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. Vampire vs Vampire" (1989), which are all separate from the "Mr. Vampire" franchise. In addition, Lam uses his real name for his character in some of the films he acted in. A related television series titled "Vampire Expert" (殭屍道長) starring Lam Ching-ying was broadcast from 1996 to 1997. However, during the filming of the third season, Lam developed liver cancer and died before the project was completed. The first season of "My Date with a Vampire", a television series produced by ATV, was specially dedicated to Lam, and the story was based on future events in "Vampire Expert". "Mr. Vampire" was