Are You Being Served? Volume 6

Rating:
Summary: Goodbye, Mr. Grainger
Review: This group of episodes are the last starring Arthur Brough as Mr. Grainger and the last set of episodes in the season 1-5 boxed set (volume 7 in the set is a bonus disc of interviews). These shows are not as solid as the earlier episodes in this long running series, but are still very good. In Founder's Day, the staff puts on a "This Is Your Life" presentation for Young Mr. Grace's 80th birthday with mildly amusing stories and even a guest appearance by Mother Humphries. The Old Order Changes has the staff trying out a new casual approach Young Mr. Grace observed while visiting the United States. Things get very 1970s at Grace Brothers. Mr. Lucas' first name also changes from "James" to "Dick" ostensibly to accommodate one joke. Mr. Harmon gets a bigger role in Takeover, impersonating a shareholder to help Young Mr. Grace keep control of the company. For once, Capt. Peacock is not in charge and is relegated to the kitchen.

The best episode of this collection is Goodbye, Mr. Grainger, where the senior salesman is in a foul mood and the rest of the staff want him out. Mr. Harmon informs Grainger of his colleagues' comments and encourages him to write his letter of resignation. A misunderstanding about a lottery ticket cause a change of heart from the staff, and efforts are made to retrieve the letter from Young Mr. Grace's desk. Wait until they hear what Grainger wrote in the letter! In It Pays to Advertise, the staff act in a commercial for Grace Brothers. The funniest part of this episode is at the end when Young Mr. Grace says his lines while trying to pour champagne into a glass. Like all the AYBS? DVDs, this one has very creative menu pages. A lift conductor's voice takes you to each episode and there are rotating photos of the Employee of the Month (in this case, Mr. Lucas-it must have been a very slow month). I highly recommend both boxed sets of this series

Rating:
Summary: Goodbye, Mr. Grainger
Review: This group of episodes are the last starring Arthur Brough as Mr. Grainger and the last set of episodes in the season 1-5 boxed set (volume 7 in the set is a bonus disc of interviews). These shows are not as solid as the earlier episodes in this long running series, but are still very good. In Founder's Day, the staff puts on a "This Is Your Life" presentation for Young Mr. Grace's 80th birthday with mildly amusing stories and even a guest appearance by Mother Humphries. The Old Order Changes has the staff trying out a new casual approach Young Mr. Grace observed while visiting the United States. Things get very 1970s at Grace Brothers. Mr. Lucas' first name also changes from "James" to "Dick" ostensibly to accommodate one joke. Mr. Harmon gets a bigger role in Takeover, impersonating a shareholder to help Young Mr. Grace keep control of the company. For once, Capt. Peacock is not in charge and is relegated to the kitchen.

The best episode of this collection is Goodbye, Mr. Grainger, where the senior salesman is in a foul mood and the rest of the staff want him out. Mr. Harmon informs Grainger of his colleagues' comments and encourages him to write his letter of resignation. A misunderstanding about a lottery ticket cause a change of heart from the staff, and efforts are made to retrieve the letter from Young Mr. Grace's desk. Wait until they hear what Grainger wrote in the letter! In It Pays to Advertise, the staff act in a commercial for Grace Brothers. The funniest part of this episode is at the end when Young Mr. Grace says his lines while trying to pour champagne into a glass. Like all the AYBS? DVDs, this one has very creative menu pages. A lift conductor's voice takes you to each episode and there are rotating photos of the Employee of the Month (in this case, Mr. Lucas-it must have been a very slow month). I highly recommend both boxed sets of this series

Rating:
Summary: This DVD is also contained in the boxed set of AYBS
Review: When I purchased the boxed set of the first 5 series of "Are You Being Served?" Amazon.com suggested this DVD as well. It seemed only natural, since it's labeled "Volume 6" -- but note that this is a duplicate of the Volume 6 disc in the 7-DVD boxed set!

So despite Amazon.com's suggestion, don't buy this if you're also buying the boxed set. :^>

(I didn't intend to review the disc itself, only to make this information available ... but this DVD is one of the best, and it includes a somewhat rare episode that isn't often shown in on U.S. PBS stations: "Founder's Day," in which the staff put on a "This Is Your Life"-type presentation for Mr. Grace.)