Mr. Humphries is never elaborated upon. Though Mr. Humphries exhibits many of the behaviors typical of a gay stereotype, his true sexual orientation is never explicitly confirmed in the series. The reticence was a necessity given prevailing attitudes at the time the series was produced: after the first five episodes of "Are You Being Served?", a senior BBC executive ordered David Croft to "Get rid of the poof" from the show – Croft declined, saying: "If the poof goes, I go." Many jokes throw Mr Humphries into heterosexual clinches. At one point he is asked to fill in for Mrs. Slocombe at
Captain Peacock his tongue (as their more carefree, relaxed attitude towards work clashes with his more professional demeanor). He sometimes clashes with the Senior Assistant of the menswear department, whether that be Mr. Grainger, Mr. Tebbs, Mr. Goldberg, Mr. Grossman, or Mr Klein, usually over a matter that involves the menswear department having to share floor or counter space with the ladies' department. He also irritated them whenever anything involving a promotion or the company boardroom was mentioned; they would become jealous as he had been at the store longer, while Peacock seemed to relish the opportunity to reinforce his senior position.