Are You Being Served?: The Inside Story of Britain's Funniest and Public Television's...

This is a fun book that any fan of the British series, "Are You Being Served?" will enjoy. Full of interesting facts about the actors, producers and directors and bits of trivia, this companion book will be more than enough for any fan of Mr Humphries or the hilarious, cat loving, Mrs. Slocombe. There are summaries of all of the episodes, that also include the second series, "Grace and Favour" and the movie that follows the gang as the go on vacation together. It even includes the episodes of the Australian version, which lasted for two seasons. A well rounded book for a long lasting British sitcom and a must have for any fan of the series!

Having thoroughly enjoyed Richard Webber's superb tribute to the series, I was a little skeptical (I must confess) about the ability of this book to measure up. Well, I needn't have been. This is an absolutely delightful and extremely informative behind-the-scenes companion book.The authors have liberally seasoned the book with plenty of anecdotes from the cast and crew. The history of the series (how it came about, how the characters were created and cast, why certain cast members left, and so on) is very well presented. In a couple of instances, a question and answer format is used with writer Jeremy Lloyd and director Bob Spiers, which adds to the overall conversational feel of the book. The authors have even included a segment on Simpson's (the store on which Grace Brothers' was modelled) and have solicited comments from its General Manager.Also dealt with are the movie, the stage show, the 90's sequel (Grace and Favour also known as Are You Being Served? Again!), and the US and Aussie spinoffs. The book includes complete episode guides for the series, the 90's sequel and (briefly) the Aussie spinoff. Finally, it concludes with a cute little 100-question trivia quiz on the series and a glossary of British terms (the book is very much directed towards a US audience).Nearly half the book is devoted to bios of the writers (Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft), the main cast members and the characters they portrayed, with roughly 3-5 pages devoted to each. Though fairly brief, the bios are actually quite informative and certainly interesting.The book itself is an 8" x 9" 212-page softcover. The paper is comparatively thin but of a fine quality nonetheless. Many of the pages are coloured, some with decorative trims or background patterns, and the margins are very wide and filled with tidbits of information. The book is rife with colour and b/w photos from the show. The quality of some of the larger photos is not the best (they're a bit blurry or grainy--as though they've been enlarged a bit too much); nevertheless the selection of scenes (some of which are quite comical) is very good indeed. All in all, the effect is very pleasing.In conclusion, this is a very colourful, user-friendly book that is, quite frankly, as much fun to thumb through as it is to read. Whether you get this book or Richard Webber's, you'll not be disappointed. Very highly recommended!

'AYBS?' has many of the distinctions that make it a notable TV show. It boasts both a black-and-white episode (the pilot) and a 'lost' episode. It's been made into a feature film and a stage play. There's a spinoff series, 'Are You Being Served? Again', known as 'Grace and Favour' in the UK. An Australian version of the series was produced, as well as a pilot for an American rendition that never saw release. These little factoids and many other things are in the book for the fan's reference. Also given are very brief synopses of the episodes, as well as mini-bios of the show's main characters and the actors who portray them. There's Mrs. Slocombe's (Molly Sugden) discussions about her... pet cat, Capt. Peacock's (Frank Thornton) marital woes, the biting wit of Mr. Lucas (Trevor Bannister), and other details. Then there's John Inman and his effeminate and flamboyant portrayal of Mr. Humphries, the quintessential "campy over-the-top allegedly gay" character. A good portion of Inman's bio talks about the controversy regarding Humphries's implied homosexuality. As for Mr. Humphries himself, he has stated many times on the show that he's "neither one way nor the other"... Another neat addition is the glossary of British terms- the slang and vernacular commonly heard on the show. It's good to have when you're watching the show on the west end of the pond and you're not quite sure what a "till", an "electric fire", or "sacking" is. Unfortunately, not all of the various terms heard on the show are defined. I'm still trying to figure out what an "argybargy" (I think that's how it's spelled) is. And just what is a "bloody palaver" (spelling again) anyway? Can anybody help me out on these ones?

To tell the truth when I ordered the book I was not expecting much. I figured it was just a book thrown together to help raise money for PBS stations, and I was COMPLETLY WRONG! The pictures alone are priceless and the behind the scenes info is great. It also features a list of the Cast's carrer highlights (very informative & complete) so you can see what other FILMS, T.V series and theater projects the cast was involved in. A trivia section had me scratching my head and the season by season episode guide (with ratings) is indespensible for fans. As I said before the pictures are great and the overall look of the book is incredible. Worth every cent a must buy for AYBS fans. The Q & A with Jeremy Loyd gives great insight on how characters were originally developed and then taken over by the actors. Want to know what department store AYBS is modeled after??? It is in this book and a picture of it is included. As I said before I was overjoyed with the content and look of this book. GREAT STUFF!!!!