Are You Being Served? The Complete Collection, Series 6-10

This DVD set covers the last 5 series (or 'seasons') of "Are You Being Served?" and, viewed on its own, is quite funny. If the episodes are compared to the ones from the first 5 years, it becomes apparent that the quality of the scripts have deteriorated somewhat. Concepts from earlier years are re-used, new characters are introduced and don't quite fit-in, and the show takes on a somewhat 'auto-pilot' feel. But don't think that this is a bad set of shows. Even though they are not as good as the episodes in the Series 1-5 set, they still make for some of the best television I've ever seen.

Gone from the cast are Mr. Grainger (head of Menswear), and Mr. Lucas (he appears in the first two series of the set, and then takes his leave). Grainger & Lucas were two very big parts of the heart & soul of "Are You Being Served?", and their absences are pronounced. There was a series of 'older gentlemen' replacements for Mr. Grainger, before the producers decided to jettison the idea of the role altogether. Mr. Lucas's replacement, Mr. Spooner, lacked quite a bit of personality, and paled in comparison to his predecessor. We also witness the departure of Young Mr. Grace, the owner of the store, who was one of my favorite characters.

Despite the number of cast changes during the last five years of its run, "Are You Being Served?" still managed to be one extremely funny show. Two of my favorite episodes fall within this collection. In "The Apartment", Mrs. Slocombe has squatters in her new flat, so Grace Brothers allows her to use one of the department floors to live in temporarily. She has the place set-up just like a real home and, due to a transit strike, her co-workers end up having to stay the night there. The results are quite amusing. In "The Hold Up", the staff are performing their yearly late-night inventory when two burglars break-in. Some of the staff are captured, and some of the staff dress-up as The Gumby Gang - notoriously tough criminals. This may be my favorite "Are You Being Served?" episode -- ever.

"Are You Being Served?" ran for twelve years in Britain, and, coincidentally enough, it ran for twelve consecutive years on my local PBS station - a sign of its great humor, fabulous characters, and enduring charm. The first DVD set was great. I can't wait to own this one.

With few exceptions (MASH, GUNSMOKE) the longer a series remains on the air, the greater the chance that the show will become a parody of itself. This is what happens to AYBS? Coupled with some changes in cast, the show lost it's edge and some of the qualities which made the first 5 seasons so memorable and endearing.

First the cast changes:

1)Harold Bennett who played Young Mr. Grace was replaced by Kenneth Waller who plays Old Mr. Grace. While Bennett was charming and delightful as the elderly man who had an eye for the young ladies, Waller takes it to the extreme and does not possess the grace and wit that Bennett had. He wasn't even part of the final seasons and it was no lose. Waller was only a poor parody of Bennett.

2)Arthur Brough who played the lovable grouch Mr. Grainger left the show after his wife had died. Several non descript characters were used to replace him such as Mr. Klein, Mr. Tebbs and Mr. Grossman, but it was only until Alfie Bass came aboard as Mr. Goldberg that some juice was restored in the role. Unfortunately his arrival marked the next major departure from the cast.

3)Trevor Bannister left the role of Mr. Lucas at the start of the 1981 season. Whether he left the show because he was actually tired of doing it, or because he had a commitment to do a stage show is not important. What is important is that his lose is felt, as some of the spark and energy that he provided was never regained. He was replaced by Mike Berry as Mr. Spooner. Berry was not in the same league with Bannister. Where Bannister managed to tweak and insult Mrs. Slocombe with impish boyish charm, Berry just comes across as nasty. His jokes at Mrs. Slocombe's expensive are crude and there are even moments when you can hear the audience murmer their dissapproval. Of all the cast changes, this is the one which seriously impacted on the overall quality of the show.

So why am I even bothering giving it 3 stars if I'm so negative?Well, fortunately the show still has the quartet of Slocombe-Humphries-Brahms-Peacock to carry on. Throw in Mr. Rumbold as well while we are at it. They manage to overcome the weak and rehashed story lines that prevailed in the final few seasons.

There are also many very good episodes spiced throughout this set, such as:

1-Do You Take This Man?...this is the Greek Wedding episode and it's hilarious...Mr. Tebbs one moment to shine.

2-The Junior...Mr. Golberg's arrival...the interview scene with prospective employees is funny.

3-The Apartment....Mrs Slocombe moves into an empty floor at Grace Brothers while squatters are removed from here flat. Some great fun here.

4-Strong Stuff This Insurance...when the men are butt naked behind a screen awaiting their physicals, Mr. Lucas hides himself with his hands. When he looks down to check out Capt. Peacock and compares, he removes his hands, and with a broad smile, stands proud...a classic funny bit that you would never see on 1979 US television.

5-Anything You Can Do..always fun when they take the group out of their element...this time they try to run the canteen

6-The Punch and Judy Affair...Trevor Bannister's swan song...take note how Bannister tries to get Inman to crack up and flub his lines...you can see Inman with his back to cam trying to surpress the laughter...fun stuff.

7-Is it Catching?...the gang must cope with a giant water bed while being quaranteened...It's Molly Sugden's turn to keep from laughing out of character.

8-Goodbye Mrs. Slocombe...Molly Sugden shines as she takes on odd jobs at Grace Bros. when her position become redundant.

These are the highlights..these are other good episodes but also some bad ones as well...the consistency that marked the first 5 seasons is no longer there.

So should you buy this set? If you already purchased Series 1-5 then by all means, complete your collection. But for anyone who is new to this series, under no circumstances should you purchase this set as your first introduction to the show. Seek out the first set 1-5, then continue on if you so desire.

Recommended with some reservations...