Are You Being Served? (Australian TV series)

Are You Being Served? (Australian TV series)

Company type	Television sitcom
Industry	Television production
Founded	1980
Defunct	1981
Headquarters	Melbourne , Australia
Products	Television sitcom episodes
Number of employees	Cast and crew of 16 episodes over 2 seasons

Are You Being Served? is an Australian sitcom adapted from the British series of the same title, produced by Network Ten. The show ran for two seasons, broadcasting a total of sixteen episodes between 1980 and 1981. A major draw was actor John Inman reprising his role as Mr. Humphries from the original UK version. While other characters resembled those from the British series, they were given new names, and no other original cast members participated.

Inman described this Australian rendition as "more streamlined - with less filler." He also lent his voice to perform the opening theme song.

Premise

Following instructions from Mr. Grace, Mr. Humphries (Inman) is temporarily assigned to Australia to assist his cousin Mr. Bone at Bone Brothers, a prominent urban department store. The series closely mimics the original’s character relationships, set design, and wardrobe, showcasing the menswear and ladies’ clothing departments sharing the same floor and frequently clashing. Key personnel include floor-walker Captain Wagstaff (Reg Gillam), senior salesman Mr. Mankowitz (Anthony Bazell), junior salesman Mr. Randel (Shane Bourne), senior saleswoman Mrs. Crawford (June Bronhill), and junior saleswoman Miss Buxton (Judith Woodroffe). Additional roles feature store owner Mr. Bone (Basil Clarke), cleaner Mr. Cocker (Reg Evans), nurse Kerry Daniel, and Bone’s secretary Tracey Kelly.

Cast

• John Inman as Mr. Humphries
• June Bronhill as Mrs. Crawford
• Reg Gillam as Captain Wagstaff
• Judith Woodroffe as Miss Buxton
• Christine Amor as Miss Nicholls
• Tony Bazell as Mr. Mankowitz
• Shane Bourne as Mr. Randel
• Peter Collingwood as Mr. Dunkley
• Ken Fraser as Mr. Fenwick
• Basil Clarke as Young Mr. Bone
• Reg Evans as Mr. Cocker
• Kerry Daniel as Young Mr. Bone’s Nurse
• Tracey Kelly as Young Mr. Bone’s Secretary
• Bernadette Gibson as the Canteen Manageress
• Maurie Fields as Harry Collins (appearing in one episode)

For the second season, Judith Woodroffe (Miss Buxton) and Peter Collingwood (Mr. Dunkley) were unavailable and subsequently replaced by Christine Amor (Miss Nicholls) and Ken Fraser (Mr. Fenwick).

Character counterparts in the original UK series

• Mrs. Crawford corresponds to Mrs. Slocombe
• Captain Wagstaff parallels Captain Peacock
• Miss Buxton/Miss Nicholls align with Miss Brahms
• Mr. Mankowitz reflects traits of Mr. Grainger and Mr. Goldberg
• Mr. Randel resembles Mr. Lucas/Mr. Spooner
• Mr. Dunkley/Mr. Fenwick equate to Mr. Rumbold
• Young Mr. Bone matches Young Mr. Grace
• Mr. Cocker is analogous to Mr. Mash

Production details

The initial series was filmed at Melbourne’s ATV-0 studios during early 1980.

Opera vocalist June Bronhill made her television debut through this production, transitioning from stage performances to TV drama work. John Inman commended her innate talent, while Bronhill expressed excitement about portraying Mrs. Crawford, appreciating the character’s combination of elegance and occasional roughness typical of Australian culture (“ocker” traits). She also mentioned drawing inspiration from the British Are You Being Served? and Mollie Sugden’s portrayal.

During production of the second series in late 1980, original cast members Judith Woodroffe and Peter Collingwood were replaced by Christine Amor and Ken Fraser due to scheduling conflicts.

Christine Amor remarked on the show’s success in Australia despite its British roots, attributing it to its familiar department store environment and the local audience’s preference for British humor over American comedic styles. She also reflected on gaining valuable experience working alongside John Inman during her first live television appearance.

Guest star Abigail appeared as a perfume sales assistant whose presence causes upheaval within the store staff, culminating in a striptease that reveals a revealing outfit underneath. Abigail accepted this role both to collaborate with John Inman and because she admired the show's reputation, describing her participation as both enjoyable and professionally fulfilling.

Episode list

With the exception of "Undesirable Alien," the storyline of each episode is adapted from the corresponding original series installment.

Season 1

• Ep1: Get Fit Down Under, Mr. Humphries (adapted from "Strong Stuff, This Insurance")
• Ep2: The Hero
• Ep3: Mrs. Crawford, Senior Person
• Ep4: The Agent
• Ep5: The Apartment
• Ep6: The Junior
• Ep7: The Punch and Judy Affair
• Ep8: Anything You Can Do

Season 2

• Ep9: Dear Sexy Knickers
• Ep10: Camping In
• Ep11: Our Figures Are Slipping
• Ep12: Heir Apparent
• Ep13: Front Page Story
• Ep14: Undesirable Alien
• Ep15: Diamonds are a Man's Best Friend
• Ep16: His and Hers

Legacy

This series was broadcast solely within Australia and did not reach the UK or other major regions where Are You Being Served? had gained a strong following, including Ireland, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand.

Since the late 1980s, it has not been shown again on Australian television. Conversely, the original UK version of Are You Being Served? has been rerun numerous times on Australian channels such as ABC Television and Channel Seven, consistently drawing large viewership.

A running gag on the radio program Get This suggested that missing master tapes prevented a DVD release; nevertheless, as of January 2024, the National Film and Sound Archive retains copies of all episodes.

External links

• Are You Being Served? at the National Film and Sound Archive