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
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