00:49:44,960 However, Alan Yentob, then controller of BBC One, 792 00:49:44,960 --> 00:49:48,360 decided to give the characters another go in 1992 793 00:49:48,360 --> 00:49:51,720 in a comedy called Grace And Favour, which transported the action 794 00:49:51,720 --> 00:49:55,320 to a country house hotel. 795 00:49:55,320 --> 00:49:58,800 Perhaps you'd all like to sit down, we're not in the store now, are we? 796 00:49:58,800 --> 00:50:00,400 This is all quite informal. 797 00:50:00,400 --> 00:50:02,040 Are you free, Mr Humphries? 798 00:50:02,040 --> 00:50:04,320 I'm free! 799 00:50:04,320 --> 00:50:07,720 They were so well known for being in Are You Being Served?, 800 00:50:07,720 --> 00:50:11,160 you can't say it really worked out in another situation, 801 00:50:11,160 --> 00:50:14,200 although Mrs Slocombe was very funny playing cricket. 802 00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:16,800 Yes! Not out! 803 00:50:19,040 --> 00:50:21,480 What did you say? He said, "Not out.". 804 00:50:21,480 --> 00:50:23,760 Do you wanna make something out of it? 805 00:50:23,760 --> 00:50:27,360 It's tough to re-invent things and to move them on in that kind of way, 806 00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:33,360 and, although it did OK, I mean, it never really... 807 00:50:33,360 --> 00:50:38,960 it never really worked well enough for one to say, "Yes, let's persist and persevere," 808 00:50:38,960 --> 00:50:41,040 beyond the two series that we gave it. 809 00:50:41,040 --> 00:50:43,640 Despite the lack of desire for Grace And Favour, 810 00:50:43,640 --> 00:50:47,240 both series remain hugely popular in America to this day. 811 00:50:47,240 --> 00:50:53,400 They'd have Mrs Slocombe lookalike contests, and about 20 gentlemen would turn up 812 00:50:53,400 --> 00:50:56,480 dressed as Mrs Slocombe, with a stuffed cat under their arms. 813 00:50:56,480 --> 00:51:01,360 Are You Being Served? became truly international, with the show selling worldwide. 814 00:51:01,360 --> 00:51:06,480 Australia even made its own version, importing John Inman in a starring role. 815 00:51:08,040 --> 00:51:11,240 Mr Mankowitz will be over you, and Mr Randel will be under you. 816 00:51:14,200 --> 00:51:15,760 It's just like being at home! 817 00:51:15,760 --> 00:51:19,360 And in Britain, the series may not get as repeated as often, 818 00:51:19,360 --> 00:51:24,600 but the stars are still remembered affectionately, and will always be resolutely British. 819 00:51:25,680 --> 00:51:27,840 People watched it cos it was funny. 820 00:51:27,840 --> 00:51:29,640 It's very short notice. 821 00:51:29,640 --> 00:51:32,400 There's my pussy to consider. 822 00:51:32,400 --> 00:51:34,640 We remember it cos it was fun. 823 00:51:34,640 --> 00:51:39,640 RECORD PLAYS AT HIGH SPEED: # Mammy, Mammy 824 00:51:39,640 --> 00:51:42,200 # The sun shines east The sun shines west... # 825 00:51:42,200 --> 00:51:45,400 Programmes like Are You Being Served?, 826 00:51:45,400 --> 00:51:49,440 they're timeless, because they're wholly inoffensive. 827 00:51:49,440 --> 00:51:53,920 RECORD PLAYS AT LOW SPEED: # Mammy 828 00:51:53,920 --> 00:51:57,480 # Mammy... # 829 00:51:57,480 --> 00:52:02,240 When David and I are not here, they'll still be making people laugh with things we thought of. 830 00:52:02,240 --> 00:52:04,680 Mr Humphries! Don't talk to me! 831 00:52:08,760 --> 00:52:11,720 It'll never end, you see. They'll never age. 832 00:52:11,720 --> 00:52:15,040 They'll always be the same age on television. 833 00:52:15,040 --> 00:52:18,720 They'll never fade away, and they'll always be there. 834 00:52:20,720 --> 00:52:23,000 TITTERING 835 00:52:23,000 --> 00:52:25,200 LAUGHTER 836 00:52:33,720 --> 00:52:36,360 RIOTOUS LAUGHTER 837 00:52:41,440 --> 00:52:44,360 Luckily, for those fans of Are You Being Served?, 838 00:52:44,360 --> 00:52:49,760 all 68 episodes still exist today in full, glorious Technicolor... 839 00:52:49,760 --> 00:52:51,840 Ooh, no...! 840 00:52:53,560 --> 00:52:55,680 ..apart from the pilot. 841 00:52:55,680 --> 00:52:58,960 Oh, is that the best you can do, Miss Brahms? 842 00:52:58,960 --> 00:53:01,160 Well, it's not my job! I'll try again. 843 00:53:01,160 --> 00:53:03,160 Are You Being Served?, at that time, 844 00:53:03,160 --> 00:53:08,000 was transmitted on what we call two-inch videotape, 845 00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:13,800 which is an enormous tape, and it was very, very expensive, 846 00:53:13,800 --> 00:53:19,360 as a medium to record on, so what happened was, those tapes were used over and over again. 847 00:53:19,360 --> 00:53:22,600 In the past, the BBC only kept television copies 848 00:53:22,600 --> 00:53:25,480 of programmes they felt had historical importance, 849 00:53:25,480 --> 00:53:29,400 and comedy shows were not deemed significant enough to keep. 850 00:53:29,400 --> 00:53:33,640 Never mind. Come along. Fortunately, the pilot episode of Are You Being Served? 851 00:53:33,640 --> 00:53:36,760 had been kept in black and white for international sales. 852 00:53:36,760 --> 00:53:41,760 Because we didn't keep the two-inch tape that Are You Being Served? was transmitted on, 853 00:53:41,760 --> 00:53:46,640 what we did actually do was record the programme off air on to film, 854 00:53:46,640 --> 00:53:50,360 which is how this whole process of restoration has occurred. 855 00:53:50,360 --> 00:53:53,840 Now, unfortunately, people thought the colour was lost 856 00:53:53,840 --> 00:53:55,800 on this black-and-white copy, 857 00:53:55,800 --> 00:54:00,120 but the actual means in which this film recording was made 858 00:54:00,120 --> 00:54:06,760 meant that the colour information was actually accidentally preserved in the film as a pattern of dots. 859 00:54:06,760 --> 00:54:09,640 Before I was involved, a couple of the other people 860 00:54:09,640 --> 00:54:14,480 who were working on it had managed to recover quite reasonably convincing-looking colours, 861 00:54:14,480 --> 00:54:16,400 but they weren't the full set. 862 00:54:16,400 --> 00:54:19,160 For example, there were no blues or greens, 863 00:54:19,160 --> 00:54:21,920 but there were yellows and there were reds, and, erm... 864 00:54:21,920 --> 00:54:24,640 If you didn't know what the original colour was, 865 00:54:24,640 --> 00:54:27,920 they actually looked quite good, but when you compared them... 866 00:54:27,920 --> 00:54:31,080 That was an advantage of having the tape of Top Of The Pops. 867 00:54:31,080 --> 00:54:34,400 When you compared them, you realised there were colours missing. 868 00:54:34,400 --> 00:54:38,680 My contribution was to work out how to find these extra colours, 869 00:54:38,680 --> 00:54:42,120 and the software that I wrote, then, sort of examines the picture, 870 00:54:42,120 --> 00:54:45,400 and looks for these characteristic patterns of lines and dots, 871 00:54:45,400 --> 00:54:48,400 which is the residue of the original colour, and from those, 872 00:54:48,400 --> 00:54:53,120 it works out both what the colour is, and it works out its intensity, 873 00:54:53,120 --> 00:54:56,880 so that the end result is a full colour picture. 874 00:54:56,880 --> 00:55:00,840 Operator, get me Mr Rumbold's office. 875 00:55:00,840 --> 00:55:03,680 Hello. Could I speak to Mr Rumbold, please? 876 00:55:03,680 --> 00:55:08,720 Well, I'm sorry, Mrs Slocombe, but I'm afraid Mr Rumbold's still with Young Mr Grace at the moment. 877 00:55:08,720 --> 00:55:11,560 Oh, hang on a second. I think he's just leaving. 878 00:55:11,560 --> 00:55:16,080 So now the pilot episode has been restored to its former glory, 879 00:55:16,080 --> 00:55:21,720 and has taken pride of place back on the shelves, with all ten series of Are You Being Served?. 880 00:55:21,720 --> 00:55:23,720 HE CACKLES 881 00:55:24,960 --> 00:55:26,200 BOTH: Yes, we're free. 882 00:55:28,600 --> 00:55:30,240 'I like it!' 883 00:55:31,560 --> 00:55:35,560 I will not have rough, workman's hands inside my bra! 884 00:55:40,200 --> 00:55:41,240 Pompous twit! 885 00:55:46,000 --> 00:55:47,880 Mrs Slocombe! 886 00:55:50,640 --> 00:55:53,400 Oh, yes, we are. Yes, we are free, Mr Humphries, yes. 887 00:55:59,680 --> 00:56:05,000 Mind you, five minutes ago, we wouldn't have been free, would we? No, we would not have been free! 888 00:56:05,000 --> 00:56:08,640 But I never told him the sleeves would ride up with wear! 889 00:56:24,680 --> 00:56:27,880 Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd 890 00:56:27,880 --> 00:56:30,680 Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk