Arkwright (Open All Hours) Arkwright (Open All Hours) Albert E. Arkwright, usually referred to simply as Arkwright, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the British sitcom, "Open All Hours", played by Ronnie Barker. Arkwright is the uncle of Granville and the proprietor of an old fashioned Yorkshire corner shop, which in the era of the programme (1970s and 1980s) was a product of a bygone age. Arkwright's signature characteristic is his stutter, which Granville never misses an opportunity to mock. Arkwright is a pragmatic, miserly man with old-fashioned values, whose world seems to stop at his shop door, except for his
Ronnie Barker earlier decision and produced a third series of "Porridge", as well as a film adaptation. It was followed by the spin-off sitcom "Going Straight" which focused on Fletcher after his release from prison. While not as popular as "Porridge", Barker again won the BAFTA for Best Light Entertainment Performance. Plans to further the show were ended when Barker's co-star Richard Beckinsale died of a heart attack in 1979 aged 31. With repeats of "Open All Hours" earning high ratings on BBC One, the BBC commissioned a further series of the show in 1981, with another two made as well as