In the '70's, no sitcom was quite as daring as Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft's 'Are You Being Served?'. Bold, cheeky and lively, it featured a cast that were or would soon become some of Britain's most popular television stars.Set in the clothing department of Grace Brothers department store, the staff include cantankerous Mr. Grainger ( Arthur Borough ), gorgeous Miss. Brahms ( future 'Eastenders' star Wendy Richard ), camp Mr. Humphries ( John Inman ), hideous Mrs. Slocombe ( Mollie Sugden ), randy womaniser Mr. Lucas ( Trevor Bannister ) and toffee-nosed floorwalker Captain Peacock ( Frank Thornton ). In charge of these group of misfits is Mr. Rumbold ( Nicholas Smith ), whose rather large ears make him look not unlike Big Ears from 'Noddy'.The store is owned by Young Mr. Grace ( Harold Bennett ), a dirty old man who looks as though he has died but doesn't realise it. One of his nurses was played by buxom Vivienne Johnson, with whom I was madly in love with.The plots, such as they were, centred on the store embarking on some new sales campaign or other. The scripts were laden with smut and double entendre. Perhaps the most memorable recurring gag is Mrs. Slocombe's references to her 'pussy' ( no, not that kind ). Mr. Humphries' ''I'm free!'' catchphrase also caught the public's imagination. Like 'On The Buses', there was no new ground broken here but all in all it was an entertaining and well-written series brought to life by a wonderful cast.Appearing later in the series were James Hayter, Alfie Bass, Mike Berry and Candy Davis. The gorgeous Joanna Lumley, then married to Jeremy Lloyd, appeared in two episodes.A feature film was made in 1977 in which the staff of Grace Bros went to Spain but it met with an unremarkable box office performance. It also came under fire by the 'alternative comedy brigade' in the '80's ( Rik Mayall openly slated it in an episode of 'Filthy, Rich & Catflap' ). Overall though it still enjoys a loyal following from viewers today, thanks to repeats on UK Gold.In the early '90's, Lloyd and Croft followed up 'Are You Being Served?' with 'Grace & Favour' ( entitled 'Are You Being Served Again?' in America ), which reunited the cast save for Trevor Bannister. It saw the staff of Grace Bros inherit from Young Mr Grace's will a large country house. It was well received but did not gain the same affection as its parent programme did.In its day, 'Are You Being Served?' regularly topped the ratings and, as I said earlier, thanks to repeats and DVD releases, it continues to entertain today. It may be dated but it is still good raunchy fun at heart. For fans of saucy '70's comedies, it is a must-see.In 1986, the excellent BBC Scotland sketch show 'Naked Video' made a hilarious reference to the show with a sketch in which Gregor Fisher plays a scriptwriter who comes up with an idea for a sitcom set in a Japanese concentration camp - ''We could call it 'Are You Being Starved?''', he says.

Awful, truly awful. As a little boy in the 1970's there was very little on TV, but we had to endure this. Even before the concept of political correctness had emerged I found the relentless smutty innuendo and gay suggestion dull, repetitive and predictable.What a waste- and all this from a time when Fawlty Towers was being produced. There was other stuff on TV to keep an eight-year old entertained. How this ran for a decade is beyond comprehension. I guess it's Americans giving this show great reviews- just what must they think of us Brits?

I laughed out loud when I first watched the show. When I watched the show again, I found jokes too immature, predictable, silly, and pretty unfunny. There are too many jokes on the seemingly flamboyant guy and "pussy" jokes from the woman who wears different colors of wigs. Even the feud between wig-wearing woman and the junior associate is getting old. And sex jokes, especially breast scenes covered in bikini or bra or a dress. Amazing back then it was influential and innovative when the show first aired. Why is this painfully trashy and repetitive series still beloved is beyond me! And seriously, I liked the grumpy, grouchy first janitor more than his pompous replacement janitor, but the former comes off as rude and socially boorish.

I recently came across a comment on another forum which made my teeth itch. It went as follows: "The '70's were a time when 'Are You Being Served: The Movie' was considered the ultimate in side-splitting hilarity.'. I wanted to throttle the twit who made it. Nobody thought it the ultimate in anything, most people of my generation were more interested in seeing the latest Mel Brooks or Monty Python picture. I have to say that I was not a big fan of 'Are You Being Served?' when it first aired. I did not dislike it, it was just that there were far better shows around then, such as 'Monty Python's Flying Circus', 'Dad's Army', 'The Goodies' and 'Porridge'. It is only in recent years that I have come to fully appreciate its charms ( compared to Miranda Hart's appalling show, its 'Porridge'! ) Set in the clothing department of the London department store of Grace Brothers, the staff are a right bunch of eccentrics such as bewigged harridan Mrs.Slocombe ( Mollie Sugden ), her sexy assistant Miss Brahms ( Wendy Richard ), effeminate Mr.Humphries ( John Inman ), grumpy Mr.Grainger ( Arthur Borough ), and ladies' man Mr.Lucas ( Trevor Bannister ). Presiding over this crack team was floorwalker Captain Peacock ( Frank Thornton ), and jug-eared Mr.Rumbold ( Nicholas Smith ). One of the store's owners was Young Mr.Grace ( Harold Bennett ), who despite being older than Methuselah was a randy old goat ( I hope I'm like that when I reach his age ). The plots were basically an excuse to get the cast into silly costumes. Mrs.Slocombe's frequent references to her 'pussy' made the studio audience hysterical with laughter, as did Mr.Humphries' oblique references to his homosexuality. Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft's scripts trod a careful line between family entertainment and 'Carry On' style smut. It was only rude if you wanted it to be. Among the numerous catchphrases spawned were: "Men's Wear!" ( spoken by Mr.Humphries in a butch voice ), "And I am unanimous in this!", "You've all done very well!" ( delivered by Young Mr.Grace ), and, of course, the classic "I'm free!". The show was a massive hit, leading to the aforementioned infamous film in 1977, and running well into the alternative comedy '80's.It was good-natured fun, but not for everyone. The L.W.T. sketch show 'End Of Part One' did an excellent spoof called 'Are You Being Stereotyped?' which subverted the show's theme tune, turning it into a critique. Yes, the characters were stereotypes, no-one will deny that, but they were strong stereotypes, instantly recognisable from one another. And performed by a more than competent cast.When John Inman passed away a few years ago, Stuart Jefferies wrote a article in 'The Guardian', the thrust of which was that 'A.Y.B.S.' was representative of a style of humour that was ( in his view ) thankfully gone. Well, gone it certainly has, but I do not find that something to be cheer about. We have now reached the stage where bullying can pass for comedy. Pushing the boundaries of comedy? As Sid James used to say: "Knickers!". The comedy boundaries have been pushed far enough as it is. When John Cleese and Connie Booth created 'Fawlty Towers', they could not give two hoots about redefining comedy, they just wanted to make a funny show. And did. I'm sure Lloyd and Croft felt the same way when they wrote 'A.Y.B.S'. The real comedy geniuses are not the people who push boundaries, but those who work well within them.Like Benny Hill, 'A.Y.B.S.' was a hit in America. I suppose the Americans liked the very Britishness of the thing. It was McGill seaside postcard stuff really. John Inman was spot on when he said: "Don't say rude words, let the audience think them!".