Where is Alistair Appleton, Jonty Hearnden, and Paul Hayes? They and the rest of the Cash in the Attic team should have paid a visit to the set of Are You Being Served Again/Grace and Favour. Because I always find it fun to look in background and among the props for the goldmine of antiques and collectibles the set decorator used in this series. Loads of Cornishware, that large Gibsons teapot around which everyone always gathers, the classic Staffordshire spaniel figurine over Mr. Humphries' bed, the large Jasperware pitcher/vase, and a host of other items outfit the scenes. The manor/hotel is sure an improvement over the polyester nightmare that was Grace Bros.
But if the quality of the setting of this follow up series is better than Grace Bros., the overall quality of the series is not. Alas, Mollie Sugden is just too sweet and nice in this series, except for the bits where she cries like a little girl and then ends up muttering "rotten bitch" at the end. We needed more of THAT Mollie. Otherwise, the petty tyrannies and struggles for hierarchical dominance that fueled much of the original series was simply missing from this "more democratic" version of AYBS. I did like the additions of Fleur Bennett and Billy Burden. Not so much the inclusion of Joanne Heywood's Jessica Lovecock, er, uh, I mean Lovelock.
But if the quality of the setting of this follow up series is better than Grace Bros., the overall quality of the series is not. Alas, Mollie Sugden is just too sweet and nice in this series, except for the bits where she cries like a little girl and then ends up muttering "rotten bitch" at the end. We needed more of THAT Mollie. Otherwise, the petty tyrannies and struggles for hierarchical dominance that fueled much of the original series was simply missing from this "more democratic" version of AYBS. I did like the additions of Fleur Bennett and Billy Burden. Not so much the inclusion of Joanne Heywood's Jessica Lovecock, er, uh, I mean Lovelock.