Albert Arkwright owns and runs the corner store. His nephew, Granville, is his assistant. They have an eclectic group of customers and are privy to all the gossip in the neighbourhood. Albert isn't above doing some dodgy deals or taking advantage of his customers, leading to some interesting situations.
I enjoyed Porridge, Ronnie Barker's previous comedy series, immensely so was keen to watch this. The fact that it pairs him with David Jason, of Only Fools and Horses and A Touch of Frost fame, made this series even more enticing. In addition, Jason appeared in a few episodes of Porridge with Barker and they seemed to have a good rapport, so surely this is a slam dunk?
Well, no. Maybe it's just that it hasn't aged well, but Open All Hours is quite weak. The comedy, what there is, seems to rely on low-brow laddish jokes. Porridge was quite clever and sophisticated in its humour: this is nothing like that. The fact that a running gag and the prime source of comedy is Albert's stutter demonstrates this. That's hardly worth a one-off joke, let alone a running gag.
Very disappointing.
I enjoyed Porridge, Ronnie Barker's previous comedy series, immensely so was keen to watch this. The fact that it pairs him with David Jason, of Only Fools and Horses and A Touch of Frost fame, made this series even more enticing. In addition, Jason appeared in a few episodes of Porridge with Barker and they seemed to have a good rapport, so surely this is a slam dunk?
Well, no. Maybe it's just that it hasn't aged well, but Open All Hours is quite weak. The comedy, what there is, seems to rely on low-brow laddish jokes. Porridge was quite clever and sophisticated in its humour: this is nothing like that. The fact that a running gag and the prime source of comedy is Albert's stutter demonstrates this. That's hardly worth a one-off joke, let alone a running gag.
Very disappointing.