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Open All Hours

TV·1976–1985·4 seasons, 25 episodes·BBC One·Comedy·30m·7.9·Created by Roy Clarke

Streaming on (US) Britbox Apple TV Channel See all

Open All Hours is a British television sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke, starring Ronnie Barker as penny-pinching corner-shopkeeper Albert Arkwright, and David Jason as his nephew and assistant Granville. The programme originated as a 1973 episode of Barker’s comedy anthology Seven of One, and later ran for 26 episodes; the first series broadcast on BBC2, the remaining three series broadcast on BBC1.

Highest-rated episodes all ranked

  1. 01Open All Hours S01E01Full of Mysterious PromiseS01E01 · 10.0Stuttering shopkeeper Albert Arkwright, assisted by his much put-upon nephew Granville, runs the corner shop in a Doncaster suburb, boasting that it's open all hours. When not pursuing Gladys Emmanuel, the district nurse who lives opposite the shop, Arkwright is ever on the lookout to save money, such as buying a load of fire-damaged tinned food. Unfortunately, the damage means that all the labels have come off so nobody knows exactly what they're meant to be buying.
  2. 02Open All Hours S01E02A Mattress on WheelsS01E02 · 10.0Fed up with having to do deliveries in all weathers on his bike, Granville suggests Arkwright invest in a van. Needless to say, his uncle balks at the expense until Granville points out that it could be a mattress on wheels, a means of impressing Nurse Gladys. Arkwright buys a secondhand one and Granville wishes he hadn't when he takes it out on the road.
  3. 03Open All Hours S01E03A Nice Cosy Little DiseaseS01E03 · 10.0Arkwright feels that Nurse Gladys has been neglecting him and, in order to get her undivided attention, he must come down with a 'disease', nothing too serious, just something that'll have her lavishing attention on him. She sees through the ruse and is ready to beat him at his own game.

Cast

Episodes by season

Season01Best seasonEpisode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode6Episodes1976Aired 10.0Season avg
  1. S01E01Open All Hours S01E01Season's bestFull of Mysterious PromiseFebruary 20, 1976 10.0Stuttering shopkeeper Albert Arkwright, assisted by his much put-upon nephew Granville, runs the corner shop in a Doncaster suburb, boasting
  2. S01E02Open All Hours S01E02A Mattress on WheelsFebruary 27, 1976 10.0Fed up with having to do deliveries in all weathers on his bike, Granville suggests Arkwright invest in a van. Needless to say, his uncle ba
  3. S01E03Open All Hours S01E03A Nice Cosy Little DiseaseMarch 5, 1976 10.0Arkwright feels that Nurse Gladys has been neglecting him and, in order to get her undivided attention, he must come down with a 'disease',
  4. S01E04Open All Hours S01E04Beware of the DogMarch 12, 1976 10.0When a crime wave hits the area, Arkwright decides to scare off any potential burglars by putting up a notice that says BEWARE OF THE DOG bu
  5. S01E05Open All Hours S01E05Well Catered FuneralMarch 19, 1976 10.0Arkwright goes with Nurse Gladys to the funeral of his friend Parslow. He's not keen to leave Granville in charge but it affords the opportu
  6. S01E06Open All Hours S01E06Apples and Self ServiceMarch 26, 1976 10.0Arkwright has bought too many apples and desperately tries in vain to persuade each successive customer to buy some. After raising eyebrows

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

Season02Episode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode7Episodes1981Aired 10.0Season avg
  1. S02E01Open All Hours S02E01Season's bestLaundry BluesMarch 1, 1981 10.0Nurse Gladys feels sorry for Granville, struggling to do the laundry by hand, and suggests to Arkwright that he buy a washing machine. Arkwr
  2. S02E02Open All Hours S02E02The Reluctant TravellerMarch 8, 1981 10.0Arkwright decides to take Nurse Gladys to a hotel, leaving Granville in a position to make his play for the milk round lady. However, Arkwri
  3. S02E03Open All Hours S02E03Fig Biscuits and Inspirational Toilet RollsMarch 18, 1981 10.0Whilst Granville moans about the shop opening at dawn, Arkwright bewails his inability to sell a load of fig biscuits and toilet rolls impri
  4. S02E04Open All Hours S02E04The New SuitMarch 22, 1981 10.0Nurse Gladys has forced Arkwright to buy a new suit because she's tired of being seen around with him in a shabby suit.
  5. S02E05Open All Hours S02E05Arkwright's Mobile StoreMarch 29, 1981 10.0In an effort to convince Nurse Gladys that he's a man of enterprise, Arkwright decides to invest in a mobile shop, to be driven around by Gr
  6. S02E06Open All Hours S02E06Shedding at the WeddingApril 5, 1981 10.0To the envy of Granville who has never attended one, Arkwright is taking Nurse Gladys to a wedding and has taken his old suit out of mothbal
  7. S02E07Open All Hours S02E07St Albert's DayApril 19, 1981 10.0Arkwright has always told Granville his father was a Hungarian but then a real Hungarian comes into the shop. Could it be him? Arkwright is

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

Season03Episode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode6Episodes1982Aired 10.0Season avg
  1. S03E01Open All Hours S03E01Season's bestAn Errand Boy by the EarMarch 21, 1982 10.0There are protests when Arkwright is caught dragging Granville around by his ear. Whilst Arkwright reasons that this is what errand boys are
  2. S03E02Open All Hours S03E02The Ginger MenMarch 28, 1982 10.0When Arkwright finds himself with a surplus of Jamaican Ginger cakes, he tries various marketing ploys to sell them off, but hits the jackpo
  3. S03E03Open All Hours S03E03Duet for Solo BicycleApril 4, 1982 10.0When a posh man arrives for directions, Arkwright is concerned that Nurse Gladys is seeing another whilst Granville's love life is also suff
  4. S03E04Open All Hours S03E04How to Ignite Your Errand BoyApril 11, 1982 10.0Arkwright considers yet another money-making scheme. Everybody seems to want fire-lighters in the winter so he can save cash by making his o
  5. S03E05Open All Hours S03E05The Man from Down UnderApril 18, 1982 10.0Arkwright learns that a former beau of Nurse Gladys' is returning from Australia, where he emigrated a couple decades ago to make his fortun
  6. S03E06Open All Hours S03E06The Cool Cocoa Tin LidApril 25, 1982 10.0Fed up with tank-tops and shop pinnies, Granville decides to court a cool image. He gets a pair of shades and a nice fashionable shirt, but

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

Season04Episode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode6Episodes1985Aired 10.0Season avg
  1. S04E01Open All Hours S04E01Season's bestSoulmate WantedSeptember 1, 1985 10.0Granville decides it's high time he did something about his single status and places an advert in the lonely hearts column. He actually gets
  2. S04E02Open All Hours S04E02Horse-TradingSeptember 8, 1985 10.0Arkwright has a rival: corner shop owner Mr Gupta, so he sends Granville undercover – in a sari – to check him out. Arkwright believes he ca
  3. S04E03Open All Hours S04E03The Housekeeper CaperSeptember 15, 1985 10.0Arkwright believes that he can make Nurse Gladys jealous if he has a live-in housekeeper. This only succeeds in attracting the attention of
  4. S04E04Open All Hours S04E04The Errand Boy ExecutiveSeptember 22, 1985 10.0Anxious to impress boutique girl Stephanie ('with a P-H!'), Granville passes himself off as a young executive, claiming that Arkwright is hi
  5. S04E05Open All Hours S04E05Happy Birthday, ArkwrightSeptember 29, 1985 10.0Nurse Gladys and Granville play a trick on Arkwright, persuading the shopkeeper that a man representing the Good Shopkeepers' Guide is in th
  6. S04E06Open All Hours S04E06The Mystical Boudoir of Nurse Gladys EmmanuelOctober 6, 1985 10.0Ever persistent to worm his way into Nurse Gladys' bedroom as well as her affections, Arkwright finds that flattery and chocolates are no us

Season 4 ranked & reviewed

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