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 is the exception rather than the rule, as usually it is Mrs. Slocombe who uses her charms on him when she wants something). These situations have often got Captain Peacock into both marital and professional trouble (on one occasion the extremely jealous Mrs. Peacock confronts him while he's at work), but due to his quick wit he is usually able to work his way out of both situations. Captain Peacock generally tends to have a hate-hate relationship with whoever is the junior in the menswear department; Mr. Lucas, Mr. Spooner, and Mr. Humphries have all gotten the sharp end of