At the start of the eighth series so much changed that the show never really felt the same. We get another new senior salesman (although he wouldn't last for more than three episodes), Mr Grossman, who is introduced quite well. His appearance in the department causes Mrs Slocombe to show off her skills as a shoe salesperson. Mollie Sugden gets the chance to do some (remarkable, considering her age) physical comedy. But the new junior, Mr Spooner, hardly gets any introduction. During the course of the episode he utters lines that were obviously written for Mr Lucas, which therefore seem contrived.
When poor Harold Bennett became too old for the role of Young Mr Grace, he needed a replacement too. The producers chose an actor who was obviously younger than the character that he portrayed. There's something wrong about watching an old actor and a young actor playing an old character working together in one scene.
The plot for this episode could be written on a grain of rice, probably because so much time is spent on introducing Grossman and Old Mr Grace. It's just an excuse for a completely unbelievable piece of slapstick with a water bed.moreless
Episode Summary
EDIT
The staff contracts a strange tropical illness, Marine's Disease, from Mr. Humphries. They are quarantined in the basement until the disease is past.
-
GUEST STAR
John D. CollinsDoctor
-
John Inman
Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries (1972-1985)
-
Mollie Sugden
Mrs. Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Slocombe (1972-1985)
-
Frank Thornton
Captain Stephen Peacock
-
Wendy Richard
Miss Shirley Brahms (1972-1985)
-
Mike Berry
Mr. Bert Spooner (1981-1985)
-
Arthur English
Mr. Beverley Harman (1976-1985)
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
See All-
TRIVIA (0)
ADD TRIVIA- ADD TRIVIA from this episode.
-
QUOTES (2)
ADD QUOTES-
Old Mr Grace: Is that where I'm going to sit, I suppose?
Young Mr Grace: Yes, that's right.
Old Mr Grace: Where does my secretary sit?
Young Mr Grace: On your knee, you fool!
-
Mr Grossman: Mr Spooner, why is Mr Humphries sitting down and fanning himself with a couple of y-fronts?
Mr Spooner: He's come over peculiar.
Mr Grossman: I've heard about that, but I didn't realize this is the form it took.
-
-
NOTES (2)
ADD NOTES-
This was the first season of AYBS to have skipped a calendar year, due to a break to develop new episodes and to allow John Inman to film two seasons of the Australian version of the program.
-
This was the first appearance of Mike Berry as Bert Spooner, Mr. Lucas' replacement, Milo Spelber as Mr. Grossman, Mr. Goldberg's replacement, and Kenneth Waller as Old Mr. Grace. This was the final appearance of Harold Bennett as Young Mr. Grace, he'll come back to make a brief appearance in "Roots?". That same year, Harold Bennett sadly passed away.
-
-
ALLUSIONS (0)
ADD ALLUSIONS- ADD ALLUSIONS from this episode.
-
Customers Served
Yesterday2
-
Mrs. Slocombe's Hair Color Chart
Yesterday2
-
Mr. Lucas
Yesterday9
-
Trevor Bannister bka Mr. Lucas has passed away
Yesterday5
-
RIP John Inman....
04/05/116
Season 8 Episodes
See AllEp 8
Roots?
Ep 7
The Erotic Dreams of Mrs. ...
Ep 6
Closed Circuit
Ep 5
Heir Apparent
Ep 4
Sit Out
Ep 3
Front Page Story
Ep 2
A Personal Problem
Ep 1
Is It Catching?
-
francklloyd EDITOR
User Score: 871
-
NiteWatch
User Score: 544
-
CottonButtons
User Score: 27
-
GeorgeFergus
User Score: 27
-
Jim522A
User Score: 17
-
TheNthDr
User Score: 13
-
Patsy5424
User Score: 13
-
fshepinc
User Score: 12
-
VerityJackson
User Score: 10
-
HelloStuart
User Score: 10
More
Less
