For anyone wanting to delve more deeply into Grace and Favour there isn’t a lot of information available. The series has always been overshadowed by the far more popular Are You Being Served?, often dismissed in a passing mention on a website or relegated to a few pages in the back of a book on the original series. My site is attempting to address the balance. In the meantime here are a few of the main sources for further information which no serious fan of the series should overlook.
Wendy Richard…No ‘S’ My Life Story, by Wendy Richard. Pocket Books. 2001, 280 pages.
Published in 2000 before she left East Enders, this is a revealing and honest account of her life and career, beginning with her childhood and continuing through her personal struggles to her many TV and film appearances including, of course, Are You Being Served? the sitcom for which she is best known. There is a chapter on Grace and Favour in which she returned as Miss Brahms and here she tells some amusing anecdotes about working on the series, one of which involved a flock of sheep! She also devotes several pages to her friendship with Billy Burden which began while they were filming on location. There are many pictures, some in colour though only a few are from her time in Grace and Favour. One nice touch is the extensive list of her TV, film and theatre appearances, along with a couple of records she made early on in her career.
Are You Being Served? The Inside Story of Britain’s Funniest – and Public Television’s Favourite – Comedy Series, by Adrian Rigelsford, et al . KQED Books, 1995, 212 pages.
This is a great book for fans of Are You Being Served?, and its spin-offs. It was written when most of the cast were still alive and were able to give interviews so there is a lot of interesting material here. Fans of Grace and Favour, however, may be disappointed as the series is covered in a mere five pages and it’s mostly summaries of the episodes, although these do include brief but interesting notes on some of the actors. Each episode is also given a star rating. Of particular note, though, is the extensive interview with Jeremy Lloyd in which he discusses how Grace and Favour came about, and also such issues as why it ended after only two series and what problems they had writing it. A particularly useful feature, especially for American audiences, is the glossary of words, so if you want to know where the expression “grace and favour” comes from or what a “lift” is you will find it here.
I’m Free! The Complete Guide to Are You Being Served, by Richard Webber. Orion, 1998, 176 pages.
This profusely illustrated book has everything for fans of Are You Being Served? Including episode guides, cast lists, lots of interesting facts and a detailed history of the series. There is a little more on Grace and Favour, with the added bonus of some bios of the new members of the cast and anecdotes from Joanne Heywood and Fleur Bennett about working on the series. An episode guide is also included. First published in 1998, I’m Free! Commemorates the 25th anniversary of Are You Being Served? And includes an introduction by the writers, Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft.
Are You Being Served? Central! – the Official Website
Now in its 12th year, the Official AYBS?Central! website hosted by Elina Lampart over in the USA covers Are You Being Served? from just about every conceivable angle. There are bios of all the cast with listings of their TV and film appearances, and even pages on everything from stage shows to autographs and props. Fans of Grace and Favour are also surprisingly well catered for, with even information on the cast who had minor roles in the series. What the site doesn’t have are many articles or interviews with the cast (though there is one interview with Joanne Heywood which dates from 2004) and sometimes one could wish for more descriptions or commentary to accompany listings or photos. Nevertheless, with support from Jeremy Lloyd, the site has grown to become the most comprehensive resource for the series and it’s various spin-offs available on the net. One rather nice extra feature is a forum where anyone can post messages and discuss any related topics.
I’m amazed at how much Elina has managed to include, although as she says herself, the pages are still not complete and she does update them, though sometimes not so frequently as she would like due to other commitments but you can check for them on Twitter and Facebook. Navigating around the sight is straightforward and there are plenty of links to other resources around the internet.
.http://aybscentral.com/home.html
© 2020, John Fraser. All rights reserved.