The BEST episodes of Open All Hours

Every episode of Open All Hours ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Open All Hours!

Arkwright is a tight-fisted shop owner in Doncaster, who will stop at nothing to keep his profits high and his overheads low, even if this means harassing his nephew Granville. Arkwright's only weakness is his love - Nurse Gladys Emanuel.

Last Updated: 1/17/2024Network: BBC OneStatus: Ended
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Beware Of The Dog
star
8.36
39 votes

#1 - Beware Of The Dog

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/12/1976

After a bungled burglary on his premises, Arkwright decided the time is right for a guard dog for the shop. However, instead of a real dog, he tries to fool everyone with just the sound of a dog! Meanwhile, Granville thinks he could be the father of Maureen's baby, Eric!

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
St. Albert's Day
star
8.22
27 votes

#2 - St. Albert's Day

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/19/1981

Arkwright invents a Saint's day so that Granville can check the pockets of a foreign visitor who he suspects of shoplifting.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:Amazon
Laundry Blues
star
8.19
67 votes

#3 - Laundry Blues

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/1/1981

Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, having seen Granville struggling with the washing, tells Arkwright that he must buy a new washing machine. Arkwright has to come up with a plan so that she thinks he has done as she requests. He gets Neville to drop off a new machine, sneak round the back of the shop and take it away again, leaving behind a second-hand machine instead!

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Mystical Boudoir of Nurse Gladys Emmanuel
star
8.13
53 votes

#4 - The Mystical Boudoir of Nurse Gladys Emmanuel

Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/6/1985

Arkwright tries all manner of things in order to get himself into Nurse Gladys Emmanuel's bedroom, including the use of a ladder and a box of chocolates. Meanwhile Granville takes to wearing tights on his head.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
A Mattress On Wheels
star
8.11
72 votes

#5 - A Mattress On Wheels

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/27/1976

Granville is fed up with having to do his rounds on his bike and tries to talk Arkwright into buying a van. Granville hopes that a mattress in the back of it will help his love life - and maybe Arkwright's, too!

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The New Suit
star
8.09
33 votes

#6 - The New Suit

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/22/1981

Arkwright has to buy a new suit - on Nurse Gladys Emmanuel's say so.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Horse-Trading
star
8.03
78 votes

#7 - Horse-Trading

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/8/1985

Arkwright smugly offloads a lot of clothes-horses to an rival Asian shopkeeper. However, when his rival starts making large profits using the clothes-horses as bait for customers, he makes Granville dress up as an Asian woman so that he can buy the clothes-horses back.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:Apple TV
Arkwright's Mobile Store
star
7.97
31 votes

#8 - Arkwright's Mobile Store

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/29/1981

In a bid to prove to Nurse Gladys Emmanuel that he means to expand his business, he buys a van so that Arkwright's Stores can have a mobile store.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
A Nice Cosy Little Disease
star
7.89
37 votes

#9 - A Nice Cosy Little Disease

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/5/1976

Arkwright tries to find the perfect disease to pretend to go down with in order to get the attention of Nurse Gladys Emmanuel who he feels has been neglecting him.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Apples and Self Service
star
7.82
68 votes

#10 - Apples and Self Service

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/26/1976

Arkwright starts a sales drive to try and get rid of a large stock of apples that he had over-ordered.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Full Of Mysterious Promise
star
7.81
85 votes

#11 - Full Of Mysterious Promise

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/20/1976

Arkwright buys a load of damaged goods. The snag with them is that they are tinned goods without labels! He then tries to foist them off onto his customers.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Soulmate Wanted
star
7.67
83 votes

#12 - Soulmate Wanted

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/1/1985

Granville advertises for female company and ends up with more than he can handle.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
An Errand Boy by the Ear
star
7.61
59 votes

#13 - An Errand Boy by the Ear

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/21/1982

The customers are upset by Granville continually being dragged around by the ear by Arkwright

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Shedding at the Wedding
star
7.58
59 votes

#14 - Shedding at the Wedding

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/5/1981

Arkwright goes to a wedding with Nurse Gladys Emmanuel. His suit smells of mothballs and he has to hang his trousers out of Gladys' car to air them. After his trousers are blown away and run over by a tractor, he has to borrow her trousers!

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Ginger Men
star
7.57
54 votes

#15 - The Ginger Men

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/28/1982

Once again Arkwright has overstocked on goods. This time he has a consignment of Ginger Cake to get rid of. By pretending that it has aphrodisiac properties, he hopes to sell the lot.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Reluctant Traveller
star
7.57
63 votes

#16 - The Reluctant Traveller

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/8/1981

Nurse Gladys Emmanuel and Arkwright are finally going to spend the night away at a hotel. Little does she know that the hotel is round the block! Whilst they are away, Granville is entertaining the milk-woman. Arkwright also has a problem with an over-tight money belt!

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Happy Birthday, Arkwright!
star
7.56
57 votes

#17 - Happy Birthday, Arkwright!

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/29/1985

Arkwright is on the alert after Nurse Gladys Emmanuel and Granville tell him that a man from the ""Good Shop Guide"" is visiting shops in the area. It is only a ruse by Granville and Nurse Gladys to teach Arkwright a lesson in good manners. Nurse Gladys dresses up as a man and is on the receiving end of some very polite behaviour from Arkwright.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Housekeeper Caper
star
7.56
50 votes

#18 - The Housekeeper Caper

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/15/1985

Arkwright decides that to make Nurse Gladys Emmanuel jealous, he will advertise in the local paper for a live-in housekeeper. Unfortunately he is not prepared for Mrs Delphine Featherstone applying for the position!

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Well Catered Funeral
star
7.55
62 votes

#19 - Well Catered Funeral

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/19/1976

Parslow, an old friend of Arkwright dies and Arkwright handles the catering for the funeral, hopefully with a large profit coming his way!

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Cool Cocoa Tin Lid
star
7.50
56 votes

#20 - The Cool Cocoa Tin Lid

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/25/1982

Granville gets rid of his old image by wearing shades and snappy threads, complete with a ""medallion"" made out of a cocoa tin lid.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Duet for Solo Bicycle
star
7.50
54 votes

#21 - Duet for Solo Bicycle

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/4/1982

A grocer's bike with a squeaky wheel is definitely ruining Granville's attempts to woo the girls, especially Wendy who suffers the embarrassment of being escorted by Granville and his squeak!

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
How to Ignite Your Errand Boy...
star
7.50
58 votes

#22 - How to Ignite Your Errand Boy...

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/11/1982

Granville is tasked with making home-made firelighters, an essential ingredient being his shredded disco shirt.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Man from Down Under
star
7.45
56 votes

#23 - The Man from Down Under

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/18/1982

Arkwright has a rival for Nurse Gladys Emmanuel's attention, as a visitor from Australia returns to his old stomping ground.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Errand Boy Executive
star
7.30
56 votes

#24 - The Errand Boy Executive

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/22/1985

Granville takes a fancy to Stephanie (""with a p-h"") who works in a boutique. He pretends that he is a young executive and that Arkwright is his assistant. Needless to say, Arkwright does not agree with this role-reversal.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Fig Biscuits and Inspirational Toilet Rolls
star
7.12
58 votes

#25 - Fig Biscuits and Inspirational Toilet Rolls

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/18/1981

Arkwright once again is struggling to sell goods that no-one wants to buy. He therefore tries a special promotion to get rid of the goods, namely fig biscuits and toilet rolls with messages printed on them.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Roy Clarke
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV