Mr. Rumbold's Secretaries

In all the years that Are You Being Served? (AYBS?) originally aired, Mr. Rumbold, department manager for Ladies' and Gent's Clothing at Grace Brothers, went through a string of numerous, young, and good-looking female secretaries. Unfortunately, as this was England in the 1970's and 1980's, nearly all the secretaries were portrayed as being the typical ditzy young pretty bird. The resultant portrayal of female secretaries may not have been accurate but they certainly were hilarious. An interesting thing to note is that while constantly surrounded by these various beauties, Mr. Rumbold remained faithful to his rather plain wife. Quite a contrast from Captain Peacock, who would try to charm everyone from women in Novelty Candles to women in Soft Furnishings, not to mention Rumbold's secretaries! It has been mentioned that Mr. Rumbold's platonic attitude to his secretaries is a result of his general cluelessness.

Secretary #1: Nameless
Is credited as Stephanie Gathercole in all episodes except for "Big Brother," where she is credited as Stephanie Reeve. Unlike Rumbold's other secretaries, this one is not a ditz. Appears in: 1972, pilot episode; 1973, "Our Figures Are Slipping," "Camping In," "Diamonds Are a Man's Best Friend"; 1974, "Big Brother."

Secretary #2: Miss Ainsworth
A pretty but extremely ditzy-looking/-acting girl. Appears in: 1975, "The Hand of Fate," "Coffee Morning."

Secretary #3: Miss Thorpe
Tall, pretty, and ditzy; was stalked by a man one day before coming to work. Files most things under "A" - "a letter, a sales report, a customer's complaint..." Appears in: 1975, "German Week," "Shoulder to Shoulder," "New Look."

Secretary #4: Nameless
Is credited as Isabella Rye. Very tall, pretty and busty, with a sexy/deep voice; former secretary to "Young" Mr. Grace but transferred to Rumbold cause her good looks gave Mr. Grace a heart attack. Not a ditz like most of Rumbold's secretaries. Appears in: 1976, "Forward Mr. Grainger."

Secretary #5: Monica Hazlewood
Was incorrectly suspected of having an affair with Captain Peacock because they were more than friendly, and then when they spent the night together in his car, rumors began to fly and both Mrs. Peacock and Miss Hazlewood's father are pissed. The commotion is such that "Young" Mr. Grace holds a board meeting to solve the problem. Miss Hazlewood called off her wedding at Captain Peacock's advice that she was too young, and later regretted her decision, since her fiance "was so good-lookin', and now he's got nobody." Appears in: 1976, "Oh What a Tangled Web."

Secretary #6: Mrs. Peacock
In one episode only ("A Personal Problem" - 1981), she temporarily becomes Rumbold's secretary in a successful attempt to save her marriage to Captain Peacock. Appears in: 1976, "Oh What a Tangled Web"; 1981, "A Personal Problem"; 1983, "The Sweet Smell of Success." A different actress, Diana Lambert, plays Mrs. Peacock in 1984 in "Grounds for Divorce" and "Friends and Neighbors."

Secretary #7: Miss B. Belfridge
A Marilyn Monroe type of a blonde beauty, she acts very ditzy but has an O level in English literature. She is charmed by Captain Peacock when she first comes to Grace Brothers and ends up having a relationship with him. Appears in: 1983, all episodes; 1984, all episodes.

Secretaries to the Grace Brothers

Unlike Mr. Rumbold, the aging Grace brothers were not clueless and were quite aware of their secretaries' assets. ^_^

Secretary #1: Nameless
Is credited as Isabella Rye. Secretary to "Young" Mr. Grace. Although she never appears as a secretary for Mr. Grace and only appears as Rumbold's secretary, she is technically Mr. Grace's first secretary (the first that we get to see) since she says she is the former secretary to "Young" Mr. Grace. She was transferred to Rumbold cause her good looks gave Mr. Grace a heart attack. Not a ditz like most of Rumbold's secretaries. Appears in: 1976, "Forward Mr. Grainger."

Secretary #2: Miss Bakewell/Miss Nicholson
Secretary to "Young" Mr. Grace. Left-handed and unable to cook, Miss Bakewell is also not a ditz, in contrast to most of Mr. Rumbold's secretaries. However, in the 1977 AYBS? movie, where she is inexplicably called Nicholson and not Bakewell, she acts VERY ditzy. She is "Young" Mr. Grace's main secretary - the only secretary he has had that we see for more than one episode. Appears in: 1976, "Fifty Years On," "Oh What a Tangled Web," "The Father Christmas Affair"; 1977, "A Change Is as Good as a Rest," "Founder's Day," "Take-over," "It Pays to Advertise"; 1978, all episodes; 1979, all episodes.

Secretary #3: Nameless
Is credited as Bernice Adams. Secretary to "Young" Mr. Grace. Quickly fired by Mr. Grace for not being attractive enough to sound his pacemaker alarm. Appears in: 1978, "A Bliss Girl."

Secretary #4: Nameless
Is credited as Debbie Linden. Secretary to both Grace brothers. She was mainly Old Mr. Grace's secretary but since she debuts in the episode where the "Young" Grace hands over the store to Old Mr. Grace, she technically would have to be considered as being secretary to them both. A ditzy blonde beauty (Debbie Linden was known as England's wanna-be Marilyn Monroe) with a lock of hair dyed pink. Appears in: 1981, "Is It Catching?," "A Personal Problem," "Front Page Story," "Sit Out," "Heir Apparent."

Secretary #5: Virginia Edwards
Secretary to Old Mr. Grace. A ditzy girl not used to "working with old equipment." Appears in: 1981, "Sit Out," "Closed Circuit," "The Erotic Dreams of Mrs. Slocombe," "Roots?"

The Grace Brothers Medical Staff

Not to be forgotten are the various beautiful, female healers of Grace Brothers.

The Sister/Staff Nurse
Nurse on call for the Grace Brothers staff. Appears in: 1975, "Cold Store"; 1979, "Strong Stuff This Insurance."

Nurse to "Young" Mr. Grace
No actor credit given since no lines were spoken by this nurse. A beautiful blonde/blue-eyed Swedish looking girl. Appears in: 1976, "The Father Christmas Affair"; 1977, "Mrs. Slocombe Expects," "A Change Is as Good as a Rest," "Founder's Day," "The Old Order Changes," "Take-over," "It Pays to Advertise" (all 1977 episodes except "Goodbye Mr. Grainger").

Nurse to the Grace Brothers
A beautiful, extremely sexy-voiced woman. Does her job well, caring for both Graces with true affection and competence. Falls in love with a lord (Lord Hirly of the nice lips, to be exact) after he falls in love with her sexy voice on a Grace Brothers T.V. commercial and decides that he must meet her... lucky girl! Appears in: 1978, all episodes; 1979, all episodes; 1981, all episodes.

"Young" Mr. Grace's Personal Physician
Is credited as Imogen Bickford-Smith. A pretty blonde and personal physician to "Young" Mr. Grace, hired by him to do routine check-ups on his staff to see if they qualified for his insurance/retirement plan. A homeopathic doctor. Appears in: 1979, "Strong Stuff This Insurance."

The Grace Brothers Kitchen Staff

This section features only the canteen's manageress - the most well-known member of Grace Brothers' kitchen staff.

Diana Yardswick
The canteen manageress, former canteen waitress and cook, and a true dragon. Has a boyfriend built like a brick chickenhouse, as well as a young son born in either 1980 or 1981. Also has a nice smile that's rarely used and is constantly in conflict with the staff of the Ladies' and Gent's Department. She hates them as she considers them to be middle-class snobs; they hate her because she is bitchy, uncouth, and not interested in serving well-made food. However, Diana Jarswick is at heart a good person, and we see her good side come out in episodes where she has been given a deserved raise in salary or where a wage dispute has been settled. She quite rightly points out that she knows she takes her job too seriously, and that it's mainly the administration people like Mr. Rumbold who get her angry. And besides, she never would have become manageress in four short years (from 1975 to 1979) if she hadn't had some sort of competence as a person. She is the head tosser at the Gay Hussar Pancake House; is also a member of the union known as NACERD (National Associated Canteen Employees, Restaurant and Domestic). She is a waitress in 1975, a cook in 1976, a waitress in 1978, and finally gets promoted to canteen manageress from 1979 to the show's end in 1984. Appears in: 1975, "Christmas Crackers"; 1976, "The Father Christmas Affair"; 1978, "Happy Returns"; 1979, "Anything You Can Do," "The Punch and Judy Affair"; 1981, "Is It Catching?"; 1983, "The Sweet Smell of Success," "Memories Are Made of This," "Lost and Found"; 1984, "Goodbye Mrs. Slocombe," "Gambling Fever," "The Night Club," "Friends and Neighbours," "The Pop Star."

The Grace Brothers Lady Floorcleaners

The most well-known Grace Brothers lady floorcleaner is the one played by Hilda Fenemore, who appears in multifarious episodes. She went through a few names during her tenure on the show: Elsie Makepeace, Daphne Akroyd, and Ivy. She also had various "trusty sidekicks" such as Ethel, Gladys, and Doris Poland.

Ivy (also Elsie Makepeace/Daphne Akroyd)
A typical "low class/smart-mouthed" aging lady type floorcleaner. On good terms with Mr. Mash and Mr. Harman - doesn't get along as well with Captain Peacock and Mr. Rumbold. Is called Elsie in 1974, Daphne in 1975, and then Ivy from 1976 onward. Appears in: 1974, "The Clock," "Cold Comfort"; 1975, "Cold Store"; 1976, "No Sale"; 1978, "By Appointment"; 1979, "The Junior," "The Punch and Judy Affair."

Doris Poland
No actor credit given as no lines were spoken. Accompanies Elsie. Appears in: 1974, "The Clock."

Gladys
Accompanies Elsie. Appears in: 1974, "Cold Comfort."

Ethel
No actor credit given as no lines were spoken. Accompanies Elsie. Appears in: 1974, "The Think Tank"; 1976, "No Sale."

Nameless Cleaner #1
Fan of Mr. Spooner. Appears in: 1984, "The Pop Star."

Nameless Cleaner #2
No lines spoken but credited as Joan Dainty. Fan of Mr. Spooner. Appears in: 1984, "The Pop Star."