Mrs. Slocombe
Encyclopedia
Mrs. Betty Slocombe is a fictional character from the BBC One
comedy
show, Are You Being Served?
. She was played by Mollie Sugden
.
. She is the Head of the Ladies Department. She frequently dyes her hair unusual colours such as lime green or orange. Throughout the series, her husband was alluded to have either left Mrs. Slocombe, or was possibly arrested by the Fraud Squad
. In Grace & Favour, it was revealed that her husband, Cecil, had walked out on her one morning, and ended up a successful land developer. She lived with her cat, Tiddles, which she referred to as "my pussy
;" this was the source of many a double entendre
, most of which Mrs. Slocombe herself completely misses. Mrs. Slocombe also tries to use received pronunciation
, but when exasperated or annoyed, she reveals more than a trace of a Northern
accent. Mrs. Slocombe's catch phrase
s were "...and I am unanimous in that..." and "Weak as water!" She often mispronounces long words, rendering, for example, "obstreperous" as "obstropulous" and "organism" as "orgasm
" and "centimeters" as "centipedes". She spent much of her free time prowling public house
s, roller rinks and discos with her friend Mrs. Axelby, but due to her middle age, men are less and less attracted to her, which she dismisses as politeness on the part of all men. A running joke on the part of Mr. Lucas is to suggest that Mrs. Slocombe was a bit wilder in her younger days. At one point she mentions a wartime
experience of "being flung flat on me back on Clapham Common
by a land mine", claiming "the German Air Force
was responsible" (prompting Mr. Lucas to reply "all the other times she was flat on her back, the American Air Force was responsible").
She is very vain about her age, once claiming to be "only 46" and another time claiming to be in her 30s. However, in the episode "Fifty Years On", the staff determine that she was born in 1926, and in "Founders Day" Mr. Lucas announces her year of birth as 1926. In "The Junior" Captain Peacock threatens to reveal that she worked as a nippy
, implying that she was at least in her late teens during WWII.
At various times, Mrs. Slocombe has (often while drunk) tried to flirt with various members of the male staff. Though she often sparred with Mr. Lucas, she was heard to remark that he has "very smooth hands" when he accidentally tries to straighten her stockings instead of a display dummy's. She has often cast an eye towards Captain Peacock
, usually calling him "Stephen" in a conspiratorial tone and complimenting him in an effort to appeal to his masculine ego. At one point, when pretending to be locked in a passionate embrace with Peacock (in order to dissuade a woman Peacock had previously had a fling with), Mrs. Slocombe is overcome with the smell of Captain Peacock's cologne
and comments that he is actually a rather handsome man (with the humorous result that when the "signal" is accidentally given, she pounces on Peacock with genuine passion). However, the majority of Mrs. Slocombe's attempts at seduction are directed towards Mr. Humphries, as she often fixates on him; at one point her (often thwarted) desires even led to her becoming obsessed, to which she turns to drink in an effort to drown her sorrows. She even believes that Mr. Humphries
had proposed marriage
to her at one point (with which the good-natured Mr. Humphries resignedly decides to play along, in order to spare her feelings); however, Mrs. Slocombe herself breaks off the "engagement" when she discovers that her previously missing cat (which prompted her to be despondent and thus fixate on Mr. Humphries) had in fact turned up with a litter of kittens.
reprised the role of Mrs. Slocombe for the spin-off show, Grace and Favour
, in 1992.
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
show, Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...
. She was played by Mollie Sugden
Mollie Sugden
Isobel Mary 'Mollie' Sugden was an English comedy actress best known for portraying the saleswoman Mrs. Slocombe in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? from 1972 to 1985. She later reprised this role in Grace & Favour, which ran from 1992 to 1993...
.
Role
Mrs. Slocombe born Mary Elizabeth Jennifer Rachel Abergavenny Yiddell in 1926 in BlackpoolBlackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. She is the Head of the Ladies Department. She frequently dyes her hair unusual colours such as lime green or orange. Throughout the series, her husband was alluded to have either left Mrs. Slocombe, or was possibly arrested by the Fraud Squad
Fraud Squad
A Fraud Squad is a police department which investigates fraud and other economic crimes. The largest Fraud Squad in the United Kingdom is run by the City of London Police who are responsible for policing London's and the UK's main financial hub....
. In Grace & Favour, it was revealed that her husband, Cecil, had walked out on her one morning, and ended up a successful land developer. She lived with her cat, Tiddles, which she referred to as "my pussy
Pussy
Pussy is an English word meaning:* Cat* The human female genitalia, for the slang term related to genital anatomy.* Pejoratively, cowardice or weakness as an insult in general- Etymology :The origins of the word are unknown...
;" this was the source of many a double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
, most of which Mrs. Slocombe herself completely misses. Mrs. Slocombe also tries to use received pronunciation
Received Pronunciation
Received Pronunciation , also called the Queen's English, Oxford English or BBC English, is the accent of Standard English in England, with a relationship to regional accents similar to the relationship in other European languages between their standard varieties and their regional forms...
, but when exasperated or annoyed, she reveals more than a trace of a Northern
Northern English
Northern English is a group of dialects of the English language. It includes the North East England dialects, which are similar in some respects to Scots....
accent. Mrs. Slocombe's catch phrase
Catch phrase
A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
s were "...and I am unanimous in that..." and "Weak as water!" She often mispronounces long words, rendering, for example, "obstreperous" as "obstropulous" and "organism" as "orgasm
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
" and "centimeters" as "centipedes". She spent much of her free time prowling public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s, roller rinks and discos with her friend Mrs. Axelby, but due to her middle age, men are less and less attracted to her, which she dismisses as politeness on the part of all men. A running joke on the part of Mr. Lucas is to suggest that Mrs. Slocombe was a bit wilder in her younger days. At one point she mentions a wartime
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
experience of "being flung flat on me back on Clapham Common
Clapham Common
Clapham Common is an 89 hectare triangular area of grassland situated in south London, England. It was historically common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, but was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878.43 hectares of the common are within the...
by a land mine", claiming "the German Air Force
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
was responsible" (prompting Mr. Lucas to reply "all the other times she was flat on her back, the American Air Force was responsible").
She is very vain about her age, once claiming to be "only 46" and another time claiming to be in her 30s. However, in the episode "Fifty Years On", the staff determine that she was born in 1926, and in "Founders Day" Mr. Lucas announces her year of birth as 1926. In "The Junior" Captain Peacock threatens to reveal that she worked as a nippy
Nippy
A nippy was a specific type of waitress associated with the J. Lyons & Co brand of tea, and its tea shops and cafes in the UK. Beginning in the late 19th century, a J. Lyons waitress was called a "Gladys". From 1926, because the waitresses nipped around the tea shops the term "Nippy" came into use...
, implying that she was at least in her late teens during WWII.
At various times, Mrs. Slocombe has (often while drunk) tried to flirt with various members of the male staff. Though she often sparred with Mr. Lucas, she was heard to remark that he has "very smooth hands" when he accidentally tries to straighten her stockings instead of a display dummy's. She has often cast an eye towards Captain Peacock
Captain Peacock
Captain Stephen Peacock is a fictional character from the BBC One comedy show, Are You Being Served?. He is played by Frank Thornton, who went on to take the popular role of Truly in Last of the Summer Wine...
, usually calling him "Stephen" in a conspiratorial tone and complimenting him in an effort to appeal to his masculine ego. At one point, when pretending to be locked in a passionate embrace with Peacock (in order to dissuade a woman Peacock had previously had a fling with), Mrs. Slocombe is overcome with the smell of Captain Peacock's cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and comments that he is actually a rather handsome man (with the humorous result that when the "signal" is accidentally given, she pounces on Peacock with genuine passion). However, the majority of Mrs. Slocombe's attempts at seduction are directed towards Mr. Humphries, as she often fixates on him; at one point her (often thwarted) desires even led to her becoming obsessed, to which she turns to drink in an effort to drown her sorrows. She even believes that Mr. Humphries
Mr. Humphries
Mr Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries is a fictional character from the BBC One comedy show, Are You Being Served?. He was played by John Inman from 1972-1993.-Role:...
had proposed marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
to her at one point (with which the good-natured Mr. Humphries resignedly decides to play along, in order to spare her feelings); however, Mrs. Slocombe herself breaks off the "engagement" when she discovers that her previously missing cat (which prompted her to be despondent and thus fixate on Mr. Humphries) had in fact turned up with a litter of kittens.
Grace and Favour
Mollie SugdenMollie Sugden
Isobel Mary 'Mollie' Sugden was an English comedy actress best known for portraying the saleswoman Mrs. Slocombe in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? from 1972 to 1985. She later reprised this role in Grace & Favour, which ran from 1992 to 1993...
reprised the role of Mrs. Slocombe for the spin-off show, Grace and Favour
Grace and favour
A grace and favour home is a residential property owned by a monarch by virtue of their position as head of state and leased rent-free to persons as part of an employment package or in gratitude for past services rendered....
, in 1992.
External links
- Are You Being Served? at the British Film InstituteBritish Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...