Main cast •
John Inman as
Mr Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries: a
camp-acting sales assistant (later senior) in the gentleman's department. The character is implied as having a sexually fluid lifestyle, frequently telling colourful stories and using
double entendres that leave his orientation in doubt. •
Mollie Sugden as
Mrs Betty Slocombe: a senior sales assistant and head of the ladies' department, portrayed with a different hair colour in each episode. She is vain, snobbish, pugnacious, and prone to drink. She frequently tells stories about her pet cat, referring to it as "my pussy". •
Wendy Richard as
Miss Shirley Brahms: a young, attractive, working-class,
Cockney junior sales assistant to Mrs Slocombe, who sometimes refers to her as "dead common". •
Frank Thornton as
Captain Stephen Peacock: a haughty
floorwalker who purportedly fought in the
North Africa Campaign of World War II, although in one episode a wartime acquaintance reveals him to have been a
NAAFI corporal. Croft designed the character to command respect - or crave it. He is the nominal floor manager. •
Arthur Brough as
Mr Ernest Grainger (series 1–5): a 40-year veteran of Grace Brothers, a senior sales assistant and head of the gents' department. Croft devised the character as being somewhat unlikeable and displaying his age, such as sleeping during opening hours. Brough made his final appearance as Grainger in the 1977 film, dying before the sixth series. •
Trevor Bannister as
Mr James/Dick Lucas (series 1–7): a young, penniless, womanising junior salesman in the gents' department, often cheeky and mocking to the female staff. Bannister appeared until the end of the seventh series. He was due to return, but a job in the theatre conflicted with the show's taping schedule. He asked the BBC to change the schedule, but they refused. In an interview after the show's conclusion, Wendy Richard claimed it was originally devised as a platform for Bannister. •
Nicholas Smith as
Mr Cuthbert Rumbold, the autocratic, obsequious, bumbling and incompetent manager of both departments. His prominent ears and confused reactions are used to comic effect. •
Harold Bennett as
"Young" Mr Grace (series 1–8): the elderly, frail, miserly, and oversexed owner of Grace Bros, often seen with his attractive secretary and/or nurse. Bennett died following the eighth series, prior to the broadcast of the 1981 Christmas special; his character was referenced in the first episode of the spinoff series
Grace & Favour. •
Larry Martyn as
Mr Mash (series 1–3): a working-class stock and maintenance man at Grace Bros, often hounded from the floor by Captain Peacock. Mash helped demonstrate the specially-designed comic display units that featured in episodes. Martyn left after the 1975 Christmas special; he simultaneously appeared in the series
Spring & Autumn, and could no longer manage both schedules. •
Arthur English as
Mr Beverley Harman (series 4–10): a working-class stock and maintenance man at Grace Bros, who has more friendly relations with the floor staff than Mr Mash. Harman was created after Mash's departure, and became a staple of the series. •
James Hayter as
Mr Percival Tebbs (series 6): a prominent salesman assigned to the men's department in order to replace Mr Grainger. The character lasted only for the sixth series, after which Hayter was paid generously to voice
Mr Kipling television adverts. •
Alfie Bass as
Mr Harry Goldberg (series 7): a
Cockney tailor, brought in to replace Mr Tebbs after retiring. Bass dropped out of the programme following the conclusion of the seventh series. •
Mike Berry as
Mr Bert Spooner (series 8–10): a junior sales assistant, with similar traits to Mr Lucas. Berry replaced Bannister following his departure. •
Kenneth Waller as
"Old" Mr Henry Grace (series 8): "Young" Mr Grace's even-older brother, who took over the running of Grace Bros while his younger brother took a sabbatical to write his memoirs. Like ''
Dad's Army''s
Clive Dunn, Waller was much younger than his character's age used makeup to "age up". The actor replaced Bennett, who left the series after the first episode of Series 8 due to declining health. "Old" Mr. Grace wasn't received well by fans, so he was dropped in favour of bringing back "Young" Mr. Grace as an invisible character. •
Milo Sperber as
Mr Grossman (series 8): an expert shoe salesman assigned to the shop floor between men's and ladies'. The character was a replacement for Mr. Goldberg, but Sperber dropped out after four episodes to take a lucrative movie role. •
Benny Lee as
Mr Abraham Klein (series 8): a sales assistant assigned to the gents' department to help out with upcoming sales in the store. Like Sperber, Lee lasted only four episodes. •
Candy Davis as
Miss Belfridge (series 9–10),: the final and longest-lasting of Mr Rumbold's secretaries, an attractive younger woman heavily implied to be having an affair with Captain Peacock.
Recurring cast •
Freddie Wiles as
Goddard (series 1–6): a non-speaking chauffeur to "Young" Mr Grace, who was usually assisting the elderly man in standing up. •
Hilda Fenemore as
Elsie (series 2–7): a cleaner at Grace Brothers on friendly terms with the maintenance men, but treated with disdain by the department staff due to her lower social class. The character was also referred to as Ivy and Daphne. •
Moira Foot as
Miss Thorpe (series 3): a secretary to Mr Rumbold. • Doremy Vernon as
Mrs Diana Yardswick (series 3–10): the canteen manageress at Grace Brothers, famous for serving unappetising food and her distinctively unfriendly service. Her full name is only revealed in later series in separate episodes. •
Penny Irving as
Miss Bakewell (series 4–7): the young, naïve secretary to "Young" Mr Grace, who frequently accompanied him around the store and on several implied romantic conquests. •
Diana King and
Diana Lambert as
Mrs Peacock (series 4, 8–10): the wife of Captain Peacock, who (correctly) suspects that he has extramarital interests. •
Vivienne Johnson as '''Mr Grace's Nurse''' (series 6–8): a permanent companion to both "Young" and "Old" Mr Grace, whose competence as a medical professional is outshined by her sex appeal. The character was dropped after both Mr Graces became off-screen presences. Another nurse, uncredited and non-speaking, appeared in the first five series and was played by Pat Ashley. •
Jimmy Mac as
Warwick (series 7–9): a maintenance colleague of Mr Harman's who assists with the department's displays. •
Keith Hodiak as
Seymour (series 9–10): another maintenance friend of Mr Harman's, more relaxed and cheerful than Warwick, and more involved in the department's activities. } ==Episodes==