Still Open All Hours most watched programme for that week. It received generally poor reviews from critics. Will Dean of "The Independent", referencing Arkwright's trademark stutter, called it "a w-w-worthy effort" but criticised the attempt to revive the show without the late Ronnie Barker. Ben Lawrence of "The Telegraph" said it "felt like a relic of another era" criticising the jokes and Jason's performance. Jacob Mason, writing on the Radio Times website, described the show as "warmly nostalgic", whilst others noted it as "a fitting tribute to Ronnie Barker". On 21 November 2014, the BBC confirmed that "Still Open All Hours" would return for
Ronnie Barker aired posthumously in December. Barker became a comic actor in his theatre days, noting "I think it's better to make people laugh than cry." He has been described by "The Times" as "not a comedian, [but] an actor with a talent for comedy," who "slipped into characters with apparent ease." Barker felt he was funny only in character. The BBC wrote of him: "Able to deliver the great tongue-twisting speeches required of his characters, Barker pronounced himself 'completely boring' without a script." Peter Hall spoke of Barker's skills as a dramatic actor, calling him "the great actor we lost" and