The classic '70s Britcom Are You Being Served? remains one of the most beloved laugh-fests ever invented. The show focuses on the Gents & Ladies clothing department of the fictional Grace Brothers department store, and the hijinks which ensue within. Known for its slapstick physical comedy and bold sexual double entendres, Are You Being Served? continues to make audiences laugh 35 years later.
The strength of the show lies in its characters, most of which are exaggerated versions of real life people that show creators David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd were familiar with. That being said, they're all quite nasty to one another, but not equally so. Without further delay, here are the most horrible characters in Are You Being Served?, and why they deserve their reputation!
Mr. Lucas
Ever-the-Junior of the Men's Department, Mr. Lucas started out as a slacker who was routinely late, failed to make any sales headway, and attracted the wrong kind of attention from his superiors. His generation gap clash with senior management (including Captain Peacock) was a recurring theme in the series.
He was also terrible to his co-workers, routinely betraying and insulting them. His primary target was Mrs. Slocombe, who started out quite fond of Mr. Lucas before the two became bitter enemies. She frequently became the target of his cruel jokes.
Mr. Mash
The character of Mr. Mash was meant to poke fun at Britain's class system, especially when it came to the workplace. His seemingly lowly position as a stock and maintenance man hid the fact that he was raking in tons of money via overtime and union benefits, while more "esteemed" sales staff barely earned a living.
Regardless, Mr. Mash was an unkempt, low-class individual who frequently made inappropriate jokes, blackmailed senior management, and gave the phrase "workplace sexual harassment" a whole new meaning!
Mr. Grainger
The original senior salesman of the Gents Department was Mr. Grainger, a crotchety old man who clung to a traditional class system that was quickly fading out of style in 1970s Britain. He spent over 30 years at Grace Brothers, earning himself a position of (relative) esteem among his peers.
He was also a bad-tempered individual who despised the fact that the Gents department were required to share store space with the Ladies, and he loathed children as a rule. While responsible for some of the most hilarious comedy in the show, Mr. Grainger was often the guy you'd wish would just retire, already!
Mr. Goldberg
When the Gents said goodbye to a retiring Mr. Tebbs, the staff voted on Mr. Goldberg as a suitable replacement. Seemingly kind at first glance, Mr. Goldberg was actually a full-on swindler who knew how to game the system to his advantage.
After using a sob story to get is foot in the door at Grace Brothers, he quickly took over the senior position on the promise of extra commission for Mr. Lucas and Mr. Humphries. From there, he participated in all kinds of schemes to line his own pockets.
Mr. Spooner
When Mr. Lucas finally left Grace Brothers, Mr. Spooner was hired as his replacement. Just when the staff didn't think things could get any worse, they did! Spooner turned out to be more juvenile and mischievous than Mr. Lucas, who was capable of at least putting up a decent facade.
Spooner's relationship with Mrs. Slocombe was also far more adversarial, and he was quick to torment her with constant trolling, just to get a reaction.
Captain Peacock
Captain Peacock's role as floorwalker was meant to show a sense of leadership and style in the Ladies & Gents department, but his personality was far from the regal stature he was capable of showing off. Though honorable in certain ways, Peacock was primarily a womanizer who got himself in hot water with his wife on more than one occasion!
His lecherous advances on fellow staff, secretaries and customers earned him a notorious reputation, especially when the annual Christmas party came rolling around! He was also quite arrogant, viewing himself as vastly superior to his co-workers because of his esteemed position.
Diana Yardswick
The Grace Brothers canteen was notorious for serving up some truly noxious food in the bowels of its filthy kitchen. It didn't help matters much that the manageress was such an offensive person, head to toe. Diana Yardswick was foul-mouthed, ill-tempered and aggressive, even going so far as to physically assault staff who criticized the bad food that came out of the kitchen.
She also wasn't above showing total disrespect and insubordination to senior management, such as Mr. Rumbold. When she'd finally had enough of the complaints, she organized a walkout with the entire kitchen staff, forcing Ladies & Gents to step in and fill the role, with hilarious results!
Mr. Rumbold
Senior manager Mr. Rumbold fancied himself a strong and empathetic leader, but he wasn't exactly the world's greatest boss! Rumbold played to the favor of Mr. Grace and the members of the Board more than anyone else, and it showed in how he implemented many of his on-set business practices.
He was also the sort of guy to steal other people's ideas for generating sales, in order to take the credit for himself. This ended up backfiring on several occasions when things didn't go according to plan, leaving him as the sole beneficiary of the blame!
Mr. Humphries
The lovable Mr. Humphries was an immediate hit with audiences of the show, primarily due to the campy nature of the character. In truth however, Mr. Humphries used a facade of innocence and kindness as a smokescreen to do all sorts of dastardly things, under the radar!
Humphries would frequently suck up to whoever was in charge, for his own benefit. He would lie repeatedly to customers with sociopathic abandon to sell goods, and he wasn't above getting frisky with them at the same time! All in all, Mr. Humphries was definitely the one to watch out for!
Young Mr. Grace
At first glance, Young Mr. Grace (Old Mr. Grace didn't get about very much) appears to be a benevolent and kind old man, but nothing could be further from the truth. When not suffering from the onset of dementia, Young Mr. Grace was busy chasing after pretty twenty-somethings, while seeking to enrich himself.
He was just as kind to his staff as he was cruel, often praising them for doing a great job, while paying them a pittance in wages. He also wasn't above injecting a little deception into his business dealings to stay competitive!