Strange relationship between Mr. Humphries and Ms. Moulherd
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dpcole7 — 13 years ago(August 27, 2012 05:04 PM)
It is a horrible shame series 3 never got made. I recently purchased "Grace and Favour" and have been enjoying the show immensely.
But what Mr. Inman said would suggest Fleur Bennett bowing out of the show. Which is a shame as I adore her character and she is rather nice on the eyes -
Bashrat Din — 4 months ago(November 29, 2025 01:44 PM)
But what Mr. Inman said would suggest Fleur Bennett bowing out of the show. Which is a shame as I adore her character and she is rather nice on the eyes…
Sh!t show, but I will happy to plow the farmer's daughter, hana -
sanna_o75 — 17 years ago(February 12, 2009 05:50 PM)
You knowI don't think we can put a title on what Mr Humphries was. He wasn't gay, he wasn't hetro, he wasn't bi. He waswell, Mr Humphries! LOL He's in a leauge of his own, really, haha. I guess he loved all people. That's the beauty of his charachter. I don't really think much what he is and what he's not, I just take him for what we see
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Dr_Cosmo_McKinley — 17 years ago(March 13, 2009 05:06 AM)
Although it was sad they didn't make a third season. I'm in a way happy because if Mr Humphries got married to Mavis then it would have given his sexual orientation a finality or label. And frankly it would have been a wrong move for not only our enjoyment but for the character because for all those years we were still not sure what he actually was. I prefer Mr Humphries 'unsure and undecided'.
Zydrate comes in a little glass vial, and the Zydrate goes into the gun like a battery. -
jeremy3 — 16 years ago(April 04, 2010 03:16 PM)
Those are some good points. I also think that Mr. Humphries was too nice to say "no". She was a young woman who was strong and attracted to a gentle, older man. He was obliging her, plus maybe he was a bit lonely too.
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rgcustomer — 14 years ago(May 16, 2011 05:59 PM)
Not so much a direct response to the comment from last year, but just adding my thoughts to the general discussion
Given the era, I think it's likely that Mr. Humphries was bisexual in the same way that Elton John said he was bisexual, before he clarified he was actually gay. It's clear that his non-straight orientation was an open secret with his co-workers and mother, but it was disapproved of, particularly by his bosses, and even he considered it an illness or defect that might be corrected. I think Mr. Humphries is quite a sad character, coping via comedy.
Mr. Humphries rarely if ever showed any interest in women actually in his presence. If they got too close or sexually suggestive toward him, he would react negatively, ranging from awkward discomfort to outright terror.
While he had similar reactions to men getting close, he also was often discouraged by Mr. Grainger from getting too close to his male customers, indicating that he was already known for enjoying their company a little too much. He also alluded to quite a lengthy past with a variety of men.
The (admittedly few) bisexuals I have met are not like that. They have healthy attitudes towards sex and love. They don't react with fear, and while they aren't mathematically divided right down the middle, they don't lean quite so far to just one side of the spectrum.
But another alternative was that he was simply asexual. While it doesn't seem to get recognized as an orientation, there are people who have no real attraction to anyone, which I imagine must be quite uncomfortable at times. Maybe being perceived as gay was a way to reduce unwanted attention. -
persia-4 — 14 years ago(February 28, 2012 11:22 AM)
The interesting thing is that 21st C society is far less accepting of bi-sexuality than 20th C and more accepting of homosexuality. Human sexuality seems to be on a sliding scale between pure homosexuality and pure heterosexuality. Society isn't comfortable with this, society wants you to be one or the other. It's like politics, you have Labour and Tory, there should be anything in between, like the Libdems.
If a bi-person is in a same sex relationship there is pressure for that person to declare themselves "Gay" and if they are in an opposite sex relationship they get pressure to either declare themselves straight or end the relationship. If we were absolutely free of peer pressure there'd be a lot of people in the middle. I believe Mr. Humphries problems were related to being in the middle, he was attracted to men, he was attracted to women and he never was satisfied with either. He would have been perfectly fit to a threesome.
His development was also severely stunted, he can't grow up and form adult relationships, he is forever momma's boy. -
Royalcourtier — 9 years ago(May 05, 2016 01:04 AM)
Elton John is bisexual. He was married once - to a woman.
Mr Humphries was sexually ambiguous. It would have been easy to make him homosexual. The character was not homosexual, but camp. He could have been heterosexual, and in fact this was confirmed in the unmade third series. -
TheChamCham — 10 years ago(October 20, 2015 04:39 PM)
According to an interview with John Inman, he did not consider Mr.Humphries to be gay, but rather a "mama's boy" who was too shy, too old-fashioned and possibly too afraid to be with anyone.
His reactions to any "come hither" from either male or female admirers on both shows were usually confusion and discomfort. Though when pressed he leaned to the female admirers.
Rescue the damsel in distress, whip the bad guy, save the world. -
hugh1971 — 9 years ago(April 24, 2016 03:10 AM)
I think Mr Inman's explanation is a good one. Mr Humphries never came across as an active homosexual, more of a repressed celibate who wasn't quite sure if he was Arthur or Martha. In the 'Are You Being Served' movie, a beautiful Spanish waitress throws herself at Mr Humphries and keeps trying to seduce him. At one point he looks almost tempted to do something about it, but in the ends gets frightened and has to phone his mother!
'Monsters? We're British!' -
HollingsWolves — 9 years ago(August 22, 2016 03:05 PM)
A very similar real life case was Kenneth Williams. He was certainly gay, but seemed to much prefer drooling over gorgeous men from afar to actually doing anything much with them. Also a man very close to and devoted to his mother.