Royal Syns’ Blog

I guess I had to sleep on it, or let it sink into my psyche, but the death of Mollie who played Mrs. Slocomb on the Brit series “Are You Being Served” really has packed me punch – bowled me over so to speak.  The series was great and funny and everything, but it also had within its walls a LOT of heart.

Part of that heart is the relationship with the characters Mrs. Slocomb (Mollie Sugden) and Mr Humphries (John Inman – passed in 2007).  A relationship that knew no boundaries or judgement.  Well, perhaps a judge or two – but hey, they’re only human.

Humphries was the only openly gay man on TV that I saw that I looked up to.  He was witty, funny and open – even though it was never discussed.  The series played to the censors and to the public very well – they danced a very thin line in a time when nothing like that was on tv.  Sure Humphries had a ‘girlfriend’ or would ‘have a date’ – but it was never shown, never put under the microscope – we as an audience would just assume this ‘date’ was a man and the ‘girlfriend’ was to make him mum happy (he lived with her).  Yes, Humphries was a gay man and to his tit, Slocomb was his tat.

The all encompassing FAG HAG.

Blue hair, loud mouth, yellow hair, opinions, pink hair, sharp tongue, rainbow hair, etc.  She was over the top – my first drag queen if you will.  But her relationship to Humphries was curious to me as a boy.  Someone that is obviously a little light on his feet, limp wrist – why these are ALL the things I thought being gay was looked down on and joked, ridiculed and beaten out of society.  Yet here was the oddity – the Humphries Case.

He was all that and more – lisp, wilt, dandy scarves, winking at the male coustomers – it was appalling – I LOVED IT.

What was more was that Slocomb, along with EVERYONE else that worked with this man, really cared about him.  They listened to him, looked up to him, brought him into their lives.  I was not only amazed as a kid that you could actually be yourself – but you can do so with support.

Maybe it was Humphries that pushed me to tell my mom about me and being gay – maybe it was part Slocomb that showed me “Who gives a flying fig?”  Maybe it was just that I had to tell her and my family so I didn’t have to lie and I was just tired.  Whatever the reason – I do think that these two awesome characters on a tiny little Brit hit brought me and hopefully the rest of us a laugh or two and taught us a valuable lesson in diversity, stereotyping and life.

Rest in Peace, Mollie and John.