Are You Being Served?
1972 - 1985
This silly British series follows the antics of the bickering staff of the clothing department at an upscale department store in London.
- Stars: Mollie Sugden, Wendy Richard, John Inman, Frank Thornton, Nicholas Smith, Trevor Bannister, Arthur English, Arthur Brough, Harold Bennett
- Created by: Jeremy Lloyd, David Croft
- Tags: workplace
Where to Watch :
Episode Tropes
Season 1
- Camping Out: Episode 3, "Camping In" (1973). The city's public transportation workers go on strike, stranding the staff of Grace Brothers in the store for the night, so Mr. Rumbold gets the bright idea to have everyone camp out on the floor using tents and supplies from other departments.
- Murphy Bed: Episode 3, "Camping In" (1973). While the staff is spending the night stranded in the store, Mr. Rumbold insists on better accommodations than the lower staff, so Mr. Mash sets him up with a murphy bed.
- Treasure Hunt: Episode 5, "Diamond's are a Man's Best Friend" (1973). A customer tells Mr. Rumbold that she lost a priceless diamond in the store, and she's offering a hefty reward for its return, so the staff becomes obsessed with finding it and getting the reward.
Season 2
- Security Arms: Episode 4, "Big Brother" (1974). In response to a rise in shoplifting, Mr. Rumbold installs security cameras around the floor and becomes obsessed with watching the staff and tracking their movements, so they decide to play a prank on him by convincing him he's dying.
Season 3
- Botched Suggestion Box: Episode 8, "New Look" (1975). Mr. Rumbold sets up a suggestion box to come up with ideas to boost sales on the floor, but the best suggestion is that Mr. Rumbold "do something physically impossible with the suggestion box."
Season 4
- Do the Robot: Episode 2, "Top Hat and Tails" (1976). Grace Brothers' new automated display units are a pair of dancing robots, but they haven't worked out all the bugs yet.
Season 5
- This is Your Life: Episode 3, "Founder's Day" (1977). For Mr. Grace's 80th birthday, the staff put on a spoof of This is Your Life called "Here is Your Department," chronicling Mr. Grace's rise from a fish monger to president of Grace Brothers.
- I'm My Own Grandpa: Episode 3, "Founder's Day" (1977). John Inman plays both Mr. Humphries and his mother.
Season 6
- Wallpaper Mishap: Episode 2, "The Club" (1978). Mr. Grace allows the staff to create a social club out of an unused storage room, but he doesn't have the budget to hire a professional decorator, so the gang decides to do it themselves. Their attempt to hang the wallpaper is a disaster that ends with a paste fight.
- My Big Fat Greek Episode: Episode 3, "Do You Take This Man?" (1978). Mrs. Slocombe announces her engagement to a Greek man she met at a bar, but her fiancé was asked to break the engagement at the last minute. That request came from his wife. Since the wedding is already booked, and Mrs. Slocombe's American uncle promised to pay for it, the gang bands together to throw a fake Greek wedding with Mr. Humphries standing in as the groom.
- Weird Wedding Venue: Episode 3, "Do You Take This Man?" (1978). The gang wants to throw a wedding for Mrs. Slocombe, but money and time are limited, so they get Mr. Grace to let them hold it in the store.
Season 7
- Billy Elliot: Episode 2, "Strong Stuff This Insurance" (1979). The staff want to get in shape so they can qualify for a new pension plan, so they hire a dance instructor to teach them ballet.
- Painful Promotion: Episode 4, "Mrs. Slocombe, Senior Person" (1979). Mrs. Slocombe fills in for Mr. Rumbold while he's ill. At first, she enjoys the executive treatment, but she starts to get bored and lonely sitting him Mr. Rumbold's office by herself all day.
- Raging Bull*&@!: Episode 5, "The Hero" (1979). Through a set of bizarre circumstances, Mr. Humphries ends up in a boxing ring with Mr. Franco from the sports department, but when Humphries proves to be no match for Franco, Mrs. Slocombe steps in.
- On Strike: Episode 8, "The Punch and Judy Affair" (1979). Most of the employees of Grace Brothers go on strike, but the staff of the clothing department decide to cross the picket line, leading to tension with their colleagues.
Season 8
- Quarantine: Episode 1, "Is It Catching?" (1981). Mr. Humphries contracts a contagious disease from shellfish, and the whole floor has to be quarantined.
Character Tropes
- Slutty Spinster: Mrs. Betty Slocombe - Played by Mollie Sugden.