Is this Heaven? No, it’s Humphry Slocombe!

Ok, they didn’t ask ‘are you being served?’ and no one said, “I’m free” when I finally hit the front of the line recently at Humphry Slocombe in San Francisco’s Ferry Building but the evidence as to the influence on owner’s Jake Godby and Sean Vahey’s craft was abundantly clear. The vintage British sitcom Are […]

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Grace Brothers to re-open Sunday – who wants to go shopping?

Sunday night on BBC1, as part of the channel’s Landmark Sitcom Season, it’s Are You Being Served, Again”… again. This time, however, it’s 1988 but we’re not on a farm of any kind. Grace Brothers is re-opening its doors and Young Mr Grace is determined to drag the flagship department store into, well 1988, but he has a […]

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London’s Grace Brothers Department Store set to re-open after 30+ years

While it’s been more than three decades since we last were able to walk into the retail ladies’ and gentlemen’s clothing department of London’s Grace Brothers department store, the doors appear ready to re-open in the not-too-distant future. The classic BBC comedy series, which ran from 1971 to 1985, is set for a re-boot as part […]

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‘Are You Being Served’ headed kicking and screaming into 1988!

Comedy and drama dominated day 2 at the BBC Showcase in Liverpool. At this point, most everyone on Planet Earth is keenly aware of the BBC’s desire to produce a reboot of the early 70s comedy classic, Are You Being Served?. What has not been known until now is the details with respect to casting and story […]

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Are You Being Served…Again!

As part of their Landmark Sitcom Season celebrating 60 years of British Comedy on the BBC in 2016, the Beeb announced recently that they would be commissioning 21st century remakes of several classic British comedies including Porridge, Up Pompeii, Are You Being Served?, Good Neighbors and Keeping Up Appearances. While, unfortunately, many of the actors associated with these decades old comedy […]

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A Labor Day salute to the employees of Grace Brothers Department Store

In the United States, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement, dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country. As we settle in for the […]

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A British comedy Labor Day salute to the workforce

It’s Labor Day here in the States, the American holiday that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. While it also signals the end of summer and, thankfully, considered the last day of the year when it is considered fashionable to wear white, we can’t let the long weekend pass by without  paying a bit […]

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