Open All Hours

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Open All Hours

Lynda Baron, Ronnie Barker, and David Jason
Genre Comedy
Creator(s) Roy Clarke
Starring Ronnie Barker
David Jason
Lynda Baron
Barbara Flynn
Stephanie Cole
Kathy Staff
Maggie Ollerenshaw
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of episodes 26
Production
Running time 30 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel BBC-1
Original run 1973 (pilot)
1976 (series) – 1985

Open All Hours was a BBC sitcom written by Roy Clarke which ran for four series (26 episodes in all) between 1976 and 1985, with a pilot episode from the Seven of One series in 1973. In 2004, the series was voted eighth in Britain's Best Sitcom.[1]

Contents

[edit] Plot

The series centres around a small grocer's shop in Balby, a village in South Yorkshire near Doncaster. The store's owner, Albert Arkwright (played by Ronnie Barker) is a middle-aged miser with a stammer and a knack of being able to sell anything and everything to any passing visitor to his shop. His nephew, Granville (played by David Jason) is the shop's put-upon errand boy, whose attempts at a burgeoning love-life (or, some might say, obsessions with local girls) somehow seem to fall flat. He blames his uncle, in particular for the fact that he has to be up at an extremely early hour of the morning in order to open the shop. Almost every mistake Arkwright makes is followed by a cry of "Ger-Granville! Fer-fetch yer cloth!". A recurring joke throughout the series revolves around Arkwright's claim that Granville's estranged father was Hungarian – an issue which is never resolved.

The shop is crowded and most goods can only be reached from behind the counter - allowing the smooth-talking Arkwright a chance to hawk more of his goods. The till is very old, and has a vicious spring on its drawer which terrifies both Granville and Arkwright.

Across the road from the shop lives Nurse Gladys Emmanuel (Lynda Baron), Arkwright's long-standing (and still mostly chaste) fiancée; much of the old skinflint's time is dedicated to trying to convince her to make good on her promise to marry him, or at least sleep with him. Unfortunately Nurse Gladys has both her rounds and taking care of her elderly mother to occupy her. She is protective of Granville and tries to use her influence with Arkwright to get him a better lot in life. In the pilot episode, Nurse Gladys was played by Sheila Brennan with a decidedly Irish accent, and the character was considerably slimmer than the buxom creature she later became.

Episodes generally involve some plan by Arkwright to wed Nurse Gladys, save money or flog more stuff to the locals (who are mostly wise to his schemes), and end with Arkwright shutting up shop and praying as he walks round - mostly a matter-of-fact reflection on the day, addressed to God.

A few complaints were registered over the humorous use of a speech impediment but Arkwright was so amiable and the humour so good-natured that it was deemed by most people to be a portrayal without malice. The part was originally written without the stammer - Barker suggested using it in rehearsals and it became part of Arkwright's character. Similarly, the 'business' with the dangerous cash-register was created mostly by Barker.

[edit] Locations

The exterior shots were filmed in Lister Avenue[2] in Balby, a suburb of Doncaster; the shop itself is actually a hairdresser's salon.

The local council is considering demolishing the shop which was used in filming Open All Hours [3] and a web site has been set up for fans of the show to post messages in support of saving the shop.[citation needed]

All four series have now been released on DVD.

[edit] Cast List

[edit] Episode list

  • Pilot (Part of the Seven of One series)
    • Open All Hours (25 Mar 73)
  • Series 1 (20 Feb 76 - 26 Mar 76)
    • Full Of Mysterious Promise (20 Feb 76)
    • A Mattress On Wheels (27 Feb 76)
    • A Nice Cosy Little Disease (5 Mar 76)
    • Beware Of The Dog (12 Mar 76)
    • Well Catered Funeral (19 Mar 76)
    • Apples And Self Service (26 Mar 76)
  • Series 2 (1 Mar 81 - 19 Apr 81)
    • Laundry Blues (1 Mar 81)
    • The Reluctant Traveller (8 Mar 81)
    • Fig Biscuits And Inspirational Toilet Rolls (15 Mar 81)
    • The New Suit (22 Mar 81)
    • Arkwright's Mobile Store (29 Mar 81)
    • Shedding At The Wedding (5 Apr 81)
    • St Albert's Day (19 Apr 81)
  • Series 3 (21 Mar 82 - 25 Apr 82)
    • An Errand Boy By The Ear (21 Mar 82)
    • The Ginger Men (28 Mar 82)
    • Duet For Solo Bicycle (4 Apr 82)
    • How To Ignite Your Errand Boy (11 Apr 82)
    • The Man From Down Under (18 Apr 82)
    • The Cool Cocoa Tin Lid (25 Apr 82)
    • Short special part of The Funny Side Of Christmas (27 Dec 1982)
    • Series 4 (1 Sep 85 - 6 Oct 85)
    • Soulmate Wanted (1 Sep 85)
    • Horse-Trading (8 Sep 85)
    • The Housekeeper Caper (15 Sep 85)
    • The Errand Boy Executive (22 Sep 85)
    • The Mystical Boudoir Of Nurse Gladys Emmanuel (29 Sep 85)
    • Happy Birthday Arkwright (6 Oct 85)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Britain's Best Sitcom:Top Ten, URL accessed December 2nd, 2006
  2. ^ Google Map of Lister Avenue and surrounding area
  3. ^ Famous TV shop faces demolition BBC News Online (retrieved 4 April 2007)


Ronnie Barker
Situation Comedies
The Navy Lark | Six Dates With Barker | Hark at Barker | His Lordship Entertains |

Seven of One | Porridge | Going Straight | Open All Hours | The Magnificent Evans | Clarence
Sketch Shows
Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead | The Frost Report | The Ronnie Barker Playhouse | The Two Ronnies | The Two Ronnies Sketchbook
Short Films
A Home of Your Own | Futtock's End | The Picnic | By the Sea
Other Roles
Robin and Marian | The Gathering Storm | My House in Umbria
Notable Collaborators
Ronnie Corbett | David Jason | Richard Beckinsale | David Frost | Dick Clement | Ian Le Frenais | Roy Clarke


[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../o/p/e/Open_All_Hours_6051.html"