Arkwright (Open All Hours) never sides with either the left or right wing, instead implying they are all useless. Arkwright does however seem fervently opposed to nationalisation, once commenting "My top lip went all stiff and dead, as if it had been nationalised." His political comments usually show no allegiances, instead making remarks like "When Wales get home rule, do you think they'll nationalise Clive Jenkins?" Arkwright maintains an openly polite demeanour around customers, but will often insult those who offend him in a veiled or open manner. Arkwright appears to believe in God, although he is certainly not portrayed as a religious man.
Ronnie Barker opened and ran an antiques shop called The Emporium in Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire and resisted all calls to come out of retirement from then onwards. He joked: "I lose money every week, but it's a hobby. It's cheaper than skiing and safer at my age." Because of its unprofitability, the shop was sold after ten years. He wrote his autobiography, "Dancing in the Moonlight: My Early Years on Stage" in 1993 and released "All I Ever Wrote", his complete scripts, in 1999. He wrote the play "Mum" for his daughter Charlotte Barker in 1998, which was performed at The