Grace & Favour at 30

Yo Ho, WeRCatz here!

The British sitcom and spin-off of the classic Are You Being Served? turns 30. Grace & Favour tells of the antics of the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Departments of the fictional store Grace Brothers living and adapting to the country life after their boss Young Mr. Grace kicks the bucket. It was created and written by the original creators and writers of Are You Being Served? Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft.

It may have lasted only two seasons, but it still has the great writing, jokes, and feel of its predecessor. The innuendos, wordplay, the is-he-or-isn’t-he of whether beloved character Mr. Humphries (played by John Inman) is fooling around with assistant cook Mavis Moulterd (Fleur Bennet), and the occasional physical joke make this series a must for fans of Are You Being Served?.

Only five original members of Are You Being Served? are present here: Mrs. Betty Slocombe (Molly Sudgen), Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries (Inman), Miss Shirley Brahms (Wendy Richard), Captain Stephen Peacock (Frank Thorton), and Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold (Nicholas Smith).

The title happens to be a double play on words: a “grace and favour” is a house or other kind of property owned by a monarch but given to the use of a faithful retainer upon retirement. Since Young Mr. Grace was “retired,” his “faithful retainers” are given Millstone Manor as part of their pension fund.

Outside of the UK, Grace & Favour is known as Are You Being Served? Again! and was broadcasted on many channels such as PBS (US) and Network Ten (Australia).