Open All Hours its owner, Len Riddiford. This shop is referenced in numerous "Open All Hours" episodes by Arkwright. Ronnie Barker proposed that Arkwright should have a stammer, and this was written into the character. Barker also co-created the premise of the dangerous till. In the series, the shop's antiquated till has a drawer that tends to snap shut suddenly. Even though this terrifies Granville and Arkwright, Arkwright leaves it to avoid the cost of buying a replacement, and because he believes it discourages burglars. The exterior shots were recorded on Lister Avenue in Balby, a suburb of Doncaster; the shop itself was
Ronnie Barker and in 1980 they appeared in the short-lived NBC variety show "The Big Show"; the two were glad the show did not last as they objected to the use of canned laughter by the American networks. Following the success of "The Two Ronnies", the BBC let Barker decide what he wanted to do. "The Two Ronnies" took up one third of a year to produce, allowing time for Barker and Corbett to do a solo project each. Barker opted to produce some sitcom pilots shown as part of 1973's "Seven of One". Two of these pilots, "Open All Hours" (written