Are You Being Served, Down Under? Episode 1, Part 4

"Get Fit Down Under Mr. Humphries"

John Inman reprises his character, Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries, in this Australian adaptation of the BBC hit.

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• served
• humphries
• australian
• down
• under
• inman
• aybs?

[edwardscove]

The series was titled "Are You Being Served?", just like the British original. It is known, however, as "Are You Being Served? Down Under!" or, more simply, "Are You Being Served, Australia?"

[C5Rigzz]

@fjccommish It feels so "lowest common denominator" that they did that (not that I'm suggesting that about Inman, of course). Just the recycle nature for ratings. I thought networks had come up just a tiny notch from that. Clearly that's not the case.

[fjccommish]

@C5Rigzz They wanted something they thought would grab ratings, so they acquired AYBS and hired Inman, who was very popular, to reprise his role. They figured they could tweak existing scripts and save money on writing as a result.

[fjccommish]

@sterlingholobyte It sounds like they were trying to put on British accents in this episode. In later episodes they sounded more like Australians.

[C5Rigzz]

@fjccommish Yes, I'm aware of this. However, since the IP rights are held likely by a studio or the original creators then I'm not seeing the relation between "saving money" and what appears to be a new studio pushing this out. They would have had to pay for usage - including the scripts as they are protected property too. Did BBC suddenly need to make a deal with NW10? Saving money doesn't seem likely. Could you help me connect those dots - I'm genuinely interested in this tangent.

[fjccommish]

@Jehlily Agreed. While shows like Sanford and Son and All in the Family copied some elements, they didn't use carbon copies of the original characters. But this was done to save money.

[fjccommish]

@C5Rigzz Networks sell based on original programming, even if it's a copy of another show. The scripts were re-used in order to save money.

[fjccommish]

@StoliDassah Beane's of Boston was a U.S. pilot version of AYBS. It didn't make it to a series. Other series like All in the Family, Sanford and Son, and Three's Company were excellent shows and excellent adaptations of British sitcoms. They go along with American excellence.

[LordZacknafien]

AND NOW WE COME TO THE POOF!!! XD

[sterlingholobyte]

You'll have to excuse my lack of knowledge of accents and dialects, I guess. But, did they cast Australians for this show? They sound a lot like Brits to me. After watching all those Wiggles and Croc Hunter episodes, I thought I would be able to tell them apart better. They even say some "slang" words that I would equate with Brits, like "bloody", and there was something else on one of the first parts of this episode that sounded distinctly British, but I forgot what it was.

[StoliDassah]

@C5Rigzz Exactly! That's the one thing America got right was NOT remaking AYBS? We messed up so many other great BritComs by remaking them, Glad they kept their hands off my beloved show.