From: bohren@hickory.cis.ohio-state.edu (arthur william bohren)
Subject: faq for AYBS
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept. of Computer and Info. Science
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 20:21:37 GMT


I am trying to collect all the basic info about Are you Being Served
into a general FAQ sheet. Here is what I have so far:

(please read the end comments before replying)

%<--------- begin here ---------

                   Are You Being Served?
                   ---------------------

Original Cast of Characters: 
   Management:  
      Young Mr. Grace, Pres.
      Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold, Head of Ladies and Gents Dept.
      Capt. Stephen Peacock, Floor Walker

   Ladies Dept: 
      Mrs. Betty Slocombe, Senior
      Miss Shirley Brahms, Junior

   Gents Dept:  
      Mr. Earnest Granger, Senior
      Mr. Wilberforce Humphries, Senior Assistant
      Mr. Dick Lucas, Junior

   Maintenance: 
      Mr. Mash

Replacements:
   - Mr. Harold Harmond replaced Mr. Mash.
   - Mr. Tebbs replaced Mr. Granger.
   - Mr. Goldstein replaced Mr. Tebbs.
      (Actually, Mr. Humphries and Mr. Lucas were both promoted and
       Mr. Goldstein was hired as the new Junior, but he brought in
       so much trade to the department that he was promoted to Senior and
       Mr. Humphries and Mr. Lucas returned to their original positions,
       all in one episode.)
   - Mr. Grossman(from the Shoe Dept.) replaced Mr. Goldstein
   - Mr. Klein(from the ??? Dept.) replaced Mr. Grossman
   - Mr. Spooner replaced Mr. Lucas.
   - Old Mr. Grace replaced Young Mr. Grace.

Time Span:   1972 - 1987 
   - The first episode was in black and white. It dealt with the
     merger of the Ladies and Gents Departments into a single floor.

   - The last episode had Mr. Spooner becoming a pop music star.

Notable Episode:
   - There was one episode when the cast went to 10 Downing St to
     talk with Margaret Thatcher and Mrs. Slocombe ended up in
     a phone conversation with Pres. Ronald Reagan(U.S. 1980-88).

     (As a US citizen who survived the Reagan administration, I 
      enjoyed it when Mrs. Slocombe thought Reagan was only an actor.
         "I'm not a president, but I play one on TV." 
                                     - best quote he never said )

%<----------- end here -----------

 - Mr. Andrew Scott Becker posted that Mr. Humphries first name is
   actually Clayborne, but I was sure that in the episode I saw last
   night, they called him Wilberforce. Is there an independent source
   which can resolve this dispute.

 - Does anyone know the first names of the brothers Grace, Mr. Mash, or
   any of the various Gent's Seniors.

 - Would it be worth it to mention all of the various secretaries
   the Grace brothers harassed over the years???

 - Does anyone know from which department Mr. Klein came? I saw the
   episode where he joined the department, but I forget which department
   they mentioned . I think he only lasted a very short time, as I haven't
   seen many episodes with him.

 - If somebody knows the definitve spelling of character names, such as
   from a BBC source, please correct any errors I have made.

 - I'll watch tonight and try to get the actor's names, but can anyone
   else provide a list.