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Comedy

The Best Episodes of Open All Hours

Every episode of Open All Hours ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Open All Hours!

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Open All Hours is a BBC sitcom written by Roy Clarke and starring Ronnie Barker as a miserly shop keeper and David Jason as his put-upon nephew who works as his errand boy.

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BBC One
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Seasons4

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Open All Hours Season 3 Episode 2 - The Ginger Men
    8.2/10(110 votes)

    #1 - The Ginger Men

    S3:E2

    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.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  2. Open All Hours Season 1 Episode 4 - Beware Of The Dog
    8.1/10(118 votes)

    #2 - Beware Of The Dog

    S1:E4

    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!

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  3. Open All Hours Season 2 Episode 2 - The Reluctant Traveller
    8.1/10(121 votes)

    #3 - The Reluctant Traveller

    S2:E2

    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!

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  4. Open All Hours Season 2 Episode 6 - Shedding At The Wedding
    8.1/10(101 votes)

    #4 - Shedding At The Wedding

    S2:E6

    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!

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  5. Open All Hours Season 1 Episode 6 - Apples and Self Service
    8.0/10(109 votes)

    #5 - Apples and Self Service

    S1:E6

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  6. Open All Hours Season 4 Episode 1 - Soulmate Wanted
    8.0/10(92 votes)

    #6 - Soulmate Wanted

    S4:E1

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Open All Hours

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  7. Open All Hours Season 4 Episode 6 - The Mystical Boudoir of Nurse Gladys Emmanuel
    8.0/10(89 votes)

    #7 - The Mystical Boudoir of Nurse Gladys Emmanuel

    S4:E6

    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.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  8. Open All Hours Season 1 Episode 3 - A Nice Cosy Little Disease
    7.9/10(120 votes)

    #8 - A Nice Cosy Little Disease

    S1:E3

    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.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  9. Open All Hours Season 1 Episode 5 - Well Catered Funeral
    7.9/10(105 votes)

    #9 - Well Catered Funeral

    S1:E5

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  10. Open All Hours Season 2 Episode 1 - Laundry Blues
    7.9/10(110 votes)

    #10 - Laundry Blues

    S2:E1

    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!

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  11. Open All Hours Season 2 Episode 3 - Fig Biscuits And Inspirational Toilet Rolls
    7.9/10(104 votes)

    #11 - Fig Biscuits And Inspirational Toilet Rolls

    S2:E3

    Arkwright once again is struggling to sell goods that no-one wants to buy. His marketing genius comes to the fore as he tries to shift the surplus stock, namely fig biscuits and toilet rolls with messages printed on them.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  12. Open All Hours Season 3 Episode 5 - The Man From Down Under
    7.9/10(101 votes)

    #12 - The Man From Down Under

    S3:E5

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  13. Open All Hours Season 3 Episode 6 - The Cool Cocoa Tin Lid
    7.9/10(99 votes)

    #13 - The Cool Cocoa Tin Lid

    S3:E6

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  14. Open All Hours Season 4 Episode 2 - Horse-Trading
    7.9/10(85 votes)

    #14 - Horse-Trading

    S4:E2

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  15. Open All Hours Season 1 Episode 2 - A Mattress On Wheels
    7.8/10(120 votes)

    #15 - A Mattress On Wheels

    S1:E2

    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!

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  16. Open All Hours Season 4 Episode 5 - Happy Birthday Arkwright
    7.8/10(84 votes)

    #16 - Happy Birthday Arkwright

    S4:E5

    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.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  17. Open All Hours Season 2 Episode 4 - The New Suit
    7.7/10(101 votes)

    #17 - The New Suit

    S2:E4

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  18. Open All Hours Season 2 Episode 7 - St. Albert's Day
    7.7/10(101 votes)

    #18 - St. Albert's Day

    S2:E7

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  19. Open All Hours Season 3 Episode 4 - How to Ignite Your Errand Boy
    7.7/10(94 votes)

    #19 - How to Ignite Your Errand Boy

    S3:E4

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  20. Open All Hours Season 4 Episode 3 - The Housekeeper Caper
    7.7/10(84 votes)

    #20 - The Housekeeper Caper

    S4:E3

    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!

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  21. Open All Hours Season 1 Episode 1 - Full Of Mysterious Promise
    7.6/10(153 votes)

    #21 - Full Of Mysterious Promise

    S1:E1

    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.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  22. Open All Hours Season 2 Episode 5 - Arkwright's Mobile Store
    7.6/10(96 votes)

    #22 - Arkwright's Mobile Store

    S2:E5

    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.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  23. Open All Hours Season 3 Episode 1 - An Errand Boy by the Ear
    7.6/10(96 votes)

    #23 - An Errand Boy by the Ear

    S3:E1

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  24. Open All Hours Season 3 Episode 3 - Duet for Solo Bicycle
    7.6/10(92 votes)

    #24 - Duet for Solo Bicycle

    S3:E3

    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!

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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  25. Open All Hours Season 4 Episode 4 - The Errand Boy Executive
    7.6/10(95 votes)

    #25 - The Errand Boy Executive

    S4:E4

    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.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writer:Roy Clarke

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Ginger Men" is the best rated episode of "Open All Hours". It scored 8.2/10 based on 110 votes. Directed by Sydney Lotterby and written by Roy Clarke, it aired on 3/28/1982. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Beware Of The Dog".