The WORST episodes of Are You Being Served?
Every episode of Are You Being Served? ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Are You Being Served?!
At the struggling Grace Brothers department store, the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s departments share a floor—and very little else willingly. Under the anxious eye of Mr Rumbold, Captain Peacock, Mrs Slocombe, Mr Humphries and their colleagues contend with difficult customers, management schemes, staff rivalries and one indignity after another, transforming everyday retail into a gleeful procession of innuendo, dressing up and exquisitely British chaos.
#1 - Memories Are Made of This
Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/6/1983
When the sports goods are temporarily relocated to the mens & ladies floor, Captain Peacock tries out some golf equipment and accidentally hits Mrs. Slocombe. She then thinks she's a little girl, wrecking havoc on the store as she cavorts around the department.
#2 - Is It Catching?
Season 8 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/9/1981
The staff contract a strange tropical illness, Marine's Disease, from Mr. Humphries. They are quarantined in the basement until the disease has passed.
#3 - Take-Over
Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/25/1977
The staff prevent another firm's hostile takeover of Grace Brothers by impersonating the shareholders. Mr. Harman gives a rousing speech, and Grace Brothers is saved.
#4 - The Hand of Fate
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/27/1975
Mr. Humphries begins displaying his ability to read palms and tell the future. He sees that Captain Peacock will soon be "climbing the ladder and wearing a new hat". Everyone takes this to mean a promotion, especially now that there's a vacancy on the Board of Directors and Mr. Rumbold is in line for it. Captain Peacock expects to take Mr. Rumbold's job. The department staff soon all imagine moving up.
#5 - Big Brother
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/4/1974
There's trouble afoot at Grace Brothers! Someone's been lifting Mrs. Slocombe's skirts and putting their hands in Mr. Grainger's drawers. Shoplifting has struck the store and Mr. Rumbold installs a store detective and a video surveillance system. It goes off track for awhile, as Mr. Rumbold turns into a voyeur and the staff act like they're on television. Ultimately, the staff decide to do in the scheme and prey on Mr. Rumbolds hypochondria to accomplish it.
#6 - Pilot
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/8/1972
A reorganization within the store forces the staff of the Gentlemens Ready-To-Wear Department to share their floor space with the Ladies Department. Mrs. Slocombe, head of the Ladies, and Mr. Grainger, head of the Gents, immediately come to loggerheads over control of the center floor display. Mr. Grainger refuses to take down his trousers and put Mrs. Slocombe's underwear in its place. Undaunted, she goes over his head to Captain Peacock, and then to Mr. Rumbold.
#7 - The Hero
Season 7 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/16/1979
Captain Peacock is challenged to a boxing match by a member of another department. He backs out, and Mr. ""Hugger"" Humphries is "" elected"" to take his place in a wrestling match. He loses that match, but Mrs. Slocombe enters the ring and defeats the challenger.
#8 - The Apartment
Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/2/1979
By permission of Mr. Grace, Mrs. Slocombe moves into a display apartment in Grace Brothers, because her new home is occupied by squatters. Due to a transport strike, Mr. Humphries seeks to join her in her new accommodations.
#9 - Fire Practice
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/29/1976
After finding that Grace Brothers' fire precautions leave a lot to be desired, Mr. Harman helps out training the staff in fire preparedness and a fireman gives Mr. Humphries a lift.
#10 - Shedding the Load
Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/6/1978
Sales figures are down; profits are low. Young Mr. Grace is forced to make some economies. The threat of redundancies is looming. Someone is going to have to go - but who is it to be?
#11 - The Club
Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/22/1978
Young Mr. Grace invites his workers to form a social club - in a dismal cellar badly in need of decoration. Undeterred, the staff tackle the paint and paper job with vigor.
#12 - It Pays to Advertise
Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/8/1977
The staff star in a TV commercial for Grace Brothers, produced by Mr. Humphries. Could Mr. Grace's cheapness be the reason for using his staff in such fashion?
#13 - Goodbye Mr. Grainger
Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/1/1977
Mr. Grainger's temper as become extremely short. The staff, in a private meeting with Mr. Rumbold, decide he must go. However, when he wins the lottery, his bad mood vanishes and he makes his peace with the staff and stays on.
#14 - The Old Order Changes
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/18/1977
Young Mr. Grace returns from a trip to the U.S. with a host of new sales techniques that he is eager to implement.
#15 - Founder's Day
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/11/1977
To celebrate Mr. Grace's 80th birthday, the staff organize This is Your Department, a spoof of This is Your Life.
#16 - A Change Is as Good as a Rest
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/4/1977
When Mr. Grace announces that he plans on temporarily reorganizing the departments, the staff are indignant, but find that work can be a lot of fun...if you're working in the toy department.
#17 - Mrs. Slocombe Expects
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/25/1977
The staff have kittens when Mrs. Slocombe announces she's expecting a happy event, but it turns out that it's merely her cat that's pregnant; when she refuses to leave Tiddles unattended, she braves the ire of Captain Peacock by smuggling the cat into the ladies' fitting room.
#18 - Oh What a Tangled Web
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/13/1976
Rumors fly when Captain Peacock gets too friendly with Mr. Rumbold's secretary at the Christmas party, and things get really out-of-hand when it seems they might have spent the night together.
#19 - Fifty Years On
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/6/1976
After Mrs. Slocombe starts dropping hints that it's her birthday, the staff calculate that she is 50 and plan an appropriate party.
#20 - Forward Mr. Grainger
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/22/1976
Mr. Grainger is selected to fill in for Mr. Rumbold while he is away; the staff wonder whether they should take advantage of Mr. Grainger's good nature, only to discover to their horror that he doesn't have one when he sacks Mrs. Slocombe.
#21 - Front Page Story
Season 8 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/23/1981
Mr. Humphries is made editor of the new staff magazine. The 1st Floor staff is not pleased with the stories he writes about them causing friction in the relations between floors.
#22 - Heir Apparent
Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/7/1981
Old Mr. Grace becomes convinced that Mr. Humphries is his long-lost son.
#23 - The Erotic Dreams of Mrs. Slocombe
Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/28/1981
Mrs. Slocombe has dreams in which she and Mr. Humphries become romantically embroiled. When she attempts to turn fantasy into reality, the situation becomes most difficult to handle.
#24 - The Sweet Smell of Success
Season 9 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/22/1983
The staff find they have to start paying more for lunch and Mrs. Slocombe tries to make some side money by selling her home-made perfume.
#25 - Conduct Unbecoming
Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/29/1983
Captain Peacock continues to flirt with Mr. Rumbold's new secretary while Mr. Humphries leaves his mother's home and is accused of stealing.