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{{Short description|British TV sitcom (1976–1985)}}
{{infobox television |
{{For|the album by The Hamsters|Open All Hours (album)}}
{{Lead too short|date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Open All Hours title card.jpg
| alt = 1976 title card. The series title appears over an aerial shot of the corner shop.
| genre = ]
| creator = ]
| developer =
| writer = Roy Clarke
| director = ]
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* Frances Cox}}
| theme_music_composer = Joseph Ascher
| opentheme = "]"
| endtheme = "Alice, Where Art Thou?"
| composer = ]
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| num_series = 4
| num_episodes = 26
| list_episodes = List of Open All Hours episodes
| executive_producer = ] <small><br />(pilot episode)</small>
| producer = Sydney Lotterby <small><br />(1976–1985)</small>
| editor =
| location = England
| cinematography =
| camera =
| runtime = 30 minutes
| company = ]
| channel = {{Plainlist|
* ] <small>(1976)</small>
* ] <small>(1981–1985)</small>}}
| first_aired = {{Start date|1976|3|23|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1985|10|06|df=y}}
| related = {{Plainlist|
* '']''
* '']''
}}
}}


'''''Open All Hours''''' is a ] ] created and written by ] for the BBC. It ran for 26 episodes in four series, which aired in 1976, 1981, 1982 and 1985. The programme was developed from a ] broadcast in ]'s '']'' (1973) comedy ]. ''Open All Hours'' ranked eighth in the 2004 ] poll.<ref>, URL accessed 2 December 2006.</ref> A sequel, titled '']'', aired from 2013 to 2019.
| show_name = Open All Hours
| image = ]


==Premise ==
| caption = Series title card
The show's setting is a small ] in ], a suburb of ] in ]. The owner, ] (Ronnie Barker), is a middle-aged miser with a stammer and a knack for selling. His nephew ] (]) is his beleaguered put-upon errand boy who blames his work schedule for his lacklustre social life.
| format = ]
| runtime = 30 minutes per episode
| creator = ]
| director = ]
| producer = ]
| writer = ]
| starring = ]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]
| country = ]
| network = ]
| first_aired = 1973 (pilot)<br>1976/1981
| last_aired = 1985 (series)
| num_series = 4
| num_episodes = 26
| imdb_id = 0074036
|}}


Across the road lives nurse Gladys Emmanuel (]), largely occupied by her professional rounds, and her elderly mother. Arkwright longs to marry Gladys, but she resists his persistent pressures. In later episodes it is explained that the two have been engaged for many years but have been unable to wed because of the advanced age of her mother, for whom she cares at home, as well as the mutual loathing between her mother and Arkwright. Though short-tempered with her fiancé, she is concerned for his and Granville's welfare. In order to avoid Gladys's mother, Arkwright frequently attempts to 'visit' Gladys via a ladder to an upstairs window, which often ends in catastrophe.
'''''Open All Hours''''' was a ] ] written by ] which ran for four series (26 episodes in all) between 1976 and 1985, with a pilot episode from the '']'' series in 1973. In 2004, the series was voted eighth in ].<ref>, URL accessed December 2nd, 2006 </ref>


Every episode ended with Arkwright delivering a monologue to himself reflecting on the day's events as he closed the shop for the evening.
==Plot==
The series centres around a small grocer's shop in ], a suburb of ] in ]. The store's owner, Albert Arkwright (played by ]), is a middle-aged miser with a ] and a knack of being able to sell anything and everything to any passing visitor to his shop. His nephew Granville (played by ]) 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 ] &mdash; an issue which is never resolved. Arkwright would also make cracks about the sexlife of his late sister (Granville's mother).


==Episodes==
The shop is crowded and most goods can only be reached from behind the counter &mdash; 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, who is too much of a miser to buy a new one.
{{Main article|List of Open All Hours episodes}}
Twenty-six episodes of ''Open All Hours'', all written by ], were produced for the BBC. The show began airing in 1976 and ended in 1985 after the fourth series. All episodes have a running time of 30 minutes.


===''Still Open All Hours''===
Across the road from the shop lives Nurse Gladys Emmanuel (]), 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 ] with a decidedly Irish accent, and the character was considerably slimmer than the buxom creature she later became.
{{main|Still Open All Hours}}
A sequel, entitled '']'', was created in 2013 by original writer Roy Clarke and featuring several original cast members, including ], ], ] and ]. On 30 January 2014, the BBC commissioned ''Still Open All Hours'' for six new episodes beginning on 26 December 2014<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25963719|title=Still Open All Hours commissioned for full series|work=BBC News|date=30 January 2014|access-date=31 January 2014}}</ref> and ran for six series until 2019.


''Open All Hours'' and ''Still Open All Hours'', has run for a total of 67 episodes across ten series.
Other regulars to the shop included the early morning ] (]) for whom Granville had the hots for; Mavis (]) a young woman who just could not make up her mind on what to buy; Mrs. Blewett (]), a gossip with a critical word for everyone; and Mrs. Featherstone (]), aka the Black Widow, a sour-faced widowed woman who was also something of a miser and admired Arkwright for being likewise.


==Characters==
Episodes generally involve some plan by Arkwright to wed Nurse Gladys, save money or flog more stuff to the locals, and end with Arkwright shutting up shop for the night and praying as he walks round &mdash; mostly a matter-of-fact reflection on the day, addressed to God.
{{Main article|List of Open All Hours characters}}


===Arkwright===
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 &mdash; 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.
{{Main article|Arkwright (Open All Hours)|l1=Arkwright}}
Albert Arkwright is a pragmatic, miserly man with old-fashioned values, whose world seems to stop at his shop door, except for his uncontrollable lust for Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, which may prompt him on occasion to wander across the road, usually with a ladder, to gain access to her bedroom window. Arkwright is a devious and mildly dishonest character, who has many crafty tricks to try to persuade a customer to leave his shop having bought at least one thing, and will avoid spending his own money at all costs. He is also very protective of his savings, keeping some in his pocket wrapped in a fine gold chain, and some in an old, battered ] tin that he hides under the kitchen sink. This includes, or so he claims, coins from before 1922, when they were "solid silver".


==Trivia== ===Granville===
{{Main article|Granville (Open All Hours)|l1=Granville}}
Granville is the son of Arkwright's sister. She died a single mother when Granville was very young, leaving Arkwright to bring up the boy. Arkwright's jokes imply that his sister was promiscuous; he frequently speculates that Granville's father is Hungarian, and was forbidden to marry Granville's mother because she was English. He is often referred to as a "youth" or "young lad", even though Granville is well into his adult years. (In the Pilot episode he states that he is 25 years old.)


Granville is shy and awkward, but kind. His priorities differ from those of his uncle. He always feels that life is passing him by. Occasionally, people from Granville's past come into the shop. To Granville, who is ever saddled with his shop duties and bearing his uncle's belittling, their lives seem richer and more fulfilling.
Two of Ronnie Barker's fake moustaches (donated by the BBC) used in the show were auctioned at the British Stammering Association conference in London, September 2005.


When Granville has a fling with the milkwoman (played by ]), his uncle is unsupportive.
==Locations==
The exterior shots were filmed in Lister Avenue<ref></ref> in ], a suburb of ]; the shop itself is actually a hairdresser's salon.


===Main===
Gladys Emmanuel's house was 34 Lister Avenue, Balby, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, UK in the first series, but moved next door to number 32 in the second series and onwards.
{| class="wikitable planrowheaders"

!rowspan="2"|Character
The local council is considering demolishing the shop which was used in filming ''Open All Hours'' <ref> BBC News Online (retrieved ] ])</ref> and a web site has been set up for fans of the show to post messages in support of saving the shop. {{Fact|date=March 2007}}<!-- unreliable source, read ]; old reference: Proboards forum -->
!rowspan="2"|Played by

!colspan="4" |]
All four series of all 26 episodes have now been released on ].
!rowspan="2" |Episode count

==Cast List==
], ], and ].]]
The following have appeared in more than one episode.
{| class="wikitable"
! '''Actor name''' !! '''Character name''' !! '''Episodes''' !! '''Years'''
|- |-
! ]
| ] || Albert Arkwright || 26 episodes (#1,2,3,4) || 1976-1985
! ]
! ]
! ]
|- |-
!colspan="10"|Main Characters
| ] || Granville || 26 episodes (#1,2,3,4) || 1976-1985
|- |-
| ] || ] || colspan="4" {{yes2|}} || {{center|26}}
| ] || Nurse Gladys Emmanuel || 25 episodes (#1,2,3,4) || 1976-1985
|- |-
| ] || ] || colspan="4" {{yes2|}} || {{center|26}}
| ] || The Milk Woman || 10 episodes (#2,3,4) || 1981-1985
|- |-
| Nurse Gladys Emmanuel|| ] || colspan="4" {{yes2|}} || {{center|26}}
| ] || Mrs. Featherstone || 10 episodes (#3,4) || 1982-1985
|- |-
| Milk Woman || ] || colspan="1" {{no2|}} || colspan="3" {{yes2|}} || {{center|11}}
| ] || Mrs. Blewett || 7 episodes (#1,2) || 1976-1981
|- |-
| Mrs Featherstone || ] || colspan="2" {{no2|}} || colspan="2" {{yes2|}} || {{center|10}}
| ] || Mavis || 7 episodes (#2,3) || 1981-1982
|- |-
| ] || Mrs. Parslow || 5 episodes (#2,3,4) || 1981-1985 | Mrs Blewett || ] || colspan="2" {{yes2|}} || colspan="2" {{no2|}} || {{center|7}}
|- |-
| Mavis || ] || colspan="1" {{no2|}} || colspan="2" {{yes2|}} || colspan="1" {{no2|}} || {{center|7}}
| ] || Cyril || 3 episodes (#3,4) || 1982-1985
|-
| ] || Mrs. Jardine / Posh Customer || 2 episodes (#1,3) || 1976-1982
|-
| ] || Mrs. Ellis || 2 episodes (#1) || 1976
|-
| ] || Man in Car / Milk Round Supervisor || 2 episodes (#2,3) || 1981-1982
|-
| ] || Neville / Man || 2 episodes (#2,3) || 1981-1982
|-
| ] || Gordon || 2 episodes (#2,3) || 1981-1982
|-
| ] || Thorndyke || 2 episodes (#3,4) || 1982-1985
|-
| ] || Julie || 2 episodes (#3) || 1982
|-
| ] || Mrs. Bickerdyke || 2 episodes (#4) || 1985
|} |}


==Episode list== ==Production==
], where exterior shots were set with 'Beautique', the shop used as Arkwright's, on the right.]]


===Pilot=== ===Series development===
The shop is based on a little store called L E Riddiford in ], ]. Roy Clarke visited this small town whilst travelling and was said to have fallen in love with the shop layout and its owner, Len Riddiford.
'''Air Date:''' 25th March 1973


Ronnie Barker proposed that Arkwright should have a stammer, and this was written into the character. Barker also co-created the premise of the dangerous till. In the series, the shop's antiquated till has a drawer that tends to snap shut suddenly. Even though this terrifies Granville and Arkwright, Arkwright refuses to replace the till due to the cost of a replacement, and because he believes it discourages burglars. In the documentary ''Open All Hours: A Celebration'', Sydney Lotterby revealed that the till was controlled with a string by an assistant floor manager in the adjacent room, and that he once accidentally caught Barker's fingers while filming. By the time of ''Still Open All Hours'', it is suggested that the till is now haunted by Arkwright's ghost as it sporadically opens and closes violently at the mere suggestion of Granville spending money.
'''Main Cast:''' Ronnie Barker (Albert Arkwright), David Jason (Granville)


===Filming locations===
'''Synopsis:''' Part of the '']'' series
]
The exterior shots were shot on Lister Avenue in ], a suburb of ]; South Yorkshire. The shop itself is a hairdresser's salon, which closed for a summer break during each year the series was being filmed by the BBC. The same location is used for the sequel series ''Still Open All Hours''. The pilot episode (featured in the series '']'') used a shop front on the western intersection of Drayton Avenue and Manor Road in Ealing, London, for exterior filming.


In the first series, Nurse Gladys lives at 34 Lister Avenue. This is changed to 32 from the second series.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Episode
! Title
! Broadcast details
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #1 || ] || 25th Mar 1973 - BBC2 Sun 8.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Sheila Brennan (Nurse Gladys Emmanuel), Keith Chegwin (Boy Buying Lolly), Elissa Derwent (Girl from Petrol Station), Yootha Joyce (Mrs. Scully), David Valla (Bread Man)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | This was our first sight of Arkwright, the miserly Northern shopkeeper who victimises his delivery boy and nephew.
|}


The local council considered demolishing the shop used in ''Open All Hours''. A fan created a web site to garner support for preserving it. The shop was to be auctioned in ] on 24 November 2008, and was expected to fetch between £120,000 and £130,000; however, all bids fell short of the ].<ref> BBC News Online. Retrieved 4 April 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a134909/open-all-hours-shop-to-be-auctioned.html|title='Open All Hours' shop to be auctioned|work=Digital Spy|date=7 November 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7747527.stm|title=Open All Hours shop fails to sell |publisher=BBC|access-date=25 November 2008 | date=25 November 2008}}</ref>
===Series 1===


Three years earlier, a different sort of auction commemorated the programme. The BBC donated, to the ] (BSA), two of the false moustaches worn by Ronnie Barker in the series. The BSA auctioned the moustaches at their London conference in September 2005, shortly before Barker's death.
'''Air Date:''' 20th February 1976 - 26th March 1976


===Theme tune===
'''Main Cast:'''
:Ronnie Barker (Albert Arkwright) ]
The show's ] is a song called "]", written by ]. The arrangement is borrowed from a 1926 ] song called Laughter And Lemons, the b side of the more well-known ]. It was arranged for a ] and performed by ], who also wrote the incidental music for the programme.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=433|title=Alice, Where Art Thou?, by J. Ascher (1829–1869)|work=mutopiaproject.org}}</ref><ref> at the ].</ref>
:David Jason (Granville)
:Lynda Baron (Nurse Gladys Emmanuel)


==Reception==
'''Synopsis:''' Ronnie Barker stars as Arkwright, the stuttering grocer, in the first series of this cornershop comedy. Arkwright's urge to take money from his customers by fair means or foul is second only to his need to prevent his nephew, Granville, from discovering a world beyond the clang of the shop bell... And, of course, his consuming passion for nurse Gladys Emmanuel.
Barker noted in his autobiography ''It's Hello from Him'' that he received a letter which began "We are a family of stutterers...", that made his heart sink. However, the writer went on to praise his portrayal and added that the whole family found the character hilarious.


==Merchandise==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Episode
! Title
! Broadcast details
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #1 || ] || 20th Feb 1976 - BBC2 Fri 9pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | John Lawrence (Mr. Bristow), Gillian McClements (Gloria), Kathy Staff (Mrs. Blewett), Peter Wallis (Winston), Poppy Lane (Extra -uncredited)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | “Why don’t we get engaged before we both grow a moustache?” What’s more fruitless – Arkwright’s pursuit of Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, or his attempt to sell tins of food without labels?
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #2 || ] || 27th Feb 1976 - BBC2 Fri 9pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Juliet Cooke (Eva), Jean Heywood (Vera), George Innes (Used Car Salesman), Barbara Keogh (Mrs. Ellis), Harry Markham (Freddie)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Arkwright’s always been dead against getting a van, until Granville points out the advantages of taking a lady friend for a drive...
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #3 || ] || 5th Mar 1976 - BBC2 Fri 9pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Juliet Ackroyd (Linda Mulgrave), Tony Aitken (Norman), Graham Armitage (Man from Matlock Mutual Protection Society), Clare Kelly (Mrs. Braddock), Barbara Keogh (Mrs. Ellis)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Perhaps a nice cosy little disease on Arkwright’s part would be the thing to attract the ministrations of a certain district nurse?
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #4 || ] || 12th Mar 1976 - BBC2 Fri 9pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Kevin Moreton (Boy), Shirley Steedman (Maureen)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | A local crime wave scares the wits out of an already security-obsessed Arkwright – there’s nothing for it, the shop has to be fortified!
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #5 || ] || 19th Mar 1976 - BBC2 Fri 9pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Reginald Barratt (Mr. Wilkinson), John Challis (Bread Man), Kathy Staff (Mrs. Blewett), Elizabeth Dawn (Woman Outside Shop - uncredited)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | His best friend’s funeral tests Arkwright’s generosity to a painful degree.
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #6 || ] || 26th Mar 1976 - BBC2 Fri 9pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | ] (Woman Wanting Firelighters), Madge Hindle (Mrs. Jardine), John McKelvey (Hard of Hearing Man), Michael Redfern (Southerner)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Slow apple sales lead to a self-service experiment for the cornershop.
|}


===Series 2=== ===Books===
Two books related to the programme have been released in the UK. One was written by Graham McCann and published by ] in October 2014 and the other one, a 'novelisation' based on scripts for the first series, was written by Christine Sparks and was published by BBC Books.


* ''Open All Hours''
'''Air Date:''' 1st March 1981 - 19th April 1981
This was published in February 1981 which is based on the original programme.
{{cite book
| date = February 1981
| title = Open All Hours:
| last = Sparks
| first = Christine
| publisher = ]
| isbn = 0563179244
}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Open All Hours|id={{ASIN|0563179244|country=uk}}}}</ref>
* ''Still Open All Hours: The Story of a Classic Comedy ''
This was published on 30 October 2014. {{cite book
| date = 30 October 2014
| title = Still Open All Hours: The Story of a Classic Comedy
| author = ]
| publisher = ]
| isbn = 978-1849908863
}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Still Open All Hours: The Story of a Classic Comedy |id={{ASIN|1849908869|country=uk}} }}</ref>


===VHS releases===
'''Main Cast:'''
A selection of 15 episodes of the series was released on five VHS cassettes by BBC Video on 2 April 1990, 12 June 1995, 4 March 1996, 2 June 1997, and 2 March 1998. Universal Playback, under licence by ], released Series 1 and 2 as a three tape boxset on 19 August 2002 and Series 3 and 4 as a three tape set boxset on 2 June 2003.
:Ronnie Barker (Albert Arkwright)
:David Jason (Granville)
:Lynda Baron (Nurse Gladys Emmanuel)


===DVD releases===
'''Synopsis:''' Ronnie Barker's tight-fisted shopkeeper Arkwright continues to risk amputation rather than replace his death trap of a till. As Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, the owner of an awesome bosom and an old Morris Minor, deflates his amorous advances, Arkwright seeks solace in bullying his over-worked, sexually and socially-frustrated nephew and errand boy, G-G-G-Granville.
All four series have been released in Regions 2 and 4, both individually and in box sets.
Region 1 has released the box set but the series have not been released individually there.
In Australia, the BBC with Roadshow released "Series One: Episodes 1–3 Comedy Bites" in 2010.


{| class="wikitable" {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
|- |-
!colspan="2" rowspan="2"|DVD Title
! Episode
!rowspan="2"|Discs
! Title
!rowspan="2"|Year
! Broadcast details
!rowspan="2"|Ep. No.
!colspan="3"|DVD releases
!rowspan="2"|Notes
|- |-
!]
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #1 || ] || 1st Mar 1981 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
!]
!]
|- |-
| style="background:#ff7f00;"|
! Cast
!]
| colspan="2" | Maggie Ollerenshaw (Mavis), Matthew Scurfield (Man from Bus Stop), Renu Setna (VAT Man), Nick Stringer (Neville)
|1
|1976
|7
|
|30 September 2002
|1 April 2003
|Includes the 1973 pilot
|- |-
| style="background:#fff;"|
! Synopsis
!]
| colspan="2" | “When Nurse Gladys Emmanuel tells Arkwright that he must buy a new washing machine, he is forced to come up with an ingenious plan to keep her happy and his savings undisturbed.
|1
|1981
|7
|
|29 September 2003
|3 December 2003
|
|- |-
| style="background:#b03060;"|
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #2 || ] || 8th Mar 1981 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
!]
|1
|1982
|6
|
|4 October 2004
|2 March 2005
|
|- |-
| style="background:maroon;"|
! Cast
!]
| colspan="2" | Barbara Flynn (The Milk Woman), Maggie Ollerenshaw (Mavis), Kathy Staff (Mrs. Blewett)
|1
|1985
|6
|
|31 October 2005
|8 August 2006
|
|- |-
| style="background:#fbec5d;"|
! Synopsis
!]–]
| colspan="2" | Nurse Gladys Emmanuel and Arkwright are finally going to spend the night together at a hotel... with an over-tight money belt.
|- |4
|1976–1985
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #3 || ] || 15th Mar 1981 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|- |26
|9 June 2009
! Cast
|13 November 2006
| colspan="2" | Howard Crossley (Man in Car), Mike Kelly (Delivery Man), Maggie Ollerenshaw (Mavis), Kathy Staff (Mrs. Blewett)
|1 August 2007
|-
|Includes the 1973 pilot
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Arkwright's marketing genius comes to the fore as he tries to shift some over-stocked items.
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #4 || ] || 22nd Mar 1981 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Michael Bilton (Hypnotist), Frances Cox (Mrs. Parslow), Frances Goodall (Woman on Bench), Emrys James (Eli Bickerdyke), Kathy Staff (Mrs. Blewett)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Arkwright has to buy a new suit – on Nurse Gladys Emmanuel's say so.
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #5 || ] || 29th Mar 1981 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Maggie Ollerenshaw (Mavis), Brian Peck (Customer), Kathy Staff (Mrs. Blewett), Paula Tilbrook (Mrs. Tattersall)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Arkwright proves his ambition by expanding the business... he buys an old ice-cream van.
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #6 || ] || 5th Apr 1981 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Roger Elliott (Mr. Bristow), Stuart Fell (Motorcyclist), Patsy Smart (Customer), Kathy Staff (Mrs. Blewett)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Arkwright's wedding suit smells of mothballs. Hanging his trousers out of Gladys' car was never going to be a good idea...
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #7 || ] || 19th Apr 1981 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Frances Cox (Mrs. Parslow), Oscar Quitak (Hungarian), Teddy Turner (Gordon)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Arkwright invents a Saint's day so that Granville can check the pockets of a foreign visitor who he suspects of shoplifting.
|} |}


===Series 3=== ==Planned spin-off==


In 1984, at which time no new episodes of the series had been produced for two years, a spin-off was proposed based around ]'s character, Nurse Gladys Emmanuel. Given the working title ''Call the Nurse'', this spin-off series would have followed Nurse Gladys as she visited various eccentric and demanding patients. The characters of Arkwright and Granville were not written to appear, and ] was keen to develop a new set of supporting characters rather than rely on those already built up for ''Open All Hours''. A thirty-minute pilot was written but did not enter production as the BBC turned down the series; instead, ''Open All Hours'' returned for its fourth and what would be its final series the following year.
'''Air Date:''' 21st March 1982 - 25th April 1982


==See also==
'''Main Cast:'''
* ]
:Ronnie Barker (Albert Arkwright)
* '']''
:David Jason (Granville)
:Lynda Baron (Nurse Gladys Emmanuel)

'''Synopsis:''' Ronnie Barker's stuttering shopkeeper Arkwright lives for just three things - a regularly ringing till, a glimpse of Nurse Gladys Emmanuel's more than ample bosom and making the life of his nephew and errand boy, G-G-G-Granville ever more miserable...

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Episode
! Title
! Broadcast details
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #1 || An Errand Boy By The Ear || 21st Mar 1982 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Bridget Ashburn (Mrs. Turner), Stephanie Cole (Mrs. Featherstone), Madge Hindle (Posh Customer), Maggie Ollerenshaw (Mavis), Sue Race (Mrs. Ellis), Nick Stringer (Man)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Arkwright's baffled when his customers get upset with his treatment of Granville. Surely, "it's what errand boys are for."
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #2 || The Ginger Men || 28th Mar 1982 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Stephanie Cole (Mrs. Featherstone), Helen Cotterill (Julie), Barbara Flynn (The Milk Woman), Bert Gaunt (Bert - Bread Man), Tom Mennard (Cyril), Alan Starkey (Thorndyke)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Why is Arkwright forcing his ginger cake upon Nurse Gladys? Could it be he has overstocked? And if it really is an old Jamaican aphrodisiac, Granville's acting like he's overdosed.
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #3 || Duet For Solo Bicycle || 4th Apr 1982 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Stephanie Cole (Mrs. Featherstone), Barbara Flynn (The Milk Woman), Sally Miles (Mrs. Whittington), Donald Morley (Man Looking for Directions), Maggie Ollerenshaw (Mavis), Liz Whiting (Wendy)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | A squeak in the shop's bicycle is driving Granville round the bend, but can it really be affecting his love-life?
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #4 || How To Ignite Your Errand Boy || 11th Apr 1982 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Stephanie Cole (Mrs. Featherstone), Frances Cox (Mrs. Parslow), Howard Crossley (Milk Round Supervisor), Barbara Flynn (The Milk Woman), Frank Marlborough (Delivery man), Tom Mennard (Cyril), David Thackwray (Boy)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Arkwright's plan to make his own fire lighters has a snag, they may be somewhat dangerous to make...Oh well, Granville is not busy...
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #5 || "The Man From Down Under" || 18th Apr 1982 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Stephanie Cole (Mrs. Featherstone), Janet Davies (Mrs. Blake), Barbara Flynn (The Milk Woman), Johnny Leeze (Man Whose Tyres Were Let Down), Maggie Ollerenshaw (Mavis), Teddy Turner (Gordon)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | When one of Nurse Gladys Emmanuel's admirers returns from Australia, Arkwright proffers a real Yorkshire welcome...
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #6 || The Cool Cocoa Tin Lid || 25th Apr 1982 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | John Bleasdale (Dennis), Helen Cotterill (Julie), Barbara Flynn (The Milk Woman), Tony London (Youth), Mollie Maureen (Old Woman)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Granville decides to get cool. He's got the open necked shirt and the shades, but where's a poor errand boy going to find a medallion?
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | Special || The Funny Side Of Christmas || 27th Dec 1982 - BBC1 Mon 8.05pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" |
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Short special part of The Funny Side Of Christmas
|}

===Series 4===

'''Air Date:''' 1st September 1985 - 6th October 1985

'''Main Cast:'''
:Ronnie Barker (Albert Arkwright)
:David Jason (Granville)
:Lynda Baron (Nurse Gladys Emmanuel)

'''Synopsis:''' Ronnie Barker's great creation Arkwright continues to mind the store where the only thing going cheap is talk. The elusive Nurse Gladys Emmanuel is still there to drive him to distraction, while delivery boy Granville just yearns for a trendy girlfriend, a high-powered executive job, a sports car or even a new bell on his bicycle.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Episode
! Title
! Broadcast details
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #1 || Soulmate Wanted || 1st Sep 1985 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Stephanie Cole (Mrs. Featherstone), Gilly Coman (Girl Who Answers Advert), Christine Ozanne (Customer), Norman Robbins (Mr. Halliwell), Jean Warren (Michelle)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Granville is desperate for female company, so he decides to resort to advertising. He ends up getting more than he bargained for.
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #2 || Horse-Trading || 8th Sep 1985 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Charlotte Barker (Customer), Barbara Flynn (The Milk Woman), John Rutland (Black Lead Customer), Nadim Sawalha (Albert Gupta), Alan Starkey (Thorndyke)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Arkwright thinks he's done great business when he offloads some genuine Yorkshire clothes horses on a local Asian shopkeeper...
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #3 || The Housekeeper Caper || 15th Sep 1985 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Joe Belcher (Shopfitter), Stephanie Cole (Mrs. Featherstone), Frances Cox (Mrs. Parslow), Barbara Flynn (The Milk Woman), Patricia Kane (Little Old Lady), Sandra Voe (Mrs. Bickerdyke)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Arkwright advertises for a live-in housekeeper. It doesn't succeed in getting Nurse Gladys Emmanuel jealous but does tempt the "Black Widow", the formidable Mrs Featherstone...
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #4 || The Errand Boy Executive || 22th Sep 1985 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Stephanie Cole (Mrs. Featherstone), Howell Evans (Victor - Vac Salesman), Julie Shipley (Stephanie), Sandra Voe (Mrs. Bickerdyke)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | To impress Stephanie, a young lady from the boutique, Granville claims he is an "executive" and that Arkwright is his "faithful old assistant".
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #5 || Happy Birthday Arkwright || 29th Sep 1985 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Stephanie Cole (Mrs. Featherstone), Barbara Flynn (The Milk Woman), Howard Lew Lewis (Byron), Tom Mennard (Cyril), John Owens (Windscreen Smear Customer)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | What does Arkwright want for his birthday? Certainly not a visit from the man from the Good Shop Guide.
|-
! style=background-color: cyan;" | #6 || The Mystical Boudoir Of Nurse Gladys Emmanuel || 6th Oct 1985 - BBC1 Sun 7.15pm
|-
! Cast
| colspan="2" | Barbara Ashcroft (Mrs. Turnbull), Bobby Bragg (Customer), Stephanie Cole (Mrs. Featherstone), Frances Cox (Mrs. Parslow), Barbara Flynn (The Milk Woman), Eric Richard (Cash Register Salesman)
|-
! Synopsis
| colspan="2" | Arkwright will do anything to get himself into Nurse Gladys Emmanuel's bedroom, including the use of a ladder and a box of chocolates. Meanwhile Granville takes to wearing tights on his head.
|}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}}
<references/>


==External links==
{{Ronnie Barker}}
{{Wikiquote}}


* {{BBC programme}}
==External links==
* at the ] Guide to Comedy * at the ].
* {{Screenonline TV title|1207953}}.
*{{bbc series|OPEN+ALL+HOURS}}
* {{IMDb title|0074036}}.
* at the ]
* {{British Comedy Guide|tv|open_all_hours}}.
*{{Screenonline TV title|id=1207953|name=Open All Hours}}
*{{imdb title|id=0074036|title=Open All Hours}}


{{Open All Hours}}
*
{{Roy Clarke}}


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Latest revision as of 20:18, 11 January 2025

British TV sitcom (1976–1985) For the album by The Hamsters, see Open All Hours (album).
This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (January 2025)

Open All Hours
1976 title card. The series title appears over an aerial shot of the corner shop.
GenreSitcom
Created byRoy Clarke
Written byRoy Clarke
Directed bySydney Lotterby
Starring
Theme music composerJoseph Ascher
Opening theme"Alice, Where Art Thou?"
Ending theme"Alice, Where Art Thou?"
ComposerMax Harris
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series4
No. of episodes26 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersJames Gilbert
(pilot episode)
ProducersSydney Lotterby
(1976–1985)
Production locationEngland
Running time30 minutes
Production companyBBC
Original release
Network
Release23 March 1976 (1976-03-23) –
6 October 1985 (1985-10-06)
Related

Open All Hours is a British television sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke for the BBC. It ran for 26 episodes in four series, which aired in 1976, 1981, 1982 and 1985. The programme was developed from a television pilot broadcast in Ronnie Barker's Seven of One (1973) comedy anthology series. Open All Hours ranked eighth in the 2004 Britain's Best Sitcom poll. A sequel, titled Still Open All Hours, aired from 2013 to 2019.

Premise

The show's setting is a small grocer's shop in Balby, a suburb of Doncaster in South Yorkshire. The owner, Albert Arkwright (Ronnie Barker), is a middle-aged miser with a stammer and a knack for selling. His nephew Granville (David Jason) is his beleaguered put-upon errand boy who blames his work schedule for his lacklustre social life.

Across the road lives nurse Gladys Emmanuel (Lynda Baron), largely occupied by her professional rounds, and her elderly mother. Arkwright longs to marry Gladys, but she resists his persistent pressures. In later episodes it is explained that the two have been engaged for many years but have been unable to wed because of the advanced age of her mother, for whom she cares at home, as well as the mutual loathing between her mother and Arkwright. Though short-tempered with her fiancé, she is concerned for his and Granville's welfare. In order to avoid Gladys's mother, Arkwright frequently attempts to 'visit' Gladys via a ladder to an upstairs window, which often ends in catastrophe.

Every episode ended with Arkwright delivering a monologue to himself reflecting on the day's events as he closed the shop for the evening.

Episodes

Main article: List of Open All Hours episodes

Twenty-six episodes of Open All Hours, all written by Roy Clarke, were produced for the BBC. The show began airing in 1976 and ended in 1985 after the fourth series. All episodes have a running time of 30 minutes.

Still Open All Hours

Main article: Still Open All Hours

A sequel, entitled Still Open All Hours, was created in 2013 by original writer Roy Clarke and featuring several original cast members, including David Jason, Lynda Baron, Stephanie Cole and Maggie Ollerenshaw. On 30 January 2014, the BBC commissioned Still Open All Hours for six new episodes beginning on 26 December 2014 and ran for six series until 2019.

Open All Hours and Still Open All Hours, has run for a total of 67 episodes across ten series.

Characters

Main article: List of Open All Hours characters

Arkwright

Main article: Arkwright

Albert Arkwright is a pragmatic, miserly man with old-fashioned values, whose world seems to stop at his shop door, except for his uncontrollable lust for Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, which may prompt him on occasion to wander across the road, usually with a ladder, to gain access to her bedroom window. Arkwright is a devious and mildly dishonest character, who has many crafty tricks to try to persuade a customer to leave his shop having bought at least one thing, and will avoid spending his own money at all costs. He is also very protective of his savings, keeping some in his pocket wrapped in a fine gold chain, and some in an old, battered Oxo tin that he hides under the kitchen sink. This includes, or so he claims, coins from before 1922, when they were "solid silver".

Granville

Main article: Granville

Granville is the son of Arkwright's sister. She died a single mother when Granville was very young, leaving Arkwright to bring up the boy. Arkwright's jokes imply that his sister was promiscuous; he frequently speculates that Granville's father is Hungarian, and was forbidden to marry Granville's mother because she was English. He is often referred to as a "youth" or "young lad", even though Granville is well into his adult years. (In the Pilot episode he states that he is 25 years old.)

Granville is shy and awkward, but kind. His priorities differ from those of his uncle. He always feels that life is passing him by. Occasionally, people from Granville's past come into the shop. To Granville, who is ever saddled with his shop duties and bearing his uncle's belittling, their lives seem richer and more fulfilling.

When Granville has a fling with the milkwoman (played by Barbara Flynn), his uncle is unsupportive.

Main

Character Played by Series Episode count
1 2 3 4
Main Characters
Arkwright Ronnie Barker 26
Granville David Jason 26
Nurse Gladys Emmanuel Lynda Baron 26
Milk Woman Barbara Flynn 11
Mrs Featherstone Stephanie Cole 10
Mrs Blewett Kathy Staff 7
Mavis Maggie Ollerenshaw 7

Production

Lister Avenue in Balby, where exterior shots were set with 'Beautique', the shop used as Arkwright's, on the right.

Series development

The shop is based on a little store called L E Riddiford in Thornbury, Gloucestershire. Roy Clarke visited this small town whilst travelling and was said to have fallen in love with the shop layout and its owner, Len Riddiford.

Ronnie Barker proposed that Arkwright should have a stammer, and this was written into the character. Barker also co-created the premise of the dangerous till. In the series, the shop's antiquated till has a drawer that tends to snap shut suddenly. Even though this terrifies Granville and Arkwright, Arkwright refuses to replace the till due to the cost of a replacement, and because he believes it discourages burglars. In the documentary Open All Hours: A Celebration, Sydney Lotterby revealed that the till was controlled with a string by an assistant floor manager in the adjacent room, and that he once accidentally caught Barker's fingers while filming. By the time of Still Open All Hours, it is suggested that the till is now haunted by Arkwright's ghost as it sporadically opens and closes violently at the mere suggestion of Granville spending money.

Filming locations

Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, Arkwright and Granville

The exterior shots were shot on Lister Avenue in Balby, a suburb of Doncaster; South Yorkshire. The shop itself is a hairdresser's salon, which closed for a summer break during each year the series was being filmed by the BBC. The same location is used for the sequel series Still Open All Hours. The pilot episode (featured in the series Seven of One) used a shop front on the western intersection of Drayton Avenue and Manor Road in Ealing, London, for exterior filming.

In the first series, Nurse Gladys lives at 34 Lister Avenue. This is changed to 32 from the second series.

The local council considered demolishing the shop used in Open All Hours. A fan created a web site to garner support for preserving it. The shop was to be auctioned in Leeds on 24 November 2008, and was expected to fetch between £120,000 and £130,000; however, all bids fell short of the reserve price.

Three years earlier, a different sort of auction commemorated the programme. The BBC donated, to the British Stammering Association (BSA), two of the false moustaches worn by Ronnie Barker in the series. The BSA auctioned the moustaches at their London conference in September 2005, shortly before Barker's death.

Theme tune

Arkwright

The show's theme tune is a song called "Alice, Where Art Thou?", written by Joseph Ascher. The arrangement is borrowed from a 1926 Charles Penrose song called Laughter And Lemons, the b side of the more well-known The Laughing Policeman. It was arranged for a brass band and performed by Max Harris, who also wrote the incidental music for the programme.

Reception

Barker noted in his autobiography It's Hello from Him that he received a letter which began "We are a family of stutterers...", that made his heart sink. However, the writer went on to praise his portrayal and added that the whole family found the character hilarious.

Merchandise

Books

Two books related to the programme have been released in the UK. One was written by Graham McCann and published by BBC Books in October 2014 and the other one, a 'novelisation' based on scripts for the first series, was written by Christine Sparks and was published by BBC Books.

  • Open All Hours

This was published in February 1981 which is based on the original programme. Sparks, Christine (February 1981). Open All Hours:. BBC Books. ISBN 0563179244.

  • Still Open All Hours: The Story of a Classic Comedy

This was published on 30 October 2014. Graham McCann (30 October 2014). Still Open All Hours: The Story of a Classic Comedy . BBC Books. ISBN 978-1849908863.

VHS releases

A selection of 15 episodes of the series was released on five VHS cassettes by BBC Video on 2 April 1990, 12 June 1995, 4 March 1996, 2 June 1997, and 2 March 1998. Universal Playback, under licence by BBC Worldwide, released Series 1 and 2 as a three tape boxset on 19 August 2002 and Series 3 and 4 as a three tape set boxset on 2 June 2003.

DVD releases

All four series have been released in Regions 2 and 4, both individually and in box sets. Region 1 has released the box set but the series have not been released individually there. In Australia, the BBC with Roadshow released "Series One: Episodes 1–3 Comedy Bites" in 2010.

DVD Title Discs Year Ep. No. DVD releases Notes
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
Complete Series 1 1 1976 7 30 September 2002 1 April 2003 Includes the 1973 pilot
Complete Series 2 1 1981 7 29 September 2003 3 December 2003
Complete Series 3 1 1982 6 4 October 2004 2 March 2005
Complete Series 4 1 1985 6 31 October 2005 8 August 2006
Complete Series 1–4 4 1976–1985 26 9 June 2009 13 November 2006 1 August 2007 Includes the 1973 pilot

Planned spin-off

In 1984, at which time no new episodes of the series had been produced for two years, a spin-off was proposed based around Lynda Baron's character, Nurse Gladys Emmanuel. Given the working title Call the Nurse, this spin-off series would have followed Nurse Gladys as she visited various eccentric and demanding patients. The characters of Arkwright and Granville were not written to appear, and Roy Clarke was keen to develop a new set of supporting characters rather than rely on those already built up for Open All Hours. A thirty-minute pilot was written but did not enter production as the BBC turned down the series; instead, Open All Hours returned for its fourth and what would be its final series the following year.

See also

References

  1. Britain's Best Sitcom:Top Ten, URL accessed 2 December 2006.
  2. "Still Open All Hours commissioned for full series". BBC News. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  3. Famous TV shop faces demolition BBC News Online. Retrieved 4 April 2007.
  4. "'Open All Hours' shop to be auctioned". Digital Spy. 7 November 2008.
  5. "Open All Hours shop fails to sell". BBC. 25 November 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  6. "Alice, Where Art Thou?, by J. Ascher (1829–1869)". mutopiaproject.org.
  7. Credits at the Internet Movie Database.
  8. Open All Hours. ASIN 0563179244.
  9. Still Open All Hours: The Story of a Classic Comedy. ASIN 1849908869.

External links

Open All Hours
Roy Clarke
Situation
comedies
Other
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