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
Mr Gay UK the 119th Lord Mayor of Manchester in 2016, serving until 2017. Mr Gay UK 2003, Jarrold Batchelor, went on to appear in the Channel 4 reality series, "The Games". In 2006, police officer Mark Carter made national headlines when he won the competition. Mr Gay UK 1998, Ben Harris, became the winner of the Channel 4 show Playing It Straight in 2004. Mr Gay UK 2007, Daniel Broughton, has since entered the gay pornographic industry, modelling for British gay porn company EnglishLads. Mr Gay Newcastle 2007, Charlie Drummond, became a "Big Brother" housemate in the 2009 series, where he sparked