Still Humphries After All These Years
A Chat with John Inman
"You know what they say about vodka Mrs. Slocombe, one's alright, two's the most, three under the table, four under the host!"
– Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries
It took every ounce of restraint I could muster not to begin my talk with John Inman by using that famous refrain, "Are you free, Mr. Humphries?" I'm sure he's heard that a million times, but in the end, I got the impression that he might not have minded hearing it again. We all have those times in our lives that we remember with an inordinate amount of fondness and for Inman, it seems to have been his tenure as Mr. Humphries on Are You Being Served?
Like many of British comedy's biggest stars, John Inman hails from the north of England. He was born in the town of Preston and at 12 moved to the popular seaside resort of Blackpool. Blackpool can be described as a bit like Las Vegas. It's a place where you can see Elvis impersonators, ballroom dancing, cheesy B-list comics and, in general, be entertained. Somehow, the atmosphere must have gotten into Inman's blood because he knew from an early age that he wanted to make his living entertaining people.
At 13, he made his debut in the play Freda at Blackpool's South Pier Pavilion and to this day, the theater remains his first love. It was his work on stage that first caught the attention of legendary producer David Croft. Inman worked for Croft in a few small roles, but one day a script for a Comedy Playhouse production called Are You Being Served? came through the post and he hasn't looked back since.
What was his first encounter like with the character destined to make him a Britcomedy icon? "In the first instance, there wasn't anything there - just a description saying that he was a sales assistant in Gentleman's Ready-to-Wear." Inman said. "They took my mannerisms and things I did in rehearsal and went with it." So Mr. Wilberforce Clayborn Humphries came to life, based partially on shop assistants Inman worked with during his short stint as a window dresser.
AYBS? was originally to revolve around Trevor Bannister's character, Mr. Lucas, but it was soon apparent that Mr. Humphries was going to be a breakout character. This surprised Inman, because Humphries was not at first a "leading role." Given the show's immense popularity, it is also surprising to hear that the show wasn't an instant hit. "It was a slow burner," he said. "It was at least the third series before it was huge."
Incredibly, episodes went from rehearsal to film in only four to five days. The process started with the cast simply sitting around the table reading the script and laughing. "Reading it to yourself is one thing," Inman said, "but actually hearing the lines read, it was a thousand times funnier." The following days were set aside for blocking out the scenes and getting the technical aspects right. Then on the last day there was camera rehearsal, dress rehearsal and finally the studio audience came in for the taping.
This didn't leave much room for error. Videotape was very expensive at this time, so the possibility of multiple takes was slim. This didn't daunt the cast, however.
"Most of the artists in it were theater people, not television people," Inman explained. "We were used to getting it right the first time."
Not to say that there weren't the occasional break-ups. Arthur Brough (who played Mr. Grainger) was known to miss his lines quite often and Trevor Bannister would laugh at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, these mess-ups were not saved for posterity, so an AYBS? outtakes video (similar to the ones done for Red Dwarf), is not a possibility.
The show's overwhelming popularity led to the inevitable spin-offs. The cast did a fifteen-week, twice nightly stint on stage followed by a movie loosely based on the stage production. In 1980-81, Inman was the only one of the AYBS? ensemble to travel to Australia when a network there decided to make its own homegrown production of AYBS? called Bones Brothers.
"I certainly enjoyed being in Australia," he said. It was extremely enjoyable and I was excited being asked. The only catch was that all the characters were similar to the original, but had different names, so it took a bit of getting used to." Bones Brothers lasted two series, but the original AYBS? lasted from 1972-1985.
Inman offers a simple, true explanation for why AYBS? has stood the test of time and developed such a rabid following, especially among American viewers.
It's visual to start with," he said, "Colorful. Simple. A little bit naughty." Indeed, double entendres were the basis for much of the humor, though they were always done with an air of innocence.
Also guaranteed laugh getters were the silly costumes the cast was often required to wear. In fact, Inman says his favorite episodes were those in which the cast was able to dress up. He cites Heir Apparent (in which he plays his mother) as a particular favorite. When queried as to which episodes he remembers less fondly, he says there aren't any, but if you compare the early episodes to the ones made in the late 70s, the earlier episodes don't come off as well "because they look poor." There wasn't even enough of a budget for such later trademarks as the wigs that provided Mrs. Slocombe's ever-changing hair color.
One of the reasons for the success of AYBS? was the chemistry among the cast members. The employees of Grace Brothers may have taunted each other mercilessly, but in the end, there was a real closeness and affection among them.
This translated into strong, lifelong friendships off screen as well and Inman keeps in touch with surviving cast members.
So, will the new millennium see a reunion of the Grace Brothers staff?
"We would like to do a one-hour special and would willingly get together," Inman said, "but ultimately it's in the hands of David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd and the BBC."
While fans pine for a reunion, Inman will return to the stage in December, starring as Wanda in a pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk. Pantomime, more commonly known as panto, is one of Inman's loves and in the past he's appeared in panto productions of Cinderella and Mother Goose.
"It's a particularly British form of entertainment," he explained, "which, despite what Americans might think, isn't what Marcel Marceau does. Pantomime is a very big musical based on a nursery rhyme - a quirky thing with role reversal and up-to-date, popular jokes."
In fact, Inman will take on the role of Jack's mother, while Jack is being played by a young woman he described as "very attractive, with legs up to her armpits."
Otherwise, Inman claims he "shan't do anything for a while." Has he ever toyed with the idea of writing an autobiography? "Yes, I've considered it," he said, "but I wouldn't say it's in the process. There just might be too much to try to include."
He often travels to America to meet fans and he describes them as "extremely kind," although hard-core loyalists have been known to correct him on lines and other details from the show. Like most British people, he seems to prefer the spots in America where there's plenty of sun and warmth. He recalls La Jolla, California, as a particular favorite and said when he visited there he thought, "I could live here."
Inman says he doesn't watch many of the newer comedy programs, but is a fan of Keeping Up Appearances. He is not, contrary to popular rumor, the cousin of KUA co-star Josephine Tewson, though the duo did work together on the 1977 ITV sitcom Odd Man Out. In this program, Inman played Neville Sutcliffe, the owner of a Blackpool fish and chip shop. Tewson played his half -sister.
In the end, Inman wistfully remembers his years on AYBS? as a "happy time" with a lot of laughter. Obviously so did the rest of the cast, whose infectious enthusiasm and camaraderie helped turn AYBS? into a timeless classic.
The Grace Brothers staff was once described as a family with Mr. Grainger as the grandfatherly figure and Mrs. Slocombe as the dotty Aunt. In that scenario, then, Mr. Humphries must have been the fun uncle - always a laugh and great to be around.
That pretty well sums up John Inman himself. Viva Mr. Humphries.
Did You Know?
- Inman played a male secretary to Rula Lensky in the 1981 sitcom Take A Letter, Mr. Jones...
- There was to have been an episode of Are You Being Served? Again! during which Mr. Humphries tied the knot with Mavis Moulterd. The wedding was to have been interrupted by Wilberforce's mother. The script was written, but the BBC yanked the series before the episode was filmed.
- In 1976 Inman was named Variety Club BBC TV Personality of the Year and was also named the TV Times award for Funniest Man on Television.
- Are You Being Served, Sir? The Record was produced by DTM Records in 1975. This 45 record featured John Inman singing Are You Being Served, Sir? on the A side and The Teddy Bear's Picnic on the flip side. It peaked at 39 on the charts.
- In a pilot for an American version of AYBS? the character of Mr. Humphries was played by former Laugh-In star Alan Sues. The show was called Beanes of Boston and it was never picked up by the network.
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