Joanne Heywood Recalls “Are You Being Served? Again!”

Joanne Heywood recalls the 1992-93 spin-off series, “Are You Being Served? Again!” (aka “Grace & Favour”), which reunited original cast members and writers and introduced three new reoccurring characters, including hers.

American television audiences developed a fondness for old British sitcoms in the 1980s when PBS began airing reruns of several popular shows. Loaded with oh-so-British double-meaning dialogue, a standout favorite was “Are You Being Served?” a BBC production that originally ran in the UK from 1972 to 1985. A 1992-93 spin-off series, “Are You Being Served? Again!” (also known as “Grace & Favour”) reunited original cast members Mollie Sugden, Frank Thornton, John Inman, Wendy Richard, and Nicholas Smith, along with writers David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd.

For the new “Are You Being Served?” series, the beloved quirky characters moved their misadventures from a London retail clothing store to a rural English hotel and working farm, where three new reoccurring characters were introduced. Appearing in all 12 episodes were farm manager Maurice Moulterd, played by veteran British character actor Billy Burden; his innocent farmer’s daughter Mavis, played by TV newcomer Fleur Bennett; and sultry Jessica Lovelock, portrayed by Joanne Heywood who was familiar with the original series when hired.

“I remember watching it with my family when I was very young,” recalled Joanne from her home in North Essex, northeast of London (see www.joanneheywood.com). “I’m not sure I grasped all the humor at that stage, particularly the innuendo, but I do remember thoroughly enjoying it. I can’t remember how the audition came about but I had worked with (director) Mike Stephens on two series of ‘First of the Summer Wine,’ so that definitely helped.”

The addition of new characters to an established TV series ensemble is not automatically welcomed by the original cast or audiences, but Joanne says there was no problem being accepted.

“If there was any negativity towards Fleur, Billy, or I, I certainly wasn’t aware of it,” she explained. “I hadn’t worked with any of the original cast previously, so it was quite daunting walking into the rehearsal room on day one. I seem to recall it had been quite a while since some of the original cast had seen each other, so it felt very much like a reunion of friends, and Billy, Fleur, and I were warmly welcomed into the group.”

Burden, who died the year after the last episode originally aired, was the proverbial scene-stealer playing a shaggy country bumpkin.

“Billy was a naturally funny man,” said Joanne. “He had funny bones and such a cheeky twinkle, so nobody could ever be put out by his scene-stealing. As we recorded ‘live’ with a studio audience, he was invariably responsible for lots of laughter and re-takes.”

Many of her scenes were shared with Frank Thornton, playing the haughty but commanding Captain Peacock who fancied himself as a lady’s man.

“Frank was a lovely man – a true gent,” she recalled. “We had quite a few giggles and ‘out-takes,’ although, generally, he managed to keep control and I was the one unable to speak for laughter. I loved our dream sequence scene when we found the mummified cat in the attic and that’s definitely my favorite episode.”

Filming on a working farm with livestock inevitably led to unexpected animal antics.

“The sheep proved to be quite an experience,” she said. “Fleur and John (Inman) had to try to round them up into a pen with Frank and I looking on. They were very skittish and it took several takes to get them into the pen. Then, when Frank and I were trying to get our scene done, they started to make noises that sounded as though they were belching. I’m afraid I got the giggles and Frank had such a mischievous twinkle in his eye that it took me quite some time to compose myself.”

It’s now over a half-century since the original series first aired in the ’70s and, together with the short-lived sequel, the appeal of both shows endures due to the vivid characters the actors created and carefully crafted witty scripts.

“Croft and Lloyd were brilliant writers, it was a joy to perform their work,” said Joanne. “All of the cast were so disappointed when a further series wasn’t commissioned. Sadly, we were in the hands of the then-controller of BBC1 and, it seems, ‘Grace & Favour’ just wasn’t his cup of tea! But it was such a privilege to be part of something so iconic and I remember it fondly.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers, including many in the Boomer nostalgia and humor departments. See www.getnickt.org