Are you Being Served? 1970's comedy

Hey, I love them all except old mister grace, worse replacement. Of course the two you mention are tops. I wish that the cast of AYBS, Allo Allo and Hi-de-Hi had graduated into new Carry On films in the 80s and 90s.

My favorites were John Inman and the guy who played Mr. Spooner.

I agree that Old Mr. Grace was terrible. What kind of bad make-up was that?

I watched a lot of 1970's comedies on TV, but have never heard of Carry on.

Carry On is a British film series that ran from 58-78 plus another film in 92, a tv series called Carry On Laughing in 75 and 4 TV Christmas Specials that ran from 69-73. The comedy is much like Are You Being Served, I have read that many fans of Are You Being Served when it first came on were expecting Carry On type humor from it. Some of the films took place in a contemporary setting like Carry On Doctor and Carry On Camping, while others were historical parodies like Carry On Cleo, Carry On Dick and Carry On Up the Khyber and some were genre comedies like Carry On Spying, Carry On Cowboy and Carry On Screaming.

I first learned of the Carry On films in the 80s when some of the earlier 12 aired on local independent stations in syndication such as Carry On Cleo (made with the costumes and sets from the same picture Cleopatra with Elizabeth Yaylor used), Carry On Jack, Carry On Sergeant, Carry On Screaming, Carry On Cruising, Carry On Spying and a few more. I believe I saw Carry On Laughing on PBS but I am not certain.

Some actors from Are You Being Served make small appearances, most notably Windy Richard. Doctor Who fans should take note to Wiliam Hartnell starring in Carry On Sergeant, Bernard Cribbons starring in Carry On Jack and Carry On Spying and Jon Pertwee's small appearances in Carry On Cleo, Carry On Screaming and Carry On Cowboy. Comedy fans, fans of double entendre, innuendo and great comedy team ensembles with remarkable chemistry should take well to the Carry On gang of Kenneth Williams, Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Charley Hawtrey, Barbara Windsor, Bernard Bresslaw, Frankie Howerd, Jim Dale and a load of others.

I could liken them to comedies from the 30s with people like Wheeler and Woolsey, Bob Hope, Burns and Allen. I could also liken them to some of the better films of the 80s starring SNL & SCTV alumnis like Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, John Candy, and Rick Moranis among others.

I enjoyed watching all the cast, but thought Mollie Sugen and John Inman stood out as the best, along with Arthur Brough who played Mr Granger

I enjoyed the repartee between John Inman & Trevor Bannister the best, and thus the dynamic was never the same after TB left. Am surprised someone said Spooner was their favorite as I thought he was a terribly lame replacement - dull demeanor and completely ineffective as a foil for Mollie Sugden.

I can agree about Spooner though I think part of that was in the way he was written and directed. Lucas was intended to be the star when the show began and when Spooner came on Humpries was the star and Spooner wasn't meant to be anything but a pale imitation of Lucas. He was kind of window dressings for Slocombe to play off of. He never really felt a part of the family until the last season to. All of a sudden it looks like the actors are taking unscripted opportunities to make him seem included like Miss Brahms taking his arm or something like that and the last few episodes it seemed as if he was written with some sympathy, otherwise he was presented as something of just a jerk without any heart.