List of Are You Being Served? characters

This is a list of characters from the BBC sitcom Are You Being Served? and its spin off Grace & Favour.

Of the cast throughout the duration of the series and its sequel, all are deceased with the exception of Mike Berry, Penny Irving, Vivienne Johnson and Candy Davis.

This section contains information on the characters who worked in the Menswear department of Grace Brothers.

Mr. Humphries (John Inman), sales assistant, later senior assistant in menswear. Mr. Humphries' colleagues and 'best friends' (although he denied this) were Mr. Lucas and Mr. Spooner. His ambiguous sexuality was used as a catalyst for many comedic situations and one-liners. Mr. Humphries was particularly noted for his mincing walk and his slightly high-pitched voice, which he discarded when answering the phone: "MENSWEAR", he intoned in a falsified baritone. He had one of the most famous catchphrases of the era: when asked by a colleague, "Mr. Humphries, are you free?" (to serve a customer), he always gave the exaggerated response, "I'm free!" in a very high pitched voice. As the series progressed he often arrived late at work in increasingly outrageous attire including punk rocker clothing and hair, motorcycle leather jacket and chaps, and a sailor uniform, always with an equally outrageous account of his previous night's activities and his efforts to make it to work on time nonetheless. On one occasion, Mr. Lucas opined to him after a description of the previous evening: "It's all go at your place!" Mr. Humphries frequently spoke of a companion or companions referred to only as "my friend", often in a situation that pertained in some way to the subject under discussion. Everyone always assumed that the friends that he mentioned were men and would sometimes ask about them, and Mr. Humphries would answer back, "What makes you think it's a 'he'?!", often in a voice lowered by an octave. He was born in 1938/39, so throughout the show, his age was 33/34 - 46/47. He is often described as the most loveable character in the show, and was shown to be the most popular member of the floor in 'Shedding the Load' when he was the only member of staff not to receive a vote to be sacked. In "Heir Apparent", Old Mr. Grace believes that Mr. Humphries was his son and all the staff are spoiling him.

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