Are You Being Served? the first series on 14 March 1973. Although the first series was aired in the same timeslot as "Coronation Street" on ITV, consequently receiving relatively little attention, the repeats shown later in the year were much more successful. The show became a ratings hit, and after a successful 13-year run, "Are You Being Served?" came to an end on 1 April 1985. Of the original cast, only Frank Thornton, Mollie Sugden, John Inman, Wendy Richard and Nicholas Smith appeared in all 69 episodes of the programme's 13-year run; these five later featured in the sequel sitcom, "Grace & Favour" (also
Last of the Summer Wine being replaced by Foggy. In the late 1980s, Roy Clarke wrote novels featuring Compo, Clegg and Seymour. The books were published by Penguin Books under the series heading "Summer Wine Chronicles", and included such titles as "Gala Week" and "The Moonbather". Clarke later adapted "The Moonbather" into a stage play. In the early 1980s, a daily comic strip based on the show was drawn by Roger Mahoney and appeared in the "Daily Star". A compilation of these strips, published by Express Books, was released in 1983. In 1993, the Summer Wine Appreciation Society asked their members for their favourite musical