This sitcom season seems to be a veritable mix of approaches. At least one show seems to have been updated (Porridge), at least one seems to be a prequel (Young Hyancinth) and then there is Are You Being Served? which pretty much recreates the original innuendo-laden shopfloor sitcom.

So apart from saying that if you liked the original you may well like this there is not a lot to add. Even new writer Derren Litten, whose day job is writing Benidorm, seems to have nodded towards the risk of trying to put a new twist on things with the title of the one-off episode, You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks. Though admittedly there are a few new elements here - a black assistant called Richard  (Kayode Ewumi) has been given a job, causing a kerfuffle for various reasons though none of the staff, of course, are actually racist. And a new thrusting wide boy member of the Grace family played by Mathew Horne is trying to drag the firm into the 1980s. It is set in 1988, after all. 

As for the rest of the cast, they spend most of their time coming up with fresh and not-so-fresh double entendres. Sherrie Hewson as Mrs Slocombe is still having trouble with her pussy and Jason Watkins as camp Mr Humphries minces across the screen as if his life depends on it. Other cast members include Arthur Smith as dogsbody Mr Harmon, John Challis as Captain Peacock, Justin Edwards as Mr Rumbold and Roy Barraclough as doddery Mr Grainger.

There are some pretty good lines here as well as some stinkers. Cultural references to 1980s icons pepper the script: “Don’t you know Simple Minds? No, but I’ve worked with a few…” It’s a shame that two of the biggest laughs come from similar jokes about balls. Balls, geddit, it’s hilarious because it could mean testicles. Oh, and "seamen" sounds like "semen" so it will always be funny. 

So let’s face it, this does nothing new but does the old thing pretty well. It’s just that surely sitcomland has moved on since the 1980s. There has been talk that this might be turned into a series. One episode for nostalgia’s sake is fine, the thought of a series is terrifying. Are You Being Served? never had any pretensions, but this new version makes Mrs Brown’s Boys seem like Ibsen.