Are You Being Served?. Image shows from L to R: Mrs. Betty Slocombe (Mollie Sugden), Miss Shirley Brahms (Wendy Richard), Mr. Dick Lucas (Trevor Bannister), Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold (Nicholas Smith), Mr. Mash (Larry Martyn), Mr. Ernest Grainger (Arthur Brough), Mr. Wilberforce Humphries (John Inman), Captain Stephen Peacock (Frank Thornton). Copyright: BBC
Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served? (1972)

  • TV sitcom
  • BBC One
  • 1972 - 1985
  • 69 episodes (10 series)

Sitcom set in London department store Grace Bros., where the Ladies' Intimate Apparel and Men's Ready To Wear departments are forced to share a floor. Stars Mollie Sugden, Frank Thornton, John Inman, Wendy Richard, Nicholas Smith and more.

Press clippings

'Great sitcoms are missing from our TV screens and our lives - we need them in these times'

Even if "we're all doomed" under the Tories, as Dad's Army's Pte Frazer would say, shows like George And Mildred, Are You Being Served?, Robin's Nest and Three's Company still make us laugh.

Siobhan McNally, The Mirror, 24th January 2024

British comedy's US disasters

As media continues to become more globally inclusive (largely thanks to the rise of streaming services) the idea of remaking anything to fit another culture is gradually becoming more of an outdated concept. But in the past, American TV producers have repeatedly tried and failed to remake many beloved British sitcoms with terrible consequences.

Jazzy Janey, The Comedy Blog, 2nd September 2023

BBC Four to repeat comedy classics

To link in with the celebrations of 100 years of the BBC, from Saturday 22nd October BBC Four will begin broadcasting classic episodes of sitcoms and sketch shows.

British Comedy Guide, 14th October 2022

Are You Being Served? What the hit sitcom owes to the 1972 Olympics tragedy

The beloved department store sitcom, which turns 50 this year, pushed boundaries and saved Jeremy Lloyd's career.

Tom Nicholson, The Telegraph, 11th September 2022

Sugden never discussed Mrs Slocombe's 'pussy' at home

While many households up and down the country would discuss the innuendo as they chuckled at the show, it was never mentioned in the actress' own home.

Stephanie Soteriou, The Sun, 29th August 2020

No good comedy will survive the progressive purge

Comedy is cancelled. Or rather, comedy that doesn't "reflect the times" is cancelled, which in practice is the same thing. According to the BBC, Little Britain will no longer be available on iPlayer because "times have changed". Netflix has followed suit, adding Matt Lucas and David Walliams' other recent hit, Come Fly with Me, as well as The League Of Gentlemen to the banned list for good measure.

Tim Dawson, The Telegraph, 11th June 2020

The top 10 British sitcoms of the 70s

The 1970s is rightly lauded as the golden age of British sitcom.

Greg Jameson, Entertainment Focus, 1st December 2018

BBC Comedy Sitcom Signature Tunes

There is one element in the sitcom which is overlooked - the signature tune. Evocative 30 second sequences of tightly-composed music which set the tone for the half-hour which follows. Without you realising it, that signature tune embeds itself in your psyche. From now until the end of your life, that tune will be a shortcut to the time when that sitcom made the first and greatest impact on you.

Jon Jacob, BBC Blogs, 2nd September 2016

You Have Been Watching... Are You Being Served?

The BBC is celebrating 60 years of British television sitcoms with a series of remakes, including Are You Being Served? We take a look back at its creators, the characters, and the brilliant comedy actors who played them.

Andrew Martin, BBC, 28th August 2016

Sons remember comedy legend Mollie Sugden

She could give a withering look, had impeccable pink hair - and as the woman behind the most shameless ­double ­entendre on TV, she never missed a stroke.

Emma Pryer, Daily Record, 28th August 2016

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