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
Arkwright (Open All Hours) and Arkwright is somewhat eccentric, she does seem to find company in him, as he is probably more enlightened than most in the area. Gladys always says she won't marry Arkwright until her mother (who is in her eighties) dies, a day that Arkwright seems to look forward to. However, Gladys has also claimed on several occasions that she refrains from marrying him because of his excessively tight-fisted ways or his overworking of Granville. Emmanuel is Arkwright's sexual conquest; although he never manages it in the series, he does come close in the back of a mini van that proves