My email sent to KERA to host an AYBS appreciation...

[Talking Ocean]

It would be so great if KERA could host an event for several of the original British Comedy actors so that fans could have an opportunity to have a meet and greet or even some kind of award. I'm sure in the UK there were "ample" events where these stars won awards; but we here in the USA did not present an award; not even a People's Award. Frank Thorton (Captain Peacock), Trevor Bannister (Mr. Lucas), Mollie Sugden (Mrs. Slocombe), and Nicolas Smith (Mr. Rumbold) are pretty much the only living cast members from Are You Being Served? and we here in the USA would like to show our appreciation of them. I wish we could have shown Jon Inman (Mr. Humphries), and recently Wendy Richards, (Miss Brahms, passed away last week Feb 26, 2009) ,how much we loved them. Mollie Sugden and Frank Thornton are up there in age; I wish we in the USA (Dallas/Ft Worth) could give them an award. Imagine the AYBS surviving cast members and other cast members from the BritComs we still watch could have a voice from this side of the pond letting them know we really appreciate them. I'd definately donate for something like this as would many KERA members who have been blessed by these actors for decades. Please do something like this. I know there's an audience already for AYBS award meet and greet :http://www.minki.net/aybs/ Many fans are here in Texas and abroad...they'd take a road trip for something like this!

:signin::shakeshout:

[Greg WibblyWobbly]

Sounds like a cool idea. I wouldn't even know how to embark on this adventure. Maybe the great and powerful Minki Moo would know how to get the ball rolling or even if it's feasable.

[Talking Ocean]

If something like this could happen maybe "we" AYBS fans here can arrage to stay at the same hotel so we can have our own AYBS party. Costume & all LOL!

[blakey]

who or what is KERA?

[John Inman Fan]

who or what is KERA?

KERA is a PBS station in Dallas, Texas USA.

Marlies

[John Inman Fan]

Sounds like a cool idea. I wouldn't even know how to embark on this adventure. Maybe the great and powerful Minki Moo would know how to get the ball rolling or even if it's feasable.

It's probably not feasible for a couple of reasons:

1>I've written to all the PBS stations that aired/have aired AYBS and have gotten many emails that they have no plans of airing AYBS now or in the future. I think unfortunately the "novelty" of these shows have worn off (boo hiss!) and most PBS stations want to keep up with current shows now. Therefore the interest is gone to host AYBS cast members as a group or even separately especially declined since John Inman died since he was the "spokesperson" for PBS. Also the release of the commercial DVDs from the show hurt them as well since the flexibility of watching the shows when you want is nothing compared to waiting for the shows on a weekly basis. :)

2>The remaining cast members are either extremely busy/up in age/poor health so to expect them to engage in something like this is wishful at best. Although it would be cool though, it doesn't hurt to fantasize how an event like that would be! :) I think most of the PBS stations had done "appreciation shows" anyway in terms of events and the like especially for the 25th anniversary which is where one of the AYBS books derived from. The chance of a 50th anniversary is very unlikely since it would be around 2023!

Marlies

[Talking Ocean]

AYBS is aired now on KERA in Dallas/Ft Worth. It seems to be pretty steady and goes into rotation often. I even watched a marathan tonite. It aires every Sunday night on KERA. I guess I am fantasizing; but oh well! I'm not wanting this for an "anniversary" date but these ppl are in the 70's and older so we need to honor them with an award! With Inman & Richards passing away within two years PBS needs to acknowledge AYBS surviving cast members with something before they're all gone.

[John Inman Fan]

AYBS is aired now on KERA in Dallas/Ft Worth. It seems to be pretty steady and goes into rotation often. I even watched a marathan tonite. It aires every Sunday night on KERA. I guess I am fantasizing; but oh well! I'm not wanting this for an "anniversary" date but these ppl are in the 70's and older so we need to honor them with an award! With Inman & Richards passing away within two years PBS needs to acknowledge AYBS surviving cast members with something before they're all gone.

It's aired here in Ohio pretty steadily too, but we didn't have a marathon so you were lucky there! :) I think KERA was one of the big PBS stations for AYBS.

Marlies

[John Inman Fan]

Come to think of it the cast had a few AYBS? reunions in the UK. I have a picture from one of them on my Mike Berry page that had Mike Berry, Mollie Sugden, Frank Thornton, Wendy Richard, John Inman and Nicholas Smith. It would have been a dream to see that event! :)There was another one I vaguely recall, but I will have to look through my files to find the info for that one.

Marlies

[Talking Ocean]

How lucky are the people that got to go to those events in the UK! Maybe the closest we'll get if we all dress up like AYBS and have a reunion ourselves, lol!

[John Inman Fan]

How lucky are the people that got to go to those events in the UK! Maybe the closest we'll get if we all dress up like AYBS and have a reunion ourselves, lol!

That sounds like fun! :lol:

Moderator: Looks like I doubleposted above. Please remove one of them. Thanks!

[Red Shadow]

It looks like the idea of an AYBS Forever group party is surfacing once again. I think it could be a lot of fun. Should we all plan a wild weekend in Brighton, or should we plan a weekend just as wild but here in the United States?

[Melchett]

It looks like the idea of an AYBS Forever group party is surfacing once again. I think it could be a lot of fun. Should we all plan a wild weekend in Brighton, or should we plan a weekend just as wild but here in the United States?

Why not compromise and settle on Beachy Head?

[Red Shadow]

:thumbup:

[minki]

Sounds like a cool idea. I wouldn't even know how to embark on this adventure. Maybe the great and powerful Minki Moo would know how to get the ball rolling or even if it's feasable.

You give me too much credit :oops:

You'd probably have to have convince KERA (or whoever) to hold an event, then they'd have contact all of their agents to see who'd be interested in coming, and then coordinate a date, a time, a location, a venue, appearance fees, transportation fees, lodging, all the minute details...it could be done, but it's a very large and difficult undertaking, and one that would take months (at least!) to do. And there's no guarantees that you'd be able to get a full roster of cast.

Still, if you don't ask you don't get, so even though it's quite the undertaking, it's worth sending the e-mail to KERA and see what they say. Worst thing they tell you is "No, sorry but we can't." But at least you tried and they'll know (or more accurately, be reminded) of the interest in AYBS.

Mind you, that shouldn't stop you from organizing a local AYBS fan get together! Now that's far easier to do and you'd need no actors to do it with. All you need is a little planning ability. You can even get KERA in on the act: offer to have all the fans come in one night to man the phones for their next pledge drive if they'll show an AYBS marathon :)


It looks like the idea of an AYBS Forever group party is surfacing once again. I think it could be a lot of fun. Should we all plan a wild weekend in Brighton, or should we plan a weekend just as wild but here in the United States?

Why not one (or more) in each locale? That way people can go to the one closest to them...or to both if they're up to it. Unfortunately with the economy nowadays, it's hard for people to jet across the pond.
:anglophile:

[Greg WibblyWobbly]

Why not compromise and settle on Beachy Head?

:lol: You kill me buddy.

[Sir Richard Ryan]

Why not compromise and settle on Beachy Head?

I'd settle for Mrs Featherstones:lol: