Mrs. Betty Slocombe
- Abhorrent Admirer: She becomes one for Mr. Humphries, most prominently in "The Erotic Dreams of Mrs. Slocombe". She has vivid dreams about her and Mr. Humphries together and her being semi-direct with her affections for her coworker. Mr. Humphries is uncomfortable with her obvious attraction to him especially when she buys him gifts at work and gets physically close to him. He tries putting out a personal ad for her hoping to get her a boyfriend so that she’ll leave him alone.
- Accidental Innuendo: Invoked In-Universe. She frequently refers to her pet cat as her "pussy", which leads to several humorous misunderstandings. (e.g. she once mentioned to a truck driver carrying a shipment of dynamite that it "won a (cat show) prize every time she showed it". The man was so shocked that he crashed and — judging by the sound on Mr. Humphries' C.B. radio — triggered his cargo to explode.)
- Breakout Character: Her role was originally secondary to the characters of her assistant Miss Brahms and the mens' assistant Mr. Lucas.
- Butt-Monkey: Has a tendency to find herself in various embarrassing situations.
- Catchphrase: "And I am unanimous in that!" Also, "Weak as water!"
- Elderly Blue-Haired Lady: One of many colors!
- Grande Dame: That is, only until she gets angry or flustered.
- Have a Gay Old Time: She refers to her cat as her pussy, with the men sometimes misinterpreting it with the other meaning.
- Informed Attribute: Several characters repeatedly mock Slocombe for her weight, but she is really more
Hollywood Pudgy. - Kaleidoscope Hair: The 25th anniversary book of the show has a graph of the colours and the number of episodes each is used.
- Lady Drunk: She is very fond of gin, and her drunken moments are a Running Gag throughout the years.
- Malaproper: The result of her Delusions of Eloquence.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Masculine girl to Mr. Humphries' feminine boy. Whenever the situation calls for it, she proves just how masculine she can be, for example when she backs up Humphries in "The Hero".
- Never Mess with Granny: Was an air raid warden during WWII and as the end of "The Hero" showed, she still packs a mean right hook.
- Oop North: She slips into her Yorkshire accent whenever she is angry or flustered.
- Overly Long Name: Mary Elizabeth Jennifer Rachel Abergavenny Yiddell, Slocombe being her married name.
- Quick Nip: She often sips from a hip flask behind the counter... or, as in "The Erotic Dreams of Mrs. Slocombe", assorted other objects!
- Reluctant Retiree: In "Goodbye Mrs. Slocombe".
- Sitcom Archnemesis: Originally with Mr. Grainger who considered her and the entire Ladies Department as trespassers on his turf. As the show went on, this role fell more to Mr. Lucas and Spooner who never missed an opportunity to take jabs at Mrs. Slocombe for her prim mannerisms and hidden promiscuity.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tomboy to Miss Brahms's girly girl, being both a battle axe and a former air raid warden with a mean right hook.
Captain Stephen Peacock
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Despite his penchant for philandering, Captain Peacock became incessantly jealous when he thought his wife was having an affair with Mr. Rumbold. In the final season, when faced with the option of staying with his wife or leaving her for a younger and more attractive woman, he ultimately chose his wife.
- Butt-Monkey: Literally in "The Hero".
- Casanova Wannabe: Due to his Awful Wedded Life.
- Chick Magnet: Some women (many of them young enough to be his daughter) have expressed a deep attraction to him such as Miss Belfridge, his one-time mistress Miss Bagnol, and occasionally Mrs. Slocombe. Lampshaded in the episode "Grounds For Divorce":
Mr. Humphries: May I ask you a personal question? What exactly do you do to get them in this state?
Captain Peacock: Well, that's just it: I don't do anything.
- Creepy Crossdresser: A heroic example in "Grounds for Divorce", when he's Disguised in Drag in an effort to force his aforementioned one-time mistress to swear off him for good. Deliberate Fan Disservice at its classiest.
- Then played for laughs right afterwards when his wife shows up dressed as a man and reveals that they're going to a fancy dress party.
- Gentleman Snarker: And he became more vocal about it in later years.
- Iconic Outfit: His Outdated Outfit, complete with red carnation.
- Multiple-Choice Past: We are never quite certain what he did in World War 2, although the evidence contradicts whatever he said. He nearly always wears the regimental tie
of the Royal Army Service Corps, which was in charge of administration, barracks, stores and uniforms, and at least twice he admits to it. - Not So Above It All: Though Captain Peacock is civil to Miss Featherstone despite her rudeness to her new colleagues in the Menswear and Ladies' departments, he shoots her (from offscreen) in the behind with a rubber band when she's not looking. He makes a show of calling out both Mr. Lucas and Mr. Humphries for the transgression; afterwards, Mr. Humphries tacitly compliments him for his accuracy:
Mr. Humphries: By the way; nice shot.
Captain Peacock: I thought so, too. [ahem] Whoever did it.
- Officer and a Gentleman: A parody of the trope, a fact which he is called out on In-Universe.
- Outdated Outfit: Wears an overly formal black lounge suit rather than a standard business suit like the rest of the male cast.
- Phony Veteran: Technically he's a real WWII veteran, but given that he was in the Service Corps, his claim to have been a frontline soldier is very unlikely. It's also strongly implied that his actual rank was corporal. It should be noted that Peacock insisting on being addressed by his wartime rank is itself a hint that he's not all he seems: tradition is only for senior retired British Army officers (that is, those who have reached the rank of Major and above)note which is one rank higher than Captain. Peacock was himself based on a director — not a floorwalker — called Major Huskisson. to continue to use their rank as a form of address in civilian life.
Mr. Dick Lucas
- Casanova Wannabe:
- Instead of a date, Hilarity Ensues in his attempt to ask Miss Brahms out in "Dear Sexy Knickers"
- His attempts to leave work early in "Cold Store" indicate how disastrous he can be in that department.
- Deadpan Snarker: Not so much "deadpan", but definitely snarky!
- Embarrassing First Name: The Reveal in "The Old Order Changes," as the staff have a meeting to discuss putting the staff on a First-Name Basis:
Miss Brahms: Well, what about
'is first name?
Mr. Rumbold: Yes, uh, Mr. Lucas, what is your first name?
Mr. Lucas: (looking very uncomfortable) Just call me Mr. Lucas.
Mr. Rumbold: Oh, dear, no, no, we can't have that! Come along, let's have it!
- Had earlier been revealed to be James in series two's "The Clock". Fans are divided as to whether James comes before Richard in his full name.
- Hurricane of Excuses: For being late to work.
- Playing Sick: Mr. Lucas tries to fake being sick so he can meet a woman coming down from Oop North. Among other things, he tries the trick of sticking soap in his mouth (to cause foam). He put it under his tongue, but swallows it after Captain Peacock tells him to speak more clearly. He persuades Captain Peacock to send for the medical staff, as bubbles from his hiccups float by, prompting Captain Peacock to add:
Captain Peacock: ...and a loofah.
- The Prankster: Lampshaded by Captain Peacock in "The Hero" upon discovery of the mechanical mouse:
Cpt Peacock: Is this another one of your jokes, Mr. Lucas?
Mr. Lucas: Not guilty, Captain Peacock!
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly man to Mr. Humphries' sensitive guy, being a Casanova Wannabe who isn't shy about wanting some excitement with a woman around his age.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: With Miss Brahms.
- You Have Failed Me: Hinted to have happened to him between Series 7 and Series 8 in "Sit Out".
Mr. Rumbold: This is one of the lowest figures we have ever had.
Mr. Spooner: What was the one below that, then?
Captain Peacock: When we didn't sell anything all day and fired the junior.
Mr. Bert Spooner
Played by: Mike Berry
- Butt-Monkey: Becomes a pop star in the final episode but then his voice gives out on live television and an attempt to lip sync to a prerecorded version of the song fails when a technical malfunction causes the recording to play at increased speed.
- Casanova Wannabe: A trait he shared with his predecessor Mr. Lucas.
- Deadpan Snarker
- Hidden Depths: Revealed in the penultimate episode to be a gifted singer and even becomes a burgeoning pop star.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly man to Mr. Humphries's sensitive guy. On the sliding scale, he's just above Mr. Lucas, being a Casanova Wannabe who dreams of becoming a pop star.
Miss Shirley Brahms
Played by: Wendy Richard (original series), Niky Wardley (2016 Revival)
- Deadpan Snarker: She became the first to call Mr. Rumbold "Jug Ears" within, um, earshot.
- She also shows a bit of a cheeky side towards Mrs. Slocombe.
- Distracted by the Sexy: In "Conduct Unbecoming", it was her gambit for Captain Peacock to avoid him see Mr. Humphries arrive late.
- Iconic Item / Non-Uniform Uniform: In the latter half of the show's run, she frequently wore brooches and jangling multiple bracelets.
- Ms. Fanservice: The younger and more attractive of the two salesladies.
- Show Some Leg: Unafraid to show off her legs when she wants something from Captain Peacock.
- Sleeps in the Nude: In "Camping In" she claims that she does this, but Mrs. Slocombe insists she wear pajamas at the store.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: With Mr. Lucas.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Girly girl to Mrs. Slocombe's tomboy, being noticeably sexier and longing to be a proper lady despite her working-class origins.
Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries
Played by: John Inman (original series), Jason Watkins (2016 Revival)
- Ambiguously Gay: "I'm neither one way or the other," is a funny moment.
- The Barnum: Former joint Trope Namer. He knows how ridiculous his job is, and therefore he does it just as absurdly as he's supposed to. After all, he's never the one who has to face the consequences — that would be the boss or the customers.
- Berserk Button: As demonstrated in "By Appointment" and a few previous episodes, he really doesn't like it when his friends don't follow his rehearsal orders. It's the quickest way to anger him without fail, full stop.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: He was usually the character to do this.
- Breakout Character: His role was originally secondary to the characters of his junior Mr. Lucas and the ladies' assistant Miss Brahms.
- Camp Straight: What he really is, at least according to official sources related to the series.
- Disguised in Drag: One of his trademarks.
- Fortune Teller: In "The Hand of Fate" he demonstrates his palmistry skills for his coworkers and a customer.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Feminine boy to Mrs. Slocombe's masculine girl, being Ambiguously Bi (but officially, at least, Camp Straight) and very willing to crossdress when the situation calls for it (most of the time, anyway — "Front Page Story" is more a case of Dragged into Drag), plus the way he says "I'm free!"
- Momma's Boy: Often depicted speaking on the phone with his mother, who still views him as her little boy. A number of episodes mention him living with his mother, because she moved into his house after seperating from her husband. An episode covering the past of Young Mister Grace, reveals that he did not want to hire Humphries, but Humphries' mother convinced him to do so. (The episode left it ambiguous if she merely begged for it from Young Mister Grace, or she slept with him.)
- Prima Donna Director: Whenever the cast puts on a show.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive guy to the Menswear Junior's manly man. No matter who his foil is, he can always be counted on to be rather camp compared to the Junior.
Mr. Ernest Grainger
Played by: Arthur Brough (original series), Roy Barraclough (2016 Revival)
- Big Eater: While he does not have the gargantuan appetite characteristic of this trope, compared to the other characters, he is The Determinator when it comes to finishing whatever is made in the Canteen!
- Child Hater: He starts off this way. Quite a few episodes have him mentioning how much he dislikes children and at one point mentioning how when he smiled, children were frightened of him... until "Change Is As Good As a Rest" reveals he likes trains, to which he starts softening his stance towards children and joins in on the fun.
- Cool Old Guy / Grumpy Old Man: He can be either one or, as he did in "Goodbye Mr. Grainger," both in the same episode.
- Hidden Depths: He was an entertainer during World War II, and is fond of doing impersonations of Winston Churchill, whom he vaguely resembles, and did Churchill impressions when with the Entertainments National Service Association, the U.K.'s equivalent of the USO.
- Jabba Table Manners: Tends to loudly slurp his soup, much to his co-workers' disgust.
- Iconic Item: His tape measure.
- Put on a Bus: Was suggested to have retired off screen between seasons five and six. In actuality, Arthur Brough had died while season 6 was still in pre-productions, necessitating the introduction of Mr. Tebbs.
- Senior Sleep-Cycle: His wake up call is "Mr. Grainger, are you free?"
-
The Character Died with Him: On March 26, 1978, his wife died, and Arthur Brough announced he was quitting acting. Just when Lloyd and Croft were about to write him into the upcoming 6th series, Brough died on May 28, 1978, and Percival Tebbs filled Grainger's spot for Series 6. - With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Showcased and proven in "Forward Mr. Grainger" when Rumbold temporarily promotes him while he's away. He angers his core group so much that by the end of the episode he offers them all a drink, becoming Easily Forgiven once more.
Mr. Percival Tebbs
- Control Freak: A subdued example. While not obsessive, Mr. Tebbs had a specific way he liked Menswear to be run and expected Mr. Humphries and Lucas to comply without question. On another occasion, Captain Peacock chided him for one of the garment drawers being in disarray and Mr. Tebbs made an even bigger mess just to spite him.
- Grumpy Old Man: A trait he shared with his predecessor, emphasis on extremely grumpy.
- Happily Married: When the department faced potential staff cuts, Mr. Tebbs was determined to keep his job as he was hoping to take his wife on a second honeymoon to her birth town.
- Put on a Bus: Only appeared for one season before retiring and was the only Senior of the Mens' department whose departure was addressed onscreen with a retirement party being thrown for him at the start of Series 7.
- Sitcom Archnemesis: Despite getting along with him during his brief time there, "The Club" reveals he has a much bigger dislike of Mr. Lucas than first thought, even accusing him of purposely slopping paint on him. He even agrees with Captain Peacock on how Lucas treats Mrs. Slocombe, as well.
Mr. Goldberg
- Almighty Janitor: Originally appeared as an applicant for the newly opened Junior salesman position following a reorganization of the Mens' department. As it turns out, Mr. Goldberg was previously a very successful tailor whose shop had just burned down.note A throwaway piece of dialogue suggested the fire was not accidental. After gaining his new post and showing off his sales experience as well as the considerable client base that had followed him to Grace Brothers, he was promoted to Senior Salesman. He also works on the side as a freelance recruitment agent.
- Ambiguously Jewish: Played by Alfie Bass, who was born in England to Russian Jewish emigrants.
- Cool Old Guy: Was far more genial and relaxed than either Mr. Grainger or Tebbs. Mr. Humphrees, who had recently been promoted to Senior Salesman in the wake of Mr. Tebbs' retirement, willingly stepped down to his old position so Mr. Goldberg could become the new Senior instead, admitting that Mr. Goldberg was far more suitable to the post.
Mr. Beverly Harman
Played by: Arthur English (original series), Arthur Smith (2016 Revival)
Mr. Mash
- Almighty Janitor: Mr. Harman tends to be more of this than him, due to Mash being considerably more lecherous.
- Dirty Old Man: Seemed to take far more pleasure in cleaning the female mannequins then was considered normal.
- She Is the King: In union meetings, he prefers to refer to everyone among the Grace Brothers staff as "brother" regardless of the gender of who he's addresssing.
- Sitcom Archnemesis: To both Mrs. Slocombe (at times) and (mainly) Captain Peacock, who frequently scolded him for appearing on the sales floor when customers were present.
Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold
Played by: Nicholas Smith (original series), Justin Edwards (2016 Revival)
- Happily Married: At first played straight as being the reason he never took much interest in his secretaries' appearance. Ultimately subverted in the sequel series Grace and Favour where it's revealed his wife left him for a younger man.
- Has a Type: Another reason why he never took much interest in his secretaries. If his wife is anything to go on, Rumbold prefers his women on the chubby side.
- In-Series Nickname: Frequently called "Jug-ears" behind his back.
- Literal-Minded: Has a tendency to take everything people tell him at face value which only muddles the issue even further.
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: Has several gorgeous secretaries over the series run yet unlike Captain Peacock never flirts with them or becomes as flustered by them as Young Mr. Grace.
- Pointy-Haired Boss: Generally clueless and prone to misunderstand whatever current crisis is plaguing his staff.
Miss Belfridge
- Head-Turning Beauty: Once made an ice pop melt just by modeling a bikini.
- Hidden Depths: Subverted. Was once revealed to have an O-level certificate in literature which might sound impressive to those not familiar with British Education standards of the 1980's but in reality just means that at most she passed the requirements for the course.
- Likes Older Men: Was more susceptible to Captain Peacock's charm than the other female characters and was occasionally suggested to be carrying on an affair with him.
- Ms. Fanservice: Replaced Miss Brahms as the top provider.
- Sexy Secretary: Just like all of Mr. Rumbold's aides, but Miss Belfridge stood out due to lasting two seasons.
Miss Bakewell
Young Mr. Grace's secretary from Series 4 to 7.
The Grace Brothers' nurse
Portrayed by: Pat Astley (Series 5), Vivienne Johnson (Series 6-8)
The nameless, attractive nurse who tends to both Young and Old Mr. Grace.
- Head-Turning Beauty: She has a seductive, husky voice, which attracts quite a bit of attention from the men.
Young Mr. Grace
Old Mr. Grace
- But Not Too White: Revealed to have black ancestry in the Season 8 Christmas special.
- Dirty Old Man: Shares his younger brother's love of young attractive girls but is a lot more active in his pursuit of them. Miss Brahms once withdrew from the store beauty pageant when it was revealed the winning prize was a weekend with Old Mr. Grace on his yacht.
- Informed Attribute: Before he had an on-screen role, the gag "Old Mr. Grace doesn't get around very much" is used more than once. However when he finally appears in Series 8, he looks to be slightly more robust than Young Mr. Grace if anything.
- Kick the Dog: Once fired Mr. Humphries in Series 10 when the latter attempted to petition him for aid on behalf of the others for transportation assistance. He changed his mind, though, on urging from Mr. Rumbold.
- Mean Boss: Old Mr. Grace is far stricter with the staff and is just as likely to Kick the Dog as he is to pet it. However, it's more a desire to keep the store running smoothly and effectively than out of any actual malice.
