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Arkwright (Open All Hours)
Encyclopedia
Albert E. Arkwright, usually referred to simply as Arkwright or occasionally as 'Uncle' by his nephew, Granville
is a fictional character in the British sitcom, Open All Hours
played by Ronnie Barker
. Arkwright is 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 is well known for his stammer
, which Granville never misses an opportunity to mock.
, miser
ly man with old fashioned values. His world seems to stop at his shop door, except for his uncontrollable lust for Nurse Gladys Emmanuel (Lynda Baron
), which may prompt him on occasion to wander across the road, usually with a ladder, to gain access to her bedroom window. Arkwright is a devious, and mildly dishonest character, who has many crafty tricks to try and persuade a customer to leave his store having bought at least one thing, and will avoid spending his own money at all cost. He is also very conservative about his savings, keeping some in his pocket wrapped in a fine gold chain, and some in an old, battered Oxo
tin that he hides under the kitchen sink. This includes, or so he claims, coins from before 1922, when they were 'solid silver'. He loves money so much that the last time he spent a whole night away from the shop was in 1957, when he went to have his appendix
out. The till itself is old fashioned, and possesses a tight spring-clip that regularly puts Granville and his fingers in danger. Arkwright refuses to replace it because of the price of a replacement, and because it prevents people from taking his precious money. Although an avid political commentator, he has few political convictions and never sides with either the left or right wing, instead implying they are all useless. Arkwright does however seem fervently opposed to nationalisation, once commenting "My top lip went all stiff and dead, as if it had been nationalised." His political comments usually show no allegiances, instead making remarks like When Wales
get home rule, do you think they'll nationalise Clive Jenkins
?
Arkwright appears to be a believer in a supreme being
, although he is certainly not portrayed to be a religious man. Most episodes end with him on the pavement outside the shop, contemplating the day with God. His thoughts often start with an expression like Soon they'll only be me and thee that aren't either nationalised or a limited company.
Arkwright, like most characters in the series, is a rational, practical man, who shows no signs of any sentimentality, unlike Granville, who seems to dream away most of his days.
Nurse Gladys Emmanuel is Arkwright's sexual conquest, although he never manages it in the series, he does come close, with the two of them attempting to make love in the back of a Mini
van, but with the van being too small for them, they give up.
Granville (Open All Hours)
Granville is a fictional character played by David Jason in the British sitcom Open All Hours. Granville is an errand boy to his uncle and employer, Arkwright, who is the proprietor of an old-fashioned Yorkshire corner shop....
is a fictional character in the British sitcom, Open All Hours
Open All Hours
Open All Hours is a BBC sitcom written by Roy Clarke which ran for four series a first run in 1976, a second run in 1981, third in 1982 and finally with a fourth run in 1985, with a pilot episode from the Seven of One series in 1973...
played by Ronnie Barker
Ronnie Barker
Ronald William George "Ronnie" Barker, OBE was a British actor, comedian, writer, critic, broadcaster and businessman...
. Arkwright is the proprietor of an old fashioned Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
corner shop, which in the era of the programme (1970s and 1980s) was a product of a bygone age. Arkwright is well known for his stammer
Stammer
A stammer, or stammering, is a speech disorder typified by the involuntary repetition of a sound or sounds.Stammer, Stammers and Stammmering may also refer to:* Notker of St Gall "Notker the Stammerer" * Steven Stamkos A stammer, or stammering, is a speech disorder typified by the involuntary ...
, which Granville never misses an opportunity to mock.
Character
Arkwright is a pragmaticPragmatism
Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition centered on the linking of practice and theory. It describes a process where theory is extracted from practice, and applied back to practice to form what is called intelligent practice...
, miser
Miser
A miser, cheapskate, snipe-snout, penny pincher, piker, scrooge, skinflint or tightwad is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities...
ly man with old fashioned values. His world seems to stop at his shop door, except for his uncontrollable lust for Nurse Gladys Emmanuel (Lynda Baron
Lynda Baron
Lynda Baron is a BAFTA-nominated English stage, film and television actress, perhaps best known for playing the extremely busty Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, the object of Arkwright's affection, in the BBC comedy series Open All Hours....
), which may prompt him on occasion to wander across the road, usually with a ladder, to gain access to her bedroom window. Arkwright is a devious, and mildly dishonest character, who has many crafty tricks to try and persuade a customer to leave his store having bought at least one thing, and will avoid spending his own money at all cost. He is also very conservative about his savings, keeping some in his pocket wrapped in a fine gold chain, and some in an old, battered Oxo
Oxo
OXO was the first digital graphical computer game, a version of Tic-tac-toe.It is also the first puzzler game; As seen on Ginuess World Records 2010 Gamer's Edition.OXO Was first released in 1951, That makes it one of the oldest games standing....
tin that he hides under the kitchen sink. This includes, or so he claims, coins from before 1922, when they were 'solid silver'. He loves money so much that the last time he spent a whole night away from the shop was in 1957, when he went to have his appendix
Vermiform appendix
The appendix is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum , from which it develops embryologically. The cecum is a pouchlike structure of the colon...
out. The till itself is old fashioned, and possesses a tight spring-clip that regularly puts Granville and his fingers in danger. Arkwright refuses to replace it because of the price of a replacement, and because it prevents people from taking his precious money. Although an avid political commentator, he has few political convictions and never sides with either the left or right wing, instead implying they are all useless. Arkwright does however seem fervently opposed to nationalisation, once commenting "My top lip went all stiff and dead, as if it had been nationalised." His political comments usually show no allegiances, instead making remarks like When Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
get home rule, do you think they'll nationalise Clive Jenkins
Clive Jenkins
David Clive Jenkins was a British trade union leader. "Organising the middle classes", his stated recreation in Who's Who, sums up both his sense of humour and his achievements in the British trade union movement....
?
Arkwright appears to be a believer in a supreme being
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...
, although he is certainly not portrayed to be a religious man. Most episodes end with him on the pavement outside the shop, contemplating the day with God. His thoughts often start with an expression like Soon they'll only be me and thee that aren't either nationalised or a limited company.
Arkwright, like most characters in the series, is a rational, practical man, who shows no signs of any sentimentality, unlike Granville, who seems to dream away most of his days.
Relationship to Granville
Arkwright's sister, whose name is never known, died shortly after giving birth to Granville. Less as an act of love and more as a source of free labour, Arkwright brought up the child. Arkwright paints a picture of his sister being a floozy and possibly a part time prostitute. He sees no harm in this, seeing this as an enterprising choice of career. This is often implied by phrases such as "Just take the man's money and smile Granville, that's what your mother would have done", "You're j-just like your mother, happiness is h-horizontal", or, "Now, d-don't misunderstand me, s-some people loved dearly! Others used to get it on discount". Granville is often made to pay for anything he takes from the shop's shelves, even if Arkwright was the one who gave it to him.Relationship with Gladys Emmanuel
Gladys is the district nurse, who Arkwright is informally engaged to. Their engagement doesn't seem to be serious, however they do seem to be fond of each other. Most of the characters who use the shop are old fashioned, domesticated characters, and while Gladys is very straight forward 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 old-fashioned shop equipment, his miserly personality or his overworking of Granville.Nurse Gladys Emmanuel is Arkwright's sexual conquest, although he never manages it in the series, he does come close, with the two of them attempting to make love in the back of a Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
van, but with the van being too small for them, they give up.