I know Wikipedia isn't reliable and anyone can edit anything, but on the page, apparently there was meant to be a spin-off during the 1980s with Nurse Gladys and her patients, apparently Roy Clarke wrote a pilot, but it never went through and made the 4th series instead. It's on the Wikipedia page of Open All Hours. Can anyone confirm if this is true or not? Like I said before, someone could have made it up.
The only mention in the book "Still Open All Hours" (not specifically relating to the later tv series), written by Graham McCann & published by BBC Books in 2014 regarding a written but not filmed special or pilot in the mid-80s is in chapter 13:
"In 1984, when Roy Clarke was commissioned to writh the 4th series of Open All Hours, he was commissioned to write either a tv special or film that was meant to follow soon after it. In a letter to Clarke's agent dated 1 November 1984, it was confirmed that the BBC wanted a 75 minute film of Last of the Summer Wine for delivery after March 1985 and a 75 minute film/special of Open All Hours for delivery in September next year and to be made in February or March the following year (1986).
The Last of the Summer Wine project went straight ahead and duly reached the screen on New Year's Day 1986, a 90 minute special entitled 'Uncle of the Bride'. The Open All Hours film, however, failed ever to materialise.
There is not any formal explanation that has survived the BBC archives and the memories of most of those involved are now blank on the subject. 'I'd actually forgotten all about that', Roy Clarke would later confess. 'It didn't come to fruition obviously but I can't remember why. I'd forgotten it was even initiated."
The author goes on to speculate that it could have not come to fruition because Ronnie Barker was discreetly beginning to wind down his career or because David Jason may have been too busy to sign up for the project.
Thanks for that, sounds interesting.
Would have been amazing to see a feature length film of Open All Hours. Maybe Arkwright and Glady's Wedding maybe? Or the film being about a rival shop opening on the same street or something and Arkwright having to compete and get customers in. Some interesting ideas, on a how a film could have been made with Open All Hours.
