Your Saturday night just changed: 50 years on, David Jason returns for one last 90-minute goodbye

A corner shop tale is back on the ledger, promising warm laughs, familiar faces and a bittersweet nod to time.

Half a century after a humble pilot charmed the nation, a new television special will bring viewers back to a cramped counter, a creaking till and a world of neighbourly gossip. The celebration is set to reunite audiences with Sir David Jason as Grocer Granville for a closing chapter that aims to be as cosy as it is momentous.

A farewell stocked with memory and mischief

Sir David Jason will reprise Granville one final time in a feature-length retrospective titled Open All Hours: Inside Out, scheduled to air on U&Gold in 2026. The 90-minute programme will blend fresh moments with rare archive, culminating in a new short scene written by original creator Roy Clarke. The story takes Granville back to Doncaster, where the corner shop that framed decades of British comedy faces its last day of trading.

Producers plan an affectionate, unhurried look through the shop window. Expect shelves lined with memories, gentle gags, and the nimble timing that made the series a staple across generations. The team promises behind-the-scenes footage, restored clips and personal recollections from cast and crew. For Jason, now 85, it’s a return to the role he first took on in the 1970s, and later carried forward in the revival that put Granville behind the counter for good.

The special marks a 50-year arc: from the 1973 pilot to a 2026 goodbye, with one last new scene from Roy Clarke.

That through-line gives the tribute unusual heft. It traces how a small-shop comedy travelled through three eras of British television, survived the loss of a towering co-star, and found fresh life in a changed high street.

What viewers will see

• One final appearance by Sir David Jason as Granville in Doncaster
• A 90-minute feature on U&Gold, with broadcast planned for 2026
• Exclusive behind-the-scenes material from both original and revival runs
• A newly written short scene by Roy Clarke
• Personal reflections from key contributors across five decades

Corner-shop wit, clockwork wordplay and gentle character comedy return for a curtain call crafted for Saturday-night comfort.

Why it matters to you

Open All Hours never relied on spectacle. It thrived on the small stuff: the tap of coins, the rattle of a bicycle bell, the dance between customer and counter. That rhythm soothed Britain through power cuts, recessions and three-day weeks, then charmed a new audience during streaming’s rise. For many, Granville’s shop feels like a neighbour. This farewell gives viewers the chance to say goodbye properly, with the warmth and modest pride the series always carried.

It also lands at a time when high streets fight for breath. A closing scene in a family-run shop speaks to more than television nostalgia. It nods to the daily reality of independent traders who anchor communities with fair prices, trusted credit and a kind word on cold mornings.

The road to this moment

Ronnie Barker’s Arkwright set the tone: frugal, tender and mischievous. Jason’s Granville added an eye-roll and a dreamer’s heart. After Barker’s death, the revival retooled the pairing, nudging Granville into reluctant shopkeeper while keeping the street-corner pulse intact. Roy Clarke’s pen linked each phase, favouring wordplay over wallop and patience over flash.

Health, age and timing

Jason has spoken candidly about recent health challenges, including a severe bout of Covid that left him temporarily weak-limbed during recovery. He has eased work back into his life with care. This project reflects that balance: a single, carefully framed special rather than a full series. It lets him return to a role that made him a household name while setting a clear end-point that respects his wellbeing.

Fans who grew up with his turns in Only Fools and Horses, A Touch of Frost and The Darling Buds of May will recognise the instinct for a neat final note. Leaving the counter on his own terms fits that tradition.

How and when to watch

U&Gold, part of the U family of channels, is set to carry the special in 2026. Scheduling will be confirmed closer to broadcast, with a repeat window expected. Viewers who rely on catch-up should look for updated listings once the slot is announced. Expect a weekend premiere and a primetime window, given the 90-minute runtime and cross-generational pull.

Before then, fans can revisit earlier runs across regular daytime rotations and seasonal marathons. That rewatch can help spot the quiet craftsmanship that often slips by on first airing: the cutaway glances, the peppered signage gags, the rhythm of the till.

What made it work for 50 years

The series drew strength from scarcity. Few sets. Few camera moves. Plenty of character beats. Granville’s thwarted ambition met Arkwright’s thrift, and every exchange shed light on community ties that never quite fray. Prices mattered. So did trust. It’s why the humour stays fresh: the jokes spring from human tics, not topical references that age overnight.

Roy Clarke writes to the ear. He builds a scene from a word repeated, a consonant tripped, a sentence that swerves at the last beat. That style stitched Open All Hours to Last of the Summer Wine without blurring their identities. You feel the same affection for ordinary lives, delivered with patience and a sharp wink.

Small-screen nostalgia, practical takeaways

• Rewatch early episodes to catch how Granville’s confidence grows, scene by scene.
• Try a family “price book” for a week; track spending like a corner shop and compare to your estimate.
• Spot Roy Clarke’s patterns: repetition for rhythm, and a twist in the final line of a scene.
• If you run a small business, study Arkwright’s customer rapport; the humour hides a masterclass in retention.

What to expect from the new scene

Don’t look for spectacle. Look for a gentle pivot. Clarke is likely to give Granville a choice that feels modest on paper and enormous in practice. A sign taken down. A key handed over. A promise kept. The best endings in classic British comedy feel earned because they arrive at walking pace. This one aims for that stride.

For households planning a viewing, set time aside rather than drifting in from the kettle. The detail rewards attention. Listen for background murmur in the shop doorway. Watch how the camera lingers on everyday objects—a ledger, a bell, a faded poster—as if each carries its own farewell.

If you want to go further, pair the special with an earlier Christmas episode of Still Open All Hours to spot how the revival framed community during tighter economic times. Then contrast with a late-series episode from the 1980s, where shortages and thrift wore different clothes. The comparison shows how the same jokes bend with circumstance without snapping.

And if you’re curious about the risks and rewards of a final return, think of recent British comedies that drew a line with care. A closing chapter can feel tidy rather than sentimental when it honours the core joke and lets characters keep their dignity. That is the promise here: a proper goodbye, counted out like change on a well-worn counter.