10 Reasons Why Open All Hours Is Fantastically Funny

3. Fingers In The Till

Open All Hours' most beloved running gag is that pesky till. On those rare occasions when Arkwright makes a sale the thought of putting hard-earned money away fills Granville with a sense of dread.

And he has good reason to worry that he might lose a finger or two in the grasping jaws of the till. Granville gets caught in one episode by the "dangler" when his cocoa tin lid medallion becomes trapped because of the vicious spring clip. But we the viewing public do not recoil in horror at this unlikely device of doom €“ far from it! Arkwright's till is not only the ultimate sitcom prop, but serves as an apt allegory for the greedy, money-grabbing nature of the main character. The till helps to generate tension in an otherwise steady situation. When that is relieved by physical humour or a one-liner resulting from it snapping shut, we can't help but belt out laughter. "You could lose most of your basic equipment standing right here," is one of Arkwright's double entendre observations about his altar of avarice. When our leading man makes a rare trip out with Nurse Gladys he takes a money belt with him and that too is a painful experience.