Are You Being Served

captain clutterbuck said:
I really liked Ever Decreasing Circles I am sure there is a Martin Bryce in every town and I actually know someone who portrays his traits . My neighbour and his wife have a running battle over something so simple it matches that of Martin and Anne regarding the telephone where Anne puts the receiver one way and Martin turns it the other way , a running gag that appears in pretty much every episode . With my neighbours its the Kitchen roll . Margaret puts it on the holder so you'd pull the roll left to tear off a strip , Ian on finding it turns it around so you'd pull it right to tear a strip , it drives him mad . However, I have friends who absolutely detest EDC and cannot for the life of them think why I enjoy it .
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I like that programme also but it is lacking something. :rolleyes:
 
Barrychuckle said:
I agree with CC, the early episodes were very good, the ones at the end were very poor indeed, a perfect example of not knowing when a series has passed it's sell by date. The spin off Grace & Favour or Are You Being Served Again as it was branded in the US is not too bad, it's quite sweet and gentle and worth a watch. I'm not sure if others agree but the AYBS film I felt was excruciatingly bad.
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True, the film was atrocious
 
Thomas95 said:
The one off special when the BBC were celebrating comedy a couple of years back was absolutely shocking
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To to truthful, I liked that a lot better than the new series of Porridge they did. If they had tried an AYBS series, it might have done well after a few episodes. You can't always tell with just one episode. Summer Wine was only successful after 2 series had been broadcast.
 
imitation700mb said:
To to truthful, I liked that a lot better than the new series of Porridge they did. If they had tried an AYBS series, it might have done well after a few episodes. You can't always tell with just one episode. Summer Wine was only successful after 2 series had been broadcast.
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I have been watching the 1st and 2nd series of LOTSW and found it to be quite funny. Michael Bates was good, but after beginning to watch the 3rd series, Foggy (Brian Wilde) does appear to bring a different dimension to the show.
 
Moonraker said:
I have been watching the 1st and 2nd series of LOTSW and found it to be quite funny. Michael Bates was good, but after beginning to watch the 3rd series, Foggy (Brian Wilde) does appear to bring a different dimension to the show.
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It seemed to be more organised when Foggy came along. Clegg and Compo had more of a leader and a purpose to their activities, whereas Blamire was happy to let others take the lead sometimes.
 
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Of course broadcasting times also help to decide if a series would be a success. I believe the first two series of Summer Wine were broadcast on a week day at 9.30pm, after the 9.00 news. It was a few years before they moved to the more familiar early Sunday evenings. Don't forget, in the early days of Summer Wine we didn't have video recorders, the internet or catch-up services. It was always "appointment to view", so if you weren't in the right place at the right time, you had to go without. Sometimes it's not what you do, it's when and where you do it.
 
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imitation700mb said:
Of course broadcasting times also help to decide if a series would be a success. I believe the first two series of Summer Wine were broadcast on a week day at 9.30pm, after the 9.00 news. It was a few years before they moved to the more familiar early Sunday evenings. Don't forget, in the early days of Summer Wine we didn't have video recorders, the internet or catch-up services. It was always "appointment to view", so if you weren't in the right place at the right time, you had to go without. Sometimes it's not what you do, it's when and where you do it.
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Some really salient points you make here, I sometimes think if you make an effort to watch something you appreciate it more, rather than the dip in and out accessibility of today. I certainly find going to watch a play at the theatre a real treat as it has your complete concentration.
 
Barrychuckle said:
I certainly find going to watch a play at the theatre
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I haven't been to my local theatre for a while before Covid [last thing I saw was An Inspector Calls] but I really enjoyed it when I did. I used to travel frequently over the A66 on my way to Lytham and Blackpool on business and I always used to pull off the road and sit in a layby to listen to the afternoon plays on Radio 4 which were excellent . It was more enjoyable because you had to think , often be imaginative about the scenes and what the characters were conveying to follow the plot.
 
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Barrychuckle said:
Some really salient points you make here, I sometimes think if you make an effort to watch something you appreciate it more, rather than the dip in and out accessibility of today. I certainly find going to watch a play at the theatre a real treat as it has your complete concentration.
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Yes, I agree there Barry. Even though I could very easily record shows or watch them later on catch-up services, I do still practice the "appointment to view" on some shows that are important to me, as it gives me a sense of purpose and achievement, knowing I made the effort to be in the right place at the right time. Even more so if I succeed.
 
I thought Take a Letter Mr Jones wasn't too bad really - very very average, but not as bad as they say.

I like On the Buses, but it does look 'cheap' - the films were a vast improvement in my humble opinion.

I tried re-watching ITV's That's My Boy with Mollie Sugden recently, but it wasn't as good as I remembered it to be.

I seem to recall an ITV show called High Street Blues, which was quite awful.

I think there is some value in all these ITV failed sitcoms - people may just enjoy them the second time around, especially as they don't make many sitcoms now.

A channel devoted to ITV failed sitcoms would probably do very well...
 
Maybe not a failed sitcom channel, but Forces TV seems to rerun vintage ITV programmes. Presently they're showing, Please Sir, Robins Nest & Bless This House other similar....
 
Barrychuckle said:
Maybe not a failed sitcom channel, but Forces TV seems to rerun vintage ITV programmes. Presently they're showing, Please Sir, Robins Nest & Bless This House other similar....
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Yes, they tend to show the better ITV sitcoms, including some lesser known ones which are still good.

Usually ones made by Thames or LWT.
 
Very Big Very Soon and Plaza Patrol were poor ITV sitcoms too, which I'm not expecting to be released on DVD anytime soon.
 
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