PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
In the age of the supermarket, Arkwright’s Emporium is a truly unique shopping experience. . .
Arkwright, the brown-coated, stuttering, Northern shop-keeper is forced to open his corner-shop for as long as the law will permit. But, he still finds time for his passions - parting unsuspecting customers from their hard earned cash, keeping his daydreaming nephew Granville in line , and of course his tireless pursuit of nurse Gladys Emmanuel. In Roy Clarke’s successor to the award-winning comedy Last Of the Summer Wine, Ronnie Barker plays Arkwright, the penny pinching proprietor, and David Jason is Granville, his much put upon assistant.

Open All Hours takes an absurd, affectionate and hilarious look at the ‘cut and thrust’ of life in the traditional British corner-shop. Arkwright has not yet emerged from the dark ages of commerce. He is rude and mercenary in equal measure, buying food from his shop is a kind of gastronomic lottery and dietician’s nightmare. He is obsessed by his twin business objectives; grooming the hapless Granville for business success, and exploiting an infinitely gullible public. He constantly fights a losing battle to transform his lackadaisical nephew Granville into a worthy heir to his commercial empire. This involves thwarting Granville’s amorous prospects and daydreams of wild adventure by ensuring that he is never allowed to wander much beyond the boundaries of his delivery round. This leaves Arkwright with just enough time to conjure up his ever more ludicrous schemes for enticing unwar y passers-by into his shop. Of course, once inside Arkwright’s Emporium it’s impossible to leave empty handed. In those few hours that Arkwright can bear to close the shop, his lecherous attentions turn to neighbour, customer and objet d’amour, the voluptuous nurse Gladys Emmanuel. Despite his persistence and some hilariously cunning ruses, Nurse Gladys manages, quite expertly, to keep her shopkeeper fiancee from getting his hands on her comestibles . . . most of the time that is!

CAST
Ronnie Barker (as Arkwright)
David Jason (as Granville)
Lynda Baron (as Nurse Gladys)

PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Written by Roy Clarke (Last Of The Summer Wine, Keeping up Appearances)
Produced and Dircted by Sydney Lotterby

DURATION
25 x 30'