Customer Reviews

Open All Hours (Vols. 1-3) [VHS]

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4 star:		(1)
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Anyone who has ever watched Keeping Up Appearances or The Last of the Summer Wine will be familiar with the comedy of Roy Clarke, and anyone who has enjoyed either of these two comedies will most certainly enjoy Open All Hours.

The boxed set contains three videos with three 30-minute episodes each for a total of nine episodes, which include "Laundry Blues," "Shedding at the Wedding," and "The Ginger Men." The television series, which originally ran to 25 episodes, was written for and stars Ronnie Barker (Porridge, The Two Ronnies) as the miserly, stuttering Arkwright, owner of a corner store. The series also stars David Jason (A Touch of Frost, The Darling Buds of May, Only Fools and Horses) as Granville, Arkwright's half-Hungarian ("the bottom half") nephew and shop assistant. Stephanie Cole (Waiting for God's Diana Trent) and Kathy Staff (Summer Wine's Nora Batty) make guest appearances as customers in a few episodes.

Those who have enjoyed the antics of avaricious Antie Wainwright, owner of the second-hand shop on Summer Wine, will surely enjoy the character of Arkwright. The ploys he comes up with to attract passers-by into his shop, not to mention his methods for moving immovable merchandise, are very original and very funny indeed. As for Arkwright's stutter, there are times when it is simply hilarious.

There is more to the show than merely the running of the shop, as Arkwright is afianced to the "Nurse Gladys Emmanuel," who seems to occupy almost as much of his thoughts as turning a profit, while Granville would do nearly anything just to have a love life period. Typical of Roy Clarke, however, this is first and foremost character comedy. It's what Clarke does best and it's all the better for being so consumately acted. Although Arkwright is a very different character from Hyacinth Bucket, Open All Hours is, in my opinion, every bit as funny as Keeping Up Appearances.

In short, this is a thoroughly enjoyable comedy. Recommended to anyone who enjoys British comedy in general, and especially to those who enjoy either Keeping Up Appearances or Summer Wine. It's definitely one to watch over and over again!

Arkwright (played by Ronnie Barker!) runs his Yorkshire general store with a tight-fist; if there's a way he can squeeze more profits out of his customer, or lower overhead, he'll do it! While his nephew Granville (David Jason) looks for love in all the wrong places, Arkwright seeks to finally force Nurse Gladys Emanuel (Lynda Baron) to the altar. It's a funny free-for-all, with Arkwright seeing to it that nobody gets anything for free!

Written by Roy Clarke, the author of the fabulous show Keeping Up Appearances, this show is extremely funny! The characters are very interesting and work very well together as an ensemble. I highly recommend this show!

This tape collection includes three tapes, each of which contains three half-hour episodes. The following episodes are included (in this order):

Laundry Blues - Series 2, episode 1 (March 1, 1981) - When Nurse Gladys tells Arkwright that she will not marry into a house that does not have a modern washer and dryer, he must find a way to get them, but have you seen the prices?

The Reluctant Traveller - Series 2, episode 2 (March 8, 1981) - When Granville finally succeeds in getting a date, he needs Arkwright out of the house. Nurse Gladys is just the one to get Arkwright moving, but can Arkwright trust Granville to run the shop with a tight enough fist?

The Well Catered Funeral - Series 1, episode 5 (March 19 1976) - When an old friend and customer dies, Arkwright sees one last chance to make a profit from him.

Shedding At The Wedding - Series 2, episode 6 (April 5, 1981) - Arkwright and Nurse Gladys are off to a wedding, but Arkwright's love of mothballs (no moth is getting a free lunch off of Arkwright's suit!) leads to a hilarious situation.

Duet For Solo Bicycle - Series 3, episode 3 (April 4, 1982) - With the old delivery-bike on its last legs, Granville starts agitating for a new transport, but Arkwright knows that he can fix it himself for must less money.

How To Ignite Your Errand Boy - Series 3, episode 4 (April 11, 1982) - When Arkwright decides that you make the most profit off of products you make yourself, he latches onto the idea of making fire lighters. There's a problem, they may be somewhat dangerous to make...oh well, what else does Granville have to do?

The Ginger Men - Series 3, episode 2 (March 28, 1982) - Arkwright has some ginger-cakes that he can't sell, and if there's one thing Arkwright hates, it's stock that isn't making him money. Finally, he has an idea, if he can just convince some of the men that ginger-cakes act as an aphrodisiac...

Horse-Trading - Series 4, episode 2 (September 8, 1985) - An Indian store owner is looking to bring more native Yorkshire residents in as clientele, and drops over to Arkwright's to see how to do it. Arkwright sees a pigeon land on his doorstep, but unloading old stock on him might just backfire!

The Cool Cocoa Tin Lid - Series 3, episode 6 (April 25, 1982) - When Granville begins dressing cool and hip, complete with a large medallion (actually a cocoa tin lid!), Arkwright begins to look into modern advertising. What he needs is a good-looking woman to model for him, one that's beautiful and cheap, but when she and Granville get together...look out!

Open All hours is quite literally one of the funniest television shows ever! Being British and from the north i can tell you that it doesn't get better than this. Stuttering Arkwright who is superbly played by Ronnie Barker in arguably his greatest ever role is the shop keeper from hell! his love for nurse gladys and his even greater love for money which comes at no cost! Accompanied by Granville played by David Jason his errand boy nephew desperate to find a love of his own but always being the fall guy and the butt of the jokes. Arguablly the best part of Arkwright's shop is the 'evil' till! Overall Open All Hours is British comedy at its b-b-b-b-est

I happened upon this gem many years ago via WCML/WCMU Public TV in Northern Michigan. At first I didn't know what to make of it. But, for lack of TV channels, four in all, the hard choice was made. It only took one complete show to get hooked.

Watching it was in a way "a dream". I have always been interested in Britain and their comedies, like Python.

Open All Hours had what I called "the missing", the feeling of thinking "that's where I want to be". Sure it seems dramatic but if you take it for what it is worth, it is one of those shows you can't forget. Ronnie Barker is fabulous as Arkwright. His sidekick and nephew Granville played expertly by David Jason is a sort of like a modern day (older) boy from American Pie but with good clean humor. Always dreaming and scheming to find a girl.

All in all, this is one of the better, funnier series from Britain, and there are many of those. For people who don't "get" British comedy, just wipe everything out of your mind and watch. When done, you won't stop laughing. Highly Recommended!

Okay so I am biased I grew up with this comedy (and in the same town it was made) so I already knew that I was going to love this collection!

It was nice to see some episodes that I had never seen (because I had missed them) and it showed me that even though this is over 20 years old now it still has to be one of the funniest comedies that the BBC have ever produced.

Ronnie Barker and David Jason work together so well on screen that it's sometimes hard to remember that this is fiction. They are the best together and I know that if you buy this video (and can understand the accent!) then you will be laughing hard for a long time!

As an American, this charmingly funny series was the catalyst for my love of all things BBC. Shouldn't we be given this gem on DVD!!!!????

Do all you can to catch this classic!

This is brilliantly observed comedy that really captures the mood of the time.

Living as I do, very close to the area where this comedy was filmed (a converted hair salon in Yorkshire) I grew up with Open All Hours, and it is as funny to me now as it ever was, very few comedies have left me helpless with laughter as often. But what else can you expect from the combination of Roy Clarke, David Jason and Ronnie Barker, two great character actors and one of our best comedy writers (the Northern England accents are almost spot on too :)?

I would recommend this series to anyone with an interest or a love of British comedy.

(Excuse any "English" spelling :)

my wife and I saw this for the first time at my mothers place one night and we have been hooked on watching this. when it came on tv here in minnesota usa.we just found the videos and we are trying to find all the shows.here is a big double 5 on this.

This collection contains 3 VHS tapes with 3 episodes per tape. The series is based on an older shop keeper named Arkwright, his 30-something nephew Granville (who lives with him and works in the store), and the nurse across the street. Each episode covers a single day from early morning when the shop opens until night when the shop closes.

Arkwright is obsessed with money and his shop so much so that he won't leave the place very often. When he does leave, he doesn't want to get out of eyesight of the place. Granville is always lamenting the fact that he doesn't have someone special in his life. An nurse Gladis is always putting up with Arkwright's ways.

The show is funny but does suffer from telling the same jokes over and over (just in different ways). But if you are a fan of British comedies, you'll enjoy this.