Are You Being Served?

Camping In - S1-E4

Revealing mistake: Mrs. Slocombe enters her tent after telling Captain Peacock about the top window. Peacock then obviously uses that moment to stand on his tiptoes and peek in. You can see to the right of the tent the metal cart pushed by Larry Martyn discreetly peek out of the stage entrance and stop as he waits his cue to come on the set, to a rumbling noise. (00:13:35)

Sammo

Cold Comfort - S2-E2

Revealing mistake: In the very beginning of the episode you can see Mr. Grainger sitting in a chair to the very far left, with his head down, waiting for his cue to walk-on.

German Week - S3-E6

Revealing mistake: When Mr. Humphries and Mr. Lucas make their toast with the German mugs, Mr. Lucas' mug breaks but Mr. Humphries' does not. A moment later, when Mr. Humphries notices the mug has not broken, you can see that he crushes the mug with his hand.

Goodbye Mr. Grainger - S5-E6

Revealing mistake: When Captain Peacock goes behind the curtain to the hall way to Mr Rumbold's office, you can see that the sets are right next to each other and the other actors are waiting in there for the next scene.

luke f

It Pays to Advertise - S5-E7

Revealing mistake: When Mr. Lucas gives Mrs. Slocombe the radio mike, it slips down her dress out of reach; Mr. Harman says "It can't have gone down all that far," and he's right: The short cord of the mike is visible sticking out of the dress for quite some time until Mrs. Slocombe herself pushes the mike down (in the appearance of trying to fish it out).

Anything You Can Do - S7-E6

Revealing mistake: During the end credits of this episode, a bowl of soup is shown. A frog appears in it for a few seconds and then sinks under the water again. You can see the string being used to pull the frog up. It surfaces as the frog does, and is very easy to spot.

The Punch and Judy Affair - S7-E8

Revealing mistake: When the staff are assembled in Mr. Rumbold's office sans Mr. Lucas, Lucas comes rushing in late. However, before he does you can see him standing just outside the door, waiting for his cue to rush in.

Roots? - S8-E8

Revealing mistake: At the beginning of the Scottish dance when Captain Peacock is demonstrating the sharpness of the swords, he first cuts through the center of a newspaper page held up by Mr. Spooner. However, you can see that, just before the sword makes contact, Spooner actually tears the paper apart down the middle.

The Night Club - S10-E5

Revealing mistake: At the very beginning while the opening jingle is still going on, the camera cuts to Mr. Spooner standing behind the counter; he remains motionless, coat in hand, for a second or two before getting his cue to walk across the floor and begin the show.

The Night Club - S10-E5

Revealing mistake: When Mr. Humphries is talking to the canteen manageress about her lines as the hat check girl, in the shots of the former one can see Mr. Harman standing about in the background, waiting and watching for his cue to come on.

Friends and Neighbours - S10-E6

Revealing mistake: When Mrs. Slocombe's cat is supposed to be under the hat and "eats" the clockwork mouse, it is clear that it's a machine. This is most obvious when the hat spits out the mouse and slightly rises up in the front, which shows the wheels.

luke f

More mistakes in Are You Being Served?

German Week - S3-E6

Miss Brahms: I think Mr. Rumbold should dress up as something.
Mrs. Slocombe: Yes. Wasn't Frankenstein a German?
Miss Brahms: That's right. With his nuts in his neck. [Makes twisting motions with her fingers near her neck.] Like that.
Mr. Rumbold: I wouldn't be able to take part, of course, in case I was summoned to a board meeting. But I see no reason why Captain Peacock shouldn't participate.
Captain Peacock: I can think of lots of reason why I shouldn't participate. Somebody has to have authority over the floor and these clothes that I wear symbolize that authority.
Mr Lucas: Why don't you dress up as Hitler?

More quotes from Are You Being Served?

Trivia: The "lift voice" heard during the theme song in each episode is that of Stephanie Gathercole, who played Mr. Rumbold's secretary in the earliest episodes.

More trivia for Are You Being Served?

The Apartment - S7-E3

Question: If Mrs. Slocombe had squatters in her new flat, why didn't she simply call the police and have them removed?

Answer: That wasn't possible in 1972. Until recently squatting was a civil offence in the UK, not a criminal one, and removing squatters was a complex and time consuming business.

More questions & answers from Are You Being Served?

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