Open All Hours - Complete Series 1-4 Box Set

Ronnie Barker was at the height of his powers when he took on the role of Arkwright in Open All Hours. Plenty has been said about the high watermark of British comedy which this series represents so, if gentle, knowing, and mildly suggestive banter is your thing, then this will suit you well. The scripts are wonderful, written almost as a stage play, and are character-driven like nothing is these days. The set includes the pilot episode. It is well worth watching this first, as it fills in Granville's back-story, which is mostly absent from the four series. It also features an Irish nurse Gladys, a character that is the very opposite of the grasping materialist Arkwright. The lofty stuffiness made her come across as remote and unattainable in my view. Presumably the production team thought so too, as her character was switched to that of a local lass, retaining the conservatism but losing the religious sensibilities. Lynda Baron's nurse is friendly, witty, and even motherly at times. Many of the opposites thus pass to Granville's character. The stories are domestic and often ostensibly trivial, but familiar too. This is, I suppose, what makes it such comfortably engaging material. The stories generally have three themes: Arkwright's ill-starred bids to win Gladys's affection; Arkwright's money-making schemes; and Granville's failing lovelife. These themes often interplay, giving each half-hour episode several plot threads. Always they end with Arkwright's thoughts as he shuts the shop at night. The only thing missing from the set is the 1982 special at the end of series 3, called "The Funny Side Of Christmas", which I don't think was ever available on any Open All Hours DVD. It is tightly scripted, never missing an opportunity to squeeze in a quip or exchange of looks. There is generally a veneer of seaside postcard naughtiness about it, but scarcely a foul word anywhere. There are so many hundreds of one-liners and story twists, that it stands replaying very well. The set is presented on four DVDs, each in a proper plastic box (not the nasty slimline or cardboard ones). The pilot episode is on the series 1 DVD. The DVD menus are in ghastly shades of orange and brown, and look like they were designed in five minutes. A little more attention to package design would have helped. It's great value for money.

Good dvd.funny

Great 👍

Good

Open all hours is classic corner-shop comedy series. Ronnie Barker is excellent very funny and his downtrodden nephew Granville. The series is well written lots of laughs and funny characters. Still funny today takes you back when you remember the corner shop. The dvd is value for money pleased with the purchase.

Two of the greatest comedy actors there has ever been

How can anyone not like Ronnie Barker and David Jason? They are absolutely perfect together. Modern comedy writers forget that in order for comedy to be funny, the characters need to be both likeable and believable. And this is why, 40 years on, this sit-com still makes me cry with laughter, and I'm a 30-something! The writing is class, the comedy timing is class. It is just pure class, and a lesson in how to do comedy. You can shove 'Mrs Brown's Boys', and 'Citizen Kahn' where the sun doesn't shine. It's a sad indictment of the BBC that I have to watch comedy from 40 years ago - from a time when they actually knew how to do comedy - instead of the lowest-common-denominator, widest-possible-appeal, politically correct garbage they spew out today. No I'm not an old fart; I just know what solid comedy and excellent writing sound like. And this is why 40 years hence people will still remember Ronnie Barker's legacy, and utterly forget the comedy drivel which has now superseded him.

With the comic genius of Ronnie Barker; a young(ish) David Jason; the much under-rated Linda Barron; Stephanie Cole and a host of other talented actors in minor roles; and the brilliant writing of Roy Clarke, this is close to the perfect sitcom. Set in a Doncaster corner shop in the late 70s/early 80s which is run by a stuttering tight-fisted grumpy old man, who is frustrated by his lack of progress with the love of his life (the district nurse who lives across the street), and assisted by his naive nephew, the fact that some episodes now appear dated only adds to the immense charm of this superb show. Every episode across all four series is 30 minutes of pure viewing delight. And at the ridiculously low price of £12 (at the time of writing this review) for all four discs, not even the miserly Arkwright could complain about value for money here.