Still Open All Hours

Still Open All Hours
Genre Comedy
Created by Roy Clarke
Written by Roy Clarke
Directed by Dewi Humphreys
Starring


Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 1
No. of episodes 7 (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s) Gareth Edwards
Location(s) MediaCityUK (2013)
Teddington Studios (2014)
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
Picture format 16:9 (1080i HDTV)
Audio format Dolby Digital 5.1
Original run 26 December 2013 – present
Chronology
Preceded by Open All Hours
Related shows Seven of One
External links
Still Open All Hours at BBC Comedy

Still Open All Hours is a BBC television sitcom sequel to the series Open All Hours, written by original series writer Roy Clarke and featuring several of the permanent cast members of the original series, including David Jason, Lynda Baron, Stephanie Cole and Maggie Ollerenshaw. Open All Hours ran for 26 episodes in four series from 1973 to 1985, created and written by Roy Clarke. The BBC announced on 7 October 2013,[1] that the show would air for a 40th Anniversary Special in December 2013. The 40th Anniversary Special aired on 26 December at 7:45pm on BBC One.

On 30 January 2014, the BBC commissioned Still Open All Hours for six new episodes, beginning on 26 December 2014.[2]

Series development and production

Still Open All Hours was broadcast on 26 December 2013, with Jason reprising his role of Granville from Open All Hours. The new one-off episode written by Clarke showed Granville now running the shop with his son Leroy (played by James Baxter),[3] after inheriting it from Arkwright.[4] Clarke wrote the script in two weeks, and production began in October 2013. The exterior scenes were filmed at the original location at Lister Avenue in Doncaster from 18 to 20 November 2013. The interior scenes were recorded on 3 December 2013 at MediaCityUK in Salford in front of a studio audience. A 30-minute documentary accompanying the show's return, entitled Open All Hours: A Celebration, aired on 27 December 2013, the day after the new episode was broadcast, on BBC One.[5][6][7] On 30 January 2014 the BBC commissioned a full six-part-series of Still Open All Hours to be transmitted later in the year.[8] The controller of BBC comedy commissioning, Shane Allen, said: "The resounding success of the Christmas revival showed the huge and enduring audience affection for this much-loved classic. Roy has done a terrific job of updating the characters whilst keeping what was warm-hearted and enjoyable about the world of the original series."[9]

Production for series one started in August 2014, exterior filming started on 15 September, and location recording was completed on 26 September 2014.[10][11] Interior scenes were recorded in front of a studio audience from 10 October-21 November 2014 at Teddington Studios in Studio 1.[12]

Filming locations

The exterior shots reused the original shop from the series, on Lister Avenue in Balby, a suburb of Doncaster. The shop has been a hair salon since 1962, so it had to be extensively redressed to resemble a traditional corner shop. This process took two days, before filming on location for three consecutive days.[13]

For the 2013 special, the studio shots were recorded at Dock10 studios at MediaCityUK, Salford Quays. For the full series, Teddington Studios was used.

Characters

Character Actor Years Series Episode Count
Granville David Jason 2013- 1.1- 7
Nurse Gladys Emmanuel Lynda Baron 2013- 1.1- 7
Leroy James Baxter 2013- 1.1- 7
Mrs Delphine Featherstone Stephanie Cole 2013- 1.1- 7
Mavis Maggie Ollerenshaw 2013- 1.1- 7
Wet Eric Agnew Johnny Vegas 2013- 1.1- 6
Madge Brigit Forsyth 2013- 1.1- 7
Gastric Tim Healy 2014- 1.2- 6
Cyril Kulvinder Ghir 2013- 1.1- 6
Mrs Kath Agnew Sally Lindsay 2013- 1.1- 3
Mrs Hussein Nina Wadia 2013- 1.1- 4
Mr Marshall Barry Elliott 2013- 1.1- 3

     – Main Character in Series 1. Christmas Special (2013) is considered as Episode 1.1.

Guest cast

Still Open All Hours has used several actors from various past hit sitcoms as customers and one-off characters.

Episodes

Series Episodes Originally aired Ave. UK Viewers
Series premiere Series finale
Christmas Special 1 26 December 2013 12.23 million
1 6 26 December 2014 25 January 2015 7.37 million

Christmas Special (2013)

This episode marked the 40th anniversary of original show, Open All Hours.

No. Title Director Writer Original airdate Viewership
1"Still Open All Hours"Dewi HumphreysRoy Clarke26 December 201312.23 million[14]
A day in the life of the shop and its customers is followed including former Nurse Gladys Emmanuel and the Black Widow; Granville tries to secure a date with old flame Mavis without her terrifying sister Madge finding out; Leroy refuses to use the old delivery bike and comes up with an altogether more attractive way to deliver the orders and a sneaky new plan to shift a lot of anchovy paste has some rather surprising side effects. This episode was recorded on 3 December 2013.

Series 1 (2014-15)

No. Title Director Writer Original airdate Viewership
2"Episode 1"Dewi HumphreysRoy Clarke26 December 20146.89 million[15]
It's St Valentine's Day and Granville is determined the make the most of it, even if it involves a ladder, a box of chocolates and certain lady's window. Granville is forced into taking extra security precautions for the shop's takings, which cause him no end of discomfort. Eric suffers a curious injury. Love is in the air for some as Granville begins to play matchmaker. This episode was recorded on 10 October 2014.
3"Episode 2"Dewi HumphreysRoy Clarke28 December 20147.32 million[15]
Granville is determined to improve Gastric's image in order to matchmake him with Madge. His plans take an inspired turn when a salesman returns to town. Wet Eric is desperate to convince his wife it's going to rain but gets lured into a dangerous purchase. Meanwhile, Old Mr Bentinck never goes into the shop, so Granville finds a way to tempt him in to spend. This episode was recorded on 17 October 2014.
4"Episode 3"Dewi HumphreysRoy Clarke4 January 20156.90 million[16]
Romance is in the air as Granville continues to woo Mavis, Gastric needs more help with his love life and Leroy arouses jealousy from Nikki's rather large boyfriend, prompting him to go into hiding. Meanwhile Cyril is tempted by the latest hairnet workout craze, Granville reveals his tip for preserving bacon and a new form of transport for delivering goods enthralls Leroy. This episode was recorded on 24 October 2014.
5"Episode 4"Dewi HumphreysRoy Clarke11 January 20157.12 million[17]
Granville's big ambitions to open his very own coffee shop cause quite a stir in the neighbourhood. Mrs Dawlish, a snobbish local, pays a visit and can't believe such a corner shop still exists - can Granville find a clever way to make some money from her? Meanwhile, Eric has been left to look after his depressed brother-in-law all day. This episode was recorded on 7 November 2014.
6"Episode 5"Dewi HumphreysRoy Clarke18 January 20157.62 million[18]
Granville has bought a job lot of bargain stock but needs a clever plan to sell it all. A visiting salesman gives him a marketing idea. Meanwhile Eric is not getting on with his wife and seeks emergency romantic help from young Leroy. This episode was recorded on 14 November 2014.
7"Episode 6"Dewi HumphreysRoy Clarke25 January 20158.39 million[18]
There are mysterious sightings in the shop and Granville is convinced the place is haunted by Arkwright. How can he prove it to the locals? Meanwhile a surprise visitor from the past gets the whole street talking. This episode was recorded on 21 November 2014.

Broadcast and reception

The special was broadcast on BBC One on 26 December (Boxing Day) 2013 and received 9.43m (39.9% of the audience) viewers according to overnight figures and was the most watched programme on that day.[19] Final viewing figures showed that it was watched by 12.23m and was the most watched programme for that week.[20] It received poor reviews from critics. Will Dean of The Independent called it a "w-w-worthy [sic] effort" but criticised the attempt to revive the show without the late Ronnie Barker.[21] Ben Lawrence of The Telegraph said it "felt like a relic of another era" criticising the jokes and Jason's performance.[22] Jacob Mason, writing on the Radio Times website, described the show as "warmly nostalgic", whilst others noted it as "a fitting tribute to Ronnie Barker".[23] On 21 November 2014, the BBC confirmed that Still Open All Hours would return for a full series in 2014. This began airing on 26 December 2014 and finished on 25 January 2015..

DVD Releases

Although filmed and broadcast in High-definition, no Blu-ray releases have been announced to date. Series One and the 2013 Christmas Special was released on Region 2 DVD on 2 February 2015 by 2 entertain. [24]

DVD Title No. of Discs Special features No. of Episodes Release Dates
Region 2 Region 4
Series 1 1 2013 Christmas Special 7 2 February 2015 TBC

References

  1. ↑ Goodacre, Kate (7 October 2013). "Sir David Jason to star in 'Open All Hours' Christmas special". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Still Open All Hours commissioned for full series". BBC News. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Look who's the b-b-boss now: Granville pulls on Arkwright's famous brown coat as David Jason returns in Open All Hours after 30 years". Daily Mail. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  4. ↑ "Sir David Jason back for Open All Hours Christmas show". BBC News. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  5. ↑ "Open All Hours: A Celebration". BBC. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "Open All Hours special could lead to new series". Doncaster Free Press. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "BREAKING: New version of Open All Hours will be filmed in Doncaster". Doncaster Free Press. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  8. ↑ Glanfield, Tim (30 January 2014). "Still Open All Hours series confirmed". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  9. ↑ Plunkett, John (30 January 2014). "BBC commissions full series of Still Open All Hours". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  10. ↑ "Video: Open All Hours filming starts in Doncaster". Doncaster Free Press. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "Open All Hours filming set to end in Doncaster". Sheffield Star. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "Still Open All Hours Series 1". The Pinewood Studios Group. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  13. ↑ Wilkes, David (19 November 2013). "The real life shops behind Open All Hours: How a hairdressers and a c-c-convenience store helped inspire the BBC sitcom that is about to be resurrected for Christmas special". Mail Online. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  14. ↑ "BARB". 6 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "BARB". 5 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "BARB". 12 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "BARB". 19 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Top 30 Programmes - BARB
  19. ↑ Rigby, Sam (27 December 2013). "Still Open All Hours tops Boxing Day ratings with 9.4m". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  20. ↑ "Top 30s". BARB. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  21. ↑ Dean, Will (26 December 2013). "Still Open All Hours review: It was a w-w-worthy effort – but there’s only one Arkwright". The Independent. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  22. ↑ Lawrence, Ben (26 December 2013). "Still Open All Hours, BBC One, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  23. ↑ Andrews, Marc (26 December 2013). "TV viewers hail the one-off return of classic sitcom Open All Hours as 'warmly nostalgic' and 'a fitting tribute to Ronnie Barker'". Daily Mail. Retrieved 4 January 2014. Jojo Martin praised the show saying " I loved Open All Hours and I love Still Open All Hours even more, Still Open is the one of the best comedy series on our screens".
  24. ↑ "Still Open All Hours Series One + 2013 Christmas Special [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.

External links