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Mon Mar 18, 2013, 10:38 AM

Recursion (25,477 posts)

Are You Being Served? actor Frank Thornton dies aged 92

Source: BBC

Frank Thornton, who played Captain Peacock in BBC comedy Are You Being Served? has died at the age of 92.

Thornton died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Barnes, London, on Saturday, his agent David Daly said.

Also known for his role as Truly in Last of the Summer Wine, the actor also starred in comedies such as Hancock's Half Hour and The Goodies.

Thornton is survived by Beryl, his wife of 67 years, their daughter Jane and three grandchildren.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21828965

Captain Peacock, are you free?

36 replies, 2350 views

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36 replies	Author	Time	Post
Are You Being Served? actor Frank Thornton dies aged 92 (Original post)	Recursion	Mar 18	OP
Absolutely loved that show	TupperHappy	Mar 18	#1
Liked him as Peacock but loved him as Truly	CBGLuthier	Mar 18	#2
yep, he was the best straight man	Viva_La_Revolution	Mar 18	#6
"He had a good run..."	Demoiselle	Mar 18	#33
You know when someone dies and you go "Whoa! He was still alive?"	Nye Bevan	Mar 18	#3
It's even stranger when you find someone is still alive!	randome	Mar 18	#10
I remember that show.	Beacool	Mar 18	#4
RIP	Rabid_Rabbit	Mar 18	#5
it's brilliant	Viva_La_Revolution	Mar 18	#7
Thanks	Rabid_Rabbit	Mar 18	#12
I Think the DVDs are Available from Netflix but Not Streamed	Indykatie	Mar 18	#14
YouTube	Viva_La_Revolution	Mar 18	#18
Now I know what I'll be doing over lunchbreak	Rabid_Rabbit	Mar 18	#25
That's sad. I watched that show as a kid.	AtheistCrusader	Mar 18	#8
Very few cast members left	Lydia Leftcoast	Mar 18	#9
I thought that Trevor Bannister (Mr. Lucas), was still living. Just googled and found out he isn't.	raccoon	Mar 18	#11
I thought for sure Wendy Richard was still alive, but no.	RILib	Mar 18	#17
That's it	dipsydoodle	Mar 18	#13
That sucks, he was great. But he lived a long life so.. n/t	bamacrat	Mar 18	#15
Every single original AYBS cast member is gone now, except Nicholas Smith.	LeftinOH	Mar 18	#16
Thanks for the tidbit. I had no idea Mr. Rumboldt was still alive. The fact that Frank Thornton...	Tarheel_Dem	Mar 18	#21
RIP Captain Peacock great deadpan	Purplehazed	Mar 18	#19
LOL!	Le Taz Hot	Mar 19	#35
RIP	Ron Obvious	Mar 18	#20
So very sad	Ednahilda	Mar 18	#22
Fondest memories.	Gregorian	Mar 18	#23
Sad To Hear, Sir: A Great Old Show, That Was	The Magistrate	Mar 18	#24
What a loss!	MinneapolisMatt	Mar 18	#26
RIP	Liberalynn	Mar 18	#27
Thanks for posting this.	House of Roberts	Mar 18	#28
Here's some more Capt Peacock - remembering Mrs Slocum.	marble falls	Mar 18	#29
RIP Captain Peacock	SoapBox	Mar 18	#30
p.s. to my post...	SoapBox	Mar 18	#32
How very sad.	Behind the Aegis	Mar 18	#31
This how Wendy Richards got started back in 1962	dipsydoodle	Mar 19	#36
Didn't known he was on the Goodies	daleo	Mar 18	#34

Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 10:44 AM

TupperHappy (80 posts)

1. Absolutely loved that show

Also loved the sequel Grace & Favour, although it didn't last as long.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 10:49 AM

CBGLuthier (8,851 posts)

2. Liked him as Peacock but loved him as Truly

He had a good run.

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Response to CBGLuthier (Reply #2)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:18 AM

Viva_La_Revolution (27,068 posts)

6. yep, he was the best straight man

even though he was the one coming up with all the brilliant schemes that got them in so much trouble. RIP Truly.

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Response to CBGLuthier (Reply #2)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 06:14 PM

Demoiselle (5,779 posts)

33. "He had a good run..."

That may well be my favorite stiff-upper-lip pull-up-yer-socks Brit phrase. Perfect for the occasion. I love the sweet little world he lived in...in all those Brit coms...

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 10:58 AM

Nye Bevan (10,768 posts)

3. You know when someone dies and you go "Whoa! He was still alive?"

Last edited Mon Mar 18, 2013, 10:58 AM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

RIP Capt. Peacock!

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Response to Nye Bevan (Reply #3)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:24 AM

randome (12,541 posts)

10. It's even stranger when you find someone is still alive!

My favorite sci-fi author -from way back when- Robert Silverberg is 85 years old and still living!

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:02 AM

Beacool (19,007 posts)

4. I remember that show.

I used to watch it on PBS years after the original airing (wasn't the show from the 70s?). I liked it a lot. Remember the young Mr. Grace? The guys was like 100 years old. LOL!!

Rest in peace, Mr. Thornton, and thanks for the laughs.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:03 AM

Rabid_Rabbit (131 posts)

5. RIP

Loved the show Are you being server?
Was not aware of the Last of the Summer Wine show but will go searching for it now

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Response to Rabid_Rabbit (Reply #5)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:21 AM

Viva_La_Revolution (27,068 posts)

7. it's brilliant

Gram and I watched reruns every Saturday on pbs until she passed. It was the one show she was excited to watch near the end. It's been filming for YEARS, start at the beginning, all the characters are adorable.

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Response to Viva_La_Revolution (Reply #7)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:39 AM

Rabid_Rabbit (131 posts)

12. Thanks

Sadly I did not find it on Netflix so I might order it from amazon.

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Response to Rabid_Rabbit (Reply #12)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:43 AM

Indykatie (722 posts)

14. I Think the DVDs are Available from Netflix but Not Streamed

I too loved the series and still watch it on DVD. I just watched some of the episodes last night. You can purchase entire series from BBC.

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Response to Rabid_Rabbit (Reply #12)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 12:07 PM

Viva_La_Revolution (27,068 posts)

18. YouTube

so you can check it out for free

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Response to Viva_La_Revolution (Reply #18)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 01:09 PM

Rabid_Rabbit (131 posts)

25. Now I know what I'll be doing over lunchbreak

Love those British shows

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:23 AM

AtheistCrusader (14,150 posts)

8. That's sad. I watched that show as a kid.

Got a lot of good laughs out of it. He performed his character very well.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:24 AM

Lydia Leftcoast (46,793 posts)

9. Very few cast members left

from that show.

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Response to Lydia Leftcoast (Reply #9)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:25 AM

raccoon (21,257 posts)

11. I thought that Trevor Bannister (Mr. Lucas), was still living. Just googled and found out he isn't.

Last edited Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:26 AM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

Trevor Bannister - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Trevor Gordon Bannister (14 August 1934 – 14 April 2011)

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Response to Lydia Leftcoast (Reply #9)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:50 AM

RILib (560 posts)

17. I thought for sure Wendy Richard was still alive, but no.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:40 AM

dipsydoodle (32,567 posts)

13. That's it

Captain Peacock, are you free ?

RIP.

Hancock's Half Hour was oh so long ago.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:45 AM

bamacrat (3,821 posts)

15. That sucks, he was great. But he lived a long life so.. n/t

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:46 AM

LeftinOH (4,467 posts)

16. Every single original AYBS cast member is gone now, except Nicholas Smith.

Last edited Mon Mar 18, 2013, 11:47 AM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

The follow-up series to AYBS (Are You Being Served Again/Grace and Favour) was a great showcase for all of them; we're lucky the BBC made it.

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Response to LeftinOH (Reply #16)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 12:42 PM

Tarheel_Dem (16,603 posts)

21. Thanks for the tidbit. I had no idea Mr. Rumboldt was still alive. The fact that Frank Thornton...

outlived both Wendy Richard & Trevor Bannister is just amazing to me.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 12:31 PM

Purplehazed (150 posts)

19. RIP Captain Peacock great deadpan

CAPTAIN PEACOCK: In this area we have the mechanical cuddlies.
MRS. SLOCOMBE: But they're all dogs. Is there no demand for mechanical pussies?
CAPTAIN PEACOCK: I am told that people prefer the real thing

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Response to Purplehazed (Reply #19)

Tue Mar 19, 2013, 07:59 AM

Le Taz Hot (14,421 posts)

35. LOL!

Literally.

It's been decades since I've watched that show -- I may have to revisit it on Netflix.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 12:41 PM

Ron Obvious (1,641 posts)

20. RIP

I enjoyed that show back in the seventies. I thought it would be a disappointment watching it again now, but actually the first few series held up quite well when I watched them again a few years ago.

Present day political correctness would probably cause the show to be axed. I've heard several people complaining about it being 'homophobic', but I argue that it wasn't. Mr Humphries' campness was just his particular eccentricity, like mr. Lucas' womanising, mrs. Slocombe's desire to be thought middle-class, and captain Peacock's stiffness. There was absolutely no dislike or mockery of the man, and they all seemed to like and accept each other.

Shame we couldn't make shows like that today.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 12:51 PM

Ednahilda (116 posts)

22. So very sad

Our PBS station still runs "Are You Being Served?" every Saturday night and I wouldn't miss it. I'm sure I've seen all of the episodes several times each, but it's still funny. Our oldest son drops by on Wednesday evenings to watch it on DVD with me (he works on Saturdays), because I've got him hooked on it now.

So many of the BBC programs that are broadcast on PBS ("As Time Goes By", "Doc Martin", "Death in Paradise", "Sherlock", all of the Miss Marple mysteries, etc. etc.) are so much better than anything on US television. What's wrong with us?

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 12:51 PM

Gregorian (19,600 posts)

23. Fondest memories.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 12:59 PM

The Magistrate (80,503 posts)

24. Sad To Hear, Sir: A Great Old Show, That Was

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 01:10 PM

MinneapolisMatt (1,457 posts)

26. What a loss!

I love Are You Being Served and Last of the Summer Wine.

He's such a talent.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 01:14 PM

Liberalynn (5,547 posts)

27. RIP

That show was hysterical.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 01:35 PM

House of Roberts (148 posts)

28. Thanks for posting this.

One of the few good things Alabama Public TV did was the Saturday night Britcoms. Just this year they replaced them with Masterpiece Theatre.
Now I have to get my Brit fix from BBC America. I wish they would run British shows instead of Star Trek TNG.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 01:45 PM

marble falls (1,897 posts)

29. Here's some more Capt Peacock - remembering Mrs Slocum.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8130090.stm

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 01:54 PM

SoapBox (5,796 posts)

30. RIP Captain Peacock

I love AYBS! It ran for years (in rerun) here in Los Angeles...a fun and wonderful show.

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Response to SoapBox (Reply #30)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 02:06 PM

SoapBox (5,796 posts)

32. p.s. to my post...

Wikipedia has a pretty good page about the show at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Are_you_being_served%3F

Particularly fun is the Cast list!

It's very sad that so many are gone but it certainly makes me smile to remember the laughter they gave us.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 02:06 PM

Behind the Aegis (27,540 posts)

31. How very sad.

I loved this show! My mom and I used to watch it all the time and just laugh out loud.

RIP.

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Response to Behind the Aegis (Reply #31)

Tue Mar 19, 2013, 08:07 AM

dipsydoodle (32,567 posts)

36. This how Wendy Richards got started back in 1962

When we dancing back in the day that was a stock expression : Come Outside.

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Response to Recursion (Original post)

Mon Mar 18, 2013, 09:53 PM

daleo (19,931 posts)

34. Didn't known he was on the Goodies

Vaguely remember it as a funny show.

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