By Martin Gray

Reviving a much-loved series is a tricky business. With Agony Again, the clue was in the title. The Liver Birds confused viewers by insisting Lucien was Beryl's brother rather than Carol's. But on the evidence of this (so-far) one-off Are You Being Served episode, the BBC may be on to something.

With most of the original cast being, shall we say, unavailable, Mrs Slocombe, Mr Humphries and co have been recast. Sacrilege? Well, it's not like Shakespeare's characters were retired after their first outings. And if you think mentioning AYBS in the same breath as Shakespeare is a bit rich, well, you've not been paying attention to the bawdy Bard.

So Sherrie Hewson is Mrs Slocombe, Jason Watkins is Mr Humphries, John Challis is Captain Peacock and so on. If the voices aren't exactly what we're used to - though Niky Wardley is perfection as Miss Brahms - the attitudes are... these are great TV actors who know how to get the most out of Derren Litten's script. While the show remains set in the Eighties, there's a little bit of updating, with Mr Lucas and Mr Spooner replaced by Kayode Ewumi's Mr Conway, reminding us that Black Britons work in shops too.

The story strands see a truly young Mr Grace - a nice performance by Mathew Horne - determined to drag the store into the 20th century, Mr Conway settling into the Men's Department and Mrs Slocombe having problems down below. After an uncertain first few minutes, everything begins slotting together and the laughs come - I think original writers Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft would have had a decent giggle. The only off-note is Mr Conway laughing so much at Mrs Slocombe's legendary pussy ... this is not a gag that needs explaining via a newcomer's incredulous reaction.

The show ends with a bit of a cliffhanger and I'll be disappointed if we don't see what happens next - Grace Brothers is back in business and I'd love to be a regular visitor.