Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served is a fantastic example of British humor at its finest. Granted, with almost 30 years since the telecast of the first episode, some of the humor has become dated. However, the cast and script-writers took the concept of double entendre to a whole new level with the jokes in the show (the best one I think being about Mrs. Slocum's cat, if you get my drift!). The thing that makes the show stand the test of time is that they did not have to resort to outright obscenity and crudity to get the humor across. It requires a little bit of thought to follow some of the jokes, which while base, are veiled in "false propriety". It is something that I would have no problem letting my children watch because they would not get the jokes until they were old enough to understand and deal with the humor. What comedy today can we say the same about? The show also has the ability to pull you in, make you privy to the "secret jokes" and make you feel part of the club. You become bound up in the inside jokes and personalities, and can identify with the characters (within reason: who can understand the concept of Mrs. Slocum's changing hair-colors?!). Overall, it is a great series and well worth watching, even 27 years later!

I'm now 30 years of age and grew up watching Allo Allo, 2.4 Children, Only Fools and Horses, One foot in the Grave etc, all of which I have wonderful nostalgic feelings for. I've always felt Brits make the funniest sitcoms, maybe i have an inbuilt British humour. Only in the last 2 years i bought series one of this to see what all the fuss was about, without any shadow of a doubt this is the funniest sitcom ever, no matter what mood i'm in i can put one of these on and laugh out loud, to the people who moan that the jokes were repeated i'd like to remind them of how many years this ran for and just how successful it was and still is. The movie was horrible, why did they make it!! However the sitcom all the way through was hilarious, Mollie and John i think made the series but all the cast were wonderful, especially young Mr Grace. There was an innocence about the series hidden deep amongst all the double entendres. High points for me were from the episodes Camping in, Oh what a tangled web and Friends and Neighbours. Maybe the show dipped a bit at series 9, but series 10 was a class act.

I have seen every episode in this show at least 10 or more times for sure. So let me tell you the sets are by today's standards cardboard like the, props sort of dated.

BUT that said you would be a fool to let that stop you from seeing this awesome example of Double Entendre! taken to the highest comedic extremes. No other show is so packed with things that on the surface suggest daily life that one who has an active mind easily finds a more gutter snipe meaning to what was said.

A perfect example follows where Mrs. Slocumbe was talking to a truck driver on the road via CB radio from the Grace Brothers store. Mrs. Slocumbe an avid feline lover and, owner has a cat named tiddles. She is constantly on the hunt for a man like a British Sadie Hawkins this guy was a hot prospect seeing he too sounded keen on her. Mrs. Slocumbe regales the truck driver with all her home spun skills and loves... you hear the truck driver obviously in the midst of driving his big rig as Mrs. Slocumbe begins telling the truck driver of her pussy <cat> and how it wins a prize every time she shows it. You hear the wheels lock and, screech as dude looses control of his rig and, the connection is broken. Not to mention she was dressed as a punk rocker in a rainbow Amazon woman outfit when talking to the man.

Whey was she in the punk rocker garb well. Well this just a hint of the funny things you will find on this show... You just have to get the videos DVD's whatever's available but one thing for sure you will never ever be sorry you did.

I left England in 1968 so I missed watching this live as it were but it is still hilarious. Here in Alberta we can watch it 5 times a week on P.B.S. or on Y.T.V. in Canada at 1 a.m. I find it so amusing, the characterizations are faultless the dialogue is matchless the situations are believable even if sometimes outrageous.

But above all it is a very gentle comedy, in the best traditions of English comedy, nobody gets hurt, reputations are never ruined, it is never malicious or small-minded.

I watch it every chance I get because it is funny without forcing the humour.

I don't understand how anyone could bash this show. Yeah, there were a lot of sexual references in it, but it's not near as bad as some of the shows we see on TV these days. There are other Brit-coms like Monty Python that show actual nudity. AYBS does not. I could never get tired of this show. Frankly, I've been a fan of it for years and I hate that it's not currently on our local PBS station. Thankfully, I have taped episodes from when it did air so that if I feel like watching a real comedy, I can just pop in a videotape of AYBS and laugh away. This is an outstanding comedy and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a good laugh. To all the people who have left nice comments about the show, all I can say to you is "You've all done very well."