Arthur Brough was born Frederick Arthur Baker on February 26th 1905. 5'2" originally wanting to be a teacher, couldn't find work so went to work for the solicitors but decided to leave because it was too boring so he turned to acting and attened the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He joined a Shakespeare acting group and married the actress Elizabeth Addyman. They had one child. Arthur started to build new theatre companies in Bradford, Bristol, Blackpool, Keighley, Leeds, Lincoln, Oxford and Southampton. He served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. When leaving he re-established his acting career. The Arthur Brough Players was a company that helped other actors come to the light. Trevor Bannister was part of the Players before going to star alongside each other in Are You Being Served?
Before Are You Being Served? however Arthur went on to appear in smaller TV roles in the 1960's.He appeared in Dad's Army which is what made David Croft decide to cast him as Mr Grainger in Are You Being Served?
Arthur appeared in series 1-5 but quit the show after 34 episodes because his wife passed away. However he was set to return back to the show but unfortuantley he passed away just six weeks after his wife, many say from a broken heart. Croft then wrote in the character Mr Tebbs.
He had a cheeky sense of humour often pulling pranks on his fellow cast members when they were filming, but he was also disappear.
'Whenever we were rehearsing he'd vanish at about three minutes to eleven.. For a while we wondered where he went, but eventually discovered that he'd nip next door to the pub for a quick pink gin. We'd watch from the window as this little figure hurled towards the pub - we never spoke to him about it. One day when he returned, John Inman asked where he'd been. He made some excuse, but what he'd forgotten was that it was pouring with rain and his bald head was soaking wet!' said Daivd Croft