Grace & Favour

Main

• Mollie Sugden as Mrs Betty Slocombe
• John Inman as Mr Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries
• Wendy Richard as Miss Shirley Brahms
• Frank Thornton as Captain Stephen Peacock
• Nicholas Smith as Mr Cuthbert Rumbold
• Fleur Bennett as Mavis Moulterd
• Joanne Heywood as Miss Jessica Lovelock
• Billy Burden as Mr Maurice Moulterd

Recurring

• Michael Bilton as Mr Thorpe
• Shirley Cheriton as Miss Prescott
• Gregory Cox as Mr Frobisher
• Andrew Barclay as Malcolm Heathcliff
• Diane Holland as Celia Littlewood
• Andy Joseph as Joseph Lee
• Eric Dodson as Sir Robert
• Maggie Holland as Mrs Cleghampton

Series 1 (1992)

Series 2 (1993)

Background

The idea of a spin-off was suggested by the cast of Are You Being Served? almost immediately after the original series ended in 1985. Writers Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft liked the idea, but they agreed, along with the cast, that the department store format was exhausted and that any spin-off would require a change of location. Despite the enthusiasm of the original cast, it was almost seven years before Lloyd and Croft brought them back to television. Croft and Lloyd discussed possible ideas for a sequel series for several months. Initial ideas for a spin-off involved the cast deciding to take a holiday on Young Mr Grace's yacht, however, they become shipwrecked on a Robinson Crusoe-style island. The writers discussed the plot for a few days, but the idea, as Croft stated, "didn't seem to gel and, having got only to page 18 after two days, we thought it best to consign our efforts to the waste-paper basket". Another idea was discussed for several months, before the writers settled on the final idea. Public demand for the series was high, which necessitated the production of Grace & Favour. Most of the original cast were able to return easily, with the exception of Wendy Richard, who had since joined the television soap opera EastEnders (1985–present); she requested permission to be temporarily written out of that programme so she could reprise her role of Miss Brahms. The cast were enthusiastic to be involved in the programme, and enjoyed being able to film scenes on location. In a 1999 documentary, Croft described the series as a "marvellous sort of sequel" to Are You Being Served?.

While the idea for the series had been discussed and planned by writers Croft and Lloyd before the death of British publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell, the series aired a few months after his death; Maxwell was revealed to have borrowed heavily against his own employees's pensions, in a similar vein to what Young Mr Grace does in the series. The first episode of the second series contains a number of satirical references to the wrongful conviction and hanging of Derek Bentley for the murder of a policeman. The case revolved around the issue of whether Bentley's words "Let him have it, Chris" to his associate Christopher Craig were meant literally ("Let him have the gun") or figuratively ("Open fire!"). The case was widely publicised and was the subject of a film titled Let Him Have It starring Christopher Eccleston, that was released in October 1991, just over a year before the episode was broadcast.

Grace & Favour is different from Are You Being Served? in that it involves a continuous story arc, with certain plot elements, such as the relationship between Mr Humphries and Mavis Moulterd, unfolding throughout each episode. This in turn allowed the series to involve more complex storylines and subplots, making it possible to include returning guest stars and location shooting, neither of which was done on Are You Being Served?.

Title

When broadcast in the United States, the series was titled Are You Being Served? Again!, rather than the original title Grace & Favour. Croft wanted to call the series by its American title. However, the BBC preferred the title Grace & Favour. Lloyd preferred the American title, as did John Inman, who was a "bit upset" that the "much more sensible" American title was not used in the UK, believing that the American title would have helped the show to have "a ready-made audience" as it did in the US.

The title of the series is a double play on words. A "grace and favour" is a home or other property owned by a monarch, government or other owner, but given to the use of a faithful retainer upon retirement, as with the retired characters in the series. "Grace" is the surname of the founder and owner of Grace Brothers (the fictional department store where the characters previously worked) who was also the previous owner of Millstone Manor.

Casting

The main cast included the five actors and characters who appeared in every episode of Are You Being Served?: John Inman (Mr Humphries), Mollie Sugden (Mrs Slocombe), Frank Thornton (Captain Peacock), Wendy Richard (Miss Brahms) and Nicholas Smith (Mr Rumbold). New regular cast members included Joanne Heywood, who previously appeared in the Mike Stephens-directed First of the Summer Wine (1988–89) and the first series of The Brittas Empire (1991–97), who portrayed Miss Lovelock; Billy Burden, who portrayed farmer Maurice Moulterd, had previously appeared in Hi-de-Hi! (1980–88), written by Croft and Jimmy Perry and directed by Stephens; and Fleur Bennett, who played his daughter, Mavis. Several new recurring characters were added to the show, including Michael Bilton as Mr Grace's solicitor, Mr Thorpe, and his assistant, Miss Prescott, played by Shirley Cheriton. Christine Gernon, who served as production assistant on the series, recalled that Heywood and Bennett "fitted in really well" with the original cast members, while the "cast got on so well; they were just all so pleased to be back together".

Trevor Bannister, who portrayed Mr Lucas in Are You Being Served? until 1980 when he left following a disagreement with the BBC, was not asked to appear in Grace & Favour. In a 1999 documentary, Bannister stated that he "didn't feel [the series] worked at all", believing that "you can't just take that group, because it's a successful formula, and just move it somewhere else". Mike Berry, who portrayed Mr Spooner for the last three series of Are You Being Served?, was not asked to appear in the sequel series, though stated that he would have if he was asked. Berry recalled that Arthur English, who portrayed Mr Harman, was retired by that stage, and therefore was in "no position to return"; however, Lloyd wrote in his 1993 autobiography, Listen Very Carefully, I Shall Say This Only Once!, that he hoped that English would appear in a potential third series.

Throughout the series, Inman's character, Mr Humphries, is required by circumstance to share a bed with Mavis Moulterd, the farmer's daughter. Despite the media and fans of the series believing the character to be homosexual, Inman stated in 1999 that "[he couldn't] see how he could be gay when he spent most of Grace & Favour in bed with a beautiful blonde called Fleur Bennett". Croft and Lloyd explained that they wrote the scenario involving Mr Humphries sharing his bed with the farmer's daughter because they did not want him to be, as Lloyd stated, "thought of as a man who couldn't have a girlfriend". In addition, Croft stated that they "never wrote him" as being homosexual.

Filming

All external filming for the series was undertaken in and around Tetbury in Gloucestershire. Primary filming was at Chavenage House, which was used for Millstone Manor, just outside Tetbury. Indoor filming was recorded in front of a live studio audience. Production assistant Christine Gernon recalled that neither Croft nor Lloyd were present often for the filming of the series, in part due to the series being one of the few not to be produced or directed by Croft himself.

Audio samples of Grace & Favour (media help)

"Grace & Favour" theme

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The "elegant" theme tune, which "adds to the show's bucolic charm", was composed by Croft and Roy Moore, who had previously worked on various Croft productions, including 'Allo! 'Allo! (1982–92) and You Rang M'Lord? (1988–93). Moore commented that there was "a lot of incidental music" in the series, which allowed for more frequent establishing shots of the cast and of locations.

Cancellation

In a 1993 interview on American television, Inman recalled that "the BBC axed it in their wisdom, and it was a case of 'No, we're not doing anymore'". Inman was "a bit distressed" by the series's cancellation, because Lloyd had approached him and explained the storyline for the third series, in which a wedding was to be arranged for Mr Humphries and Mavis Moulterd, whereby Inman would portray Mr Humphries's mother in a dual role, as he had done in the original series. Mavis would instead choose to run off with a village boy; Mr Humphries would be heartbroken, falling into Mrs Slocombe's arms, much to her delight. Heywood stated that, when news was received that the series had been cancelled, it "hit the original cast members even harder than us newer characters", resulting in the cast members "los[ing] touch" with each other. Heywood stated that the series was cancelled due to it "just [not being] his cup of tea", referring to the then-BBC1 Controller, Alan Yentob. The series was the last written by Lloyd and Croft together.