JamesCartwright This is the worst so-called "comedy" series ever made. There is absolutely nothing funny about it at all. In any case the series is completely irrelevant in the 21st century. Corner shops like Arkwright's no longer exist as they have all been swallowed up by Tesco Express. Roy Clarke writes for a 1970 audience, not a 2016 audience. David Jason has not been in anything decent for so many years and he must be desperate to have agreed to do this. It was always a stupid idea, trying to revive a once-funny series 30 years later.This unfunny series should be axed. The BBC should be completely privatised, there is no excuse for taxpayers being forced to fund this unfunny garbage when we have hundreds of TV channels and the Internet.0/10.

dorothy-kazer I have thoroughly enjoyed each episode, and am only sorry that the series has ended. Please BBC can we have more. Can we see how Granville and his lady love are getting on? It is good northern humour and suitable for family viewing; something very rare these days. Sir David Jason as always is a delight to see as are Nurse Gladys, the black widow, and Mavis. I was glad to see they have kept the till as I am sure that Arkwright is. All praise to Roy Clarke for his wonderful scripts. I miss "Last of the Summer Wine" and "Keeping Up Appearances", but this latest offering is a joy to see. Could he please bring Hyacinth back, and her Royal Doulton with the hand-painted periwinkles. MORE MORE MORE MORE PLEASE.

ian-199-126642 The original show was brilliant. Mrs and me have watched and re- watched episodes down the years and still have time for them.The problem is not so much that the humour is dated. The 'dated' humour of the originals works very well for us and most recent stuff leaves us cold. We can watch Miranda Hart for hours and never smile once. We can watch Dad's Army, Blackadder, Porridge, Fawlty Towers and Open All Hours repeatedly and just keep laughing and loving them.No, the problem is that Ronnie Barker has gone. He was a comic genius that lifted Open All Hours out of the ordinary, along with the fantastic cast around him and the strong interplay of characters of which he was the hub.David Jason may or may not be in quite the same class as Ronnie, but he certainly has class and does a great job of being an older Arkwright-like Granville. The trouble starts with Granville's son, who seems to be a characterless non-entity who doesn't function as a comic foil and counterweight in the way that Granville played on near equal terms against Arkwright. Nurse Gladys has been reduced to an appendage, since the 'relationship' with Arkwright is no longer there to give the part its special place. Nice to see her again, but what's she for now?And I'm afraid I keep smelling whiffs of Last of the Summer Wine in the dialogue and run of casting.Still, if enough people like this new incarnation, then it justifies itself, but it isn't the jewel that it was.

bob the moo The overfed comatose state that comes with overindulging at Christmas tends to provide some cover for television specials that maybe wouldn't get away with it during the rest of the year. Still Open All Hours was screened during this period and just at a glance it seemed like it just the type of thing that needs that festive goodwill. Out of curiosity I decided to give it a go but unfortunately I do not think I would ever have had enough festive cheer for this to work. This special sees Granville now running Arkwight's corner store, with his lad Leroy filling the errand boy role. During the normal working day we see the colorful locals coming and going while Granville uses some old Arkwright trickery to shift a load of fish paste.I did used to watch Open All Hours many years ago and I remember doing so more than once, so I must have enjoyed it but this rehashed special makes me doubt whether it was actually any good or not, because this 30 minute special certainly wasn't. The episodic nature of the show means we have locals coming and going and preventing any flow in the writing. On top of this the focus is on throwbacks and references to the original series, whether they work or not. Mostly the comedy is very dated which I guess comes with the territory but isn't really an excuse; it all seems very stiff and awkward as well. I think I laughed twice in 30 minutes, and those laughs were more chuckles than anything else – a Chuckle Brother being pulled around by a dog got me and the Johnny Vegas about "solo trumpet". Luckily the canned audience track had a much better time than I did – although their laughter at almost nothing and their "awww-ing" over a dog just reminded me that I wasn't making any noise.The cast features a lot of faces and names; Jason is so-so, he overworks his lines as if the audience is slow and he really doesn't have the material anyway. Baxter's delivery is pretty poor and seems to be hamming it up a bit, perhaps assuming that this makes whatever he does funnier. Cole, Vegas, Williams and others all provide side characters and also contribute to the fragmented feel to the show. Maybe you have enough nostalgia to laugh because of what they are referencing (as opposed to laughing at the reference, which I think was the goal) but for me this was a pretty awkward and dated 30 minutes with a couple of chuckles amid a sea of poor writing and even festive cheer and nostalgia aren't enough to make me forgiving enough for this to work.