Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6190 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-31
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 12

DVD Description
The Ronnie Barker Boxset contains: Open All Hours : Series 1-4; Porridge : Series 1-3 & Christmas Specials; Going Straight; Clarence; Seven Of One; The Magnificent Evans

Total running time is 2055 mins.

Synopsis
Featuring: 'Seven Of One', 'Porridge', 'Going Straight', 'Open All Hours', 'Clarence' and 'The Magnificent Evans' which features the 'Genius, Photographer And Man' Of Letters' Plantagenet Evans who lives in a Welsh village called Llantisiliant and deals in antiques. His Fiancee Rachel works along side him as his assistant and keeps him from harm when his wandering hands wander just that little too far...

Customer Reviews

FANTASTIC!!!!!
There really is not anything else I can say that hasnt been said already about what this boxset consists of. However there are a few points I would like point out. Firstly - this does not include the porridge movie so you would have to purchase that seperately, this shouldnt put you off as the set works out far cheaper to buy than to purchase all of the series seperately. Amazon is also the cheapest anywhere for this set at the time of writing. You must buy this set, it has provided me with hours worth of enjoyment.

Ronnie as Clarence & Arkwright is superb!!
An excellent collection. I've been a Ronnie Barker fan for years and jumped at the chance to buy this set.

I remember Open All Hours from when it was originally shown on Australian TV. Ronnie makes stuttering Arkwright one of the best comedy characters ever seen on TV. A very young David Jason proved the perfect foil for Ronnie's penny-pinching Arkwright. Brief aside here - why does a lot of David's early work (Porridge, Doctor In The House) entail him portraying old men? Strange that!

I've never been a fan of Porridge, but found I really enjoyed Going Straight (which I could not remember seeing on TV). Fletcher having to cope with life on the outside made him an even funnier character than that portrayed in Porridge. A very young Nicholas Lyndhurst was an added bonus.

Clarence was sublime!! I've been after this series for years. Ronnie and Josephine Tewson really sparked together. Pity only one series was ever made. This series alone was almost worth the purchase price of the whole set.

I enjoyed The Magnificent Evans and Seven Of One but unfortunately they could not compete with the brilliance of OAH and Clarence.

These comedies walk all over American comedies. The Brits (especially Ronnie) do it best!!

So where's the complete Two Ronnies set? I cannot believe one of the best comedy series ever made has not yet been released on DVD!!!! Series one release is NOT enough!

Worth it for Fletcher
Seven Of One: This must be a show to go down in history, purely because it sparked Porridge and Open All Hours. Effectively a series of 7 pilots, with possibilities for further series with each episode, Ronnie plays 7 completely different characters with perfect ease.

Porridge: Clearly one of the greatest comedies of all time. Fletcher captured our hearts with Ronnie Barker's terrific acting abilities, and his talent for bringing a monotonous situation to life. Excellent writing, excellent acting, excellent direction. Excellent.

Going Straight: Oft overlooked, I find this to be almost on a par with Porridge; it is to me a fourth series of Porridge, just in a different setting. Richard Beckinsale heads up a spectacular backing cast for Ronnie, who gives his level best again.

Open All Hours: Ronnie's second most famous piece, discounting the Two Ronnies, I have never liked this anywhere near as much as Porridge, but the shop holds some truly fabulous moments, characters, and catchphrases.

The Magnificent Evans: He's Welsh now, and he slips into this new role with perfect ease, and it's hard to believe he could be so different to Fletcher and Arkwright.

Clarence: Now he's blind. Not as funny as it might have been, but some moments in Episode 4 will surely have you rolling about with laughter.

What's missing? Not a lot. I would've liked to see the "Ronnie Barker Yearbook", one of the shows which began his path to glory, and I would have liked to see that "Fletcher: Beyond The Box" thing from a couple of years ago, where some reporters visit the characters from Porridge and see what they made of their lives. There's one brilliant moment when the illiterate Warren is being interviewed while painting a "SCHOOL-NO STOPPING" sign on the road. He seems a bit worried, and calls off to say "How many Os are there in school?" He gets the reply "Two", says "Oh, that's a relief", and the camera pans down to see "SKOOL-NO STOPPING".

Anyway, here's hoping they do a comprehensive Two Ronnies Boxset soon.