Are You Being Served?

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.