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Actor David Jason has reflected on the highs and secrets of Open All Hours as he took on one of the most iconic comedy roles on television in the 1980s

Sir David Jason famously landed two iconic comedy roles in the 1980s. One was the lead in Only Fools and Horses as wheeler dealer Del Boy Trotter.

The other was playing second fiddle to Ronnie Barker as unlucky-in-love errand boy Granville in Open All Hours. With such a workload, some actors might have ditched the co-star role and concentrated solely on being ‘the star of the show. But not Sir David.

Looking back on Open All Hours’ 50 ^th anniversary, he says he would never have turned his back on the loveable put-upon corner shop assistant. He says: “I was never grand about ‘Oh I’m above playing Granville.. I have got my own series.’ No, I was just happy to be doing another character which was so different. I had this character that was the total opposite. The leading man, the driving force, the wheeler dealer.”

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Open All Hours is regarded as one of Britain’s top classic sitcoms. Viewers fell in love with penny-pinching stuttering shopkeeper Albert Arkwright (played by the late Ronnie Barker) and his endless efforts to woo ‘the lust of his life’ – the very buxom Nurse Gladys Emmanuel (the late Lynda Baron) while a string of regular customers would pop in and out of the shop in Yorkshire often being conned by his latest crafty tricks.

Added into the mix was Arkwright’s over-worked shy and awkward nephew Granville played by Sir David. The show was made for Ronnie in 1973 as one of seven new comedy pilots by the BBC who had lured him away from LWT to work for them.

Sir David, who is now 86, was excited to be among its cast as it meant working with the comic genius. Their paths had crossed when he appeared in his sketch show Hark at Barker in 1969 and he claims he learned so much from him over their years together.

In a new TV special called Open All Hours: Inside Out marking its 50 ^th anniversary this year, Sir David pays a fond tribute to the legendary funny man saying: “I couldn’t wait to work with him to see what I could learn from him.

“When we first started to work together he was a big star and I was in his shadow for years. Ronnie was at the top of his trade if you like. The rest of us crawled about underneath desperately trying to learn how to be as clever as Ronnie B but with that came the generosity of spirit he was so wonderful to work with he was good fun and he was respectful.

“It was a huge learning curve in my career to work with Ronnie B. It was a great journey to have travelled with him and learned his respect for showbiz and what it meant to be in it and to entertain people. A brilliant man.”

Audience research for the pilot of Open All Hours was very positive but the BBC wanted Ronnie for another show called Prisoner and Escort (which became Porridge). It meant Arkwright and Granville stayed on the shelf for three more years as the comedy was not fully commissioned until 1976.

But there was unrest about its scheduling on BBC Two on a Friday at 9pm. Writer Roy Clarke calls it ‘terrible’ and adds: “That was the equivalent of burying it.”

Even Sir David comments: “BBC One would have had the kudos over BBC Two but at least it was going out I suppose.”

Ratings for series one topped more than six million each week but, remarkably, the BBC went cold on the show. They wanted Ronnie to do more Porridge and more of The Two Ronnies with his pal Ronnie Corbett and writer Roy busied himself penning more episodes of Last Of The Summer Wine.

Meanwhile, Sir David landed the lead role in a new ITV sitcom called A Sharp Intake of Breath in 1977 and then in 1981 he was cast as Del Boy in a new BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses.

It was an immediate hit.

But at the same time, the Beeb decided to revive Open All Hours for a second series. This time it was scheduled to go out on BBC One. Sir David had no hesitation in juggling both roles as he loved playing Granville and knew fans loved the character too.

He says: “Granville appealed to the viewers as people saw a bit of themselves in him – a dreamer who wanted to see the world. Granville was wistful and a bit romantic. I was so happy to be working with that sort of personality.”

Ratings for the sitcom soared with an average of 13 million viewers tuning in. In addition to its main stars, the shop’s badly behaved till became a character in its own right. And the Carry On style humour appealed to the masses especially when Nurse Gladys used to comfort Granville in her ample breasts – something which always made Arkwright jealous.

Sir David now recalls those scenes with a chuckle: “She was so padded everywhere you couldn’t get any pleasure about being pulled into her bosoms.”

Open All Hours bowed out in 1985 after 26 episodes and even beat Corrie in the ratings. It always remained popular whenever it was repeated but fans never expected to see the corner shop again especially since Ronnie passed away in 2005 aged 76.

However, in 2012, Sir David went to the BBC head of comedy with an idea for a sequel. He says: “I always wondered what would have happened to Granville if Arkwright left the shop to him.. and the rest is history as they say.”

And in 2014, Still Open All Hours was launched with the actor reprising the role. However, the new twist was that Arkwright had died and left the shop to Granville who had turned into a miser just like his uncle and was now tormenting his errand boy son Leroy played by James Baxter.

James says: “I had the toughest role. I was nervous at the beginning but I was in very safe hands with David. He built this world, him and Ronnie and Roy so I never felt too scared. Arkwright and Granville are icons of British comedy. I will stand in that shadow. That is fine by me.”

Some characters from the original made appearances too including Lynda Baron, Stephanie Cole and Maggie Ollerenshaw. It was a huge hit and ran for six series. A seventh was planned but ended up being cancelled when the Covid-19 pandemic struck and the series was shelved for good.

Sir David – who has also starred in The Darling Buds of May, A Touch Of Frost and A Bit Of A Do – comments: “I always felt it would be nice to see how we round it all up so that we the audience would go ‘Oh that’s lovely, you know’.”

His wish is granted in the new TV special as he gets to dust down his old shopkeeper overcoat one more time as Granville for a final sketch penned by Roy Clarke. And he jokes about the script: “It might be rude. Knowing Roy Clarke it might be very rude.”

On the show’s 50 ^th anniversary he concludes: ““It’s as much as that? 50 years? Doesn’t time fly when you are having fun? I was so lucky to work with such lovely people who were so good at their job and had a wonderful sense of humour because this is what it is all about.”

* Open All Hours: Inside Out airs on U&Originals on Thursday 7 May at 8pm.

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Actress Miriam Margolyes opened up about a significant change in her relationship, after spending most of it living apart from her partner

Miriam Margolyes has revealed she’s making an “important” change to her long-standing relationship with partner Heather Sutherland. The 84-year-old and her Australian other half, who formalised their civil partnership in 2013, have spent 58 years together, though have never lived under the same roof permanently.

Miriam is based in London and Heather calls the Dutch capital of Amsterdam home, but the pair make every effort to maximise their time together.

Though their professional commitments have kept them geographically separated, the actress has now disclosed her desire for them to finally settle down as a couple.

She revealed: “I believe that but now I want to be with her, now I want us to live together. We are definitely going to.

“We were both very involved with our careers, we were both professional women, she was a professor at a university, teaching and writing and I was an actress and now I make television programmes, as a documentary maker,” she added.

“But, we are old and we won’t have much longer, it’s important to be together to relish the joy of each other’s company.”

The Call The Midwife favourite became even more effusive when describing her “overwhelmingly glorious” partner, admitting she has never tired of Heather’s presence.

During an appearance on the Comfort Eating with Grace Dent podcast, she continued: “I have never thought that she wasn’t sufficient, she is more than sufficient.

“She is overwhelmingly glorious and loveable and much cleverer than me, much, and I think that’s important.

“I don’t want to be the clever one,” the actress concluded. The pair are believed to have first crossed paths through a mutual friend while collaborating on a BBC radio drama during the 1960s.

In the following decade, they purchased a property together in Italy, where they frequently retreat and aspire to make their permanent home.

The Made Me Me star disclosed last year that she’d been dividing more of her time between countries to see Heather, though she must “come home every so often” due to visa restrictions.

Following Brexit, British citizens can stay in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa or residence permit.

“So I’m thinking I might have to become Dutch,” she told the Daily Mail. “Heather has residency in Europe because she’s lived in Amsterdam for over 50 years, but we want to be together.”

Miriam returns to television this evening with her latest BBC programme, which evolved from what was originally conceived as a podcast into a full documentary.

A film crew shadows the performer as she documents her everyday life and career, from travelling between London and Australia and reconnecting with long-time friends to taking to the stage and even experiencing a royal encounter.

Miriam Margolyes Made Me Me airs tonight at 9pm on BBC Two

The hit BBC documentary series has been branded the “best ever” by viewers

A “grisly” episode of the harrowing true crime documentary series will air tonight (Sunday, 12th April).

The shocking true crime documentary series will return with a disturbing episode tonight, but it comes with a warning.

Forensics: The Real CSI has become a firm favourite for fans of true crime, especially those that love 24 Hours in Police Custody, as it plunges viewers into real life crimes that have shocked a community.

Following West Midlands Police force, the BBC documentary series shows a real sense of urgency as detectives investigate serious crimes. However, it has a focus on the specialised officers who gather evidence that aid an investigation.

Just last month, a brand new season had returned to BBC Two, showcasing a chilling new episode every week. However, it came to an end last week, when no new episode aired – instead being replaced on the television schedule.

But fans will be pleased to know a harrowing episode will air tonight at 9pm on BBC Two. Despite being a repeat, the chilling instalment, titled Body in the Freezer, will follow police after they receive a call from staff working in a tip, who had made a grisly discovery.

A BBC synopsis reads: “West Midlands Police are called after staff working in a tip yard make a grisly discovery: a decomposing body in a freezer which has been brought in for disposal following a flat clearance.

“A forensics team attends the scene, and the body and freezer are both removed for forensic tests.

“The team must first identify the body, a process that eventually leads the police to a surprising discovery: one of the deceased’s friends has known about his death for quite some time.”

Episodes are also available to watch on BBC iPlayer, however, viewer guidance has been issued as the BBC warns: “Contains upsetting scenes.”

At the start of the episode, viewers will witness the chilling phone call made to emergency services as CCTV footage shows the harrowing moment workers made the grim discovery.

West Midlands Police crime scene co-ordinator Sonia Parkinson can heard be saying it was a “shocking” discovery, adding: “You couldn’t expect anyone to visually identify them, if one thing, it’s too horrifying for someone.”

Taking to IMDB, one reviewer said it was a “horrible, cruel crime”, adding: “What a truly sad story, a sad discovery, a sad journey, a sad outcome, and a truly shocking set of circumstances.”

Forensics: The Real CSI has been dubbed the perfect watch for fans of true crime, with one viewer previously taking to social media to say: “#ForensicsTheRealCSI Best show on tv!!”

Another branded it “Gold TV” as a third added: “I watched ‘Forensics the real CSI’ last night on BBC2 Absolutely shocking and horrific episode. Makes me never want to go out at night time alone ever again. So frightening.”

Forensics: The Real CSI airs tonight at 9pm on BBC Two.

Monty Don has gone under the knife and admits he will need to do it again in 2027 as he opens up about his future with Gardeners’ World and retirement plans

Monty Don has spoken of his “painful” recovery from a knee replacement in October that briefly slowed the Gardeners’ World host. The broadcaster and horticulturist went under the knife shortly after he turned 70 last Summer.

Looking back he says: “I was finding by the end of a day’s filming I could barely walk upstairs and I certainly couldn’t take the dogs for a walk. It was severely limiting what I was doing. I did it so I could keep on working because it was getting to the point where filming was cutting round me limping.

“However you do it, a knee replacement is horribly painful. But three months on I’m gardening again and haven’t walked with a stick for a month. Sarah says I’ve been doing far too much stuff, but it’s fine and going to plan – though it can be inexplicably painful one day and then not at all another. At some point, I’m going to have to do the other one – but only when I can fit it in, probably late 2027.”

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As well as planning his next new knee, the good news for his fans is Monty is also in discussions to continue hosting on screen Gardeners’ World until at least 2028.

Although speaking to Saga Magazine, he admits he may be closer to the end of his run than the beginning now, having been on the show since 2003, with a break between 2008 and 2011.

“I hope I’m continuing, but as I come up to the end of every contract, I seriously consider how it fits the rest of my life.” He ponders. “And each time, it’s come down fairly and squarely that I’d like to continue. But there will come a time when either they’ll say, ‘No, thanks’ or I’ll say, ‘It’s time for a change’. But neither of us, as far as I know, has reached that point yet.”

Almost all of his TV filming is done at his Herefordshire home Longmeadow, which the father-of-three shares with his wife Sarah and their two dogs; golden retriever Ned and Yorkshire terrier Patti.

“Longmeadow has a dual personality,’ admits Monty. “The compatibility between a private domestic garden for all the family and one that works for television is at best a fine line and at worst an impossible line to tread. Everything we do is heavily influenced by filming. I’m often working on the programme seven days a week and when we’re filming, it’s a place of work at every level.”

So whilst that level of work maybe ok for now, it seems there will come a time when he wants to do a bit less. Retirement completely is not on the cards though.

“I genuinely don’t know what retirement would look like. I don’t play golf or tennis, and I can’t see myself doing the crossword all day. Whenever I say to Sarah, ‘Well, thank God, I have no addictions’, she rolls her eyes and says, ‘You are completely addicted to work!’.”

Monty is also well known for being a dog lover with his faithful hounds on screen. He has lost three of his dogs in recent years – Nigel then Nellie who died in 2020 and 2023 – then Peggy who died on 24 January but thinks he is ‘good for one more at least’.

He said: “She[Peggy] was 16, very old, so while it was sad, somehow it was the right thing. She was completely deaf, 90% blind, and walking round and round in circles. So we’re down to just two dogs, Ned and Patti, the lowest number for a long time. Although I’m sure it will go up again, as there’s talk of more. I think I’m good for one more dog, at least.

“I’ve always said the deal with dogs is one of you is going to die, and with ageing it’s more likely to be you. But of course, the dog won’t care particularly, I think we completely romanticise that. They’re absolutely callous.”

* The full interview with Monty Don is in April’s Saga Magazine.

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The documentary series has been branded a must watch for fans of true crime

A harrowing BBC Two documentary will return to screens with another chilling episode that true crime fans are being urged not to miss.

Forensics: The Real CSI has returned for a brand new series plunging viewers into real life drama as it follows West Midlands Police Force, investigating serious crimes in real time.

In a race against the clock, viewers witness plenty of chaos as officers uncover horrific truths and a sense of urgency in their search for justice. The series also gives a deeper insight into the forensics work that puts together vital evidence during an investigation, with specialised officers often working with little to no evidence.

Branded the perfect watch for fans of 24 Hours in Police Custody, the BBC documentary series returned with a harrowing episode earlier this month, which viewers said left them “shocked”.

Another brutal episode is set to air tonight (March 22) at 9pm on BBC Two. A BBC synopsis reads: “In Cumbria, a 999 call comes in at 1.00: a supermarket cash machine is being broken into by a gang of thieves. They’re working at speed, using high-powered cutting equipment.

“They make their getaway before the police arrive, taking thousands of pounds. It’s the second cash machine in the county targeted in 24 hours.”

It continues: “Seventy miles away, reports of the Cumbrian raids are shared with a specialist West Midlands Police task force who have been chasing a prolific gang of organised criminals suspected of attacking cash machines around the country.

“Their method of breaking into the machines using specialist machinery known as the ‘jaws of life’ has led to them being named the JOL Gang.

“While the task force gathers intelligence in the West Midlands, Cumbria Police takes the lead on forensics. The investigation becomes more urgent when there’s a third attack in Cumbria.”

Taking to social media, one viewer described it as a “brilliant series”. Commenting on last week’s instalment, one viewer said: “Have you watched the latest The Real CSI episode 2 it’s brutal.”

A third added: “Forensics is absolutely fascinating.” One person said the new instalments had their “blood boiling”.

Previously, West Midlands Police promoted the harrowing series as one viewer commented: “I watched it last night. It was very eye opening. The forensics and camera and phone tracking and hacking were brilliant.”

Another said: “Just watched, truly disturbing.” A third added: “Best programme on the t.v, it’s scary the number of teenagers carry knives need to get them off the streets”

A fourth penned: “Easily the best programme on the tv at the moment. The work that the forensic experts do to bring a criminal to justice is unreal.”

Forensics: The Real CSI returns tonight at 9pm on BBC Two.

The brutal episode will plunge viewers into another chilling investigation

A chilling new episode of a harrowing true crime documentary will be released tonight.

Viewers are once again plunged into a race against time as Forensics: The Real CSI’s brand new series continues, giving fans an unprecedented insight into a local police force. Focusing on the forensic evidence gathered in the search for justice, the documentary, now in its sixth series, has been branded the perfect watch for fans of true crime.

Plunging viewers into complex investigations and searches within the West Midlands Police Force, another brand new episode is set to air tonight (March 15) at 9pm on BBC2 with yet another chilling case.

Tonight’s instalment will investigate a harrowing phone call where one teenage girl calls 999 to say her friend has been attacked as his life hangs in the balance.

A BBC synopsis reads: “It’s the early hours of the morning when a frantic teenage girl calls 999 to say that her friend has been attacked and stabbed in a car park. Police rush to the scene, where they find a 16-year-old boy with a life-threatening stab wound to his stomach.

“While his life hangs in the balance, the case is escalated to West Midlands Police’s homicide team, and forensic investigators get to work. They discover two discarded weapons at the scene – a kitchen knife and a machete.”

The episode will also be available to stream on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast, with other instalments also available to stream online.

Titled Ambush in the Car Park, the upcoming episode marks the third instalment within the new series, with viewers having to wait every week for new episodes to be released.

Previously, viewers have witnessed a brutal attack in a public phone box with investigators searching for evidence, as well as a young boy who was fatally stabbed on his way home from school with police suspecting a 14 year old, but needing forensic proof.

Viewers claimed the new series has broadcast the “worst” episodes yet, with one saying last week’s instalment was “absolutely shocking”.

Another described the latest series as “unbelievable” as a third said they were “speechless”. A fourth added: “Made me feel sick.”

Spanning across six seasons, the BBC documentary has been branded as the “best ever”, becoming a firm favourite amongst true crime fans.

Taking to TikTok, one true crime fan said the upcoming series was a must watch, adding: “I love this show… they’re really interesting. Some of them are quite brutal what you see.”

One person commented: “Real CSI is my most favourite programme I’ve watched every single series.” Another wrote: “Been waiting so long for a new series.” A third added: “Forensics is one of the best documentaries.”

Forensics: The Real CSI airs tonight at 9pm on BBC Two. For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website.