Ronnie Barker same year, determined not to be remembered only as Fletcher, Barker opted to end "Porridge" after three series and instead focused on the second pilot "Open All Hours", alongside David Jason. Barker starred as Arkwright, a money-grabbing, stuttering shopkeeper. Arkwright's stutter was not in the script; Barker was inspired to use it by Melvyn's performance and use of a stutter in a 1955 play the two performed at the Palace Theatre called "Hot Water". "Open All Hours" aired one series in 1976 on BBC Two but was not renewed due to low ratings. As a result, Barker backtracked on his
Frances Barker & Son (1819–1875), the founder, was a practicing Christian and Freemason who formerly worked for James & George Simms, first as a child apprentice and then as a skilled precision mechanic and engraver. He later acquired J & G Simms, which traded between about 1822 and 1855 and build a reputation for finely engraved instrument dials and reticles. Barker used his considerable reputation as a skilled craftsman and those early social networks to establish his business. Frances Barker (1845–1920), the son of the founder of the same name, was one of eleven children. He married Elizabeth Weeks, whose father was a maker