Since I started this blog, I’ve found the learning curve to be steep; in fact, some of the technical issues I’ve had have been a nightmare and for this and other reasons, I’ve decided to move the blog to a new site at https://graceandfavourtvseries.blogspot.com/.
Another reason is the new site is free. Yes, absolutely free.
And finally, the new site uses Google’s own Blogger, so it’s integrated into the Google ecosystem, which will make it much easier for me.
The new site may look slightly different, but the content will be the same and I hope to post more regularly once I’ve transferred everything. This site will stay live until I have completed the transfer so it will be possible to leave comments until then.
I look forward to hearing from any Grace & Favour fans over at my new site.
Here I outline my plans for where I hope to take the blog this year
First, an apology. It’s been a while since I posted on the blog and consequently, I’ve got rather behind schedule. As some of you will know, I do have other interests but I’m not making excuses. I should have posted more and I can only apologize for that. There is still a lot to write about, even though Grace and Favour finished 30 years ago. I hope now to post monthly and here is what you can look forward to during the year.
Firstly, I plan to finish reviewing all the episodes. So far I’ve only done three, there are another nine to go. Then there are the podcasts; as many fans will know two very enthusiastic American fans covered all the episodes in That Does Suit Madam, in great detail so I need to review those. It’s interesting to hear things from an American perspective; not everything translates so well for an American audience, as you’ve probably discovered if you’ve heard Mr Geoff and Mr Brandon trying to decipher some of the English expressions and references in the series.
I also found a couple of interviews with John Inman on YouTube in which he refers to the series and I will be commenting on those. Grace & Favour doesn’t often feature in interviews, as it’s largely in the shadow of the far more popular and long-running Are You Being Served?!.
At some point, I would like to take a more detailed look at the filming process and what went on behind the scenes, but for this, I may need some additional help so it may take me a while to dig into the archives and pick people’s brains.
You have probably seen that I have been using my own drawings of the characters in the blog. This is primarily to avoid copyright issues. It seems to be a minefield, trying to find who owns the copyright to the photos and what permissions I need to use them so I decided to draw the characters instead of using photos. I still have more to do. It’s a rather time-consuming process apart from being difficult so please bare with me.
Looking further ahead, I would like at some point to visit Chavenage House, in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, the actual house that’s used for the Manor. It would be great if I could write up something on that and post a few photos of the Manor and the surrounding area which feature in the series. I’m not sure if that will be possible but it’s something I will be looking into in the future.
It has been suggested to me that I interview some of those who played minor characters in the series and it certainly would be interesting to get their impressions of working with the main cast and on the series. The Croft & Perry Podcast has already interviewed at least one of them (Andrew Barclay who played Mavis’s jealous ex-boyfriend) but I should really raise my profile and promote my blog more before I can do this. I should point out that I have no connections with the BBC or the tv industry and rely on a few individuals who have very kindly provided me with information.
I do have more plans for future posts but I’m reluctant to mention them just yet as they are rather tentative. Sorry if this is rather vague but I will reveal more as soon as I can.
Finally, I would just like to thank everyone who has shown an interest in the blog and for their suggestions and feedback. On the subject of feedback, I’ve been informed that people can no longer leave private comments. There used to be a comments box for private messages but this has disappeared, possibly when I updated WordPress. As far as I can tell, comments can still be left on the blog but if anyone has any problems they are welcome to email me. I’ll try to rectify this issue shortly. Thanks for your interest and enjoy the blog.
It may be hard to believe but thirty years have passed since the retired staff of Grace Brothers moved into Millstone Manor and tried to run it as a hotel. First shown on the BBC on 10 Jan 1992, this spin-off to Are You Being Served? lasted a mere 12 episodes (two seasons) and hasn’t been repeated here in the UK since. Yet it still has a small but loyal following, particularly in the US where the episodes still get an airing now and then. So what happened? Why wasn’t there a third series?
According to the writers, the choice of title was a major factor. The series was far more successful in the US where it was renamed Are You Being Served? Again!, so making the obvious link to the original series, whereas Grace and Favour wouldn’t have meant anything to the casual viewer; you would have had to read the blurb in the Radio Times or seen a trailer.
There was also a change of management at the BBC and Grace and Favour didn’t fit well with what they wanted. Comedy was changing, and there was a new wave of alternative comedies that made shows like Grace and Favour, old-fashioned.
I know some viewers were disappointed with the new series, which was possibly another reason for the decline in viewing figures. They missed the department store with the increasingly ridiculous antics of the staff, and the staff’s relocation to a dilapidated manor in the country was all too much to take. The staff were older and with their previously well-defined roles now eroded, some of the magic seemed, at least to their most ardent fans, to have been lost.
But Grace and Favour was different and had a charm all of its own. The Manor and surrounding country ensured a colourful backdrop to the chaos created by the staff who had no experience of country living. It was also helped by the fact that storylines ran on from one episode to another, whereas the episodes in Are You Being Served? were self-contained.
There was, of course, another reason to watch it: the new characters. Here we have the snobbish secretary to Young Mr Grace (Joanne Heywood), Mr Moultered (Billy Burden), the local farmer who runs the farm that’s attached to the manor, and his delightfully naive but beautiful daughter, Mavis (Fleur Bennett), whose increasing infatuation with Mr Humphries is a constant source of intrigue. With this trio, the series is transformed from what could have been a bland exercise in milking the original to something far more entertaining.
We can, at least, be thankful that the show survived for two seasons. Nevertheless, I do wish there had been a third and it seems the writers were hoping for one. A new comedy series can take a while to build up an audience. As it stands, the last episode didn’t reach any conclusion as it had, say, in Hi-de-Hi, where Mr Maplin decided that the holiday camp was no longer the attraction that it once was and reluctantly decided to close its doors for the final time.
So what could we have seen in a third series? Perhaps more interaction between the staff and the guests? Some of the guests complaining about the food and being waited on by a dithering Mr Humphries? But then they would be encroaching on Fawlty Towers territory and some comparisons will become inevitable. There was still more to explore, though, such as the back story to Mr Moultered and Mrs Slocombe. What really happened in their brief encounter in Tiverton? And I would have liked to have seen Mavis getting out of the kitchen a bit more. Or the staff having a Christmas party and Captain Peacock making advances towards an inebriated Miss Lovelock. But most of all, I wonder if Mr Humphries would eventually succumb to Mavis’s charms. I gather this was in the minds of the writers and a wedding was on the cards (in a script?) but whether that would have been a fitting conclusion to the series is debatable. After all, Mr Humphries would no longer be free.
A review of the Croft and Perry Interview with Gordon Peters posted October 2021
The name Gordon Peters may not be that familiar to fans of old tv sitcoms but he’s had a long career as a comedy actor, appearing in many shows over the years, including two episodes of Hi-deHi!, four episodes of Dad’s Army, two episodes of Are You Being Served? and one episode of Grace and Favour. It’s hard to believe he’s now 95; despite complaining that his memory isn’t as good as it was, he still manages to entertain on the Croft and Perry Podcast with stories about his involvement in a number of Croft and Perry shows, especially Dad’s Army and Are You Being Served?
At roughly half way (12.30 minutes in) he talks about his only appearance in Grace and Favour in which he is being interviewed as a waiter for the manor. He has previously been employed as a waiter on British Rail trains and, in a hilarious scene, staggers into the interview carrying a tray and sways about as though still on a moving train! As he exits, you hear a crash off stage. Needless to say, he doesn’t get the job. Interestingly, the crash was his idea. He suggested it to David Croft, who wasn’t known to take any suggestions from the cast, but who immediately agreed to include it.
Gordon Peters must be one of the few surviving actors from that golden age of tv sitcoms that’s sadly long gone but fortunately not forgotten. He says he’s often asked what he puts his longevity down to and he always replies that it’s doing the job he loved.
Gordon Peters appears in Season 1, episode 4 of Grace and Favour
You can see the full interview with Gordon Peters at:
A review of the Croft and Perry Interview with Andrew Barclay posted July 2021
Andrew Barclay will be known to fans of Grace and Favour as Malcolm Heathcliff, the jealous ex-boyfriend of Mavis Moultered, the farmer’s daughter. Although he appeared in only three episodes, he nevertheless made quite an impact. A suitably imposing figure (apparently 6 ft 2in), towering over a dithering Mr Humphries, he was the ideal choice for the role.
It’s interesting, then, to hear him in this Podcast (episode 68 no less) sounding very different from the character he played. Unlike the intimidating Malcolm, he’s friendly and softly spoken, here talking enthusiastically about how he got the part, the rehearsals, and working with the rest of the cast. He struck up a particular friendship with Frank Thornton and had some amusing encounters with John Inman who he also greatly admired. He even makes a confession; when asked if he could play cricket he lied and muddled through the cricket match much to the annoyance of the writers.
Until I heard Andrew’s interview, I knew very little of the man but this was enlightening. While his main claim to fame is appearing in Grace and Favour, he has proved to be something of an all-rounder as an actor, writer, producer, with credits including The Brittas Empire, among others. These days, he runs a Film Production course at the University of Hertfordshire, while still occasionally getting involved in tv work. This is an absorbing twenty minutes of reminiscences and fascinating insight from someone who now passes on his skills and knowledge to a younger generation of budding actors.
One small point: Andrew says that as far as he is aware, they never made a DVD of Grace and Favour but fortunately for fans of the series they did eventually and you can buy one on Amazon. In the US it’s entitled Are You Being Served? Again!
You can listen to the interview here: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/thecroftperrypodcast/episodes/2021-07-10T11_25_04-07_00
A review of the interview with Fleur Bennett on the Grace and Perry Podcast posted online on 23 June
Since Grace and Favour first appeared on our screens in 1992, most of the main members of the cast are sadly no longer with us. It’s good to see, then, that the Podcast has managed to secure interviews with the two surviving members, Joanne Heywood, who played the feisty secretary to Young Mr Grace, and, in complete contrast, Fleur Bennett, who delighted everyone as the homely farmer’s daughter, Mavis Moultered.
Fleur as Mavis
After listening to Joanne’s fascinating interview back in April, I was eagerly looking forward to hearing Fleur reminiscing about her time on the show and I wasn’t disappointed. There’s so much to enjoy here: lovely anecdotes about how she got the part, what it was like working with such a great cast, especially John Inman with whom she shared most of her screen time, and the moments when they laughed so much they had to retake scenes several times. Then there are lots of fascinating insights into what went on behind the scenes, both during the filming and in rehearsals, including mishaps – there were a few – and how she coped with it all. Particularly noteworthy is her admiration for the cast; she talks with great affection about how they supported her as a young girl taking her first tentative steps into television. It’s all told with such warmth and enthusiasm that makes for thoroughly absorbing 30 minutes as she paints a vivid picture of a lost golden age of comedy.
I listened to Fleur on the Google Podcasts, available from the Google Apps Store but you can also listen to it on Spotify or here:
After their first night in the hotel, the former staff of Grace Brothers tries to adjust to life in the country.
Mrs Slocombe tries to arouse Mr Humphriesand gets a big surprise.
Mr Humphries goes to-ing fro-ing with Mavis in the woodshed.
Mrs Slocombe and Captain Peacock head for the village on a horse and cart but there’s trouble ahead.
Having been confined to the shop floor for so long, the staff of the former Grace Bros department store inevitably find themselves struggling to adapt to their new life in the country and it begins as soon as they get down for breakfast. There’s nothing laid on here; as Miss Brahms remarks, the milk is still in the cow, the eggs are under the hen and the rest is in the pigsty. Oh, and there’s a mouse in the teapot!
Mr Humphries in bed
But there’s an even greater shock in store (pardon the pun) for Mrs Slocombe, who decides it’s time to arouse Mr Humphries. He’s had a dream in which the farmer’s daughter got into bed with him and is telling her about it when Mavis casually walks in and rummages under the bedclothes for a sock! A stunned Mrs Slocombe hurries downstairs to the kitchen, but before she gets a chance to tell the others, Mavis herself comes running down the stairs and quite innocently asks if anyone has seen her knickers!
Mavis
There’s even more to gossip about when Mavis takes him into the woodshed. It’s all quite innocent though; they need to saw logs to throw on the antiquated boiler (no modern central heating here), but Miss Brahms tells Mrs Slocombe Mavis has lit his fire! He certainly seems to have taken on a new lease of life!
Mrs Slocombe soon has problems of her own, however, when she goes to fetch the eggs from the hen house and has to be prised out by a rather “fresh” Mr Moultered. It becomes evident later on that he’s more familiar with her than she lets on and it transpires that she had a brief encounter with him years before.
As if she didn’t have enough to cope with, Mrs Slocombe encounters further trouble when she takes a trip to the village with Captain Peacock on a horse and cart. Their journey, however, is abruptly cut short when another horse and cart blocks the path, its driver having to attend to a personal matter behind a tree! Mrs Slocombe thinks she can get the horse to move out of the way but the horse has other ideas and gallops off into the distance with her on board and Captain Peacock following behind.
For Mr Rumbold, the new manager, there are more pressing matters to attend to and he calls a meeting to discuss their new situation. How will they run the hotel? How will they get paid? Can they get more staff? They reluctantly agree their only option is to run the hotel themselves since Mr Rumbold’s feeble attempts to advertise for more staff receive few replies and those they do get are of dubious quality. Fortunately for the Grace Bros staff, Mr Grace’s solicitor arrives with cheques from the pension fund so they can pay them their wages.
Another reason for Mr Thorpe’s appearance is to represent Mrs Slocombe in the forthcoming trial, which is the basis of the next episode. She has now been arrested for stealing a gypsy cart (a lesser charge of exposure being mercifully dropped), while Captain Peacock is done for speeding.
Miss Lovelock
All these concerns are of no interest to Miss Lovelock , whose only interest is riding her stallion, much to the annoyance of Mrs Slocombe and Miss Brahms who don’t see why she should be there at all. She does have one duty to perform though: signing the cheques as a co-beneficiary of Mr Grace’s will, which an admiring Captain Peacock delights in assisting her with.
It’s good to see these characters in a new environment and out of their comfort zones. There’s more opportunity for mishaps and, not surprisingly, even more innuendoes, while the new characters add a whole new dimension to the series: there’s the charming naivety of Mavis, the glamorous Miss Lovelock, and hints of an intriguing back story with the local farmer, Mr Moultered. Without them, life in the country would be much less interesting.
Also Appearing
Miss Prescott (Mr Thorpe’s secretary)…………..Shirley Cheriton
The names David Croft and Jimmy Perry are synonymous with such enduring classics as Are You Being Served?, Hi De Hi, Dad’s Army and the lesser-known but still very much loved, Grace and Favour. Like many people of a certain age, I grew up watching these shows and made sure I never missed an episode of any of them if I could help it. I was delighted then, to discover that there is a podcast devoted to all things Croft and Perry, appropriately named The Croft and Perry Podcast.
Miss Lovelock and Captain Peacock outside the town hall with Sally
Sadly David Croft and Jimmy Perry, like many of the leading stars, are no longer with us, but the Podcast has managed to interview a surprising number of actors who appeared in their shows over the years, as well as people who worked behind the scenes. Recently, in episode 53, Joanne Heywood, who played the feisty miss Jessica Lovelock in Grace and Favour (brilliantly, I must add), recalls her time working on the show. She talks about how she got the part, what it was like working with the cast – in particular Frank Thornton, with whom she shared a good deal of screen time – and some of the challenges that the role involved. There are some amusing anecdotes here and she clearly relished the part. It makes fascinating listening and nicely complements my interview with Joanne on this blog. I only wish it could have been longer but, that said, I could listen to it all day!
Fans of Grace and Favour will no doubt be pleased to hear that the Podcast has since interviewed Fleur Bennet, who played Mavis Moultered,, which I’m eagerly looking forward to.
As the lift doors jam in the opening few minutes and the staff gather in the boardroom for one last time, we hear some familiar old jokes from the original series.
For the first time, the staff go outdoors.
We finally get to see Mrs Slocombe’s pussy at Millstone Manor.
We meet two new characters who run the farm on the estate: Maurice Moulterd (Billy Burden), the farmer and his long-suffering daughter, Mavis (Fleur Bennett) who also helps in the Manor’s kitchen.
Another new character is the much-despised secretary to the late Young Mr Grace, Miss Lovelock (Joanne Heywood).
Mr Humphries is in for a big surprise!
Young Mr Grace has passed on and the staff of Grace Brothers finds out that they are beneficiaries in a rather dilapidated country Manor House, Millstone Manor, which turns out to be run by Mr Rumbold. Most of the hotel staff have left due to Mr Rumbold’s abrasive management style – all, that is, except for the local farmer, Mr Moulterd, and his daughter Mavis, who helps on the farm and is also the cook in the Manor. They soon decide their best option is to run the hotel themselves so they can earn some income now that they are retired.
No sooner have the staff arrived at the Manor than we see them attempting to round up the hens – a novel experience for Mr Humphries, who remarks that his mother would never believe that he was chasing birds! And that’s not all. When he goes to bed that night, he finds to his horror that he’s sharing it with the farmer’s daughter, Mavis.
We first meet Mavis, however, when the staff is sitting in the lounge, waiting expectantly for an evening meal. Mrs Slocombe bangs the gong for dinner, which Mr Moultered mistakes for the fire alarm, and much to their dismay, Mavis brings them takeaways instead.
But it’s the final few minutes that really make this episode, when Mr Humphries is sitting up in bed and Mavis enters, only to casually climb into bed with him, as though it was a perfectly normal thing to do. On the phone to his mother, he tells her, ”It’s worked out quite well, but not how you would expect!” Then the closing scene – a close-up shot of Mr Humphries telling his mother she has nothing to worry about, just as Mavis’s arm encircles him. “In fact,” he says, “you may never have anything to worry about again!”
Location
All outdoor filming was at Chavenage House, a 16th Century Manor House near Tedbury, Gloucestershire
Also Appearing
Miss Prescott……………….Shirley Cheriton
Mr Thorpe…………………… .Michael Bilton
Secretary…………………… . Penny Gonshaw
For more on this episode see also my introduction to the series and my post on Miss Lovelock
. Next month: Episode 2, Season 1: Under Arrest in which Mrs Slocombe is arrested for stealing a gypsy cart and Mr Humphries goes to-ing and fro-ing with Mavis in the woodshed.
In a career spanning over 30 years, Joanne Heywood has made many stage and tv appearances, ranging from pantomimes and musicals through tv adverts and roles in sit-corms including First of the Summer Wine, The Brittas Empire and, of course, Grace and Favour. In recent years her TV work has been less frequent though she continues to be active in the theatre. In this interview, she talks about her career from appearing on stage at the age of only three through to her work on Grace and Favour and her role as the glamorous Miss Jessica Lovelock.
Q I guess these days you are living in London and most of your work is down there but do you still get up to York much?
Yes,
I still have family in York so I try to visit once a month. It’s a
beautiful City, so always a pleasure to visit. I also try to work
“up North” as much as possible!
QYou apparently started in the theatre at a very young age – how did that come about?
My Mum took me to the Isobel Dunn School of Dancing when I was 3… just as a hobby really, she certainly didn’t realize she was setting me on my way to my future career. Fortunately for me, Miss Dunn saw potential and cast me as Louise in “Gypsy” when I was 14. Up until that point, I’d been set on pursuing a career as a dancer. Playing Louise opened my eyes to the possibility of a career in Musical Theatre, so I shifted my focus from pure dance to MT.
QI read somewhere that you took a business studies course before going into drama school and worked as a temp between acting jobs? Was it difficult to make a living just from acting?
The
reason for the business studies course came about when I changed my
plans from applying to dancing school, to applying for drama school.
I started auditioning at 15, hoping to go straight after “O”
Levels, at 16, which would have been the right thing to do if I was
still applying for dancing school.
When I auditioned at the Guildford School of Acting at just 15, that wasn’t the norm. They usually took students at 18, after “A” Levels, or even post-grad. So, although I was lucky enough to be accepted at such a young age, they asked me to defer starting for a year.
When
you’re 16 and think you know everything, that seemed like a very
long time to wait. There was no way I was going to do ”A” Levels
in just one year, so I went to York College of Arts & Technology
and did a one-year business studies course. Of course, I thought it
was a complete waste of time – at the time… but it came in quite
handy when securing “temp” jobs.
I
was incredibly lucky and landed a TV role and theatre contract,
immediately upon leaving GSA, and, within six months, I was working
in a West End show … which had been my dream since Miss Dunn cast
me as Louise, so I was earning a living just from my acting work for
quite some time.
I registered with a temping agency so, if there were any gaps between acting jobs, I could put the one-year business studies course to good use! I had some fascinating jobs, ranging from working in the Chairman and Chief Executive’s office at English Heritage to a lovely stint at Coutts & Co (the “Royal” Bank) where, amongst various positions there, I was PA to the Head of International Private Banking for a time.
QYou appeared in every episode of First of the Summer Wine as the shop worker, Dilys. Did coming from York and being able to do the Yorkshire accent help you get the part?
That
may have helped… although I nearly didn’t get to read for the
role. Being cast as Dilys only came about due to a chance
conversation in a West End dressing room.
I was almost halfway through my one-year contract in “High Society” and feeling very settled with life in the West End. One of the girls in my dressing room had a copy of The Stage newspaper. Back in those days (pre-internet!) it was one of the few ways to find out about auditions. There was an advert saying that the BBC was looking for “authentic Yorkshire Actors and Actresses”. I naively said, “well, I’m sure my agent will have put me up for it, how many Yorkshire actresses has he got on his books!?…”.
Thankfully,
I didn’t leave it there and I asked my agent about it. He hadn’t
put me up for it but promptly did. However, as Nora Batty was the
only female character he was aware of, he suggested me for the role
of the young Nora.
In
the Pilot episode, Nora didn’t have any lines, as they were trying
to keep the audience guessing which character was the “young Nora”.
There were a few red herrings and the audience didn’t find out
until the end of that episode.
When
I turned up for the audition, Gareth Gwenlan, the Director, said that
he couldn’t ask me to read for the role, as Nora didn’t have any
lines, so we would just chat. I explained that I’d been hoping to
read for him as, although I’m Yorkshire born and bred and can do a
genuine accent, I hadn’t wanted to speak with a broad Yorkshire
accent for the whole meeting. My television work was minimal, at
that point, so I didn’t for one minute expect to be cast as Nora.
I’d gone in with the intention of just getting myself in front of a
BBC Director and hoping that I might be right for something else.
So, Gareth asked me to read for Dilys and that’s how I came to be
cast.
QYou were already experienced in the theatre and television by the time you appeared in Grace and Favour but the role of Miss Lovelock was very different from Dilys. Was it difficult to get into the role?
No, not really… with good
writing, the character just comes off the page. David Croft and
Jeremy Lloyd (who wrote Grace & Favour) created such fabulous
characters and Miss Lovelock was a great role to play.
Q I know it’s a long time ago now but do you have any special memories of working on Grace and Favour? Any favorite episode or scene?
It
was
a long time ago… but I have many wonderful memories. We spent
several weeks on location for each series, then an episode a week in
the studio… so that was quite a lot of time spent together over the
two years.
Molly Sugden was an absolute joy to work with and a great sport. She threw herself into everything… literally! If you know the episode where Mrs Slocombe is accused of stealing a gypsy horse and cart, there is a misunderstanding in the Court scene when the Judge says “Hang the bird in the cellar” … meaning the pheasant that had been taken along as a bribe. Of course, “Mrs Slocombe” thinks he means her and she faints. Molly did a perfect “prat” fall… and she was no spring chicken at the time! When the Director called “cut” and the floor manager ran over to make sure Molly was ok, she was giggling away on the mattress that had been placed there for the fall.
On another occasion on location, I was on horseback and Frank Thornton (Capt. Peacock) and Molly were in a horse-drawn carriage. The bench seat in the carriage collapsed mid-scene – it wasn’t meant to but, again, when the production manager ran over to make sure Molly was ok, she was giggling away on the carriage floor.
It’s impossible to pick just one scene or episode. I had a hilarious Pas De Deux with John Inman (Mr Humphries) in one episode. As you would expect, it was all very OTT. He was Romeo, I was Juliet and he had a rather over-sized cod-piece.
Leonora & Wilfred
I had many lovely moments with
Frank (Capt. Peacock) but, if I had to pick one episode, it would be
the one where we found the mummified cat in the attic. In the
storyline, Capt. Peacock had a dream and we shot the dream sequence
in black and white. It was very much an homage to the film “Wicked
Lady” with him as James Mason and me as Margaret Lockwood… such
fun and rather different from other episodes.
Q In the motorbike episode where you take Captain Peacock for a quick ride, was this you?
Ah, spoiler alert but I’m afraid it wasn’t. I had a lovely stunt double – Roy Alon. I’d actually met Roy many years earlier when I was in a children’s TV series called The Book Tower. Roy played a highwayman and was kind enough to spend many hours chatting with me and my Mum, between takes, about his experiences as a stunt man. So… to meet him again all those years later and as my stunt double was amazing.
QYou seem to be very good with the horses, had you had any experience with horses before you did the show or did you have to learn “on the job”?
Frank Thornton & Joanne with Sally
Haha… actually, I was a bit naughty and wore jodhpurs to the audition. I knew that “Miss Lovelock” rode horses and a motorbike but, in fact, I’d never ridden either. When I was offered the role, I did confess that I didn’t ride (horses) but I arranged to have some lessons before we started filming. I was going to do the same for the motorbike but the BBC told me that they wouldn’t be letting me loose on the motorbike!
I only had time for a few lessons but I figured that, as it was a sitcom and not a drama, there probably wouldn’t be a panoramic shot of me galloping along a clifftop, a la “Poldark”!… more likely, I’d be in and around the stables and need to look very comfortable with the horses. So, I learned to pick its hooves, plait its tail, etc and as far as riding was concerned got up to a gentle, rising canter.
I sought out the animal handler, on the first day on location, and was very honest about my limited ability. As it turned out, both the horses I worked with, “Flash Jack” and “Sally” had a lot of film and tv experience and would literally “go” on “action”. Flash Jack, in particular, made me look a lot more competent than I was. I asked to have him back on the second series, as I felt we had bonded.
QWere there any particular problems working on the series, for example working with animals?
Having said I asked for Flash Jack for the second series, I did end up in the “outtakes”. He was very playful and knew I wasn’t experienced, so he wouldn’t always do as I was asking. There was one scene where Capt. Peacock asked, “will you be following the pack, Miss Lovelock” in a reference to the Hunt… Flash Jack decided he’d had enough and set off down the lane. It wasn’t a spectacular gallop just a slow saunter but I was powerless to stop him, Frank concluded, “Yes, I guess you probably will”.
QYou haven’t done so much television in recent years. I heard a radio interview with you in which you talked about how television has changed, not for the better I gather? Would you like to do more television?
In the interview you heard, I was probably bemoaning the sad loss of the sitcom. I’d been very lucky to have a wonderful career in that genre but, slowly, one-by-one, they were no longer commissioned and it seemed that every other tv programme being made was about DIY or Gardening. Basically, reality tv took hold and it became much harder to secure tv work. Of course, I would love to do more. For me, an ideal year is a mix of theatre and tv work.
QYour tv and theatre work has been quite varied – lots of adverts, musicals, comedy, and the children’s’ series Knightmare. Have you any preferences and is there anything particular that you would like to do more of?
My
first love was “Musicals” and the theatre is truly my happy
place. When I was at Drama School you were taught acting for
theatre, not tv. There were no camera skills classes or any tv
training at all, so I really had to learn on the job and it was a
huge learning curve!
I feel lucky to have worked extensively in both tv and theatre and, as there is no retirement age for an actress, I hope to continue for many more years to come. I don’t really have a preference… as long as I can keep securing exciting, challenging roles that will make me very happy.
Filming Grace & Favour
My sincere thanks to Joanne Heywood for taking the time to answer all my questions.
All images for this interview are courtesy of Joanne Heywood
She’s feisty, sophisticated and glamorous. I am, of course, referring to Miss Jessica Lovelock, Young Mr Grace’s personal secretary and companion, who was apparently responsible for his demise when they were scuba diving while on holiday together in the Caribbean. His equipment was in perfect working order but the sight of Miss Lovelock losing her bikini top was too much for him.
We get to know this in the first episode, after the Grace Brothers staff have returned from his funeral to discuss the will with the solicitor. The atmosphere in the boardroom is subdued and beneath it there is a simmering animosity. Miss Lovelock sits perched on a desk, apart from the others, wearing an eye-catching black dress with white spots, and – as Miss Brahms is quick to point out – black stockings and suspenders. Mr Thorpe, the solicitor, asks the staff if they have met her and they respond with a a strained chorus of “yes”. They then discuss what happened to Young Mr Grace and Mis Brahms says, “My paper had a misprint, said he was scrubber diving.” It’s obvious, from the start, that Miss Brahms and Mrs Slocombe dislike her, though it soon becomes clear that Captain Peacock has her in his sights.
The ladies are jealous of her getting special treatment – Young Mr Grace converted a room in the grooms quarters for her and left the horses to her in his will. While the staff go about the business of running the hotel, she is indulging in her own interests: riding and, in particular, taking part in the local hunt.
She is often seen striding through the hotel in her riding gear with her whip in hand; or, as she is on their first evening at the Manor, sitting seductively in the lounge, wearing a shimmering black dress as though she’s about to go on a night out. She rarely shows any interest in the others or their problems; neither does she participate in the staff meetings. When gathered for their first meeting, Miss Brahms complains that she’s done nothing, while Mrs Slocombe’s comment that she did look after Young Mr Grace in his declining weeks, falls on deaf ears. She is, however, one of the co-executor of his will, although her duties at the hotel apparently amount to little more than signing cheques.
There is one occasion when she does get involved and it’s in a role-playing exercise. But what role could she play? Captain Peacock doesn’t think she wouldn’t have had much experience in a hotel, while Mrs Slocombe believes quite the opposite. Miss Lovelock, for her part, boasts that she’s stayed in some of the best hotels with Young Mr Grace and would be more than qualified to judge whether they were up to standard, which prompts Mr Rumbold to suggest that she takes on the role of a guest. Tensions rise still further when Miss Brahms is put in charge of the bar; she immediately gestures to Miss Lovelock and, with obvious delight, exclaims, “You’re banned!” and saunters off. Mrs Slocombe then asks what role she should have and Miss Lovelock suggests she can do the bedrooms, be a waitress or help in the kitchen, but then tells her to keep out of sight which reduces her to tears.
“She’s a tart!”
One of my favorite moments occurs in the petrified cat episode, after Captain Peacock and Miss Lovelock have removed the cat and taken it to the local museum. A superstitious Mr Moulterd warns them that its removal will bring on a curse and, predictably, the staff soon begin to experience a series of strange events. Mrs Slocombe claims her drawers mysteriously fell out, but Captain Peacock has a more rational explanation and blames it on a passing lorry. That night in her room, Mrs Slocombe jumps up and down in an effort to simulate the effect and see whether the vibrations really do make her drawers fall open. The noise immediately prompts a complaint from Miss Lovelock, who opens the door and asks, “Will you be doing that for long?” As she closes the door, Mrs Slocombe whispers to Miss Brahms, saying “she’s a…” Miss Brahms asks her to repeat it louder then Miss Lovelock opens the door again and says, “a tart!” quickly shutting the door again.
Captain Peacock and Miss Lovelock
In a continuing thread through the series, Captain Peacock can often be seen trying to impress Miss Lovelock with (highly exaggerated) accounts of his wartime exploits or commenting on her appearance – her trim figure is of particular interest, such as when he meets her at the stables where she is raking the hay.
All of which doesn’t go unnoticed by Miss Brahms and Mrs Slocombe. At a staff meeting, Captain Peacock gets annoyed with their constant snide remarks that imply he is attracted to her and protests his innocence. Mrs Slocombe rather weakly tries to reassure him that no offense was intended but Miss Brahms remarks “We’re amazed you can still pull!”
Leonora and Wilfred – Captain Peacock’s fantasy
Despite his denials, Captain Peacock clearly does fancy her, as we see in the petrified cat episode when she is helping him to prepare a room for Miss Brahms. She discovers an old painting of the Earl of Millstone and recounts a story about the Earl’s affair with Leonora, his wife’s younger sister who falls madly in love with him. In a dream sequence in which they are dressed in period clothing, he takes her in his arms but alas, it’s only a fantasy. Miss Lovelock has briefly left the room and as she returns he is jolted back to reality.
Although Captain Peacock takes quite an interest in Miss Lovelock and even joins in with some of her sporting activities, he soon proves no match for her. When she offers to take him on her motor bike to the village for Mrs Slocombe’s court appearance, she gives him a trial run around in the farmyard which results in a rather shaken Captain Peacock reluctantly declining the offer and deciding to travel with the others on the back of Mr Moulterd’s tractor. His attempt at horse riding is equally unsuccessful and lacking her youth and athleticism, he has great difficulty in dismounting, which gives Miss Brahms and Mrs Slocombe an opportunity to indulge in some typical innuendo. Mrs Slocombe: “Perhaps I can help you get your leg over.” Miss Brahms: “I should leave that to Miss Lovelock, she’s had more experience.”
She may be a rather arrogant snob who talks down to everyone, but Miss Lovelock does take part in some of the activities organised by the staff, such as the entertainment for the Americans where she dances with Mr Humphries in an extract from the ballet, Romeo and Juliet. She also joins in with the church service and the harvest dance and accompanies the others to the pub for the darts match. In another episode, however, the staff are having their photos taken for the hotel brochure and this time she wasn’t invited. She goes into the kitchen and asks Mavis why they didn’t ask her to join them. After a brief exchange with her, she says “it would be nice to get some service around here,” and wanders off. She’s clearly used to being waited on, unlike Mavis, the hard-working, farmer’s daughter who is concerned with rather more mundane activities such as clearing out the cow shed.
Miss Lovelock’s relationship with Miss Brahms and Mrs Slocombe is a constant source of friction throughout the series. Sometimes, perhaps, it becomes a little drawn out and one might wish those two would make at least some effort to become more acquainted with her. As for Captain Peacock, it’s clear that his repeated attempts to charm her are doomed to failure. Yet without Miss Lovelock, life at Millstone Manor would have been so much duller for the now retired staff of the former Grace Brothers department store; that is, if they were there at all.
Next month an exclusive interview with Joanne Heywood
My sincere thanks to Joanne Heywood for permission to use the above images
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 BeingServed?,
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 andFavour, 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 YouBeing 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.
