Middle class unfunny laboured prejudiced pap (Are You Being Served ?)

Member Name: dave27

Product:	Are You Being Served ?
Date:	14/04/02 (167 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's long since finished

Disadvantages: About as funny as a dose of the clap

Mind numbingly Godawful was Are You Being Served ... the ultimate in crass and stereotyped formulaic BBC1 sit com ... you know the sort of thing I mean ... the camp one who likes measuring the gents' inside leg ... the young dumb tart who became an old pillar of the community in Albert Square ... the rebellious but dim young assistant who was actually as old as the hills ... young Mr Grace with his "You've all done very well" ... Mrs Slocombe's pussy...

STOP ... ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ... in fact it's far too bloody much if you ask me, and even if you don't I'll proffer an opinion. Jimmy Perry and David Croft were able to fashion something quite, quite splendid with Dad's Army, but then saw fit to expand their range with dire stuff like this crap and others like It Ain't Alf Ot Mum ... unfunny, repetitive, bland, stereotyped, prejudiced trach which relied for its appeal on the most stretched and tired of formulae ... NO I DO NOT LIKE IT AT ALL.

How an institution as fine and wonderful and grand and upstanding as le BEEB could ever sink so low as to discuss the stroking of an old woman's pussy is beyond me ... the grand old tradition of double entendre may have its own peculiar magic, but when it gets to sink so low as it does with Are You Being Served, it's just plain embarrassing.

If you're actually one of those poor unfortunates who find this kind of thing amusing, I'd suggest you visit http://www.tvheaven.ca/aybs.htm to see one of the ultimate cult fans sites, complete with that intensely irritating theme tune and everything you could ever want to know about Are You Being Served. It takes a sick mind indeed to produce a site like The Are You Being Served Online Scrapbook, which lovingly lists cast, favourite scenes and links to other like minded sites.

Observe the following and know what it is to know true fear: "The actors and their characters created the success of th
is show. I have no favourite episode, but rather sketches and scenes from many shows. Amanda Barrie, who played Alma Baldwin on Coronation Street, played the part of a ballet teacher in the 1979 episode, Strong Stuff This Insurance. It it one of my favourite sketches. Another of my all time favourite sketches was the scene in Fire Practice where Mr. Lucas does the fireman's lift with Mrs. Slocombe. Molly Sugden must have been a great sport to have gone through with that performance."

We also cop for a full list of episodes - viz:
Dear Sexy Knickers
Cold Comfort
Coffee Morning
Our Figures are Slipping
The Think Tank
Up Captain Peacock
Camping In
Big Brother
Cold Store
His and Hers
Hoorah for the Holidays
Wedding Bells
Diamonds are a Man's Best Friend

among many others...

Read also the secrets of the awful Trevor Bannister who played the asinine Mr Lucas: "He did not have many roles right after "Are You Being Served?" (1972-1984), but has begun to show up lately, like in Hostage (1992) as the Mason, and the TV show, Doomsday Gun, as the Ballard. He was also in at least one episode of Keeping Up Appearances playing a salesman/one of Rose's gentlemen friends. Currently he lives in Surrey with his second wife, Pamela. Trevor will be featured in the lead role of Stanley Gardener in the Canadian premiere of CAUGHT IN THE NET - The sequel to "Run For Your Wife" at Victoria Playhouse Petrolia in Ontario, Canada, from July 9 to July 27, 2002. This is the role he originated at Theatre Royal, Windsor, in the tryouts before the move to the West End. Check out their website at http://www.victoriaplayhousepetrolia.com for dates and after January 10, 2002 for more info about Trevor Bannister in the play. Petrolia is about a 25 minutes' drive in Ontario, Canada from the city of Port Huron, Michigan in the U.S.A. right across the border from Sarnia,
Ontario. I hope all our American friends will be coming to see him!!!"

Have you had enough yet my friends?

Then you are as mad as the rest of them.

John Inman was Mr. Humphries 1972-1985
Mollie Sugden was Mrs. Slocombe 1972-1985
Wendy Richard was Miss. Brahms 1972-1985
Frank Thornton was Captain Peacock 1972-1985
Trevor Bannister was Mr. Lucas 1972-1979
Nicholas Smith was Mr. Rumbold 1972-1985
Arthur Brough (born Frederick Arthur Baker) was Mr. Granger 1972-1977; Died 1978 /Age 73
Harold Bennett was Mr. Grace 1972-1981; Died 1981 /Age 82
Arthur English was Mr. Harman 1976-1985; Died 1994 /Age 75
Mike Berry was Mr. Spooner 1981-1985
Larry Martyn was Mr. Mash 1972-1975; Died 1994
Alfie Bass was Mr. Goldberg 1979; Died 1987
Kenneth Waller was Old Mr. Grace 1981
James Hayter was Mr. Tebbs 1978 Died 1983/Age 75
Milo Sperber was Mr. Grossman 1981; Died 1992.
Benny Lee was Mr. Klein 1981; Died 1995


PS For those that don't know (aren't you lucky) Are You Being Served was about the Grace Brothers Department Store and the rollicking adventures of the ladies and gents' clothing department and its hapless staff ... oh hum...

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