Are You Being Served? Collection 1 (Series 1-5)
Are You Being Served?created a standard for the British sitcom.  When the Ladies' Department of Grace Brothers store is forced to share a  floor with the Men's Department, the stage is set for delightful battles  between men and women, senior and junior staff, and management and  employees. The show was originally conceived as a vehicle for Trevor  Bannister as the irreverent Mr. Lucas, a junior salesman who sardonically  punctures the store's rigid hierarchy; but it soon became clear that  mocking the established order isn't half as funny as taking it very  seriously--with all the delicious pettiness that results. Mincing Mr.  Humphries (the effervescent John Inman) and imperious Mrs. Slocombe (comic  powerhouse Mollie Sugden) swiftly became audience favorites, ably backed  up by snooty, lecherous Capt. Peacock (Frank Thornton), affable Miss  Brahms (Wendy Richard), and curmudgeonly Mr. Grainger (Arthur Brough).  That these talented performers cultivated a engaging comic rapport is no  surprise, but it's constantly amazing that the writers were able, over  dozens of episodes, to find inventive but believable new spins on the  department store scenario, turning security cameras, daffy sales  promotions, and even malfunctioning Christmas decorations into brilliant  comic set-ups. Thelater seriescontinued to be enjoyable even after the  loss of several of the original cast members, but the first five series  (which originally aired from 1972 to 1977) have the perfect balance of  prickly personalities. A gem of a show, well deserving of the reverence of  its rabid fans.--Bret Fetzer