<P> Are You Being Served? featured humour based on sexual innuendo, misunderstandings, mistaken identity, farce and occasional slapstick . In addition, there were sight gags generated by outrageous costumes which the characters were sometimes required to wear for store promotions, and gaudy store displays frequently featuring malfunctioning robotic mannequins . The show is remembered for its prolific use of double entendres . </P> <P> The main humorous base of the series was a merciless parody of the British class system . This permeated almost every interaction and was especially evident in the conversations between the maintenance men and the ostensibly higher - class store personnel . The episodes rarely left the store, and to parody the stereotype of the British class system, characters rarely addressed each other by their first names, even after work, instead using their formal titled names ("Mr", "Mrs", "Miss", or even "Captain"). When they did address each other by their first names, it was usually either as an aside, or often for comic effect (e.g. an underling addressing a superior). The joke is that lower class people, even when married, addressed each other as Mr. or Mrs. Middle and upper - class people on familiar terms always use given or nicknames . The use of titles is therefore a pretention to being posh or refined . </P> <Ul> <Li> Mrs Betty (Elizabeth Abergavenny) Slocombe (Mollie Sugden) (Series 1--10), a senior sales assistant and head of the ladies' department . She is known for her changing hair colour and conversations about her cat, which she always refers to as her "pussy". </Li> <Li> Miss Shirley Brahms (Wendy Richard) (Series 1--10), a young, attractive, working - class, cockney - speaking junior sales assistant to Mrs Slocombe . </Li> <Li> Mr Ernest Grainger (Arthur Brough) (Series 1--5), a 40 - year veteran of Grace Brothers, a senior sales assistant and head of the gents' department, who often falls asleep on the job, is usually grumpy, and wears a measuring tape over his shoulders . Arthur Brough died before the filming of Season 6 . <Ul> <Li> Mr Percival Tebbs (James Hayter) (Series 6), Mr Grainger's replacement . He retired after only one year in the men's department . </Li> <Li> Mr Harry Goldberg (Alfie Bass) (Series 7), Mr Tebbs's replacement . Originally the junior salesman, he was quickly promoted to senior after proving to be a master salesman . Like Tebbs, Goldberg lasted only one year . </Li> <Li> Mr Grossman (Milo Sperber) (Series 8), an expert shoe salesman, joined the gents' department, when some of the floor space was given over to shoes . He lasted only four episodes . </Li> <Li> Mr Abraham Klein (Benny Lee) (Series 8), joined the gents' department to help out with upcoming sales in the store . Klein lasted only four episodes . </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Mr Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries (John Inman) (Series 1--10), a sales assistant in gents'; a campy - acting man who lives with his mother . He made frequent use of double entendre, especially related to his presumed gay lifestyle . </Li> <Li> Mr James / Dick Lucas (Trevor Bannister) (Series 1--7), the young, penniless, womanising junior salesman; a source of irritation to the female sales staff . Always referred to as the department' junior', but Bannister was in fact one year older than Inman . The character left the series after Series 7 (1979). (In Series 2 his name was given as "James" but was stated as "Dick" in Series 5 and 6 .) <Ul> <Li> Mr Bert Spooner (Mike Berry) (Series 8--10), eventually replaced Mr Lucas as gents' junior sales assistant and was similar to him in many ways . </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> "Captain" Stephen Peacock (Frank Thornton) (Series 1--10), the haughty floorwalker (an employee who both supervises sales staff and assists customers) who purportedly fought in the North Africa Campaign of World War II but was accused of actually being in the Service Corps and never seeing combat . </Li> <Li> Mr Cuthbert Rumbold (Nicholas Smith) (Series 1--10), the autocratic, obsequious (to the Grace brothers), yet bumbling and incompetent floor manager . </Li> <Li> "Young" Mr Grace (Harold Bennett) (Series 1--8), the very old, rich but stingy store owner, surrounded by attractive young women . The character's final appearance was in 1981 following Bennett's death . The character was killed off in the first episode of the spinoff series Grace & Favour . <Ul> <Li> "Old" Mr Grace (Kenneth Waller) (Series 8), "Young" Mr Grace's even - older brother--replaced him at the store when he took a sabbatical to write his memoirs . In Series 9 & 10, the management of the store was again attributed to "Young" Mr. Grace, who was by then an invisible character . </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Miss Belfridge (Candy Davis), the last and longest - running of Mr Rumbold's secretaries . She was admired by all male staff, including Mr Humphries and especially Captain Peacock, who dined her at The Ritz Hotel . </Li> <Li> Mr Mash (Larry Martyn) (Series 1 - 3)), the stock and maintenance man who installed mechanised display units in store and was often scolded by Captain Peacock for being on the floor during opening hours . <Ul> <Li> Mr Harman (Arthur English) (Series 4--10), Mr. Mash's replacement . Mr. Rumbold calls him "Harry" in seasons 5 and 9, but in season 9 he states his name is actually "Beverly". </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Diana Yardwick (Doremy Vernon), the manageress of Grace Brothers' canteen at which the staff had their lunch . Known for serving grossly unappetizing food, and for her ill temper and sarcasm, as well as for enforcing strict social order, which dictated that management, sales staff and the maintenance crew and lift operators all dine separately . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Mrs Betty (Elizabeth Abergavenny) Slocombe (Mollie Sugden) (Series 1--10), a senior sales assistant and head of the ladies' department . She is known for her changing hair colour and conversations about her cat, which she always refers to as her "pussy". </Li>

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