Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: David Jason, James Baxter, Lynda Baron, Stephanie Cole, Maggie Ollerenshaw, Brigit Forsyth, Kulvinder Ghir, Tim Healy, Johnny Vegas, Nina Wadia, Sally Lindsay, Emily Fleeshman, Misha Timmins, Geoffrey Whitehead, Gareth Hale, Duggie Brown, Des Yankson, Jo Martin, Jemma Churchill.
There is always room for the gentle comedy, it is a peculiar but loving trait that suits the British viewer well and seems to never cross borders or international timelines unless packaged just right and then it becomes an export boom, and yet for whatever reason and thankfully it has to be said, the programme never gets replicated. For there really can only be one Granville at the helm of only one Arkwright’s and there is only one place in which Still Open All Hours can be so loved.
It is no surprise that the B.B.C. commissioned a second series of Roy Clarke’s tender but surprisingly uplifting comedy, it perhaps fills a hole in the schedules that leads into the Sunday night with charm and memory of television programmes that could unite a family, however Still Open All Hours is much more than just a dip into a world of a well placed gag that grandma and grandson can share, a world edging towards the naughty but fun, it is a glimpse of Northern life without getting either sentimental or patronising, it is a rock into which life can easily hold onto with pride and honour.
Whilst it certainly has a lot to do with Roy Clarke’s unique eye for the situation, the programme continues to be enjoyed because of its main protagonist David Jason and those around him who make this particular comedy sit up in the same way that programmes such as Porridge and Only Fools and Horses were viewed upon, great and memorable characters drawn from true life and without having to elongate them beyond their natural limits.
The further romantic and money making schemes of Granville wouldn’t be as entertaining without the likes of the great Lynda Baron, Stephanie Cole, Maggie Ollernshaw, Kulvinder Ghir, Johnny Vegas and Sally Lindsay all playing their magical parts with truth and integrity. With Geoffrey Whitehead and Gareth Hale also joining in the antics of the Rotherham purple set, the second series gathered pace and moved onwards once more from the 1970s and 80s life into which Ronnie Barker in the original series had given so much pleasure.
A programme which might get knocked by the some in the modern sense but to whom for those not wishing to be overpowered by the hard sell, Still Open All Hours is a comedy of genius.
Ian D. Hall