Grace & Favour
Grace & Favour is in some circles better known - and certainly best summarised - by its alternative US name: Are You Being Served? Again.
Reuniting the staff of Grace Bros., the early 1990s sitcom saw Miss Brahms, Mr Humphries, Captain Peacock, Mrs Slocombe and Mr Rumbold otherwise in retirement, forced to make a go of running a former stately home as a prestigious country house hotel after Young Mr Grace dies, having unwisely invested their pension fund in various ventures.
The sitcom follows as the group - plus Mr Grace's final nurse, Jessica Lovelock - descend upon the manor at Great Tender and attempt to spruce up the establishment, all the whilst bickering and trying to find their natural roles in the new workplace environment and hierarchy.
Joining them are estate manager, farmer Maurice Moulterd, and his daughter, Mavis - who takes a quick liking to Mr Humphries, much to his bemusement!
Written by original Are You Being Served? scribes David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, two series were produced in 1992 and 1993, comprising of six episodes each. A succession of riotous adventures took the gang further from the manor than they had ever ventured from the shop floor at Grace Bros., on occasion into conflict with various of the local villagers.
We spoke to Christine Gernon about the show. Now a director with credits including Gavin & Stacey, The Brittas Empire, One Foot In The Grave and US sitcoms such as New Girl, she was the production assistant on all 12 episodes of Grace & Favour, so perfectly positioned to talk a little about the show.
"As production assistant, I was responsible for all office stuff, all scripts, all continuity on location and in studio. Gallery PA, scripts, shot calling, edit notes - there are 2 or 3 people on modern productions doing what was one job then!
"It was loads of fun to make, Jo & Fleur (Jessica and Mavis) were great. They fitted in really well and I adored Wendy Richard and John Inman, but especially Mollie Sugden. I worked with her again on the 1996 revival of The Liver Birds. We had lots of fun filming on location, being away with great crew and I remember chasing piglets around!"
She adds: "After the popularity of Are You Being Served? expectations were pretty high, but I don't remember anyone being particularly worried about it. The cast got on so well; they were just all so pleased to be back together."
Sadly, Christine doesn't remember either David Croft or Jeremy Lloyd being around much - perhaps not surprising as, for a change, Grace & Favour was a show that Croft neither produced nor directed himself. Instead, that honour went to Mike Stephens, whose credits included other Croft sitcoms Hi-De-Hi! and 'Allo 'Allo!.
Indeed, the second series of Grace & Favour was the last series Lloyd and Croft made together. Their writing was certainly evident in it: rip-roaring innuendo, gag-packed scripts and daft adventures aplenty - with the odd genial national stereotype for good measure. Are You Being Served? fans are sure to enjoy the characters' continued adventures in the country, and the few newcomers fit into the mix perfectly. If anything, Grace & Favour is more tightly-plotted than its parent, bringing refreshed life into the characters with their new setting and problems to surmount.