Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Andrew Watson Reading some of the previous reviews, I'd just like to say something about the series' popularity and some of the perceived stereotypes.The goings-on at Grace Bros aren't a favourite with everyone. Coming 20th in a 2004 'Britain's best sitcom' poll (beating many contenders with the advantage of having been made more recently) nevertheless is a reminder of how popular this comedy remains. I find nothing sinister or offensive about 'Are You Being Served?' Some things done and said would be frowned upon today. This also goes for other excellent comedies of the past like 'Fawlty Towers'. However a modern audience understands there is no underlying prejudice directed singularly towards any particular section of society. Everyone is made to look a laughing stock; all manners and personalities are ridiculed.Perhaps the show is watched today because we haven't changed much since the 70s: workplaces still abound with gossip; colleagues still jostle for power and put on airs; bumbling managers and difficult customers are common. As for John Inman, I don't think his portrayal of an openly camp figure - hilarious, at ease and unafraid to be himself - was a negative put-down for homosexual people. If anything his benevolent persona did some good. England and Wales legalised consensual homosexual activity in 1967 - 5 years before AYBS was first broadcast. Arguably, making someone's effeminate traits a subject of good-natured laughter was a good way of removing hostility towards gay people. Just as 'The Vicar Of Dibley' convinced people that female vicars could be a good thing, the charisma and likeableness of Mr Humphries at least showed audiences that, gay or not, such a person was a welcome personality to have around.This kind of humour does not belong to the past alone. Both amateur and professional contemporary comedies owe much to (or could learn from) the comic timing, expressions and double entendre-laden scripts typical of 'Are You Being Served?' So this show is lots of fun and plenty of us Brits like it too.

Joseph Sanders I have to say that this has to be one of the best British Comedies I have ever seen. The humor is fascinating and yet so down to earth. I enjoy watching Ms. Slocumb just to see what color her hair is going to be next, which was one of the claim to fame of the show. Also the innuendos that Mr. Humphries may or may not be gay, is he or isn't he? There are so many good things to say about this series. I am currently in the process of buying the complete series on DVD along with Are You Being Served Again and Are you Being Served: The Movie. Though I have watched this series often and for a long time, the one's I watched were usually on PBS in the United States and I know that it is impossible for me to have seen every single episode. I also watched many of the episodes of Are You Being Served Again and thought they too were great, I only wish it had lasted much longer than 3 seasons. I can hardly wait to own all of them on DVD so that I can continue to watch them anytime I choose and actually see "every" episode. If you haven't seen these yet, they are well worth the watch and the purchase. I suggest you buy the DVD's so that you and future generations can enjoy a fun filled, clean, and wonderful British Comedy.Other British Sitcoms I enjoy and that I would suggest checking out...Keeping up Appearances, Open All Hours, The Vicar of Dibley, Waiting for God, As Time Goes By, and Fawlty Towers

keepthemagic "Are You Being Served?" is one of the best British comedies to hit American television screens! The show is about workers in a department store and their everyday lives. Every show the workers have adventures from being stuck in the store due to bad weather to one of them becoming a Pop Star for a day. "Are You Being Served" does not have any hidden messages like the average comedy it just tells about life in a plain old department store. What makes the show unique is the personalities of the workers; where in this store the customer is not always right. While the show ended in 1982 the show remains an icon due to the simple story lines which lead to hilarious side-splitting misunderstandings. "Are You Being Served?" is a must see for people who enjoy comedy. If you are looking for laughter, the search is over with "Are You Being Served."

P_Cornelius How delightful to see so many English/British contributors cock a snook at the Americans who like this very funny program. I suppose AYBS could never expect to achieve the Shakespearian heights of the likes of such English masterpieces as, say, Footballers' Wives, Coupling, or Mile High. Right? And poor old Mollie Sugden never did meet the standard achieved by Sarah Alexander and her likes. Right?Speaking of Mollie Sugden, if you can't appreciate her comedic genius, then you probably think Lucille Ball was a theatrical hack. Because Mollie Sugden IS the British Lucille Ball.Equally amusing is the criticism of John Inman's Mr. Humphries because a) he's a homosexual or b) he's too much of a homosexual. Sort of beside the point. And wrong. Because, while John Inman may indeed be gay, Mr. Humphries was never so much of a gay figure as he was a sissy, an asexual momma's boy. All of which, by the way, was made very clear in the follow up series, Are You Being Served Again/Grace and Favour.As much as I like the show, I do admit that after the death of Arthur Borough, the series lost its focus on in-store humor and became, to its detriment, more skit based. The episodes with Borough were exceptional. They created a sense of lifelong comradery of working together for years and years and years, where the store, or the company, was more of a "home" than home was. A feeling unimaginable in today's globalized hi-tech sweatshops.And, of course, if the show did recover somewhat from Borough's death, it never did get over losing Trevor Bannister's Mr. Lucas. Poor old Spooner (Mike Berry) became a mere afterthought until the very last episode of the series.All I can say is that if someone doesn't find anything funny in Mrs. Slocombe, Ernest Grainger, Capt. Peacock, Mr. Humphries and the rest, then they really don't have much of a sense of humor. Because at the root of the series is those characters' search for dignity and respect. And their frustrated endeavors would quickly find a sympathetic audience from at least one master of comedy. Because Charlie Chaplin's Tramp was built around the very same quest. I wonder if the British think Chaplin too crude and unsubtle for their tastes as well?