Are You Being Served - the best Britcom ever?

I always thought 2Point4 Children was a quite sharp modern Britcom, but have read some knocks of it. There was even an episode where they visited Portmeirion in Wales and got chased by a 'rover'... how bad can that be? The 'Dad' who drove the American car died though in real life so might be sad to watch it now.

 

Nightingales is my all-time favourite British TV comedy. I’ve mentioned it several times before on this forum, and it’s never solicited a single response, so I assume it wasn’t widely seen at the time.

Nightingales (UK TV series) - Wikipedia

 

Nightingales, complete series 1 & 2, was released on DVD by Network. Channel 4 aired some memorable programs!

 

I liked this show. Had a crush on the mom, and noticed when she showed up in an episode of Rosemary & Thyme. It's been years, but wouldn't mind seeing it again.

 

Yep, I have the DVD, and watched both series when they first aired, in the early 1990s. The late-night slot, and dark, surreal themes (for the time), meant that the show passed under many people’s radar, but I loved it.

Did you ever see it Becca? There are episodes available to watch on YouTube, and the DVD can often be found for as little as £2.00. Well worth a punt.

 

No, no, no.

 

I've tried various things just because they were on Network or originated with Channel 4; I found a reasonably priced new copy of Nightingales and ordered one. I figured as I liked Dustbinmen and The Omega Factor I might like this. I had a friend who was a night watchman at a big over hundred years old cannery and he had some great stories about ghosts and mysterious occurrences in the oldest parts of the facility. Said there was one ghost who liked to ride on him as it missed having legs of it's own.

 

Excellent. Be sure to let me know how you get on with it. Whenever I manage to turn someone on to this show, I consider it to be a personal victory. I’ve loved it for the best part of 30 years, and so few people remember it, even people in Britain of a similar age to me.

Here’s an impassioned article to whet your appetite:

Nightingales: The Best Sitcom You've (Probably) Never Watched - Sabotage Times

 

(Whatever Happened To) The Likely Lads.....great comic chemistry between the leads (who were not friends in real life), the onset of middle-age perfectly depicted, occasionally very moving; and Brigit Forsyth is superb as the dreadful (but actually very nice) Thelma. It went off on a high with the 1974 Christmas episode and even the tie-in film is very good (about the only sitcom tie-in film I like). It's aged so much better than any other sitcom I can think of.

 

I'd have all of these and more before I get anywhere near Are You Being Served.

Hancock's Hlaf Hour
Steptoe and Son
Dad's Army
Fawlty Towers
Ripping Yarns
Father Ted
Black Books
The Likely Lads/Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads (I prefer the latter)
Porridge
The Good Life
Ever Decreasing Circles
Yes Minister
Till Death Us Do Part
Rising Damp
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
Butterflies
Spaced
One Foot in the Grave

 

There have been many great British comedies. There have been series with better writing, and better performances than Are You Being Served, for sure.

But Are You Being Served is clearly my favorite comedy series. It's hilarious with all its stereotypes, slapstick and pantomime humor, and seaside postcard jokes. It's bonkers, and all in an innocent and ridiculous way. Every single episode is a marvel.

Yes - the best ever.

 

Agree on the film, was very enjoyable. Was it the film where (I'm quoting from memory here) Bob meets Terry who is fishing and Terry says 'I would give you a can of beer but I've only got 6' or words to that effect. Also Bob talks about the chocolate box of life 'the top layer is gone and someone's already taken the orange creme from the second layer...'

 

That's the one! Lots of classic lines in that film, including Thelma's 'It's the only time I've known what he's got in his hand all evening!' (has to be heard in context) and 'Omar Sharif wouldn't be Omar Sharif if he came from Gateshead.'

 

Great lines! Love the image too of Bob in his Newcastle Utd shirt in bed looking all sulky because Terry preferred a date to 'Boys' Night Out!'

The Christmas Special 1974 is the best Christmas Special of any UK sitcom in my opinion - Terry seems more settled in life at this point, whilst Bob seems to be immaturing with age - great reversal!

 

a lot of greats but the office has to be up there

 

I suppose Fawlty Towers is the standard with Black Adder right behind.

I should also mention The IT Crowd and Red Dwarf; well, the first six series at least for the latter. (Is it weird this year marks both the 30th anniversary of the first two series and 25 years since the last good one*?)

*I say this not having seen any of the Dave sessions.

 

Fawlty Towers would be my top choice. But Blackadder is great as well, both very quotable.

Basil: Is there something wrong?
German Guest: Will you stop talking about the war?
Basil: Me? You started it.
German Guest: We did not!
Basil: Yes, you did. You invaded Poland

Blackadder: “Field Marshal Haig is about to make yet another gargantuan effort to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Berlin.”

General Melchett: “Field Marshal Haig has formulated a brilliant new tactical plan to ensure final victory in the field.”
Blackadder: “Ah. Would this brilliant plan involve us climbing out of our trenches and walking very slowly towards the enemy?”
Captain Darling: “How could you possibly know that, Blackadder?! It’s classified information!”

 

I was seven years' old when I watched it for the first time: Bob's beard came as a bit of shock!
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Apparently, the series was never cancelled but someone at BBC Light Entertainment forgot to renew it! - and by the time they remembered, all parties were busy with other things.

 

Thinking of The Likely Lads, does anyone remember The Liver Birds - an attempt at a female LLs set in Liverpool?

I remember enjoying it at the time (and I had a big prepubescent crush on Nerys Hughes) but checking it out on youtube, I don't think time has been kind.....

 

Yes great show but so many Britcom's that are brilliant such as; Fawlty Towers, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Some Mother's Do 'Ave 'Em, Open All Hours, The Two Ronnie's etc.

 

Python is a sketch show.

 

As was The Two Ronnies.

 

That movie was great, even educational about all the old Coronation Street type row houses being bulldozed for the tower blocks and resettlement to them. Someone could put out a deluxe edition of that film with some documentaries about those clearances as bonuses. What there is of the original Likely Lads show is on DVD, wonder if they found any more since then?

I have two sets of Liver Birds on DVD... season 2 and 3 (season 1 having all been wiped). Has some nice extras too! I picked them up around the same time as a couple of '70s Z-Cars sets from the same company. Can't see how Scaffold's theme song actually charted as a single though. I want to see that similar show that had a theme song by Pentangle... Take Three Girls. Never seen that one outside some snippets on youtube.

 

From the early '60s there was George And The Dragon, I used to wonder if the U.S. Benson was based on it. It had Sid James as a butler/chaffeur character (working for John Le Mesurier of Hancock's Half Hour and Dad's Army fame) locking horns with a battleaxe type woman who was cook/maid (sort of like Krauss in Benson). Lots of these on youtube. James did a very similar series after titled Nearest And Dearest.

There were two series of The Rag Trade which has dated about as well as Liver Birds I guess. Very working class and shop union based humour, but you get Reg Varney later of On The Buses reacting to all the other characters. I mention it as I might think Are You Being Served fans would enjoy it.

 

Not to mention Baldricks war poem -

"Boom Boom Boom Boom............Boom Boom Boom Boom"
By far the best Blackadder series.