Arkwright (Open All Hours) to be too small for the act. Arkwright and Gladys apparently never got married before Arkwright's death; Gladys claims he died to save the cost of the church. 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
Ronnie Barker the show continued its ratings success. Both shows placed in the top ten of the 2004 poll to determine Britain's Best Sitcom; "Porridge" finished seventh and "Open All Hours" eighth. Barker's next sitcom, "The Magnificent Evans", which was about a Welsh photographer and aired in 1984, was not successful. His final sitcom, "Clarence" in which he played Clarence Sale, a removal man with failing sight, aired in 1988. Barker wrote the show himself, again using a pseudonym, this time as "Bob Ferris". In 1987, before "Clarence" aired and after rejecting Hall's offer of the part of Falstaff in a Royal