Are You Being Served?

It may have been on air for a decade, but it had also been off air for over a decade. I don't think it's too outrageous to request a one-off first to see if the format still works and the cast and writers can come up with something relevant. Yes Prime Minister was Antony Jay being ridiculous, there was a completely different cast for a start.

It's hardly a non-negotiable BBC policy anyway because the other year they commissioned that new series of Bottom. And in the end it never happened because Rik and Ade started to write it and then decided that it wasn't going anywhere and wouldn't work, it had been too long since the last series and they just couldn't replicate it. The same could easily have happened with Birds of a Feather.

I don't think either party are in the wrong there - completely understand the BBC's position but the creators were right to take it elsewhere too if they wanted a series and it's done quite well for ITV - just a shame it's practically their only half hour sitcom of the year and it hasn't been used at all to try and launch something else off the back of it.

The problem I have with the Are you being Served remake and the series of remakes in general is it comes at a time when they've slashed the budget of BBC3, one of their key places for developing new comedy in recent years.

As I say every Christmas the BBC desperately needs brand new comedy content, and sadly for that to happen many many comedies have to be thrown at screen for just one or two to stick - but I think in the long term it pays off and success usually helps breed success.

As for the costs - I'm no expert at all but I'd have thought comedy, whether single or multi-camered, would generally be cheaper to make than drama - the cast is usually far smaller and far fewer locations are usually used. I guess what might bump up the costs is the half-hour running time of most sitcoms, but even then sacrificing one or two six-part dramas for new comedy (even if the 9.30pm show is a repeat) would be worth the risk. The same applies to ITV as well.


Also with comedy I think we've seen with the great comedies of the 70s, 80s and 90s, plus even more recently with BBC3 especially, is how key repeats are. Comedies rarely reach their full potential on their first outing so a repeat run within the year in a slot people will stumble upon should be factored into any commissioning.

Birds Of A Feather had a successful stage adaptation (with the original cast), so I guess they might have felt that was enough to show it could return without being piloted.

If it's like the original Are You Being Served, I don't think that ever went out on location at all. In fact it was rare for it to leave the confines of the shop floor and Mr Rumbold's office (you saw the canteen a few times, and I remember an episode on the roof, and another in a flat above the store), and I don't recall ever seeing any locations outside of Grace Brothers. If the new one's like that, it would keep budgets down.

Yes, Prime Minister also had a stage revival.

It was absolutely appalling, not funny and included a really awkward child sex sub-plot.

And that's why a new series of Comedy Playhouse starts this week, and in the high profile slot just vacated by Graham Norton to boot.

BBC2 used to be the place to launch comedy and it can be again. The problem comes with finance BBC2's budget is very tight and generally there isn't the money about to take as many risks. I understood that Are you being served is being tested as a possible replacement for Still open all hours - but BBC decisions and ideas change as often as the controllers and I challenge anyone to second guess their thinking.