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AKTUEEL, 28 January 1984

(Translated from the original Dutch)

Wendy Richard

Not a letter can be put on paper in the Netherlands about the coquettish young woman Miss Brahms of the successful TROS-series Are You Being Served?, which is now in its twelveth year, that escapes the blond and well-groomed Wendy Richard.  How is that possible?  Very simple:  the English actress has relatives in Breda, who cut out and send everything that is written about her in newspapers and magazines.  

For example, a few days after a story appeared in a Dutch gossip magazine that she was embarrassed by work, she could already argue that that was certainly not the case.

It would be a matter of great concern to Miss Brahms that such stories circulate about her, because she has enough work with the affairs of the department store.  And once she has nothing to do, she is not exactly shy with her time.

Wendy has made it habit, by virtue of the family in the Netherlands, to occasionally pop over to our country and have a culinary look at some restaurants.  "I am a gormand, and when I have a look at a good meal, that's me dipping in with a spoon."

Wendy comes from a catering family.  Remarkably, meat is often missing from her menu.  "I am not a vegetarian, but when I see meat, I always think of that young animal running during the spring in the pasture."

Anyone who has paid attention to it in the course of the twelve seasons of the show knows that Miss Brahams has a well-formed figure.  She is definitely not a dressed-up broomstick.  She attributes that to the pasta she eats a lot of.  And because her work -- which usually takes place in the afternoons and evenings -- does not allow her to play sports at a gym club, she tries to get rid of the excess rolls of fat by swimming occasionally.  Wendy Richard thinks that her figure fits very well with comedy work and especially in such a TV series as the one about the department store.  Wendy has been so involved in her role, that there are people who really see her as a shopkeeper.  The most recent time she'd gotten that was in the lingerie department in a big store.  "I was looking for a new brassiere and when I had it and wanted to try it on, I had to ask the saleswoman first."

"Go on, you know the way" [the woman said].  A moment later the salewoman realized her mistake, but Wendy understood completely.  "It meant that I apparently play my role well."

Hobby

Shopping is not her big hobby.  And certainly not in a department store.  "When I need something, I first look at it in the shop window and then I quickly pop in to buy it." Wendy has no problem with half of England recognizing her on the street.  But there are sometimes men who really think they have a shop assistent to themselves, with whom they can do anything they want.  But "Miss Brahms" is not so keen on that.  She has been married twice and prefers to seek refuge in solitude.  "That doesn't mean I cut myself off from the outside world, Aside from my trips to Amsterdam, I sometimes go to see John Inman (Mr Humpries from the series).  John has a second home on the coast of Jersey." Wendy's only roommate is a black cat.  Now in the series there is often talk about Mrs. Slocombe's pussy.  Molly Sugden gets a lot of mail about that.  Especially from those who are interested in knowing how it's going with the pussy.  Often the letter contains the question as to whether they can get a picture of her cat.

"Molly has only a couple of dogs at home and that's why I have had some photos taken of my cat, and Molly now uses those to satisfy the letter writers."

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