Review for Grace & Favour (Are You Being Served, Again?) - The Complete Series

After the untimely death of Young Mr. Grace (apparently killed in a scuba-diving accident or, as Miss Brahms (Wendy Craig) puts it; ‘a scrubber diving accident’) the staff of the famous Grace Brothers department store take over the management of a country hotel in which all their retirement benefits are invested. With most of the staff of the ladies' and gents' departments reunited, albeit twenty years on, and a few new characters introduced, the series is far, far better than it deserved to be. Far from being a pale comparison of the original ‘Are You Being Served?’ series, it’s arguably as good, if not better and full of laugh aloud moments. And I am unanimous on that.


If the prospects of an older Mrs.Slocombe asking variants of the perennial question, ‘Has anyone seen my pussy?’ are likely to make you chortle, then this is definitely for you.

Of course, it could have been disastrous. Indeed, it should have been. Taking a sit-com out of it’s original situation and replacing it wholesale with another doesn’t sound like a recipe for success. But thanks to the artful pen-ship of Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, as well as a sterling ensemble cast already well-used to working together, the whole thing is an absolute pleasure to watch. I was surprised to find myself laughing aloud on occasion, despite myself, often at horribly predictable double-entendres.


So what happens is that Captain Peacock (played by the excellent Frank Thornton, a stalwart of the British comedy scene) and his staff are invited to young Mr. Grace’s solicitors to discover what has become of their pension fund. The store itself has closed as a result of Young Mrs. Grace’s death, and the whole group find themselves under-employed as a result. It transpires that the pension fund has been ploughed into property – or to be more exact, an old country estate called Millstone Manor, in disrepair and without the staff to transform it into a hotel. Indeed, this plot line seemed remarkably prescient at the time fo airing as it was just a few months after the death of British publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell, who was revealed to have borrowed heavily against his own employees' pensions.


Cue lots of city folk in the muck gags as the whole ensemble seem perfectly happy with the ideas that they should all reside there whilst getting the place back on its feet. Even if it means Mrs.Slocombe and Miss Brahms sharing a room, or even more oddly, Mr. Humphries having to share a bed with the local farmer’s daughter, Mavis, played by the delightful Fleur Bennett. This running theme develops throughout the series as Mavis develops a bit of a crush on him.


The change of scenery for the series was actually a breath of fresh air – literally this time, with lots of classic city-folk in the country gags. The real stars, as usual, are Mrs. Slocombe (Mollie Sugden at the very height of her comedic powers) with John Inman running a close second. Both maintain all the usual catch-phrases, but somehow the new setting seems to offer up even more comedic possibilities for a middle-aged gay man and a pretentious, above-her-station middle-aged woman.

Frank Thornton’s character. Mr. Peacock, also gets to extend his range as he (foolishly) falls for the charms of Young Mr. Grace’s ex-girlfriend, Jessica Lovelock (Joanne Heywood).


A new central character also joins the ranks – the resident farmer, Mr. Moulterd (pronounced ‘Mole Turd’ for comic effect) who has a strong, west-country accent, and who clearly recognises Mrs. Slocombe as a young hussy he has had a liaison with in the distant past (during the war when she was sent to the countryside). There are lots of laugh aloud moments between the two as his earthy,no-nonsense lack of pretention contrasts so greatly with hers.


Wendy Richards is here too as the miserable Miss Brahms, already more Pauline Fowler from EastEnders than the glamourous young sales assistant from the original series. Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold (Nicholas Smith) the store manager, is here too but notable by his absence is Hancock sound-alike, Trevor Bannister as Mr. Lucas. He’s sadly missed here.
With time having moved on, unlike the original series, there are also plenty of location shots in the great outdoors. These expand the scope of the original and make the series feel a little less stagy. Of course much of the material is pure farce. There is certainly nothing sophisticated about the humour here. But it will make you laugh loud and often.


A great example of that is, on her first day in the country, Mrs Slocombe tries to move a gypsy's wagon blocking the road and ends up charged with wagon theft, narrowly avoiding a charge of indecent exposure since there was "just a flash" as the out-of-control wagon raced past the post office. Other events include the staff putting on a traditional harvest festival dance for octogenarian American visitors and putting on a showcase of British arts and culture for a tour group from Mongolia. It never quite turns into Fawlty Towers but it does occasionally get close.


It’s also notable throughout that the whole cast seems to have impeccable comic timing – it has a rhythm that some sitcoms fail to achieve and, despite not being shot in front of a live audience (unlike the original), it maintains all the sprit and sense of fun as the original.

This is what Sitcom is all about – great characters in familiar settings making you laugh out loud. Why wouldn’t you want a bit of that?



Series 1 (1992)
1
"The Inheritance" 10 January 1992
Young Mr. Grace has died and the store has closed. On behalf of the pension fund, Mr. Grace acquired a Tudor manor house with farm which at the moment is being run as a country house hotel. Being the only source of pension money for the retired staff, they all decide to visit for the weekend to investigate its possibilities.

2
"Under Arrest" 17 January 1992
The staff decide to take over Millstone Manor and run it for themselves. The home farm, run by Morris Moulterd and his daughter Mavis, provides fresh eggs for breakfast, but Mrs. Slocombe gets a shock whilst collecting them. Mr. Humphries and Mavis "to-and-fro" in the woodshed.

3
"The Court Case" 24 January 1992
Mrs. Slocombe finds herself in court charged with stealing a gypsy cart. Captain Peacock and the others travel to town on the back of Moulterd's pig cart. Once in court the staff come forward as character witnesses.

4
"Looking For Staff" 31 January 1992
A group of American tourists, the hotel's first guests, are due to arrive at the weekend but there are still very few replies to Mr. Rumbold's advert for staff. The only alternative is for them all to knuckle down and try to make the place presentable.

5
"Things That Go Bump In the Night" 7 February 1992
A photograph is organized for the hotel brochure. The staff decide to fill the vacant positions at the Manor themselves. Something ghastly (with a bald head and big ears) walks about the manor on a dark and stormy night.

6
"American Tourists" 14 February 1992
A group of American tourists arrive for the weekend as part of their European tour. The former shop workers do their best, but the Americans are expecting a church service and the traditional Harvest Thanksgiving dance.

Series 2 (1993)
7
"The Gun" 4 January 1993 May 1992
Mrs. Slocombe's cat, Tiddles, gets gummed up. A gun discovered by Captain Peacock brings the riot police to Millstone Manor where the criminal records of such notorious characters as "Knuckles Rumbold" are revealed.

8
"The Cricket Match" 11 January 1993
The staff organize a cricket match against the townspeople. The match is marred by the jealousy of Malcolm Heathcliff, who sees Mr. Humphries as a competitor for Mavis' affections. The highlights of the match are a fantastic dive by Mrs. Slocombe and a winning stroke of Mr. Humphries.

9
"Mr. Slocombe" 18 January 1993
Mrs. Slocombe's long-lost husband pays an unexpected visit after an absence of 42 years, forcing Mrs. Slocombe into hiding. When the staff find that he intends to purchase the hotel, they temporarily expand the staff to make the idea seem unprofitable.

10
"A Mummified Cat" 25 January 1993 20 July 1992
Mr. Rumbold, Mrs. Slocombe, Mr. Humphries and Miss Brahms plant potatoes. Captain Peacock removes a petrified cat from a niche in the attic, precipitating a series of supernatural events.

11
"The Mongolians" 1 February 1993
A Mongolian tour group gets a cultural extravaganza from the staff at Millstone Manor. The high point of their visit occurs on the presentation of the ballet by Mr. "Sergei" Humphries and Miss "Natasha" Lovelock.

12
"The Darts Match" 8 February 1993
After Mr. Rumbold complains that he gets no respect, the staff vote to share authority democratically. The staff play darts against the local team at the village pub. Captain Peacock leads a commando raid to rescue a flock of sheep, when the staff, expecting them to be breeding stock, discovers that the man they sold the sheep to, plans to sell them to the knackers.