Still Open All Hours to return for a second series

BBC One comedy Still Open All Hours is to return for a new series, starting with a Christmas special as filming begins on location in Doncaster.

Arkwright’s will open its doors once again with a festive episode where Granville (Sir David Jason) bags himself a bargain Christmas tree, which gives him more problems than he wanted.

Eric (Johnny Vegas) and Cyril (Kulvinder Ghir) embark on a new fitness regime and, as the holidays approach, Granville and Leroy (James Baxter) try to entice Madge (Brigit Forsyth) to their festive party.

Also returning to the new series is Tim Healy as love-stuck Gastric, Nina Wadia as town gossip Mrs Hussein, as well as original cast members Lynda Baron as Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, Stephanie Cole as The Black Widow and Maggie Ollerenshaw as the object of Granville’s affections, Mavis.

Executive Producer Gareth Edwards says: “It‘s wonderful to be returning with our fantastic cast to Granville’s daft, warm and life-affirming world, full of the kind of characters and situations that could only come from the remarkable mind of Roy Clarke.”

Still Open All Hours is an BBC Comedy In-house production, produced by Alex Walsh-Taylor and directed by Dewi Humphreys.