Arkwright (Open All Hours) 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 Granville never misses an opportunity to mock. Arkwright is a pragmatic, miserly man with old-fashioned values, whose world seems to stop at his shop door, except for his
Arkwright (Open All Hours) run, but considering the age of David Jason, its easy to assume that Granville may actually be in his 30s-40s during the 1970s-1980s run. Gladys is a midwife, to whom Arkwright is informally engaged. Their engagement doesn't seem to be serious, however they do seem to be fond of each other. (Their engagement is not mentioned until the end of series one, so for the first few episodes, Arkwright can appear to be a "sex pest" to Gladys, to some viewers). Most of the characters who use the shop are old-fashioned, domesticated characters, and while Gladys is very straight forward