In March 1973, a small grocer’s shop in Balby, a suburb of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, opened its doors. 40 years later, in Still Open All Hours, Arkwright’s is owned by Granville Arkwright (David Jason), the nephew of the now deceased Albert Arkwright (Ronnie Barker), the shops stammering, miserly original owner. To celebrate the 40th, […]
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From a drama standpoint, have you ever wondered as you were watching the likes of MI-5, Doc Martin, Scott & Bailey, New Tricks, Case Histories, Call the Midwife, Father Brown or Eastenders how where the show is set will dictate the accents used in the show? How about from a comedy standpoint with Last of […]
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After headlining the BBC One schedule on Boxing Day and with hopes of a full-blown series possibility this coming Spring, Still Open All Hours may soon have a bit of friendly competition when it comes to the return of classic comedy nostalgia to television. In the original Open All Hours, Ronnie Barker starred as the […]
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As UK viewers will soon find out, Sir David Jason is set to return to the small screen and revive his character Granville in the revival of the classic sitcom Open All Hours. The one-off special, Still Open All Hours, is set to air this Christmas on BBC One. Jason originally starred with the late […]
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Christmas has, once again, arrived in October. Arkwright’s Grocery may have closed in 1985, but, word is, it will re-open this Christmas. Titled Still Open All Hours
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‘Doing porridge’ is British slang for serving a prison sentence, partly due to the fact that porridge was once the traditional breakfast in UK prisons. Voted number seven in the 2004 BBC poll of the 100 greatest British sitcoms, this mid-70’s series, Porridge, starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale, tells the story of one, Norman […]
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Since the beginning of time, well, at least since 1946 when Pinwright’s Progress premiered on the BBC, the British sitcom has always saluted the labor force. After Pinwright’s Progress, the evolution of how the situation comedy dealt with the workforce really took off. Up next in the mid-50’s was Hancock’s Half Hour where Tony Hancock seemed […]
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Over the course of our Behind the Britcom interviews with Richard Briers and Penelope Keith from The Good Life (Good Neighbors in the U.S.), it was quite clear not only from the actors point of view, but also from the writer, Bob Larbey, that Tom and Barbara Good’s concept of self-sufficiency is more relevant today […]
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As we reported here earlier this summer, the world’s longest running situation comedy on television, Last of the Summer Wine, is coming to a close in the UK this coming Sunday, 1 August. Transmission is scheduled to begin on many U.S. public television stations as early as November 2010. How does one begin to bring to […]
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Combining their unique ability to create “best-of” lists for just about anything with their definite love for the small screen, the British have done it again. This time, it’s Britain’s favorite television shopkeeper. According to a recent poll conducted by consumer watchdog, Which, and reported on in WalesOnline, Ronnie Barker’s portrayal of Arkwright in Open […]
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