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. Meaty Media gave the series a rating of 3/5, criticizing its crude humor, but noting that some viewers "will enjoy the idiosyncratic characters and their attempts to survive the uncertainties of puberty." Susan Stewart of "The New York Times" gave the show a positive review, calling its puppetry "a perfect medium for sending up the foibles of the teenage years" and commending the two main characters' "deft characterizations". In May 2007, the show ranked as the fourth highest-rated Saturday morning program among children aged 2―11. Mr. Meaty Mr. Meaty is a Canadian-American teen sitcom television series created by Jamie Shannon and