Grace & Favour
Encyclopedia
Grace & Favour is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 sitcom
British sitcom
A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...

 sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...

 to the long-running series Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...

It aired on BBC1
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...

 for two series from 1992 to 1993 and marked the return of Are You Being Served? creators and writers Jeremy Lloyd
Jeremy Lloyd
Jeremy Lloyd is an English writer, screenwriter, author and actor, best known as co-author and writer of several successful British sitcoms.-Career:...

 and David Croft.

History

The idea of a spinoff was originally suggested by the cast of Are You Being Served? almost immediately after the original series ended in 1985. Lloyd and Croft liked the idea, but agreed that the department store format was exhausted and that any spinoff would require a change of location. Despite the enthusiasm of the original cast, it would be almost seven years before Lloyd and Croft brought them back to television. The plotline that brought the cast from the store to the manor was considered remarkably topical, since it aired just a few months after the death of British publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell
Robert Maxwell
Ian Robert Maxwell MC was a Czechoslovakian-born British media proprietor and former Member of Parliament , who rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire...

, who was revealed to have borrowed heavily against his own employees' pensions. Grace and Favour was different from Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...

in that it involved a continuous story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...

, with certain plot elements, such as the relationship between Mr Humphries and Mavis Moulterd, unfolding throughout each episode. This in turn allowed the series to involve more complex storylines and subplots, making it possible for returning guest stars and location shooting, which was never done on Are You Being Served?

The series name is a double play on words. A "grace and favour" is a home or other property, owned by a monarch but given to the use of a faithful retainer upon his retirement, such as the retired characters in this series. Grace is also the name of the owner of Grace Brothers, the fictional department store the characters previously worked in.

Cast

Original cast member Mike Berry (Mr Spooner) chose not to return. Arthur English
Arthur English
Arthur Leslie Norman English was an English actor and comedian from the music hall tradition.English was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. After serving in the army in World War II, reaching the rank of sergeant, English worked as a painter and decorator in his native town...

 (Mr Harman) was also not brought in due to his retirement. Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard, MBE was an English actress best known for playing Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and Pauline Fowler in EastEnders...

 took time off filming for EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...

to film the two series of Grace and Favour. (In EastEnders, it was said that her character travelled to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 to visit her brother Kenny Beale after a car crash.) Also returning to their roles were John Inman
John Inman
Frederick John Inman was an English actor best known for his role as Mr. Humphries in Are You Being Served?, a British sitcom in the 1970s and 1980s. Inman was also well known in the United Kingdom as a pantomime dame....

, who played the effeminate Mr Humphries; Mollie Sugden
Mollie Sugden
Isobel Mary 'Mollie' Sugden was an English comedy actress best known for portraying the saleswoman Mrs. Slocombe in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? from 1972 to 1985. She later reprised this role in Grace & Favour, which ran from 1992 to 1993...

, as former head of ladieswear Mrs Slocombe, Frank Thornton, who played the floorwalker Captain Peacock; and Nicholas Smith as the former head of the department, Cuthbert Rumbold. These were the only five actors to have appeared throughout the entire run of Are You Being Served?

Several new repeat characters were added to the show. Joanne Heywood
Joanne Heywood
Joanne Heywood is an English television actress, probably best known for her role as Jessica Lovelock in Grace & Favour, a spin-off series of Are You Being Served?.-Early Life and Career:...

 as Miss Lovelock, Billy Burden
Billy Burden
William George Burden was an English actor known as Billy Burden.He made many appearances at in The 'Theatre Royal Panto in bath for 'Frank Maddox'. Debuted on ITV as William in the TV series A Present for Dickie , but only six episodes were made...

 as farmer Maurice Moulterd, and Fleur Bennett
Fleur Bennett
Fleur Alison Bennett is a British television actress.-Education:Born in St. Ives, Cornwall, Fleur was affectionately called 'flower' or 'Fleurpops' when she was a child. She attended St. Ives High School Fleur Alison Bennett (born 18 June 1968) is a British television actress.-Education:Born in...

 as his daughter, Mavis, appeared in all 12 episodes. Michael Bilton
Michael Bilton
Michael Bilton was an English actor best known for his roles in the British television sitcoms To the Manor Born and Waiting for God....

, as Mr Grace's solicitor, Mr Thorpe, and his assistant, Miss Prescott, played by Shirley Cheriton
Shirley Cheriton
Shirley Cheriton is a British actress and performer, best known for her roles as Debbie Wilkins in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and her portrayal of Miss Prescott in the Are You Being Served? follow up, Grace & Favour...

, also held key roles over both series.

Cast list

  • Mollie Sugden
    Mollie Sugden
    Isobel Mary 'Mollie' Sugden was an English comedy actress best known for portraying the saleswoman Mrs. Slocombe in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? from 1972 to 1985. She later reprised this role in Grace & Favour, which ran from 1992 to 1993...

     - Mrs Betty Slocombe
  • John Inman
    John Inman
    Frederick John Inman was an English actor best known for his role as Mr. Humphries in Are You Being Served?, a British sitcom in the 1970s and 1980s. Inman was also well known in the United Kingdom as a pantomime dame....

     - Mr Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries
  • Wendy Richard
    Wendy Richard
    Wendy Richard, MBE was an English actress best known for playing Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and Pauline Fowler in EastEnders...

     - Miss Shirley Brahms
  • Frank Thornton
    Frank Thornton
    Frank Thornton is an English actor who is best known for playing Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served? and its sequel Grace & Favour and as Truly in Last of the Summer Wine.-Early life:...

     - Captain Stephen Peacock
  • Nicholas Smith - Mr Cuthbert Rumbold
  • Fleur Bennett
    Fleur Bennett
    Fleur Alison Bennett is a British television actress.-Education:Born in St. Ives, Cornwall, Fleur was affectionately called 'flower' or 'Fleurpops' when she was a child. She attended St. Ives High School Fleur Alison Bennett (born 18 June 1968) is a British television actress.-Education:Born in...

     - Mavis Moulterd
  • Joanne Heywood
    Joanne Heywood
    Joanne Heywood is an English television actress, probably best known for her role as Jessica Lovelock in Grace & Favour, a spin-off series of Are You Being Served?.-Early Life and Career:...

     - Jessica Lovelock
  • Billy Burden
    Billy Burden
    William George Burden was an English actor known as Billy Burden.He made many appearances at in The 'Theatre Royal Panto in bath for 'Frank Maddox'. Debuted on ITV as William in the TV series A Present for Dickie , but only six episodes were made...

     - Maurice Moulterd
  • Michael Bilton
    Michael Bilton
    Michael Bilton was an English actor best known for his roles in the British television sitcoms To the Manor Born and Waiting for God....

     - Mr Thorpe
  • Shirley Cheriton
    Shirley Cheriton
    Shirley Cheriton is a British actress and performer, best known for her roles as Debbie Wilkins in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and her portrayal of Miss Prescott in the Are You Being Served? follow up, Grace & Favour...

     - Miss Prescott
  • Gregory Cox - Mr Frobisher
  • Andrew Barclay - Malcolm Heathcliff
  • Diane Holland
    Diane Holland
    Diane Holland was a British actress.She was unmarried and trained as a dancer before being given the part of Yvonne Stewart-Hargreaves in Hi-de-Hi! by her brother-in-law, Jimmy Perry...

     - Celia Littlewood
  • Andy Joseph - Joseph Lee
  • Eric Dodson
    Eric Dodson
    Eric Dodson was an English actor born in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. He appeared as bar owner Jack Pomeroy in Series Three to Five of Rumpole of the Bailey. He also appeared in the Doctor Who story The Visitation and many other roles.He died in 2000 at age 79.-External links:...

     - Sir Robert
  • Maggie Holland - Mrs Cleghampton

Plot line

The new series has the elderly and womanizing "Old Mr Grace", head of Grace Brothers department store, recently deceased while scuba-diving on holiday in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

 with his personal secretary, Miss Jessica Lovelock. As per the instructions in his will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...

, the remaining workers at Grace Brothers' closing sale, each department finding their pension invested in different things. The members of the Mens and Ladies Departments inherit the estate that is the locale of the show, along with Ms. Lovelock.
Young Mr Grace had invested their pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...

 funds in a multitude of antiquated businesses, the largest of which is a country manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...

 called Millstone Manor. The will stipulates that they cannot sell the house and split the profits, but can use the property in the manner of their choosing. After a trip to Millstone Manor to view the property, where they also learn their pensions are minuscule, they decide to live in the manor in order to run it as an inn and live off the proceeds. Miss Lovelock, given accommodation in the grooms' quarters and charge of the horses, also lives at the manor much to the distress of Mrs Slocombe and Miss Brahms. Captain Peacock is not so bothered, however.

The series begins just after the funeral of Mr Grace, and quickly brings the cast to Millstone Manor. There they find Mr Rumbold having trouble trying to find new staff after telling the previous staff "in no uncertain terms" that if they did not straighten up they could leave - and they left. With time running out, the old Grace Brothers employees are obligated to "stand in" for the staff in order to have their picture taken as the inn staff for a travel brochure. Soon they find that they are running the inn themselves with the help of Mr Moulterd, who manages the manor's farm, and his daughter Mavis, who helps out at the manor.

With Mr Humphries forced by circumstance to share a bed with Mavis, he finds that she develops a bit of a crush on him. This series of events leads all of the cast to assume they are having an affair, which flatters Mr Humphries, though he denies any such goings-on. Despite these events, Mr Humphries continues to be rather ambivalent to the idea of a relationship with anyone. A young man from the village vies with Humphries for Mavis' affection, and frequently attempts to intimidate him by threatening him with violence.

On her first day in the country, Mrs Slocombe tries to move a gypsy's wagon that blocked the road and ends up charged with wagon theft, narrowly avoiding a charge of indecent exposure since there was "just a flash" as the out-of-control wagon raced past the post office. At her trial, all of her colleagues are called as witnesses, but it is Mr Moulterd who ends up winning the case for her. Mrs Slocombe is grateful, despite her irritation that he brings up their sexual relationship during the War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, which she insists never happened. Also notable, is the unexpected appearance of the oft alluded to, but never-before-seen Mr Slocombe, from whom Mrs Slocombe seeks to hide her identity. We also finally get to see Mrs Slocombe's pussy (cat), the formerly-unseen source of many surprisingly lewd double entendres in the original series.

Other events include the staff putting on a traditional harvest festival
Harvest festival
A Harvest Festival is an annual celebration which occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times throughout the world...

 dance for octogenarian American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 visitors and putting on a showcase of British arts and culture for a tour group from Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...

.

Series 1

1. Young Mr Grace has died and the store has closed. On behalf of the pension fund, Mr Grace acquired a Tudor manor house with farm which at the moment is being run as a country house hotel. Being the only source of pension money for the retired staff, they all decide to visit for the weekend to investigate its possibilities.

2. The staff decide to take over Millstone Manor and run it for themselves. The home farm, run by Morris Moulterd and his daughter Mavis, provides fresh eggs for breakfast, but Mrs Slocombe gets a shock whilst collecting them. Mr Humphries and Mavis "to-and-fro" in the woodshed.

3. Mrs Slocombe finds herself in court charged with stealing a gypsy cart. Captain Peacock and the others travel to town on the back of Moulterd's pig cart. Once in court the staff come forward as character witnesses.

4. A group of American tourists, the hotel's first guests, are due to arrive at the weekend but there are still very few replies to Mr Rumbold's advert for staff. The only alternative is for them all to knuckle down and try to make the place presentable.

5. A photograph is organised for the hotel brochure. The staff decide to fill the vacant positions at the Manor themselves. Something ghastly (with a bald head and big ears) walks about the manor on a dark and stormy night.

6. A group of American tourists arrive for the weekend as part of their European tour. The former shop workers do their best, but the Americans are expecting a church service and the traditional Harvest Thanksgiving dance.

Series 2

1. Mrs Slocombe's cat, Tiddles, gets gummed up. A gun discovered by Captain Peacock brings the riot police to Millstone Manor where the criminal records of such notorious characters as "Knuckles Rumbold" are revealed.

2. The staff organise a cricket match against the townspeople. The match is marred by the jealousy of Malcolm Heathcliff, who sees Mr Humphries as a competitor for Mavis' affections. The highlights of the match are a fantastic dive by Mrs Slocombe and a winning stroke of Mr Humphries.

3. Mrs Slocombe's long-lost husband pays an unexpected visit after an absence of 42 years, forcing Mrs Slocombe into hiding. When the staff find that he intends to purchase the hotel, they temporarily expand the staff to make the idea seem unprofitable.

4. Mr Rumbold, Mrs Slocombe, Mr Humphries and Miss Brahms plant potatoes. Captain Peacock removes a petrified cat from a niche in the attic, precipitating a series of supernatural events.

5. A Mongolian tour group gets a cultural extravaganza from the staff at Millstone Manor. The high point of their visit occurs on the presentation of the ballet by Mr "Sergei" Humphries and Miss "Natasha" Lovelock.

6. After Mr Rumbold complains that he gets no respect, the staff vote to share authority democratically. The staff play darts against the local team at the village pub. Captain Peacock leads a commando raid to rescue a flock of sheep.

DVD releases

Both the Region 1 and Region 4 release contains both series of Grace & Favour in one set. It is unknown if the Region 2 release will be the same.
DVD Title Disc No. Year Ep. # DVD release
Region 1
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...

Region 2
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...

Region 4
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...

Complete Series 1 & 2 2 1992
1992 in British television
This is a list of British television related events from 1992.-Events:*7 January – Debut of Cold Blood – The Massacre of East Timor, an edition of the documentary strand First Tuesday concerning the Santa Cruz massacre....

 - 1993
1993 in British television
This is a list of British television related events from 1993.-Events:*1 January – Carlton Television takes over the ITV London Weekday franchise at midnight, replacing Thames Television after 24 years...

12 7 September 2004 Unknown 6 March 2009

Location filming

All external filming for the series was undertaken in and around Tetbury
Tetbury
Tetbury is a town and civil parish within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census.In the Middle Ages,...

 in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....

. Primary filming was at Chavenage House
Chavenage House
Chavenage House is an Elizabethan era manor house situated 2.414 km or 1.5 miles northwest of Tetbury, in the Cotswolds area of Gloucestershire, England.It is constructed of Cotswold stone, with a Cotswold stone tiled roof....

, just outside of Tetbury.
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