1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:06,960 1972, a landmark year for British entertainment. 2 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:12,440 Jesus Christ Superstar made its West End debut... 3 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,760 ..and rural soap Emmerdale and quiz show Mastermind 4 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:17,960 had their first TV outings. 5 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,560 And it was the year that a certain fictional department store 6 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:24,240 opened its doors... 7 00:00:24,240 --> 00:00:28,200 It was like cartoonish end-of-the-pier sense of humour 8 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:30,960 that really appealed across the board. 9 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:35,400 ..and Britain's bawdiest TV comedy exploded on to our screens, 10 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:37,920 grabbing every opportunity for innuendo, 11 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:40,280 and milking it with gay abandon. 12 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:43,680 Trousers are at a complete standstill. 13 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:45,840 You're lucky to get your tape up once a day. 14 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:47,240 LAUGHTER 15 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:53,400 Well...my corsets have been down for over a fortnight. 16 00:00:54,840 --> 00:01:00,640 It was proper quintessential British slapstick humour. 17 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:06,280 Tonight, we remember exactly why we loved Are You Being Served? 18 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:10,000 The side-splitting and cleverly worded double entendres. 19 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:11,400 One minute late. 20 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,240 You're lucky to have me at all, Captain Peacock! 21 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,400 I had to sort me pussy out before I came. 22 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:20,000 It was fabulously consistent. 23 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,160 It was brilliantly written, brilliantly performed, 24 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:25,360 it was classic comedy. 25 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:28,360 The iconic and perfectly delivered catchphrase... 26 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:29,920 I'm free! 27 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,680 ..and some truly extraordinary costumes. 28 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,080 Oh, it was just as camp as anything I can remember. 29 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:37,640 It was like a pantomime in a department store. 30 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:39,440 We hear the backstage secrets... 31 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:42,440 Trevor used to come back and say, "Oh, my God, 32 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,800 you won't BELIEVE what I've got to do with Mollie this week!" 33 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:47,800 ..and remember the actors, who brought 34 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,040 these wonderful characters to life. 35 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:53,000 John Inman was very capable of doing the jazz hands 36 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:55,480 that we would expect from the pantomime dame. 37 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:58,280 Prepare to have your ribs well and truly tickled, 38 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,760 as tonight we're reopening the store and going up 39 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:06,480 to celebrate all the fun, frivolity, and that infamous feline. 40 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:09,160 You would never get away with it now. 41 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,800 With its instantly recognisable and fabulously evocative opening theme, 42 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,320 Are You Being Served? ran for an astonishing 13 years, 43 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:25,520 with audiences of over 20 million 44 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,480 glued to the latest goings on at Grace Brothers. 45 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:35,280 It's proper sort of vaudeville tradition of performance 46 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:39,120 and of comedy. There's no subtlety, 47 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:42,080 they are all over-the-top characters. 48 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:45,440 And when ludicrous costumes were added, 49 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:47,640 it became even more outrageous. 50 00:02:47,640 --> 00:02:50,280 Well... Hello, cheeky. 51 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:52,240 Oh! Sauce box! 52 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,200 Oh! It's the masked stranger! 53 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,640 Take my body, but leave my jewels alone. 54 00:02:57,720 --> 00:02:59,520 It wasn't just double entendres, 55 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,440 it was every entendre that was, possibly, multiplied by eight. 56 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,720 Are You Being Served? starred John Inman, Mollie Sugden, 57 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:08,920 and a young lady in a very different role 58 00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:11,400 to the soap matriarch she would become. 59 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,600 She had a wicked sense of humour, she was very kind, 60 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:18,840 very generous, beautiful person. 61 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,840 Set in the clothing department of the antiquated store Grace Brothers, 62 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,160 the show followed the antics of an eccentric bunch of shop workers 63 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:28,040 and their long-suffering bosses. 64 00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:32,120 Are You Being Served? was very bawdy 65 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:36,800 and it was very full of sexual innuendo, and the whole thing 66 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:41,080 actually kind of almost revolved around sex or some aspect of sex. 67 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,000 And I hope we're not going to be late tonight, 68 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,360 because I've left Winston clinging to the curtain rail. 69 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:51,880 He refuses to come down, the mere sight of my pussy drives him mad. 70 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:53,680 LAUGHTER 71 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:56,160 Filthy, farcical and over-the-top, 72 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:58,920 this true blue British comedy showcased the talents 73 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:01,560 of some of the country's finest comic actors. 74 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,160 Ensemble comedy's one of the hardest, but it's also the best. 75 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:07,920 When people bounce off each other, 76 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,480 when there is a chemistry amongst the actors, 77 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,840 that just comes through the screen and hits you in the face, 78 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,680 and these guys had it in buckets. 79 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:18,880 Only this morning, Mrs Slocombe informed me 80 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:20,600 that she'd had a skirt lifted. 81 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:22,520 Oh! 82 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:24,080 Some people have all the luck! 83 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:25,720 LAUGHTER 84 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,360 And I seem to remember that Miss Brahms lost something last week. 85 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,000 It wasn't me. 86 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:34,280 Do you know, only the other day, 87 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:35,880 a customer reached across the counter 88 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:37,720 and put his hands in my Fair Isle drawers? 89 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:44,160 But the truth is, that the BBC never really wanted 90 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:47,000 Are You Being Served? in the first place. 91 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,800 The show was the brainchild of writer and actor, Jeremy Lloyd, 92 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:57,560 but the inspiration for the sitcom 93 00:04:57,560 --> 00:04:59,920 came from a rather unexpected source. 94 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:04,720 Really, I think what, what persuaded me to write Are You Being Served? 95 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:09,800 was Joanna Lumley, who's my rather dear great friend and ex-wife. 96 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:12,080 She said "Well, look, you've run out of money, 97 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:14,600 "you've come back from America and you don't appear to be able 98 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:16,800 "to get a job, why don't you write about something 99 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:18,520 "you really know about and you did, you know, 100 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,160 "you were very amusing about your time at Simpsons in Piccadilly, 101 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:22,840 "why don't you write about that?" 102 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,480 Lloyd hatched the plan for his shop-floor sitcom 103 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:30,240 while starring with his fiancee in the long-forgotten comedy, 104 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:32,200 It's Awfully Bad For Your Eyes, Darling. 105 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:36,000 Oh. 106 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:37,480 Oh! Oh! 107 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:38,680 Come on, I'll help you. 108 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:39,760 Oh, careful, darling. 109 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:40,920 Oh. There we are. 110 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:43,040 Stop! I think I've had a stroke. 111 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:46,880 My leg's gone dead. 112 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:48,480 That's my leg you're holding. 113 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:49,960 Oh, so it is. 114 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:51,120 Oh. 115 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:52,840 I feel terrible. 116 00:05:52,840 --> 00:05:55,600 Oh, I'm not surprised, if that's what we were drinking, look at that. 117 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:00,880 Luckily for Lloyd, working alongside him on that sitcom 118 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:04,280 was hotshot BBC comedy producer, David Croft, 119 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:07,400 who had recently scored a direct hit with Dad's Army. 120 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:10,760 He told me about a show he was doing about a department store, 121 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,240 point of fact is I think he had written it as 122 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:15,120 just a gentleman's department 123 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:17,920 because that's the thing he had experience of. 124 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:20,880 I thought it'd be more fun if we brought the ladies in, 125 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,640 the gentlemen had to give away half their department 126 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:25,600 and so it was a conflict straight away, 127 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:27,880 and that's how Are You Being Served was born actually. 128 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:29,480 That really made the show, I must say, 129 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,480 because there was all the conflict between the ladies and gentlemen. 130 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:36,800 A brilliant writer, a brilliant writer to not only create 131 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:41,440 those characters but also feed those characters every single week. 132 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:43,880 Not only did he write amazing stuff, 133 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:47,680 his great skill in casting was unbelievable, really. 134 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:50,920 You can't imagine other people in those parts. 135 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,640 Happily for the newly established Croft/Lloyd writing partnership, 136 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:59,280 the BBC were on the hunt for original sitcom ideas. 137 00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:04,520 In those early days, the BBC used to do a series of pilot shows 138 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,480 under the banner of Comedy Playhouse. 139 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:12,840 And they were half-hour pilots that people had thought might have a bit 140 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:18,200 of mileage and were worth exploring with a view to running in to series. 141 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,400 And so they'd all be shown and according to audience reaction 142 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:22,960 or the way things went, they'd say, 143 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,520 "Yeah, I think that's the one we're going to go for this year." 144 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:26,920 And give it a try. 145 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,640 The pilot episode of the provocatively titled 146 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:34,760 Are You Being Served? was written, cast and filmed 147 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:36,400 in a matter of weeks. 148 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:39,200 Its broad slapstick comedy delightfully evident 149 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:40,600 from the opening minutes. 150 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:46,400 Oh, is that the best you can do, Miss Brahms? 151 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:48,040 Well, it's not my job, is it? 152 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:49,200 I'll try again. 153 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:06,880 The pilot episode was a great success, with witty a script 154 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:09,800 and some truly inventive sight gags right from the start. 155 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,400 Has anyone got a ladder? 156 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:21,640 Honestly, is that the best you can do? 157 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:24,520 It's the nearest I've been to it all morning. 158 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:27,480 The chemistry between the cast was phenomenal. 159 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,320 They all had a great sense of timing, all of them, without fail. 160 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:33,600 They knew exactly what they were up to. 161 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:34,760 With your personality, 162 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:37,720 I'm sure you could charm the very birds off the tree. 163 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:39,080 Oh, oh, I wouldn't say that. 164 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:40,680 Neither would I. 165 00:08:40,680 --> 00:08:44,120 Lucas, while you're down there, straighten those seams. 166 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:46,040 I hate to see crooked seams. 167 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:47,160 Yes, Mr Peacock. 168 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:48,280 Hm? Captain Peacock. 169 00:08:57,600 --> 00:08:59,680 Aargh! 170 00:08:59,680 --> 00:09:04,520 Everybody involved believed they had a sure-fire hit on their hands. 171 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:07,720 Everybody, that is, apart from the BBC. 172 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:13,640 Apparently the pilot episode of Are You Being Served? was shelved, 173 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:16,960 the BBC didn't want it, and I could see you know, looking back, 174 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:21,480 that, at the time, they would be quite sort of wary of screening 175 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:25,440 something that was quite, you know, quite so broad. 176 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:29,080 To the astonishment of cast and crew, the pilot was rejected. 177 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:34,000 It seemed that only a miracle could save Are You Being Served? 178 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:39,040 But tragically, what it took was a massacre. 179 00:09:41,560 --> 00:09:44,520 Definitely had his hands tied, I saw him. 180 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:48,320 On September 5th 1972, at the Munich Olympics, 181 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:52,560 a Palestinian terrorist group took 11 Israeli team members hostage 182 00:09:52,560 --> 00:09:55,400 and murdered them, along with a German police officer. 183 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,200 The German negotiators' case is that from the start 184 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:02,840 of the siege of the Israeli flats on Tuesday morning, 185 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:05,560 they were faced with an impossible situation. 186 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:08,800 The BBC were desperate with the blank screens 187 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:12,520 to put something on and they had, they had a shelf with tapes on. 188 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:16,760 Rifling through their un-transmitted shows, they found the perfect thing, 189 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:21,000 the shelved pilot of Are You Being Served? was just what was required. 190 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:25,440 Something fabulously fun, and gloriously risque. 191 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:27,920 Anyway, the upper part should be obscured. 192 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:29,320 I'm sorry, Mr Grainger. 193 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:34,840 How long have you been with Grace Brothers, Mr Lucas? 194 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:36,680 One month, Mr Grainger. 195 00:10:36,680 --> 00:10:39,960 I'm, I'm still, sort of, feeling my way around, as you might say. 196 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:46,120 Coming up, we reveal the man behind one of British sitcoms' 197 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,160 most legendary characters. 198 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:51,560 If I'm going to be honest, I think he was the star of the show, 199 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:54,680 I mean, his performance really was unbelievable. 200 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:05,640 Almost 50 years after it hit our screens, 201 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:08,320 everyone still loves Are You Being Served? 202 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:13,040 Rude, risque and delighting in delivering some truly 203 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:15,040 outstanding innuendo. 204 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:17,360 Before we go any further Mr Rumbold, 205 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:19,520 Miss Brahms and I would like to complain 206 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:21,160 about the state of our drawers, 207 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:25,400 They're a positive disgrace. 208 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:26,920 You what, Mrs Slocombe? 209 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:29,200 Our drawers, they're sticking. 210 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:31,640 Always the same in damp weather. 211 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:32,800 Really? 212 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:35,320 Miss Brahms could hardly shift hers at all, just now. 213 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:38,080 No wonder she was late. 214 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,720 The show starred some of our finest comic talent, 215 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:48,360 and was an instant hit, largely down to producer David Croft's knack 216 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:52,040 of finding the perfect actor for every role. 217 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:55,280 He seemed to get people that you wouldn't expect to be able to 218 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:59,200 do things and that genius of casting and putting the right person 219 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,760 in the right part, that's a great, great art, great talent. 220 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:06,560 Of course, that's one of David Croft's strengths, you see, 221 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:11,120 he sees somebody that will fit the part, he casts them, 222 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:13,680 and then lets them get on with it. 223 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:16,320 And the rapport between this group of seasoned actors 224 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:18,120 was evident from the outset. 225 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:23,280 I mean, there were a lot of people on the crowded floor of Grace Brothers 226 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:28,320 Menswear and Ladies' Wear, and they worked together extremely well. 227 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:32,560 And there, there are moments in it where you can see the actor 228 00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:35,640 waiting for the laugh to die down, so he can deliver, 229 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:38,160 or she can deliver the next line. 230 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:40,480 And that's when you know it's a good show. 231 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:43,160 I mean, you've got to be in the mood for cooking, haven't you? 232 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:45,880 I got a bit cross and slammed the oven door and, well, me 233 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:47,320 Yorkshires wouldn't rise. 234 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,240 Do you know, I didn't know which way to turn, 235 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:53,880 which is very unusual for me. 236 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,640 It wasn't as if, you know, there was sort of, 237 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:02,880 three main characters and the rest were just ensemble, 238 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:07,640 it was a whole ensemble piece, so every week, 239 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:12,240 those writers had to write for every single one of those characters. 240 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,960 Although Are You Being Served? was very much a team effort, 241 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,680 audiences immediately took one character to their hearts, 242 00:13:19,680 --> 00:13:22,360 John Inman as Mr Humphries, 243 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,840 the mincing mummy's boy of menswear soon became a cornerstone of the 244 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:30,360 show, his quick quips delivered in a magnificently throwaway fashion. 245 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:32,840 Let out waist. 246 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:36,200 Mm. And ease seat. 247 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:41,240 Ah, the professional touch Mr Grainger. 248 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,120 I couldn't have done it better myself. 249 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,200 And I think the rise is a little short. 250 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:49,480 Yes, I was just thinking that, Mr Grainger. 251 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:55,080 The son of a Blackpool landlady, before Are You Being Served?, 252 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:58,000 Inman had never been given an opportunity to shine. 253 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:03,600 I'd been doing pantomimes, I'd been doing summer seasons. 254 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:08,560 I'd worked with wonderful people like Sid James and comics, you know. 255 00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:11,080 A comic's crutch, I think I was known as. 256 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:15,800 But, it wasn't really until Mr Humphries came along, 257 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:19,320 that ladies with prams used to attack me in Woolworths. 258 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:22,240 He managed to get this role in television, 259 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:25,320 which all those years of experience in summer seasons 260 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:29,080 and pantomime came to the fore, I mean, he was quite fantastic. 261 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:35,840 And the joy of him was that he, he knew exactly how to get a laugh. 262 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:38,360 But when the pilot turned in to a series, 263 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:41,600 they hit a potential problem with Mr Humphries. 264 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:44,360 The head of the BBC or whoever it was said "Yes, it's all right." 265 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:48,840 he said, "But get rid of the poof." I mean, could you believe it? 266 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:52,800 I mean, David Croft just, his jaw dropped and he said, 267 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:55,000 "Well if the poof goes, the show goes." 268 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:58,800 And they knew they had a winner, and I think so they, 269 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:02,200 they backpedalled like mad, said "Well, well, well, hrmph, hrmph," 270 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:03,680 you know and all that. 271 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:07,440 Luckily for us, Mr Humphries sashayed back behind the counter 272 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:11,400 and stayed there for the next 13 years. 273 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:17,720 When John leapt on to the screen and brought camp to the nation, 274 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:21,360 he was actually loved by everybody from old aunties to young people 275 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:23,040 cos they didn't know about camp. 276 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:26,120 Mr Humphries, he obviously had the right shoes to enable him 277 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:30,600 to do that mincing walk across the set from one counter to the other, 278 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:32,320 which brought the house down. 279 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:39,880 I did a little stint at Austin Reed's in my youth, 280 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:43,320 and there was a young fella there who worked on the cufflink counter, 281 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,480 and he used to mince round this counter. 282 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:50,720 One day at rehearsals, I had to go from one side of the counter 283 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:54,440 to the other, and I did this, really to make the cast laugh. 284 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:56,800 John didn't walk, he minced. 285 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:58,000 He minced, dear. 286 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:06,760 People say sometimes, "How can you describe camp?" 287 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:10,640 You'd say "Well, John Inman, there you are, that's camp." 288 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:13,840 The irrepressible Mr Humphries soon became Grace Brothers' 289 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:15,600 most popular employee. 290 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:18,360 John Inman brilliantly using all the skills he learnt 291 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:20,760 as a pantomime dame. 292 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:25,240 I thought he was a superb actor, he just, the delivery of those 293 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:28,960 very cutting, very specific lines was, was excellent. 294 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:32,080 I was saving these to take home, I was going to use them tonight. 295 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:38,360 What were you going to do with a pair of falsies? 296 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,680 I wear them on my knees when I'm polishing the parquet. 297 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:47,040 He was very much in that pantomime dame tradition. 298 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:49,000 He was very much an aunt. 299 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:52,240 If I'm going to be honest, I think he was the star of the show, 300 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:55,520 I mean, his performance really was unbelievable. 301 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:58,160 RECORDED VOICE: Stay just where you are. 302 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,560 Don't move a muscle. 303 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,440 If you want a real he-man... 304 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:14,800 ..just let me caress you and wrap myself around you. 305 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:17,120 Who am I? 306 00:17:17,120 --> 00:17:21,720 I'm the Hers Perfume to attract the perfect him. 307 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:24,720 Glass of water for Mr Humphries. 308 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:30,520 As well as providing Grace Brothers with instant innuendo, 309 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:35,160 Mr Humphries also gave the show its legendary catchphrase. 310 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:37,240 The "I'm free" catchphrase, 311 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:40,240 I guess that was developed during rehearsals. 312 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,200 And, of course, it stayed with him for life. 313 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:45,600 With Inman's theatrical delivery often accompanied by a 314 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:50,360 flailing of hands, it became one of the '70s best-known catchphrases. 315 00:17:50,360 --> 00:17:52,640 I'm free, Captain Peacock. 316 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:53,840 I'm free. 317 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:57,040 Mr Humphries, are you free? 318 00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:59,400 I'm busy pricing my ties, Captain Peacock. 319 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:01,560 The gentleman wishes to try on a dress. 320 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:02,640 I'm free. 321 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:10,080 The "I'm free!" was just packed with innuendo and I remember at school, 322 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:15,760 if the lads wanted to tease another lad that wasn't ladd-y, 323 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:19,720 or a bit sort of more gentle, that was what they said, "I'm free!" 324 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:21,640 Mr Humphries, Mr Lucas, are you free? 325 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:23,480 Yes, we're free, Captain Peacock. 326 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:29,920 But in those days, homosexuality had only been partly decriminalised, 327 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:34,320 and so Mr Humphries might've been quite ahead of the curve. 328 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:36,080 # Are you being served, Sir? 329 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:38,160 # I'm Humphries and I'm free... # 330 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:42,000 Such was the popularity of Mr Humphries and his shrill catchphrase 331 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:46,360 that he entered the charts with a fabulously innuendo-packed pop song. 332 00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:49,920 And one of the cheesiest videos of the entire decade. 333 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:51,800 # You'd like a suit, well suit yourself 334 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:53,600 # Our three-piece is first-class 335 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:55,640 # I'll find one with tight trousers 336 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:56,920 # That fit well round the... 337 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:57,960 # Kitchen ware 338 00:18:57,960 --> 00:18:59,120 #Oh, these will do 339 00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:00,440 # I'll take them off the peg 340 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:01,600 # Now, hold your breath 341 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:02,840 # And brace yourself 342 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:04,000 # Here comes the inside leg 343 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:05,040 # Whoops! 344 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:06,400 # Are you being served, sir? 345 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:08,560 # I'm Humphries and I'm free 346 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:10,240 # Are you being served, sir? 347 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:12,120 # There's no-one here but me. # 348 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:18,080 But while audiences loved every flounce and flick of the wrist, 349 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:20,960 there were some who found the character harder to swallow. 350 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:25,640 John Inman as Mr Humphries was an absolutely 351 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:30,440 cliched, cartoon, caricature version of what people thought 352 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,280 a mincing camp gay was. 353 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:34,760 Hang on a minute. 354 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:38,000 What's going on? 355 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,400 I'm warming the end a bit. 356 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:47,120 To be gay publicly was made trickier because of these stereotypes 357 00:19:47,120 --> 00:19:49,960 on such a popular show, 358 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:54,280 because it wasn't like gay people were visible in any other way, 359 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:55,480 shape or form. 360 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:57,040 That was it. 361 00:19:57,040 --> 00:19:59,240 The show was littered with queenie quips, 362 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:03,440 cleverly devised to be just the right side of acceptable. 363 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,320 Mr Humphries, have you the time? 364 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:08,720 It depends what you had in mind, Captain Peacock. 365 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:12,480 Not surprising that there were protests in the early days 366 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:16,440 of the liberation movement, outside the BBC. 367 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:20,800 And I think he got a lot of stick playing it as camply as he did, 368 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,200 by saying, "How dare you portray this character? 369 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:24,920 "There aren't people like that." 370 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:27,520 Well, I beg to differ, there were lots of people like that, 371 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:30,240 I'd met them, and I knew them, and I portrayed them. 372 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:33,120 So, I think he was very, very brave in doing it. 373 00:20:33,120 --> 00:20:36,320 I remember being in New Zealand, and some gay people, bless them, 374 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:40,760 they, they came to the club I was working at, 375 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:45,720 and I said to them at the front door, I said, "Why me?" 376 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:49,960 I said, "Dick Emery," who was playing Honky Tonk then, 377 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,800 "He's much worse than I am, why pick on me?" 378 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:56,080 and they said, "Well, you're here and Dick Emery isn't." 379 00:20:56,080 --> 00:21:00,560 I think what was different about Mr Humphries was he was a developed 380 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:04,000 character, he was one of the central characters, 381 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:06,960 and we got to know more about him and his life, 382 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:10,240 and his offstage life, and that gave him some kind of grain 383 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:13,720 and detail, and some humanity, I think. 384 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:18,080 Away from the menswear counter, the real John Inman was every 385 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:21,200 bit as funny as his camp creation. 386 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:23,000 Mr Humphries was John. 387 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:26,920 His walk, his style, his elegance, 388 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:31,680 his double takes and sometimes triple takes. 389 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:33,880 And he was like that in real life. 390 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:37,320 Tonight, comedy actor John Inman, This Is Your Life. 391 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:38,440 Oh, I say. 392 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:41,680 And as the show's popularity grew, 393 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:45,600 John Inman became one of the decade's most-celebrated stars. 394 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,440 How do the staff regard John in real life? 395 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,440 Oh, well, how could we help but love him? 396 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:58,240 Oh, bless him, he's never failingly good humoured and he's so witty. 397 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:03,360 Well, it's more like going to a party than going to work, with John. 398 00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:08,280 Coming up, the truth behind Mrs Slocombe's famous feline. 399 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:11,480 I don't think it was ever, sort of, really discussed in the family, 400 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:13,560 it was sort of both parties going, 401 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:16,640 "We'll pretend it's just about a cat, then." 402 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:25,760 Are You Being Served? is a one-stop shop for everything 403 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:28,440 we love about British sitcom. 404 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:31,680 Chock-full of cheeky humour, the show was a masterclass 405 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:36,240 in the art of taking a naughty gag and stretching it to breaking point. 406 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:40,000 How are the sales going, Mrs Slocombe? 407 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,720 Well, in lingerie, pants are up and bras are down. 408 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:48,040 Better than the other way round, eh, Mrs Slocombe? 409 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:49,520 Now, now Captain Peacock, 410 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:52,760 you mustn't say things like that in front of my little assistant. 411 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:55,040 Don't worry about me, I don't wear 'em. 412 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:57,480 Bras, I mean. 413 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:03,440 Attracting audiences of up to 22 million during its 13-year reign, 414 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:06,040 we couldn't get enough of Are You Being Served?'s 415 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:08,080 larger-than-life characters. 416 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,680 And towering above them all was the vividly dyed hairdo 417 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:14,960 of the head of ladies' wear, Mrs Slocombe. 418 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:17,520 She's indescribable, Mrs Slocombe. 419 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:21,920 She was camp on skates, one way and another, that hair, 420 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:24,600 that whole attitude, that attack. 421 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:39,000 MR LUCAS: How graceful this fashion was. 422 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:51,080 Mrs Slocombe was wonderful, she was the kind of battle-axe woman 423 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:56,680 that as a young girl, I would've really liked as my aunt, 424 00:23:56,680 --> 00:24:00,120 she was always a bit naughty, possibly a bit tipsy now and again. 425 00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:03,880 One's eye was always drawn by Mrs Slocombe, 426 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:08,160 this extraordinary baroque creature. 427 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:11,480 There was something quite operatic about her over-embellishment. 428 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:13,440 I think Mollie was amazing. 429 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:18,720 All my life as an actor, I've learned from actors, I still do, 430 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:25,000 watching people, and she had the best, oh, the best timing ever. 431 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:27,720 Plenty of give in the leg. 432 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:30,720 And completely draught-proof. 433 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:35,640 No, I don't think I fancy them. 434 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:37,360 Very few people do. 435 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:42,160 When scouting for the perfect Mrs Slocombe, 436 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:45,680 producer David Croft remembered having worked with Mollie Sugden 437 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:50,160 a decade before, in the long forgotten sitcom, Hugh and I. 438 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:54,400 And suddenly the show had its head of womenswear. 439 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:56,240 Abbie, we're going down to the coast. 440 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:57,880 Oh, how nice. Brighton? 441 00:24:57,880 --> 00:24:59,400 Oh, nothing so common. 442 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:00,520 Hove. 443 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:02,880 Mollie Sugden, for instance, I knew and I thought, well, 444 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:05,040 she'd be marvellous as the sort of frosty old lady 445 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:07,400 behind the counter, and, you know, 446 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,240 the people come in to a show for that sort of reason, 447 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:13,920 you know them, and you know they'll make a marvellous job of it. 448 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:17,120 And he said, "Oh, by the way, there's something coming up that 449 00:25:17,120 --> 00:25:20,040 "we've written especially with you in mind." 450 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:22,280 And of course, "Oh, what is it?" 451 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:24,040 He said 'You'll know when the time comes, 452 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:26,280 "you'll get the script quite soon", and I, 453 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:31,280 in about two weeks, I got the script, and it was Are You Being Served? 454 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:34,200 By the time she took her position at Grace Brothers, 455 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:38,040 Mollie Sugden was already a familiar face on television. 456 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:42,000 Playing Nellie Harvey in Coronation Street, 457 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,800 and Mrs Hutchinson in The Liver Birds. 458 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:47,000 Well, seeing as it's just the Hennesseys, 459 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:49,400 I should be able to wear something simple. 460 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:50,720 That's right. 461 00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:52,920 I mean, I don't want to embarrass them, 462 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:55,160 not that anything would embarrass her. 463 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,720 Oh, did you see that mini she wore at the wedding? 464 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:00,520 I thought it quite suited her. 465 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:04,760 Every time she went to kneel, the priest lost his place. 466 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:06,920 Mollie Sugden was a brilliant comic actress 467 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,120 with decades of experience. 468 00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:12,360 And just a wonderful ensemble player. 469 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:16,800 The exciting thing was that they brought in all these wonderful, 470 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:20,480 wonderful actors from the repertory companies all over the country, 471 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,960 and made them into television stars, which was brilliant. 472 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:28,840 Having landed the part, Mollie set about making Mrs Slocombe her own, 473 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:31,760 starting with her crowning glory. 474 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:34,520 When David rang and said, "We're going to do a series", I thought, 475 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:36,880 "Well I've got to do something about my hair," 476 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:41,120 and that was when I got the idea of, at the first rehearsal, I said, 477 00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:44,080 "David, do you think it would be a good idea if I had 478 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,280 "different-coloured hair every week?" 479 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:47,480 and he went... 480 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:51,120 ..that means yes. 481 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:55,760 Oh, my goodness, those wigs. 482 00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:58,560 And the colours, I mean, there was one where she looked like an 483 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:03,600 Oompa Loompa, I mean, the colours of the wigs were just incredible. 484 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:05,840 Hello, Captain Peacock. 485 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,160 This is sexy knickers. 486 00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:12,600 Yeah, but she just was outrageous, it was pink, it was blue, 487 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:15,920 it was this, it was that, it was always very, very, very bouffant. 488 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:17,920 What we really want is one of them millionaires 489 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:19,960 who's looking for a young Girl Friday. 490 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:22,600 Yeah, or in Mrs Slocombe's case, an old Girl Saturday. 491 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:26,080 For the first few series of Are You Being Served?, 492 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:28,040 she used to have to dye her hair, 493 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:33,440 which was a bit of a drama because try then washing that out afterwards. 494 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:36,640 And, you know, I can remember being collected from school with mum 495 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:40,440 with some hair that was, let's just say, a little bit interesting. 496 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:43,560 And when the lurid wigs were teamed with extravagant costume, 497 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:46,800 it was even more over the top. 498 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:48,640 Would you like to tell the judges your name 499 00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:50,600 and what planet you come from? 500 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:57,240 She had the look, now she needed the voice to match. 501 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:01,440 She's got a very fake posh accent, you know, 502 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:03,240 and she's got a telephone voice, 503 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:05,680 which a lot of people had in the '80s, 504 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:07,280 if you talk about a telephone voice 505 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:10,040 now, to millennials, they don't know what you're talking about. 506 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:13,760 But in the '80s, it was very common to speak completely differently 507 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:15,560 when you were on the phone. 508 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:18,200 Will you connect me with Captain Peacock, please? 509 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:20,640 It's all very posh and then she'd have a bit of a temper, 510 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:23,720 it would revert back to her Northern roots, I mean, it was, 511 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:28,400 it was a wonderful study of that, of a woman of that period. 512 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:30,720 I'm just trying to think of the best way of handling it. 513 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:32,480 Tell her to push off! 514 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:36,880 And when it came to withering glares, 515 00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:39,360 Mrs Slocombe was second to none. 516 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:41,720 Mollie as Mrs Slocombe, when she was getting cheek 517 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:44,320 from Mr Lucas or Mr Spooner, 518 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:47,920 has a look that can freeze an ox at 100 yards. 519 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:51,440 and I've been practising it because, now I'm Pauline Fowler, 520 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,480 I must admit, I have used it a few times, myself. 521 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:57,360 But, no, she was absolutely brilliant, 522 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:00,640 I think it's - one of the eyes used to close slightly and that was it, 523 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:03,440 you know. And you knew it was, she didn't have to say anything. 524 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:06,360 Oh, I say, you look exhausted. 525 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:10,600 I gave up my seat on the train to some stupid woman. 526 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:15,840 The only thing that did read across was some of the looks, 527 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:17,720 and if you did something wrong, 528 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:20,280 which, let's face it, you do occasionally, 529 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:22,440 especially when you've got a twin brother, 530 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:24,080 although it'd be usually him. 531 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:27,200 That, sort of, disapproving look, that was genuine. 532 00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:31,800 And Mollie was always happy to throw herself into any situation, 533 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:33,200 quite literally. 534 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:38,160 And you know, Mollie never ever objected. 535 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:43,560 God, she was game for anything that David could throw at her, 536 00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:45,360 she, she was amazing. 537 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:02,560 Don't say a word, Mr Lucas. 538 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:05,360 I taught them, I did the choreography. 539 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:07,920 Had to get Mrs Slocombe's leg up on that bar, dear. 540 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:09,680 Yes, whoops, yeah. 541 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:13,720 Now, this is for you, Mrs Slocombe, and up, and down. 542 00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:15,120 And up. 543 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:24,400 And I mean Mollie, bless her, such a good sport, 544 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:27,600 when you look at some of the things they made her do. 545 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:31,840 Trevor used to come back and say, "Oh, my God, you won't believe 546 00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:34,240 "what I've got to do with Mollie this week. 547 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:36,960 "Oh, I've got to pick her up and spin her round." 548 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,280 I remember we did a Christmas special, 549 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:55,240 we had this Scottish reel, you know, you join arms 550 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:57,880 and you spin each other round, 551 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:02,120 and cos I was keeping in mind that she, she's no chicken any more and I... 552 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:05,520 Anyway, we were doing this reel and linking arms and spinning round, 553 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:09,760 going far too fast, and I said, "I'm terrified of hurting you." 554 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:12,640 She said, "Oh, I'm all right, I'm a tough old bird," she said. 555 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:24,480 But there's one thing above all else that we love Mrs Slocombe for. 556 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:28,880 It's funny every time, and it's her delivery of the line. 557 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:33,200 It's just class, it's just, that's the only word I have for it. 558 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:35,560 It's a wonder I'm here at all, you know. 559 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:39,320 My pussy got soaking wet. 560 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:43,800 I had to dry it out in front of the fire before I left. 561 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:48,160 How did they ever get away with Mrs Slocombe's pussy? 562 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:52,560 I mean, how, who wasn't looking? 563 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:55,000 I mean, why, why did it get through? 564 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,200 Hello, is that Mr Akbar? 565 00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:01,080 Mrs Slocombe here, your next-door neighbour, 566 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:04,200 I wonder, would you do me a favour? 567 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,920 Would you go to my front door, bend down 568 00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:10,080 and look through the letterbox. 569 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:12,520 And if you can see my pussy... 570 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:16,680 ..would you drop a sardine on the mat? 571 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:23,160 We had to pretend not really to understand that, my brother and I. 572 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:27,400 And Mum also had to pretend not to understand it. 573 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:31,440 So, I don't think it was ever sort of really discussed in the family, 574 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:33,240 it was sort of both parties going, 575 00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:36,720 "We'll pretend it's just about a cat, then." 576 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:40,640 Away from the candy-coloured wigs, evil glares, and problems with her 577 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:44,960 pussy, the real Mollie Sugden bore no resemblance to Betty Slocombe. 578 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:49,480 I think everybody that met her really did appreciate her, 579 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:51,760 cos she was a genuine person, you know, 580 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:56,560 she was a genuinely kind, warm, generous person. 581 00:32:56,560 --> 00:33:00,200 I was leading morning prayer at St Paul's, Knightsbridge, 582 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:03,800 when news broke of her death, I think in 2009. 583 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:07,520 Now, the end of morning prayer, it's customary to pray for the departed, 584 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:09,720 particularly those who have just departed. 585 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:12,080 So, at the end, I mentioned Mollie Sugden, 586 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:15,960 and we prayed for her departed soul, which I described as going up, 587 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:19,320 which made all... Everybody else burst out laughing 588 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:22,920 in a most inappropriate way - I was slightly told off. 589 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:28,440 Back in the salacious 1970s, we loved nothing more than an 590 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:30,720 eye-watering double entendre. 591 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:33,440 So, Mrs Slocombe's pussy and Are You Being Served?'s 592 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:37,320 bawdy brand of comedy was the perfect fit. 593 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:40,920 On the big screen, the Carry On movies were cleaning up. 594 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:43,360 Now really let's see those chests come out. 595 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:48,000 And fling, and in. 596 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:50,240 And fling. 597 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:51,400 Oh. 598 00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:56,280 Oh, Matron, take them away. 599 00:33:56,280 --> 00:33:57,920 Oh. 600 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:00,320 Whilst on TV, there was a selection of spicy sitcoms 601 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:02,120 to tickle our fancies. 602 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:04,280 How do you do? 603 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:05,960 I'm Robin Trip and I shall be moving in here. 604 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:08,480 No, the one I saw had completely... You'll be doing no such thing. 605 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:09,560 No? 606 00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:11,160 What, a fella moving in with two birds? 607 00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:13,760 I suppose you thought I wouldn't realise, dressed up like that. 608 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:15,680 Oh, look, it would be purely platonic. 609 00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:17,280 I don't care, what's that mean? 610 00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:19,000 Well, like you and me, George. 611 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:24,240 So the bawdy antics at Grace Brothers were absolutely 612 00:34:24,240 --> 00:34:26,440 in step with the decade. 613 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:29,520 When I first saw it, it did occur to me 614 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:33,200 that actually it was slightly more outrageous than the Carry On films. 615 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:37,120 For a young child, I got all the pantomime jokes, 616 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:41,720 and it was mildly kind of bums and willies jokes. 617 00:34:41,720 --> 00:34:45,720 Which, frankly, is funny. 618 00:34:45,720 --> 00:34:49,520 And to ramp it all up even further, Grace Brothers always employed 619 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:52,960 an assortment of sexy secretaries and nurses, who were the 620 00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:57,960 perfect target for some shamelessly crude 1970s-style comedy. 621 00:34:57,960 --> 00:34:59,320 Enter. 622 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:05,080 Ah, Peacock, this is my new secretary, Miss Thorpe. 623 00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:09,680 I thought I couldn't quite place the face. 624 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:12,800 Well, anyway, I'm sure you're going to be much better than the 625 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:15,360 last girl, she hadn't got much up top. 626 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:18,520 Don't you agree, Peacock? 627 00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:20,360 No comparison at all. 628 00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:23,320 There was the, sort of, the dolly birds that came out of the lift, 629 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:26,480 you got the sense that, actually, these were young starlets 630 00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:29,480 that had literally come straight from some casting couch somewhere. 631 00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:34,440 But it wasn't very PC when you think, those gorgeous girls, 632 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:36,520 very underdressed, 633 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:39,280 and they were underdressed in their own profession. 634 00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:42,720 They worked in the modelling game and all the rest of it, 635 00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:45,960 but, oh, very frowned-on now. 636 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:48,200 And I think rightly so. 637 00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:50,760 Young Mr Grace was pretty much close to death, 638 00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:54,240 but he was assisted in staying alive by these, you know, 639 00:35:54,240 --> 00:35:58,320 real cliched, fabulous, you know, curvy nurses. 640 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:02,880 Now, you understand how this works, Mr Grace, it's like your pacemaker. 641 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:06,600 Every time you feel any stress, this little light will flash, like this. 642 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:07,760 BUZZES 643 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:10,840 And you know what to do, then. 644 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:12,160 Yes, I know. 645 00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:14,440 When I start flashing, I call for you. 646 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:17,720 That's right. 647 00:36:17,720 --> 00:36:22,040 Now, this is the battery for the spare charger, and it plugs in here. 648 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:24,000 BUZZES 649 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:30,000 I remember Vivienne Johnson, she was a very tall, blonde, 650 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:31,720 stunning-looking woman. 651 00:36:31,720 --> 00:36:35,200 She was a nurse, that's right, 652 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:38,200 she was young Mr Grace's nurse. 653 00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:40,880 She was enough to give him a heart attack, anyway. 654 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:43,680 There's no point in watching it and getting upset about the way 655 00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:49,400 Mr Humphries is portrayed, or Mrs Slocombe going on about her pussy, 656 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:53,920 or anything like that, because it is what it is. 657 00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:57,480 And if you enjoy it for what it is, then fine. 658 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:03,600 Coming up, we salute Miss Brahms, the sexpot of Grace Brothers, 659 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:06,040 and the legendary actress who played her. 660 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:09,200 She was one of the blokes, if something annoyed her, she swore, 661 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:12,480 didn't hold back, and I mean every swear word you want to hear. 662 00:37:20,390 --> 00:37:24,030 It's been over 30 years since Grace Brothers shut-up shop. 663 00:37:24,030 --> 00:37:27,070 But we still can't get enough of Are You Being Served? 664 00:37:27,070 --> 00:37:30,470 The great British sitcom which revelled in some exceedingly 665 00:37:30,470 --> 00:37:31,910 cringeworthy puns. 666 00:37:33,350 --> 00:37:35,270 Am I to take it that you refuse me 667 00:37:35,270 --> 00:37:39,550 permission to give my pussy facilities for her confinement? 668 00:37:39,550 --> 00:37:41,710 I'm afraid there's no pussability. 669 00:37:43,670 --> 00:37:46,270 They had a ball. 670 00:37:46,270 --> 00:37:49,230 They had an absolute ball. 671 00:37:49,230 --> 00:37:51,590 And Trevor used to come back on Monday and say, 672 00:37:51,590 --> 00:37:53,350 "Oh, you're going to love this episode, 673 00:37:53,350 --> 00:37:54,990 "oh, you're going to love this." 674 00:37:56,430 --> 00:37:58,750 The show was a family favourite, 675 00:37:58,750 --> 00:38:02,830 but for 1970s dads in particular, it was Miss Brahms, 676 00:38:02,830 --> 00:38:06,630 the first lady of lingerie, whose combination of laidback sex appeal 677 00:38:06,630 --> 00:38:11,030 and shrill East End accent, who pushed all the right buttons. 678 00:38:11,030 --> 00:38:13,750 What happened to that man you met on the bus, you know, 679 00:38:13,750 --> 00:38:16,230 the one that you gave your phone number to, didn't he ring you? 680 00:38:16,230 --> 00:38:18,070 I think he did. 681 00:38:18,070 --> 00:38:20,110 What do you mean you think he did? 682 00:38:20,110 --> 00:38:24,710 Well, it sounded like his heavy breathing but I couldn't be certain. 683 00:38:24,710 --> 00:38:27,510 Oh, look, they're back, I wonder what Mr Lucas has done now? 684 00:38:27,510 --> 00:38:30,030 He put his knee in a customer's trousers. 685 00:38:30,030 --> 00:38:31,630 Oh, was the customer still in them? 686 00:38:31,630 --> 00:38:32,950 No. 687 00:38:32,950 --> 00:38:38,390 Miss Brahms was a real sexy cockney girl, 688 00:38:38,390 --> 00:38:40,230 but no dimwit. 689 00:38:40,230 --> 00:38:43,190 She used to pretend, there'd be a little bit of daffiness going on 690 00:38:43,190 --> 00:38:45,550 but you could see actually that she was very bright. 691 00:38:45,550 --> 00:38:50,150 Miss Brahms is this sort of very eye-catching, very deliberately 692 00:38:50,150 --> 00:38:51,630 one for the dads, 693 00:38:51,630 --> 00:38:54,030 this is something that's going to keep the dads watching. 694 00:38:54,030 --> 00:38:55,430 She was fabulous-looking, 695 00:38:55,430 --> 00:38:59,230 she had the best legs in the country I think, Wendy. 696 00:38:59,230 --> 00:39:01,830 Morning, Shirley. 697 00:39:01,830 --> 00:39:04,110 Hey, do you know you've got a ladder in your tights? 698 00:39:04,110 --> 00:39:05,510 Oh, trust you to notice. 699 00:39:05,510 --> 00:39:06,870 Does it go all the way up? 700 00:39:06,870 --> 00:39:09,070 Well, there's one person who'll never find out. 701 00:39:09,070 --> 00:39:11,590 She was someone who was obviously the object of endless 702 00:39:11,590 --> 00:39:16,830 fascination from the younger, more red-blooded members of the cast. 703 00:39:16,830 --> 00:39:19,590 But she did keep them in line. 704 00:39:19,590 --> 00:39:21,910 She had her own view, she had her own life. 705 00:39:23,390 --> 00:39:26,030 The hard-edged charm which Wendy brought to the character 706 00:39:26,030 --> 00:39:28,510 of Miss Brahms was something she learnt growing up 707 00:39:28,510 --> 00:39:31,670 in the tough London of the 1950s. 708 00:39:31,670 --> 00:39:35,710 "My mother used to have a brotel", she said. 709 00:39:35,710 --> 00:39:39,750 And you can, you can try and imagine what brotel means, 710 00:39:39,750 --> 00:39:42,630 and so Wendy was brought up in this brotel. 711 00:39:42,630 --> 00:39:47,070 And so she'd seen life in every way, shape and form. 712 00:39:47,070 --> 00:39:49,230 And so, nothing could shock Wendy. 713 00:39:51,950 --> 00:39:54,990 Before her big break at Grace Brothers, 714 00:39:54,990 --> 00:39:57,670 Wendy Richard had a brief pop career in the early 1960s. 715 00:39:58,750 --> 00:40:00,430 It was a recording about a man 716 00:40:00,430 --> 00:40:03,750 trying to get his "bird" to go outside, 717 00:40:03,750 --> 00:40:05,990 you imagine for a bit of slap and tickle, 718 00:40:05,990 --> 00:40:08,190 and then, all of a sudden, Wendy Richards, 719 00:40:08,190 --> 00:40:10,870 so unmistakable just from her voice alone, 720 00:40:10,870 --> 00:40:13,790 puts up a resistance, but it's definitely her, 721 00:40:13,790 --> 00:40:18,150 and you can hear again that kind of deadpan nobody's fool. 722 00:40:18,150 --> 00:40:20,710 # Come outside What for? 723 00:40:20,710 --> 00:40:23,270 # Come outside What's the rush? 724 00:40:23,270 --> 00:40:27,710 # There's a lovely moon out there It's cold outside. 725 00:40:27,710 --> 00:40:30,470 # Come outside Why? 726 00:40:30,470 --> 00:40:32,990 # Come outside You do keep on 727 00:40:32,990 --> 00:40:34,630 # While we got time to spare... # 728 00:40:34,630 --> 00:40:38,870 Moving in to acting, she had cameos in various shows throughout the '60s, 729 00:40:38,870 --> 00:40:42,190 including alongside Frankie Howerd in Up Pompeii. 730 00:40:42,190 --> 00:40:45,030 You having another raffle? Having a what? Another raffle? 731 00:40:45,030 --> 00:40:47,590 Yes, and this time you aren't the prize, so don't bother. 732 00:40:47,590 --> 00:40:49,750 Yeah... Oh, dear, poor soul. 733 00:40:49,750 --> 00:40:52,390 LAUGHTER 734 00:40:52,390 --> 00:40:56,350 What a weight to have to carry around all day. 735 00:40:56,350 --> 00:40:59,470 But things began to happen, when David Croft cast her 736 00:40:59,470 --> 00:41:03,310 in a small role in Dad's Army, where she gave a coolly knowing 737 00:41:03,310 --> 00:41:07,030 and feisty performance as Private Walker's girlfriend. 738 00:41:07,030 --> 00:41:11,870 Hello, this is, er, a friend of mine erm, Mr Mainwaring, Edith Parish. 739 00:41:11,870 --> 00:41:13,350 Miss Parish. 740 00:41:13,350 --> 00:41:16,830 Have you an occupation, Miss Parish? Yes, I'm an usherette. 741 00:41:16,830 --> 00:41:18,990 That's right, down at the Tivoli Cinema, you know, 742 00:41:18,990 --> 00:41:20,430 they're the ones with the torches. 743 00:41:20,430 --> 00:41:22,310 Oh, then you must see a lot of pictures. 744 00:41:22,310 --> 00:41:23,830 Oh, yes! 745 00:41:23,830 --> 00:41:25,990 I see a lot of other things an' all. 746 00:41:25,990 --> 00:41:27,590 LAUGHTER 747 00:41:27,590 --> 00:41:31,590 If you look at Wendy in the Dad's Army phase, 748 00:41:31,590 --> 00:41:35,990 when she was just starting out, she was gorgeous-looking, really, 749 00:41:35,990 --> 00:41:38,750 I mean, fantastic bone structure and... 750 00:41:38,750 --> 00:41:43,150 But then as soon as she said, "Ere", you thought "Oh, Christ!". 751 00:41:43,150 --> 00:41:46,590 So, when Croft was recruiting staff for Grace Brothers, 752 00:41:46,590 --> 00:41:51,230 he knew immediately where to put his hands on the perfect Miss Brahms. 753 00:41:51,230 --> 00:41:56,110 He will see someone in a very small part, small role, 754 00:41:56,110 --> 00:41:59,590 and then he'll, he'll give them a role in something of his, 755 00:41:59,590 --> 00:42:02,750 and it's as though he has this massive filing cabinet, 756 00:42:02,750 --> 00:42:06,270 I mean, we're all part of Crofty's repertory company, really, 757 00:42:06,270 --> 00:42:09,950 and then when the right thing comes along, you're there. 758 00:42:09,950 --> 00:42:12,870 Wendy threw herself into the role of Miss Brahms, 759 00:42:12,870 --> 00:42:15,950 giving her an offhand and effortless allure. 760 00:42:15,950 --> 00:42:17,630 Brahms. 761 00:42:17,630 --> 00:42:19,550 Yes, I know, Captain Peacock, I'm late. 762 00:42:19,550 --> 00:42:20,830 Have you an explanation? 763 00:42:20,830 --> 00:42:22,550 Yes, it's Friday, I haven't got any money 764 00:42:22,550 --> 00:42:25,270 and I couldn't afford the bus fare, I had to hitchhike. 765 00:42:25,270 --> 00:42:27,470 Then you should've left home earlier. I did. 766 00:42:27,470 --> 00:42:29,670 I stood on the corner and I lifted my skirt 767 00:42:29,670 --> 00:42:32,710 and showed a bit of stocking, like Marilyn Monroe did in Bus Stop. 768 00:42:32,710 --> 00:42:34,150 What happened? 769 00:42:34,150 --> 00:42:36,150 LAUGHTER 770 00:42:36,150 --> 00:42:39,790 The bus crashed. And I had to make a statement. 771 00:42:41,870 --> 00:42:46,030 The same thing happened to me once, with a Centurion tank. 772 00:42:47,630 --> 00:42:49,950 That's the clever thing about Wendy, I mean, 773 00:42:49,950 --> 00:42:52,430 to be that stern-looking, yet be a siren, 774 00:42:52,430 --> 00:42:55,150 and yet be kind of coy when she needs to be coy, 775 00:42:55,150 --> 00:42:58,750 and yet get her slaps in when she needs to, and be the strong woman. 776 00:42:58,750 --> 00:43:02,070 I tell you what, you pretend to faint and I'll carry you out. 777 00:43:02,070 --> 00:43:05,750 I can't faint without an excuse. Well, tell 'em you're having a baby. 778 00:43:05,750 --> 00:43:08,510 What a pity your ear 'oles aren't a bit bigger. Why? 779 00:43:08,510 --> 00:43:10,350 Cos then you could shove a toothbrush in 'em 780 00:43:10,350 --> 00:43:12,950 and clean out that filthy mind of yours! 781 00:43:12,950 --> 00:43:16,750 And working together, Wendy Richard and Mollie Sugden gave the writers 782 00:43:16,750 --> 00:43:20,150 an opportunity to create a unique comic partnership. 783 00:43:20,150 --> 00:43:25,110 The double act of Wendy and Mollie was just perfect. 784 00:43:25,110 --> 00:43:27,030 Well, Miss Brahms and Mrs Slocombe, 785 00:43:27,030 --> 00:43:30,550 she was like an old, like, aunt wasn't she, really, Mrs Slocombe. 786 00:43:30,550 --> 00:43:33,390 It was probably a little bit like Wendy and me! 787 00:43:34,830 --> 00:43:36,430 At EastEnders! 788 00:43:36,430 --> 00:43:38,630 I love the relationship with Mrs Slocombe, 789 00:43:38,630 --> 00:43:41,750 because they were allies and yet also enemies, 790 00:43:41,750 --> 00:43:45,110 and there was something about the unending tension of that 791 00:43:45,110 --> 00:43:46,470 that kept you watching. 792 00:43:46,470 --> 00:43:49,310 If you get promotion, does that mean I'll get your job? 793 00:43:49,310 --> 00:43:53,390 Well, normally, they'd give my job to somebody of my age. 794 00:43:53,390 --> 00:43:55,310 What's the matter? You look very depressed! 795 00:43:55,310 --> 00:43:57,750 I was just thinking, I might not live that long. 796 00:43:58,990 --> 00:44:02,710 If you watched them together, which I often do on that counter, 797 00:44:02,710 --> 00:44:08,550 Wendy was a feed and a foil, and she fed Mollie all her lines. 798 00:44:08,550 --> 00:44:10,750 Just don't understand young people nowadays, 799 00:44:10,750 --> 00:44:12,990 I don't understand what you're talking about! 800 00:44:12,990 --> 00:44:15,430 I just like going out, that's all. 801 00:44:15,430 --> 00:44:20,670 My dear girl, I could be wined and dined every night if I wanted to, 802 00:44:20,670 --> 00:44:24,150 if it wasn't for that awful wrestling match in the car 803 00:44:24,150 --> 00:44:29,230 when you got home... Those roving hands and the sloppy kisses 804 00:44:29,230 --> 00:44:32,310 and the fight to get the door open and escape. 805 00:44:32,310 --> 00:44:35,190 Did many of them get away, Mrs Slocombe? 806 00:44:36,950 --> 00:44:39,710 But when she walked out of the store at the end of the day, 807 00:44:39,710 --> 00:44:43,950 the real Wendy Richard was quite unlike her comedy character. 808 00:44:43,950 --> 00:44:47,190 She was one of the blokes, you know, one, one of the boys 809 00:44:47,190 --> 00:44:50,390 and she used to swear, well, if something annoyed her, she swore, 810 00:44:50,390 --> 00:44:53,950 didn't hold back, and I mean every swear word you want to hear. 811 00:44:53,950 --> 00:44:59,430 My first impression was, yeah, she didn't, she didn't speak to me. 812 00:44:59,430 --> 00:45:01,430 She didn't say hello or anything. 813 00:45:01,430 --> 00:45:03,990 And I was a little bit starstruck. 814 00:45:03,990 --> 00:45:07,230 When you actually got to know Wendy, she was very kind, 815 00:45:07,230 --> 00:45:11,870 beautiful woman, very professional and really generous. 816 00:45:11,870 --> 00:45:14,310 I mean, enormous credit to Wendy Richards, as an actor 817 00:45:14,310 --> 00:45:18,110 that she was able to, so kind of, bind herself 818 00:45:18,110 --> 00:45:21,830 into our national lives, but in two completely different characters, 819 00:45:21,830 --> 00:45:24,150 and went on to have another brilliant success, 820 00:45:24,150 --> 00:45:27,550 as Pauline Fowler in EastEnders, not many people can do that, 821 00:45:27,550 --> 00:45:31,870 not many people can pull it off, but she did seemingly effortlessly. 822 00:45:31,870 --> 00:45:34,110 She was, like, a great woman. 823 00:45:34,110 --> 00:45:38,350 I don't think she was anything like any of her characters, really. 824 00:45:38,350 --> 00:45:40,870 As with many of David Croft's sitcoms, 825 00:45:40,870 --> 00:45:42,910 much of the comedy in Are You Being Served? 826 00:45:42,910 --> 00:45:46,150 sprang from an idea of the pecking order. 827 00:45:46,150 --> 00:45:49,830 To me, it was a little bit like the kind of caste system in India, 828 00:45:49,830 --> 00:45:54,110 and the hierarchy led to, you know, giving the writers the ability 829 00:45:54,110 --> 00:45:56,630 to come up with lots more comedy situations, 830 00:45:56,630 --> 00:45:58,550 you know, to create them. 831 00:45:58,550 --> 00:46:01,350 There were the sort of, like, the bottom rank, 832 00:46:01,350 --> 00:46:05,870 who would rebel against the more senior members of staff, 833 00:46:05,870 --> 00:46:08,670 and that's where, as an audience, you always rooted for them, 834 00:46:08,670 --> 00:46:11,470 cos no-one likes the people in authority. 835 00:46:11,470 --> 00:46:16,590 May I suggest, sir, one of our silk handkerchiefs for your top pocket? 836 00:46:22,550 --> 00:46:24,750 Quite a good match, I think you'll agree. Yes. 837 00:46:24,750 --> 00:46:28,150 What do you think of that, Mr Grace? Oh, I prefer it. 838 00:46:31,910 --> 00:46:34,870 The chief target of discontent among Grace Brothers' staff, 839 00:46:34,870 --> 00:46:37,950 was the store's floorwalker, Captain Peacock, 840 00:46:37,950 --> 00:46:41,150 played immaculately, by Frank Thornton. 841 00:46:41,150 --> 00:46:45,150 He sort of patrolled the floor, with a slightly military air, 842 00:46:45,150 --> 00:46:50,870 and he was completely unlikeable really, so, he was the one 843 00:46:50,870 --> 00:46:55,270 set up to be knocked down by the more cheeky members of staff. 844 00:46:55,270 --> 00:46:57,550 Captain Peacock always looked as if he had a cricket bat 845 00:46:57,550 --> 00:47:02,030 down his trouser leg, I mean he was always so ridiculously straight. 846 00:47:02,030 --> 00:47:04,230 I mean, he was impeccably turned out. 847 00:47:04,230 --> 00:47:06,670 I can remember, always a carnation in his buttonhole, 848 00:47:06,670 --> 00:47:09,470 always immaculate, as you, as I'm sure he would've been 849 00:47:09,470 --> 00:47:11,630 when he was serving in the Army. 850 00:47:11,630 --> 00:47:13,910 Are you sure you want to question 851 00:47:13,910 --> 00:47:16,110 the decision of your superior, Mrs Slocombe? 852 00:47:16,110 --> 00:47:20,430 Captain Peacock, you may have the key to the top person's toilet, 853 00:47:20,430 --> 00:47:23,710 but you are in no way my superior. 854 00:47:24,750 --> 00:47:26,910 And women live longer than men. 855 00:47:28,670 --> 00:47:30,910 I don't see what that has to do with it. 856 00:47:30,910 --> 00:47:32,870 I know, but I just thought I'd tell you. 857 00:47:34,070 --> 00:47:35,870 Away from his character, 858 00:47:35,870 --> 00:47:39,550 Frank Thornton was also a stickler for smart dress. 859 00:47:39,550 --> 00:47:43,630 He adopted the red carnation, I gather, he wasn't a hat person, 860 00:47:43,630 --> 00:47:47,390 until he got older, when he wore a hat to keep himself warm, 861 00:47:47,390 --> 00:47:50,390 but he always had a, a smartly-rolled umbrella, 862 00:47:50,390 --> 00:47:53,790 and his knowledge of how to wear hats 863 00:47:53,790 --> 00:47:58,070 and how to wear uniform was endless. 864 00:47:58,070 --> 00:48:01,670 And the exquisitely dressed Captain Peacock merely had to glare 865 00:48:01,670 --> 00:48:04,510 at his subordinates to keep them in line. 866 00:48:04,510 --> 00:48:06,870 Still, I'm always prepared to look the other way. 867 00:48:06,870 --> 00:48:09,910 Yeah, you could've fooled me. 868 00:48:09,910 --> 00:48:14,830 That look, that supercilious look that he gave, was just wonderful. 869 00:48:14,830 --> 00:48:19,110 The, the stare, when anyone does anything wrong, 870 00:48:19,110 --> 00:48:21,470 I'm very familiar with, I grew up with that, 871 00:48:21,470 --> 00:48:26,030 and when I displeased him, I got that stare, 872 00:48:26,030 --> 00:48:29,510 which shut me up straight away, I can tell you. 873 00:48:29,510 --> 00:48:32,310 I mean, I think he commanded great respect, Frank. 874 00:48:32,310 --> 00:48:34,390 He had that sort of air about him, 875 00:48:34,390 --> 00:48:37,870 but he... Captain Peacock had no sense of humour at all 876 00:48:37,870 --> 00:48:40,310 and, of course, Frank had a fabulous sense of humour, 877 00:48:40,310 --> 00:48:43,470 so, totally differed in that way. 878 00:48:43,470 --> 00:48:46,230 Frank's mischievous sense of fun was evident 879 00:48:46,230 --> 00:48:49,350 when it came to one of his private passions. 880 00:48:49,350 --> 00:48:52,390 A hugely, hugely dry wit. 881 00:48:52,390 --> 00:48:56,870 Frank used to write the most amazing limericks. 882 00:48:56,870 --> 00:48:59,670 And, in the show, his character occasionally had the chance 883 00:48:59,670 --> 00:49:04,070 to deliver a limerick in Peacock's inimitably deadpan fashion. 884 00:49:04,070 --> 00:49:06,390 If you're wanting to sell ladies' knickers, 885 00:49:06,390 --> 00:49:08,910 here's a gimmick that's brimming with fun, 886 00:49:08,910 --> 00:49:11,550 get Miss Brahms to wear a very brief pair, 887 00:49:11,550 --> 00:49:17,590 and we'll all have a look at her, one by one. 888 00:49:17,590 --> 00:49:21,230 I think it was a young lady from Penge, 889 00:49:21,230 --> 00:49:25,470 who did something, something and Stonehenge, 890 00:49:25,470 --> 00:49:29,110 she lay on a sarsen and poxed up a parson, 891 00:49:29,110 --> 00:49:33,750 they call it the druids' revenge. 892 00:49:33,750 --> 00:49:39,230 There's a vital bit missing and I'm not sure, but I loved that one. 893 00:49:39,230 --> 00:49:42,790 On the shop floor, however much authority Captain Peacock 894 00:49:42,790 --> 00:49:45,550 commanded, there was an easy way to disarm him. 895 00:49:45,550 --> 00:49:50,390 Captain Peacock, of course, very much enjoyed watching Miss Brahms. 896 00:49:50,390 --> 00:49:53,110 If he got a chance, the closer he could get, the better. 897 00:49:58,070 --> 00:50:02,870 Miss Brahms, you're supposed to be buying, not selling. 898 00:50:02,870 --> 00:50:05,790 We have a saying in religion that one must always, 899 00:50:05,790 --> 00:50:08,750 one must always observe custody of the eyes, 900 00:50:08,750 --> 00:50:12,990 and he lacked custody of the eyes if there was a bosomy customer, 901 00:50:12,990 --> 00:50:16,390 and that was one of the jokes, wasn't it, 902 00:50:16,390 --> 00:50:18,950 that his composure, which seemed so unflappable, 903 00:50:18,950 --> 00:50:23,710 would fail sometimes, when he was attracted to a customer. 904 00:50:26,750 --> 00:50:30,150 Is, erm, is everything to your satisfaction? 905 00:50:30,150 --> 00:50:31,790 Yes, it's all fine, thank you. 906 00:50:31,790 --> 00:50:35,470 You certainly caused a stir in the trouser department. 907 00:50:35,470 --> 00:50:38,070 Yes, this outfit usually gets the men going, 908 00:50:38,070 --> 00:50:41,030 it's the gymslip look that does it, that and the stocking tops. 909 00:50:41,030 --> 00:50:42,390 Yes, yes. 910 00:50:42,390 --> 00:50:45,390 Yes, if you're that type, it must have a certain effect. 911 00:50:45,390 --> 00:50:47,070 HE COUGHS HEAVILY 912 00:50:48,790 --> 00:50:51,710 Right, here we go, stand by, please. 913 00:50:51,710 --> 00:50:55,470 Coming up, we reveal what went on behind the scenes of filming 914 00:50:55,470 --> 00:50:58,030 Are You Being Served? Mrs Slocombe! 915 00:50:58,030 --> 00:51:00,910 They rehearsed Monday to Friday but it was always... 916 00:51:00,910 --> 00:51:03,200 Trevor always said it was very tight. 917 00:51:09,920 --> 00:51:12,280 Saucy, smutty and shameless, 918 00:51:12,280 --> 00:51:14,240 Are You Being Served? is one of Britain's 919 00:51:14,240 --> 00:51:16,280 perennially popular sitcoms, 920 00:51:16,280 --> 00:51:19,440 and showcased some exquisite ensemble comedy. 921 00:51:19,440 --> 00:51:21,640 Would you use your senior position 922 00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:24,400 to tell Mr Lucas to shut his cake hole? 923 00:51:25,480 --> 00:51:28,880 Mr Lucas, you are not indispensable, 924 00:51:28,880 --> 00:51:31,360 there are many young men, who would bend over backwards 925 00:51:31,360 --> 00:51:32,800 to get in to Grace Brothers. 926 00:51:32,800 --> 00:51:35,200 That's one of the qualifications. 927 00:51:37,160 --> 00:51:38,840 It was a bit like watching pantomime, 928 00:51:38,840 --> 00:51:42,040 because there were an awful lot of jokes I wasn't getting 929 00:51:42,040 --> 00:51:44,240 and I didn't know that they were jokes, 930 00:51:44,240 --> 00:51:47,040 but my mother and my stepfather were laughing a lot. 931 00:51:47,040 --> 00:51:50,000 For a staggering ten series, 932 00:51:50,000 --> 00:51:53,800 the antics of the staff of Grace Brothers never failed to delight, 933 00:51:53,800 --> 00:51:56,280 and one of the reasons we love the show 934 00:51:56,280 --> 00:52:00,840 was their use of the most extraordinary and occasionally outrageous props. 935 00:52:00,840 --> 00:52:02,640 However wayward your figure, 936 00:52:02,640 --> 00:52:05,280 the Flexi Bra will cling to it and control it. 937 00:52:08,320 --> 00:52:10,320 I know all about them, thank you. 938 00:52:10,320 --> 00:52:12,440 In fact, I wear one. 939 00:52:19,480 --> 00:52:21,600 And I have the matching pants. 940 00:52:28,040 --> 00:52:32,920 The guys at the BBC, their props department was the best. 941 00:52:32,920 --> 00:52:35,360 They used to come up with some incredible stuff. 942 00:52:35,360 --> 00:52:39,920 And the prop maker must've had the time of his life, 943 00:52:39,920 --> 00:52:41,840 coming up with these silly props. 944 00:52:41,840 --> 00:52:44,880 But there was one prop we prized above all the others, 945 00:52:44,880 --> 00:52:48,280 which was used relentlessly to magnificent effect. 946 00:52:48,280 --> 00:52:51,160 As soon as the lift gates open, you all applaud, 947 00:52:51,160 --> 00:52:53,120 and then I shall present Captain Peacock 948 00:52:53,120 --> 00:52:54,800 with his 20-year-service badge. 949 00:52:54,800 --> 00:52:57,520 Hmm? Rather an emotional moment, isn't it? 950 00:52:57,520 --> 00:53:00,720 20 years in this place is almost as much as the Train Robbers got. 951 00:53:02,600 --> 00:53:05,600 How unexpected. Captain Peacock, in acknowledgement of your... 952 00:53:05,600 --> 00:53:07,200 Mr Lucas, the button! 953 00:53:07,200 --> 00:53:08,600 Oh! 954 00:53:08,600 --> 00:53:12,120 Too late, I've lost him. Cut off in his moment of glory. 955 00:53:12,120 --> 00:53:14,840 I always believed they were real, I did, 956 00:53:14,840 --> 00:53:17,320 and how stupid is that, cos I've been in the business, 957 00:53:17,320 --> 00:53:18,840 I'd say, 150 years. 958 00:53:18,840 --> 00:53:21,720 I used to think it was some sort of mechanical lift. 959 00:53:21,720 --> 00:53:25,000 No, there was a set of stairs going up to a set of doors, 960 00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:29,680 that were opened by hand on a couple of rope pulleys, and that was it. 961 00:53:29,680 --> 00:53:36,760 # Happy birthday, Mr Grace # Happy birthday to you. # 962 00:53:36,760 --> 00:53:38,960 I'm stuck! 963 00:53:38,960 --> 00:53:41,840 It was beautifully positioned as a dramatic device, 964 00:53:41,840 --> 00:53:44,320 because there were the stairs up and a kind of mezzanine, 965 00:53:44,320 --> 00:53:46,520 and then the doors, so when they did, boom, 966 00:53:46,520 --> 00:53:48,760 you didn't know who was going to be coming out, 967 00:53:48,760 --> 00:53:50,440 and making a kind of an entrance, 968 00:53:50,440 --> 00:53:52,840 and there was always like a, "Oh, who's next?". 969 00:53:53,920 --> 00:53:57,040 Miss Shirley Brahms and the Duchess of Slocombe. 970 00:54:00,120 --> 00:54:02,840 Drinks, ladies? Why not? 971 00:54:02,840 --> 00:54:05,680 I think you've had enough. 972 00:54:05,680 --> 00:54:09,320 Are you suggesting, Miss Brahms, that four vodka martinis 973 00:54:09,320 --> 00:54:11,160 are beyond my capacity? 974 00:54:13,840 --> 00:54:17,280 Right, here we go, stand by, please. 975 00:54:17,280 --> 00:54:18,720 And, cue. 976 00:54:18,720 --> 00:54:21,360 And for each episode, the cast had less than a week, 977 00:54:21,360 --> 00:54:24,280 to deal with whatever the props department threw at them. 978 00:54:24,280 --> 00:54:26,720 Along with everything else. 979 00:54:26,720 --> 00:54:29,680 They rehearsed Monday to Friday but it was always... 980 00:54:29,680 --> 00:54:31,880 ..Trevor always said it was very tight. 981 00:54:31,880 --> 00:54:36,720 David had written it so tight, there was no sort of mucking around. 982 00:54:36,720 --> 00:54:41,680 When we were rehearsing up at the BBC rehearsal rooms in Acton, 983 00:54:41,680 --> 00:54:43,640 where, it was called the Acton Hilton, 984 00:54:43,640 --> 00:54:46,480 it was this terribly doomy charcoal grey building, 985 00:54:46,480 --> 00:54:49,360 and lunchtimes, we used to go round the pub, 986 00:54:49,360 --> 00:54:52,600 John Inman, Wendy Richard and I, 987 00:54:52,600 --> 00:54:57,080 and a lot of the fun was there because John Inman was so funny. 988 00:54:57,080 --> 00:54:59,720 He was a lot funnier off than he was on, I thought, 989 00:54:59,720 --> 00:55:03,080 because I used to come back with my face aching with laughter. 990 00:55:03,080 --> 00:55:04,560 Here goes. 991 00:55:07,560 --> 00:55:10,760 Fore! Oh! Mrs Slocombe! 992 00:55:12,080 --> 00:55:13,680 Recording paused. 993 00:55:13,680 --> 00:55:15,440 LAUGHTER 994 00:55:18,920 --> 00:55:23,520 And on Sundays, the cast gathered at BBC TV Centre in West London, 995 00:55:23,520 --> 00:55:25,400 to prepare for the live recording. 996 00:55:26,800 --> 00:55:31,280 On Sunday, they all took in lunch. 997 00:55:31,280 --> 00:55:34,320 I don't think they could stand the BBC canteen. 998 00:55:34,320 --> 00:55:38,200 I expect my mother cooked any cakes that Pa took in. 999 00:55:38,200 --> 00:55:40,200 She was the cook in our family. 1000 00:55:40,200 --> 00:55:43,160 So, yes, I believe they did have those little tea parties. 1001 00:55:43,160 --> 00:55:46,200 Well, they had a great sort of lavish picnic every Sunday, 1002 00:55:46,200 --> 00:55:49,040 and then go and record the show. Here we go, stand by, please. 1003 00:55:49,040 --> 00:55:50,680 And when all the cakes were eaten, 1004 00:55:50,680 --> 00:55:54,440 it was time to commit the show to film in front of an audience. 1005 00:55:54,440 --> 00:55:56,920 It was terrifying, to start with. 1006 00:55:56,920 --> 00:56:01,000 Cos the only filming I'd done acting before, there was no live audience. 1007 00:56:01,000 --> 00:56:03,440 It's great fun being part of the audience. 1008 00:56:03,440 --> 00:56:06,280 And my mother said, oh, she liked taking me, 1009 00:56:06,280 --> 00:56:07,960 and they liked having me in the audience, 1010 00:56:07,960 --> 00:56:09,720 cos I had a loud laugh, apparently. 1011 00:56:09,720 --> 00:56:13,480 The audience would get slightly hysterical and laugh too much, 1012 00:56:13,480 --> 00:56:16,240 and they'd be told to just laugh again, but not quite so madly, 1013 00:56:16,240 --> 00:56:19,200 so, it still makes me laugh to see it, I love to see it. 1014 00:56:21,520 --> 00:56:25,760 By 1977, Are You Being Served? was one of the most popular shows 1015 00:56:25,760 --> 00:56:28,720 on television, attracting huge audiences. 1016 00:56:28,720 --> 00:56:33,160 So, it was decided to try the show out on the big screen. 1017 00:56:33,160 --> 00:56:36,920 Well, the basic concept of that film would appear to be wrong, 1018 00:56:36,920 --> 00:56:39,680 cos they took them out of the Grace Brothers' setting, 1019 00:56:39,680 --> 00:56:42,240 and, and there was no, because they were on holiday, 1020 00:56:42,240 --> 00:56:46,440 there was, there was no pecking order to, to rebel against, 1021 00:56:46,440 --> 00:56:48,800 so, it was all kind of pointless. 1022 00:56:48,800 --> 00:56:53,400 You are the English drag show, yes? With the female impressinations. 1023 00:56:53,400 --> 00:56:56,600 Yes, now I look, I can tell. 1024 00:56:56,600 --> 00:57:00,480 Those are the false boobidoos, oh, very funny! 1025 00:57:00,480 --> 00:57:01,560 Get off! 1026 00:57:01,560 --> 00:57:04,480 I would have you know these are real boobidoos. 1027 00:57:04,480 --> 00:57:07,560 And I object to being ravaged. 1028 00:57:07,560 --> 00:57:09,000 Do you want to swap places? 1029 00:57:09,000 --> 00:57:13,360 Taking a half-hour show out of its familiar set, 1030 00:57:13,360 --> 00:57:17,600 and trying to blow the story up 1031 00:57:17,600 --> 00:57:20,280 and make it into an hour-and-a-half film, 1032 00:57:20,280 --> 00:57:24,240 it wasn't a huge success. I, I won't repeat what Pa wrote about it. 1033 00:57:26,600 --> 00:57:28,120 The thing about these TV comedies, 1034 00:57:28,120 --> 00:57:32,000 they made the mistake of thinking they would transfer and translate 1035 00:57:32,000 --> 00:57:34,240 to the big screen which they, they never could. 1036 00:57:34,240 --> 00:57:35,960 Morecambe and Wise made that mistake, 1037 00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:38,760 cos television's somehow a different medium. 1038 00:57:38,760 --> 00:57:40,720 HE YELLS 1039 00:57:40,720 --> 00:57:42,920 Here, some fella's just dropped in to your tent. 1040 00:57:42,920 --> 00:57:44,520 Oh, pity I was out. 1041 00:57:44,520 --> 00:57:46,840 Hollywood may not have been calling, 1042 00:57:46,840 --> 00:57:50,120 but Britain was certainly not the only country having a love affair 1043 00:57:50,120 --> 00:57:52,640 with the staff of Grace Brothers. 1044 00:57:52,640 --> 00:57:58,480 It's really interesting what Americans enjoy from British humour. 1045 00:57:58,480 --> 00:58:05,080 They really love the sort of seaside kiss-me-quick, squeeze-me-slowly, 1046 00:58:05,080 --> 00:58:09,400 sort of postcard humour, and I guess it's because they don't have that. 1047 00:58:09,400 --> 00:58:12,000 The one night me mother's away, and she has to go and get measles. 1048 00:58:12,000 --> 00:58:14,840 Just my luck. I haven't had it. 1049 00:58:14,840 --> 00:58:17,160 The way things are going, you're not going to get it! 1050 00:58:18,880 --> 00:58:22,760 I think what was...what attracted the Americans was the Britishness, 1051 00:58:22,760 --> 00:58:26,480 and I think when they came over to holiday in Great Britain, 1052 00:58:26,480 --> 00:58:30,080 they rushed to the department stores to see how true it was. 1053 00:58:30,080 --> 00:58:32,520 Or Holland. I mean, it was like 1054 00:58:32,520 --> 00:58:35,640 being one of the Beatles or something, 1055 00:58:35,640 --> 00:58:37,960 the crowds, there were strong-arm men, 1056 00:58:37,960 --> 00:58:40,280 there were crash barricades put up... 1057 00:58:40,280 --> 00:58:44,280 I do remember that there was quite a lot of Balls gin drunk on one trip, 1058 00:58:44,280 --> 00:58:47,320 and I think somebody nearly missed the aircraft on the way home, 1059 00:58:47,320 --> 00:58:50,200 and it wasn't my mother, but I can't remember who it was. 1060 00:58:50,200 --> 00:58:53,960 I still get residuals from all over the place, 1061 00:58:53,960 --> 00:58:58,760 and got something recently from Tanzania, you know. 1062 00:58:58,760 --> 00:59:02,760 What do they make of it in Tanzania? 1063 00:59:02,760 --> 00:59:04,960 Coming up... Emotions run high 1064 00:59:04,960 --> 00:59:09,000 when, after 30 years, Are You Being Served? makes a comeback. 1065 00:59:09,000 --> 00:59:12,080 Mr Humphries, are you free? 1066 00:59:12,080 --> 00:59:14,280 I'm free. 1067 00:59:14,280 --> 00:59:16,880 As the floor manager said, "Action", 1068 00:59:16,880 --> 00:59:20,090 the music came on, and I burst in to tears. 1069 00:59:26,890 --> 00:59:31,730 It's been over 30 years since Grace Brothers held its closing-down sale, 1070 00:59:31,730 --> 00:59:34,290 but many still miss Are You Being Served? 1071 00:59:34,290 --> 00:59:36,570 and the way its writers grabbed any opportunity 1072 00:59:36,570 --> 00:59:38,570 to raid the dressing-up box 1073 00:59:38,570 --> 00:59:41,610 and make the cast do something delightfully daft. 1074 00:59:43,890 --> 00:59:46,410 Here, here, wait a minute, wait a minute! 1075 00:59:46,410 --> 00:59:49,410 You don't do it like that! 1076 00:59:49,410 --> 00:59:52,050 You're supposed to be gentle! 1077 00:59:52,050 --> 00:59:54,610 I was gentle! I just went like that. 1078 00:59:54,610 --> 00:59:57,210 You did not! You went like that! 1079 00:59:57,210 --> 01:00:00,130 I'll always remember, like, the cast, like, 1080 01:00:00,130 --> 01:00:01,690 dressing up in silly costumes, 1081 01:00:01,690 --> 01:00:03,930 bursting in to song, doing silly things. 1082 01:00:03,930 --> 01:00:06,850 There was a wonderful episode, I can't remember why, 1083 01:00:06,850 --> 01:00:09,210 but they were all in lederhosen 1084 01:00:09,210 --> 01:00:12,130 and John Inman in lederhosen... I mean, lederhosen were already 1085 01:00:12,130 --> 01:00:14,810 kind of the campest hot pants for men you'd ever seen, 1086 01:00:14,810 --> 01:00:16,170 and he made them even more camp. 1087 01:00:20,650 --> 01:00:24,890 In 1979, after appearing in 48 episodes, 1088 01:00:24,890 --> 01:00:29,130 Trevor Bannister left the show, and Grace Brothers lost its lothario, 1089 01:00:29,130 --> 01:00:31,530 a firm favourite with the female fans. 1090 01:00:32,890 --> 01:00:36,410 If we were in a shop or something and people didn't know 1091 01:00:36,410 --> 01:00:40,090 we were together, there'd be all this nudge, nudge, wink, wink, 1092 01:00:40,090 --> 01:00:42,610 "Ooh, you go and say", "No, you go and say", 1093 01:00:42,610 --> 01:00:47,170 and I'd, I'd be, sort, of 15 feet away just enjoying it all, you know, 1094 01:00:47,170 --> 01:00:49,650 while they plucked up the courage to go and say something. 1095 01:00:52,610 --> 01:00:55,370 And Trevor wasn't afraid to flash the flesh 1096 01:00:55,370 --> 01:00:58,610 in some of the show's most ludicrously costumed sequences. 1097 01:01:01,290 --> 01:01:03,730 Blimey, Mick Jagger and Twiggy's mum. 1098 01:01:04,970 --> 01:01:09,810 I think Mr Lucas was a cheeky chappie, lived by his wits, really, 1099 01:01:09,810 --> 01:01:14,890 and just adored being... taking the mickey and being rude 1100 01:01:14,890 --> 01:01:18,810 to Mrs Slocombe and desperately trying to chat-up Miss Brahms. 1101 01:01:18,810 --> 01:01:22,690 Has anybody got a tape measure? Oh, search me. Right... 1102 01:01:23,730 --> 01:01:25,250 SHE SCREAMS 1103 01:01:27,730 --> 01:01:30,810 Just cut that out! If she has got one, it's well hidden. 1104 01:01:32,010 --> 01:01:34,490 I remember having a lot of sympathy for Mr Lucas 1105 01:01:34,490 --> 01:01:37,690 because I think...he was always getting it wrong, 1106 01:01:37,690 --> 01:01:41,690 he was the one that was always somehow the wrong side of both 1107 01:01:41,690 --> 01:01:44,490 the men's department and the ladies' department. 1108 01:01:44,490 --> 01:01:47,610 He was always panting a bit, really, wasn't he? 1109 01:01:47,610 --> 01:01:53,010 That kind of frustration, sexual, personal, in work, 1110 01:01:53,010 --> 01:01:56,370 it's such a feature of British comedy, isn't it? 1111 01:01:56,370 --> 01:01:59,690 The gap between what we hope for and what we actually get. 1112 01:01:59,690 --> 01:02:01,850 I know what, I'll send her a note. 1113 01:02:01,850 --> 01:02:03,530 Here, lend me your pencil. 1114 01:02:03,530 --> 01:02:05,770 Bit short on lead, aren't you? 1115 01:02:05,770 --> 01:02:08,970 What are you going to say? "Dear Sexy Knickers..." 1116 01:02:08,970 --> 01:02:10,730 Tch! That's subtle. 1117 01:02:10,730 --> 01:02:13,450 Well, if you don't ask, you don't get, do you? 1118 01:02:13,450 --> 01:02:16,610 "I don't half...fancy you..." 1119 01:02:16,610 --> 01:02:18,730 Well, I'm glad to see romance isn't dead. 1120 01:02:20,450 --> 01:02:23,290 And Trevor shared a similar sense of mischief with 1121 01:02:23,290 --> 01:02:25,490 the character he created. 1122 01:02:25,490 --> 01:02:27,210 I don't know if I should say this, 1123 01:02:27,210 --> 01:02:32,410 but he had a fart machine that he'd take round to smart parties 1124 01:02:32,410 --> 01:02:36,730 and things, and he became a 12-year-old schoolboy. 1125 01:02:36,730 --> 01:02:40,970 Absolutely adored it, but he had a very quick, quick sense of humour. 1126 01:02:40,970 --> 01:02:45,370 The vacancy in menswear was filled by Mike Berry as Mr Spooner, 1127 01:02:45,370 --> 01:02:48,490 in a thoroughly cheeky and charming performance. 1128 01:02:48,490 --> 01:02:50,410 He has sinned. 1129 01:02:50,410 --> 01:02:52,130 What are you talking about? 1130 01:02:52,130 --> 01:02:54,490 All he did was put his hands down a pair of bristols to get 1131 01:02:54,490 --> 01:02:56,690 at the blancmange. 1132 01:02:56,690 --> 01:02:59,970 I can understand all the fuss if he'd given her one. 1133 01:02:59,970 --> 01:03:03,050 I was a massive fan and when I was asked to be in it - phwoar! 1134 01:03:03,050 --> 01:03:04,530 Terrifying. 1135 01:03:04,530 --> 01:03:08,170 But it didn't take long for the cast to accept the new recruit. 1136 01:03:08,170 --> 01:03:11,610 When I met...John and Wendy and... 1137 01:03:13,170 --> 01:03:16,450 ..Mollie, they were all so lovely, they were so warm. 1138 01:03:16,450 --> 01:03:21,930 We were rehearsing and Wendy Richards said to me, she said, 1139 01:03:21,930 --> 01:03:25,090 "I was speaking to John", she said. "Oh, he's all right, he's got it." 1140 01:03:25,090 --> 01:03:28,050 So that was the, the seal of approval was John saying, 1141 01:03:28,050 --> 01:03:31,370 "He's got it. He can do it". That's right - "He can do it", 1142 01:03:31,370 --> 01:03:35,610 and Wendy said... And so, she said, "You're right, there", sort of thing! 1143 01:03:35,610 --> 01:03:39,810 The cast were even persuaded to join Mr Spooner for the odd cheesy 1144 01:03:39,810 --> 01:03:41,330 song and dance number... 1145 01:03:41,330 --> 01:03:43,610 # Chanson... # 1146 01:03:43,610 --> 01:03:47,090 ..as you do in the clothing section of a department store. 1147 01:03:47,090 --> 01:03:49,090 # ..d'amour 1148 01:03:49,090 --> 01:03:51,210 # Rat-ta-tat-ta-ta 1149 01:03:52,730 --> 01:03:57,570 # Play encore... # 1150 01:03:59,690 --> 01:04:04,290 Are You Being Served closed its doors for the last time in 1985, 1151 01:04:04,290 --> 01:04:07,290 after a record-breaking 13 years on our screens. 1152 01:04:08,290 --> 01:04:11,570 I just can't imagine something running for 69 episodes now, 1153 01:04:11,570 --> 01:04:14,970 that wasn't about selling antiques or cooking things, 1154 01:04:14,970 --> 01:04:19,490 but to keep that going so fresh, so funny, for so long, 1155 01:04:19,490 --> 01:04:22,650 is an amazing achievement, and also it couldn't happen now. 1156 01:04:24,410 --> 01:04:26,850 But you can't keep a good comedy down, 1157 01:04:26,850 --> 01:04:30,850 and in 2016, Are You Being Served? returned for one night only 1158 01:04:30,850 --> 01:04:34,530 with a brand-new cast, paying tribute to its memory. 1159 01:04:37,330 --> 01:04:40,930 I've not had lobster since Mr Akbar's flat-warming. 1160 01:04:42,250 --> 01:04:46,050 And then it was covered in so many spices, my pussy had a sneezing fit. 1161 01:04:48,050 --> 01:04:51,530 As the floor manager said, "Action", the music came on 1162 01:04:51,530 --> 01:04:54,210 and I burst in to tears and I went, 1163 01:04:54,210 --> 01:04:56,130 "Stop, stop." "What you doing?! 1164 01:04:56,130 --> 01:04:58,370 "Sherrie, what are you d...?" 1165 01:04:58,370 --> 01:05:00,770 I was so overwhelmed by... 1166 01:05:01,930 --> 01:05:04,130 ..you know, all that memory. 1167 01:05:04,130 --> 01:05:06,330 Mr Humphries, are you free? 1168 01:05:09,250 --> 01:05:10,530 I'm free. 1169 01:05:12,650 --> 01:05:15,930 My impression of it was that it's not bad actually, 1170 01:05:15,930 --> 01:05:20,170 it's not at all bad, considering what they were trying to follow. 1171 01:05:20,170 --> 01:05:23,730 And the limitations of the time, cos they couldn't have all that 1172 01:05:23,730 --> 01:05:27,170 saucy postcard stuff in there and get away with it. 1173 01:05:29,010 --> 01:05:31,770 We were paying homage to them, we were giving it... 1174 01:05:31,770 --> 01:05:35,610 Yeah, that's what it was for, we were doing it for them, 1175 01:05:35,610 --> 01:05:39,210 and to remember them and saying how much everybody... 1176 01:05:39,210 --> 01:05:41,450 ..everybody loved them. 1177 01:05:41,450 --> 01:05:45,130 Yes, half a century after Grace Brothers first opened 1178 01:05:45,130 --> 01:05:49,410 for business, we still love Are You Being Served? 1179 01:05:49,410 --> 01:05:53,130 It's nearly 50 years old, I think, the series, now, 1180 01:05:53,130 --> 01:05:56,330 and it is still funny, it still stands up. 1181 01:05:56,330 --> 01:05:59,370 You will sit there absolutely howling with laughter 1182 01:05:59,370 --> 01:06:02,450 and you just go "I..." You know, "..I miss this." 1183 01:06:02,450 --> 01:06:06,730 It was somewhere that you wanted to be part of, 1184 01:06:06,730 --> 01:06:09,530 that you enjoyed it and...you thought, 1185 01:06:09,530 --> 01:06:12,290 "Oh..." When you switched on, it was like home. 1186 01:06:12,290 --> 01:06:16,530 Perhaps because it just relies on very deep, enduring 1187 01:06:16,530 --> 01:06:21,490 comic characteristics and tropes that will always get our attention 1188 01:06:21,490 --> 01:06:23,250 and always be funny. 1189 01:06:24,530 --> 01:06:28,490 I do remember when it wasn't there any more, it felt like... 1190 01:06:28,490 --> 01:06:31,370 ..a bereavement, it felt like a national tragedy 1191 01:06:31,370 --> 01:06:33,650 that we didn't have our fix of Grace Brothers. 1192 01:06:37,730 --> 01:06:41,570 Subtitles by Red Bee Media