0:00:02 > 0:00:06He was the tight-fisted shopkeeper who just love to con his customers.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Well, that'll be 97p, love.
0:00:08 > 0:00:09Thank you.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Oh, d-don't bother about the 3p, y-you can owe it me.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Oh, right.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17With his trusty nephew and long-suffering assistant...
0:00:17 > 0:00:18LAUGHTER
0:00:18 > 0:00:21I'm the errand boy from outer space.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24..and a gaggle of gossiping regulars...
0:00:24 > 0:00:26I'll have a large sliced loaf.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28..it was the ultimate one-stop shop.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30No, I'll take a small one.
0:00:30 > 0:00:31In the next half-hour,
0:00:31 > 0:00:35we'll reveal why this hilarious show's quirky characters...
0:00:35 > 0:00:38You can't move round here for grocers in your bosom.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40..classic catchphrases...
0:00:40 > 0:00:42G-Granville, f-f-fetch your cloth!
0:00:42 > 0:00:44MOCKING: "Granville, f-f-fetch your cloth!"
0:00:44 > 0:00:46..and slapstick comedy...
0:00:46 > 0:00:47CLATTERING
0:00:47 > 0:00:49..made it a national treasure.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Stop or I'll f-f-f-f-f...! Oh!
0:00:52 > 0:00:53Five...four...
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Plus we will be going behind-the-scenes
0:00:55 > 0:00:57of a brand-new episode...
0:00:57 > 0:00:58Action!
0:00:58 > 0:00:59BELL CHIMES
0:00:59 > 0:01:01..to take an inside look at the remaking
0:01:01 > 0:01:02of a British comedy classic.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I look like a muffin, don't I?
0:01:05 > 0:01:07OI! Ah! Ooh!
0:01:07 > 0:01:10And to discover whether they can create a real Christmas cracker.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13I don't usually do much for Christmas but,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15under the circumstances...
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Ah!
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Welcome to a celebration of one of Britain's best-loved sitcoms.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24But it isn't Christmas yet! It feels like it to me.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Doncaster, a town at the heart of the Industrial Revolution
0:01:42 > 0:01:46and with a proud history based on coal mining and the railways.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50In the back streets of Balby sits
0:01:50 > 0:01:53what looks like an ordinary hair salon
0:01:53 > 0:01:57but, in fact, it has a very special place in British TV history.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00When you look back at all of the photographs and that,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02they were good times then, weren't they? They were.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Ronnie Barker and David Jason, I mean, they were very friendly.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08They were all very friendly.
0:02:08 > 0:02:09Nearly 30 years ago,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Helen Ibbotson's hairdressers was the location for Arkwright's store.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17And was the most famous corner shop in the country.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21When they used to come to come, they came with big catering vans
0:02:21 > 0:02:25and big limousines. It was a big, spectacular thing.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Loads of people came to watch it.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Packed, packed with people.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Now there's fresh buzz in the air.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37The BBC is planning a new one-off Christmas special of Open All Hours
0:02:37 > 0:02:39and soon the salon will once again
0:02:39 > 0:02:42be transformed into Arkwright's shop.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45I'll be interested to see them all, anyway.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Never thought we'd be doing this again, did we, love? No, we didn't.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53The idea to set a sitcom in a working-class community
0:02:53 > 0:02:56in Yorkshire first emerged in 1973.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Writer Roy Clarke was approached by the BBC
0:03:01 > 0:03:04to script two new comedies for Ronnie Barker.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06And it was Ronnie himself who came up with the idea
0:03:06 > 0:03:09of setting one of them in a corner shop.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13He said, "I've always wanted to play
0:03:13 > 0:03:18"one of these little shopkeepers that sell everything.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22And that was good news to me because...
0:03:22 > 0:03:26my wife was raised in exactly that kind of situation
0:03:26 > 0:03:29and, at one time, when I was still teaching,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32she ran a little corner shop.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Roy's experience inspired him to create a man
0:03:35 > 0:03:39who would soon become Britain's most famous shopkeeper.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Enter miserly grocer Albert Arkwright.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46It was obvious from word one that Ronnie as a shopkeeper
0:03:46 > 0:03:48was going to be tight-fisted
0:03:48 > 0:03:51and going to be an old Scrooge as far as he can.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55And this is where you get the magic of someone like Ronnie.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59In other hands, that could have been a real mean old scrote
0:03:59 > 0:04:01that nobody took to at all
0:04:01 > 0:04:05but Ronnie could pull that off and people still liked him.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Hey, G-G-Granville. Have you been courting again?
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Fat chance! We don't close till nine.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Mrs Scully said it c-could have been you
0:04:13 > 0:04:15she saw coming out of their Margaret...
0:04:15 > 0:04:17You what? ..'s place on Frith Street.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Let me finish, will you?
0:04:19 > 0:04:24Open All Hours first hit our screens as a pilot show in March 1973
0:04:24 > 0:04:28but, even though it was set in the north, the very first episode
0:04:28 > 0:04:31was actually shot in the streets of Ealing in London.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35When it came to casting Arkwright's nephew and errand boy, Granville,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Ronnie knew the perfect man.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42My relationship with Ronnie was built over many years.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46I suppose our timing was so good, we relied on each other so much.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48TILL SNAPS SHUT
0:04:48 > 0:04:51LAUGHTER
0:04:51 > 0:04:53That'll have somebody yet, that. I dread opening that till.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55I just know, one of these days,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57I'm going to find somebody's fingers in there.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58Mine!
0:05:00 > 0:05:01The on-screen double act
0:05:01 > 0:05:04of Arkwright and Granville worked instantly.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07But making a northern-based comedy in the capital
0:05:07 > 0:05:10lacked the right feel for the show's producers.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Wherever you go in London, whatever location you choose,
0:05:14 > 0:05:15it reeks of London somehow.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It doesn't seem to be the North of England.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20So, three years later,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22when they were commissioned to make a full series...
0:05:22 > 0:05:24GLASS SHATTERS
0:05:24 > 0:05:25..they decided to move it north.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Now its soon-to-be-famous corner shop
0:05:35 > 0:05:39was firmly set in Doncaster in South Yorkshire.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42BELL CHIMES
0:05:51 > 0:05:54G-Granville! F-F-Fetch your cloth!
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Along with well-known catchphrases,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00the show featured an array of colourful characters
0:06:00 > 0:06:03who would soon become family favourites.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06There she goes, Granville, N-Nurse Gladys Emmanuel,
0:06:06 > 0:06:11with her black bag neatly laundered and her b-b-blouse tightly packed.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12Take your time, Mavis,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15we can't rush a decision like this.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Large loaf or small?
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Three pounds odd for a little bag of groceries like that?!
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Well, I can p-put it in a bigger bag for you, if you like.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Ey oop, it's the Black Widow.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28She'd put the fear of God into God.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30'Gladys Emmanuel...'
0:06:30 > 0:06:32I think she burnt her bra when she was 12.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35You know, she was having no nonsense from anybody.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36She was her own woman.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39I like that blouse you've got on there.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Ooh, I'd l-like to browse through that blouse.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46One afternoon, when it's wet, you know?
0:06:46 > 0:06:48I'll send it over next time I wash it.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54Arkwright's obsession and constant pursuit of Nurse Gladys Emmanuel
0:06:54 > 0:06:57is one of the show's longest-running themes.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Not often you g-get extras like that on a Morris M-Minor.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04It was an ongoing gladiatorial game.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08And I think she liked that in him.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10By heck, she affects me powerfully, that woman.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14S-S-Something in the way she moves.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Like a combine harvester going through a cornfield.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21But, for every love interest...
0:07:22 > 0:07:24..there was a love rival.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28She never cracks a smile.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33She's very close, very quiet, very stealthy.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Um, slightly threatening.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37A little bit sinister, even.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Good day to you, Mrs Featherstone. Is it?
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Maybe it is if you're young and daft.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44She's like a Sherman tank, actually.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Moving inexorably onwards, all encased in black camouflage.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50BELL CHIMES Oh...
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Th-The Widow F-Featherstone.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56And what can we do for you that's b-brisk and impersonal
0:07:56 > 0:07:59and n-not necessarily inexpensive?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Oh, it'll be inexpensive. I never waste me money.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04She was definitely after Arkwright.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07More probably because he was very good with his money.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Arkwright, though, was ready to dodge her advances.
0:08:11 > 0:08:12Are we alone?
0:08:12 > 0:08:16No. No, we're not alone. No. I have men here. I have men...
0:08:16 > 0:08:18men working...
0:08:18 > 0:08:20working in the, er... in the cellar.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Men working.
0:08:22 > 0:08:23HE KNOCKS LIKE A HAMMER
0:08:23 > 0:08:25There they are.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29In fact, Arkwright only had eyes for one woman.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31She was violently jealous.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34As she said, he was blinded by a bigger bosom.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36Why...
0:08:36 > 0:08:38LAUGHTER
0:08:38 > 0:08:40..that's f-fresh from the oven!
0:08:40 > 0:08:42What is it?
0:08:42 > 0:08:46I don't know, but if you've got any to spare, I'll take the lot.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49My bosom was padded out with the wardrobe mistress's socks,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52which will ruin the image for half of England, won't it?
0:08:52 > 0:08:53SHE LAUGHS
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Dropping into Britain's busiest corner shop
0:08:56 > 0:08:58was a steady stream of oddball customers
0:08:58 > 0:09:01who became the lifeblood of the show.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02Argh!
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Basically, what you've got there is a little theatre.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09These guys pop in, do their turn and then go.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12There we are, two pints of extra strong exportable
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and an ounce of black shag. There we are.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17LAUGHTER
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Now then, anything for Mr Brocklesby this evening?
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Much like the inspiration for the corner shop,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25many of Roy Clarke's larger-than-life personalities
0:09:25 > 0:09:28were based on people he'd observed.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29There has to be, for me,
0:09:29 > 0:09:34some kind of link with reality for the character to work.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I'd better have a tin of, er...
0:09:36 > 0:09:37soup.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Usually, you get 40 percent from one guy
0:09:41 > 0:09:44and maybe the rest from another one.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45L-L-Large or small?
0:09:46 > 0:09:47Large.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52No, small.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57The way that he has created some of these really wonderfully
0:09:57 > 0:10:00eccentric characters... Well, he's a sort of one-off.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04I haven't got a small tin. I only have a large tin.
0:10:04 > 0:10:05Oh.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Well, I c-c-can't cut them in half, Mavis!
0:10:07 > 0:10:09LAUGHTER
0:10:09 > 0:10:11It all f-flops out, you see.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14I tell you what I will do, I'll sell you o-one large tin
0:10:14 > 0:10:17and I'll only charge you for t-two small tins.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Oh, thank you, Mr Arkwright.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22For the actress playing Mavis,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26a real-life shopping trip was never the same again.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28I always had to make sure that I knew exactly what I wanted,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32otherwise, you know, I'd get a barrage of funny comments
0:10:32 > 0:10:33about being indecisive.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35SHE LAUGHS
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Every week, customers would come and go,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43but much of the comedy flowed from two characters
0:10:43 > 0:10:45who rarely left the shop.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48The big asset in that show
0:10:48 > 0:10:52was the chemistry between Granville and Arkwright.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Well? How much?
0:10:54 > 0:10:56I'm thinking, I'm thinking!
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Come on. My arms are aching up here.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01And my w-wallet's aching down here!
0:11:01 > 0:11:05It was a writer's dream from word one because, I mean,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09looking at the thing calmly, you know, afterwards,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12where are you going to get a talent like Ronnie Barker
0:11:12 > 0:11:15and a talent like David Jason in one show?
0:11:15 > 0:11:18You're never, ever going to get it again.
0:11:18 > 0:11:19Well? How much?
0:11:21 > 0:11:2228p.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Are you sure?
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Get it writ at 28p-p-p-p!
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Ronnie Barker wasn't one of those people
0:11:31 > 0:11:35who wanted inferior people around him to make himself feel better.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39You know, he liked having David there because he was funny and fast.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41BELL CHIMES
0:11:43 > 0:11:45LAUGHTER
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Make it 29.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51He was a typical tightwad but, in Ronnie Barker's expert hands,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Arkwright became the nation's most lovable shopkeeper.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58'Ronnie makes it look so easy.'
0:11:58 > 0:12:00That is how clever he is.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Because not everybody can do it.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04And not everybody can do it with the ease
0:12:04 > 0:12:07with which Ronnie was capable of doing it.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Get your helmet on the counter, will you?
0:12:10 > 0:12:12That's right. Come on, Mr Bristow.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Don't worry, I'm not going to do it that way round. You're all right.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Have you saved me them half a dozen...?
0:12:17 > 0:12:19OHH!
0:12:19 > 0:12:21LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
0:12:23 > 0:12:27There goes a r-regular order for half a dozen razor blades.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Ronnie Barker had no great ego.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34So he treated you as being as important as himself.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Which is, apart from being very flattering, is comforting.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Granville. HE WHISTLES
0:12:39 > 0:12:40Come on. Come on. Come on, come on.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Watch this, look, the Bounty hunters. Come on, look.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Yes! You like those, don't you? Aye, lovely!
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Yeah. Put your money in the till.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55It was a joy and a pleasure to work with such a great man.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01There was one shop regular which captivated millions
0:13:01 > 0:13:04and even threatened to upstage Arkwright himself.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09Oh, I hate this till! Go on, get on with it! It won't b-bite you.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Ronnie Barker used to say, "The snapping till's building its part."
0:13:12 > 0:13:14You know, cos it seemed to loom larger!
0:13:16 > 0:13:17TILL SNAPS SHUT
0:13:17 > 0:13:19You wouldn't want to get your hands caught in it,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21let me put it that way.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24So you have to treat it with a great deal of respect.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32The snapping till has a mind of its own. And if you...
0:13:32 > 0:13:35dally with your hands in there too much,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37you will lose your fingers.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40TILL SNAPS SHUT Argh!
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Of course, it didn't really have a mind of its own.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46The assistant floor manager was on the other end
0:13:46 > 0:13:49and pulled a string and, of course,
0:13:49 > 0:13:53we were all frightened about catching Ronnie's fingers.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56If you're going to risk that vicious spring clip, I don't want to look.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57Just tell me when it's all over.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Oh, don't be daft, you only have to j-jiggle it a bit.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03And once, in fact, it he did actually catch Ronnie's his fingers.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05TILL SNAPS SHUT Oh!
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Slapstick comedy became one of the show's key features.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14And a source for some of its classic moments.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Now, listen, Granville...
0:14:17 > 0:14:20If you can find the right physical bits,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23that's where the belly laughs are.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25A fans' favourite is when Granville
0:14:25 > 0:14:28discovered some false legs dumped in a dustbin.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30He sticks them out of the basket
0:14:30 > 0:14:33so it looks like he's got a sort of upside-down female in there.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37And then he puts them underneath his pinny
0:14:37 > 0:14:39when sitting on a seat in the park.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Then he sticks them either side of a bloke underneath a car.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49And it was just a great, funny sequence
0:14:49 > 0:14:51and I enjoyed doing that very much.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57But, for millions of viewers,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01there was an even more memorable trademark of the series.
0:15:01 > 0:15:07I-I-I have a d-difficulty f-formulating my words!
0:15:07 > 0:15:10I think Ronnie did it brilliantly. It was utterly truthful.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14It was a completely natural stutter.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18It all started when we had b-b-b-b-b...
0:15:18 > 0:15:22It's no good, you know I can't understand Morse code.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25I used to stutter when I was a child,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28so I was worried that I would join in.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31There's enough dirt on there to fill The Black Hole of Ca-ca-ca...
0:15:31 > 0:15:34The Black Hole of Ca-ca-ca...
0:15:34 > 0:15:35The Black...
0:15:35 > 0:15:38The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43I think now if you had a character created who did stutter, I think you
0:15:43 > 0:15:45might have a problem with that these days,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47cos I think it might be seen as not politically correct.
0:15:47 > 0:15:53Good morning, Mrs F-f-f-f... Jackson.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Through four series, from 1976 to 1985,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Open All Hours charmed the nation.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03From Arkwright's obsession with fleecing his customers...
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Last few what at the old price?
0:16:06 > 0:16:08We'll worry about that when we get them inside.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12..to his continuing quest to win the heart of Nurse Gladys.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16Hello, Gladys Emmanuel. Nice to see you looking so cheerful.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18And Granville's failed lessons in love.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21OK. I'm your prisoner.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Do with me what you will. Ah!
0:16:24 > 0:16:28By the mid-1980s, it was pulling in nearly 19 million viewers,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30and was Britain's most popular TV show.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34GUNSHOT
0:16:34 > 0:16:36But suddenly, at the height of its success,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Arkwright and Granville shut up shop.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42One day, Granville, all this will be yours.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Lock-lock-lock-lock stock and barrel.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03It's nearly 30 years since the last series was produced,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07and on the streets of Balby, filming of a brand-new episode is due
0:17:07 > 0:17:10to get under way in just two days' time.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15But before the cameras can start recording, a BBC set design team
0:17:15 > 0:17:19needs to transform the hairdressing salon into Arkwright's store.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24It's exactly as it was all those years ago.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26I mean, this is mind-blowing.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30You know, this is such a rare thing to happen cos what premises
0:17:30 > 0:17:33has remained the same for nearly 30 years?
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Plan of action - we've all arrived here at eight o'clock this morning,
0:17:38 > 0:17:40and we've got chippies starting in there,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42the boys are unloading the lorries
0:17:42 > 0:17:46and gradually during the course of the day, the thing will evolve.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02It's just an ordinary hairdresser shop, but when you see that stuck
0:18:02 > 0:18:05there again you think, "Oh, he's up - he's coming back!"
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Word certainly spreads fast, and the return of this iconic show
0:18:10 > 0:18:13is causing quite a stir in the neighbourhood.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17It's nice that, you know, they're bringing it back.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18It's come home after all this time.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22I mean, it's nearly 30 years since the last series were made
0:18:22 > 0:18:24and so it's nice that...
0:18:24 > 0:18:27I think they thought it would never happen again.
0:18:27 > 0:18:28Mum used to tell me stories
0:18:28 > 0:18:30that she used to come down in t'pushchair,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34used to stand at the corner, or by the gulley just watching filming.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35It's fantastic.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37It's a British institution.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39I can't wait to see it filmed.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Such is the excitement of the return of the show, others have
0:18:42 > 0:18:46travelled from far and wide to catch a glimpse of this famous shop.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49We've come all the way from Burton-on-Trent this morning,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53and as soon as we found out this was happening we left home
0:18:53 > 0:18:57and here we are an hour later outside Arkwright's emporium.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Transforming the hair salon into Arkwright's shop is a huge task,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05and to make it true to life, every single detail counts.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09It takes a six-person team of designers,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13props-men and art directors two full days to pull off this massive
0:19:13 > 0:19:17makeover, and it's only by late Sunday afternoon that they're
0:19:17 > 0:19:19applying the finishing touches.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30We're really well on the way now. I reckon about another hour will
0:19:30 > 0:19:31see us fairly fit to be ready
0:19:31 > 0:19:35for the cameras tomorrow morning bright and early.
0:19:44 > 0:19:488am, and it's the start of filming of the Christmas special.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Sir David to you!
0:19:51 > 0:19:52As more than 50 crew
0:19:52 > 0:19:56and production team take to the streets of Balby in Doncaster,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58the crowds are already swelling.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01They're beginning to shoot a new episode
0:20:01 > 0:20:03for the first time since 1985.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08I do feel that it can't possibly be 28 years
0:20:08 > 0:20:12since the last episode of Open All Hours.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14It must be yesterday afternoon.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17And it's so nice to do it again.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19It's such a laugh.
0:20:19 > 0:20:20As though we never went away.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23For the original cast members,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26it's a reunion they could never have dreamed would happen.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29It's great to be here back in the shop.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31It's as though we'd never left it.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37The delight in revisiting it is quite wonderful.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42Despite heavy rain, hundreds gather in the street to witness
0:20:42 > 0:20:45the first of three days' filming at the shop.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50The people were so warm and receptive,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52and so keen to see it back.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56They stood patiently, watching us all.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Some of them stood there all day.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01A couple came and said, "I used to watch you filming
0:21:01 > 0:21:05"when I was a little girl and here's my daughter come to watch you today."
0:21:05 > 0:21:08And that was...
0:21:08 > 0:21:09It was quite moving.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Two big fans who grew up in these streets are Wayne Burton
0:21:14 > 0:21:16and Jane Laing.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18It's the first time they've met for 25 years,
0:21:18 > 0:21:23and both have fond childhood memories about the show.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27We used to sit on the step and get to play and be in the background.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29How old would you have been? You're older than me, aren't you?
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Ooh... Last time they come, I think it were '83.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35I'd have been about 12.
0:21:35 > 0:21:36Oh, I were nine. Were you?
0:21:36 > 0:21:37Yeah. Showing our age now!
0:21:37 > 0:21:39We are now, just a little bit.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42That street felt like they owned us then
0:21:42 > 0:21:44and they still feel like they own us.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49DIRECTOR: And...action.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52How are we, Mrs Featherstone?
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Call me...Delphine.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55In Roy Clarke's Christmas special,
0:21:55 > 0:22:00Granville has inherited the shop from Arkwright and is now in charge,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03but he's still doing battle with some very familiar faces.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Your Uncle Arkwright would turn in his grave.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09He was never one for mixing business with pleasure.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Believe me, I tried.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Roy Clarke gave us so much fun and silliness in the original series and
0:22:15 > 0:22:18I'm absolutely delighted to say that
0:22:18 > 0:22:20his skill has not diminished one iota.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23I have trained two husbands to an early grave.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25It's a bit difficult for me,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29cos this time I'm playing the Ronnie B part and it...
0:22:29 > 0:22:30It's huge!
0:22:30 > 0:22:33It's a lot of words to remember in such a short time,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37so at the moment, I'm still struggling.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43There's also a lot resting on the shoulders of James Baxter,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45who plays Granville's son Leroy.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47Coming into it,
0:22:47 > 0:22:52I was and still am aware of the enormity of the show, but I just
0:22:52 > 0:22:55had to take solace or take comfort
0:22:55 > 0:23:00in that I am working with a legend.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04David's really helped me settle in.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07That'll cost ya!
0:23:07 > 0:23:09You'll get it at trade price.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12He's very fun to work with.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15It's been a busy day's filming for the whole team.
0:23:16 > 0:23:17Front cover of the Radio Times.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22And they're overcome with the welcome they've
0:23:22 > 0:23:24received from the people of Doncaster.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27After the first few takes people were applauding in the streets.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29I've never seen that happen before.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34Just seems to be so many smiles everywhere.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36We feel hugely welcome.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39As they record the final scene of the day...
0:23:39 > 0:23:44Your note arrived safely, Granville, tucked in among my groceries.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48..the cast and crew know there's plenty of work still ahead of them.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51'19, take two on the end.'
0:24:00 > 0:24:02It's now two weeks later.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06With the location filming completed, final rehearsals are under way
0:24:06 > 0:24:10for the recording of the whole show in front of a live studio audience.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14You leave us a few free samples and we'll see how it goes.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18It's a huge day for the team and it's the first time fans
0:24:18 > 0:24:22will have the chance to see the full show and deliver their verdict.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Making any comedy programme is risky.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28There's always the chance that we might make something that we
0:24:28 > 0:24:32think works, and nobody else agrees.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34The demand for tickets has been phenomenal.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38The producers have received more than 28,000 applications
0:24:38 > 0:24:41for just 360 places.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43So there's a lot at stake.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45We all have fond memories of it,
0:24:45 > 0:24:52we all loved it and I do think it's kind of ripe for a return.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56So, erm, tonight's the night and we hope it goes well.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Five, four, three, two, one...
0:25:00 > 0:25:03DIRECTOR: Action! BELL RINGS
0:25:03 > 0:25:06The big question is - will the audience love the new episode
0:25:06 > 0:25:09just as much as they did the originals?
0:25:11 > 0:25:15David and I both agreed, if it's not broken, don't mend it.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19So keep it as close as we can to what it was.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22LAUGHTER
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Warming up out there, is it?
0:25:25 > 0:25:27You're a deadpan lot around here.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Something about the tone.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31It's absolutely Roy Clarke.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34I look like a muffin, don't I?
0:25:34 > 0:25:36You look as though you could use a drink.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38I do. I need a drink.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42It feels very similar to the original Open All Hours.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45"You need a drink," he says.
0:25:45 > 0:25:46Then charges me for the bottle.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49It's a lair.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53"G-granville, remember, this is a lair."
0:25:53 > 0:25:57And you enter at you pee-pe-peril.
0:25:57 > 0:25:58It's a jungle round here.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04For Roy Clarke, keeping a presence of Arkwright in the new show
0:26:04 > 0:26:07was one of his biggest challenges.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10A huge absence is going to be there
0:26:10 > 0:26:12in everybody's mind when they see this.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16And so, you might as well face it and use it.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18You'll never get rid of all this anchovy paste.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Don't worry, I'll shift it.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25You forget that I was ta-ta-ta-trained...
0:26:25 > 0:26:27LAUGHTER
0:26:27 > 0:26:31For my mind, for my money, Ronnie's still there.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35I was trained by the m-m-master!
0:26:35 > 0:26:40If he could see us, if he is watching, be laughing his head off.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43LAUGHTER
0:26:46 > 0:26:48The show's gone down a storm,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52and the audience's reaction is unanimous.
0:26:52 > 0:26:53Absolutely fantastic.
0:26:54 > 0:26:55Yeah, absolutely great.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58To see David Jason, it's a dream.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Smashing. Beautiful.
0:27:00 > 0:27:01Really enjoyed it.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07It might be 40 years since the very first episode...
0:27:07 > 0:27:09You ta-ta-taught me some stuff!
0:27:09 > 0:27:13..but it's clear that Open All Hours still holds a special
0:27:13 > 0:27:15place in the heart of the nation.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20It's been a great trip down memory lane for me.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21Good morning, Granville.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Good morning, Mavis.
0:27:23 > 0:27:24I've had a ball.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Do you know that the small grocer makes an ideal pet?
0:27:28 > 0:27:31I've always know that it's very special.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Very, very special.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36I think we are ready to take us to the next level.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38And working on it again, of course,
0:27:38 > 0:27:43you are even more aware of how clever and how funny it is.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45It is the age of the cougar.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47SHE GROWLS
0:27:47 > 0:27:52In order to do comedy well, you have to have a sense of the ridiculous
0:27:52 > 0:27:53and you have to have a sense of fun.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Lower your end.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56The story of my life.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02So put those elements all together and you can't wait to get back to
0:28:02 > 0:28:07work really, because it's not like work, it's just like having a party.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Ladies and gentlemen, the price is wrong!
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Granville, come on down!
0:28:15 > 0:28:17I think Open All Hours was unique.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19I don't believe that any of us
0:28:19 > 0:28:23knew that it would stand the test of time the way it has.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Bl-bl-bl-bl...
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Bl-bl-bloody burglars!
0:28:30 > 0:28:32It's held in affection, I think.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35I think that's the secret of its success.
0:28:35 > 0:28:36It's held in great affection.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Now, isn't it time silly old fools were in bed?
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Thought you'd n-never ask!