Ronnie Barker same year, determined not to be remembered only as Fletcher, Barker opted to end "Porridge" after three series and instead focused on the second pilot "Open All Hours", alongside David Jason. Barker starred as Arkwright, a money-grabbing, stuttering shopkeeper. Arkwright's stutter was not in the script; Barker was inspired to use it by Melvyn's performance and use of a stutter in a 1955 play the two performed at the Palace Theatre called "Hot Water". "Open All Hours" aired one series in 1976 on BBC Two but was not renewed due to low ratings. As a result, Barker backtracked on his
Ronnie Barker different character. After two series of "The Frost Report" on the BBC, totaling 26 half-hour episodes, Frost moved to ITV after helping to set up London Weekend Television. There, Frost hosted "Frost on Sunday", with Barker and Corbett following and again performing sketches on the program. Barker began writing sketches for the programme under the pseudonym Gerald Wiley. Barker and Corbett had a greater role on the show than on "The Frost Report" and Corbett felt "more aware of what [they] were doing." Barker began using the pseudonym Gerald Wiley when writing sketches because he wished the pieces to be