Ep 5. Beware of the Dog

In this episode of Open All Hours, titled "Beware of the Dog," the audience returns to Arkwright's corner shop, where the proprietor, Arkwright, and his nephew and assistant, Granville, are up to their usual antics.

The episode revolves around Arkwright's plan to outsmart the local grocer competition by selling a valuable item that he was able to obtain. When he tells Granville about his new acquisition, he tells him to be very careful with it, as it's worth over £100. Because of the potential importance of the item, Arkwright decides that they should set up an armored display case to store it in.

However, the shop's dog, which had previously been no trouble to anyone, has become increasingly protective of the shop, and Arkwright worries that it could destroy the new display case, which would not only ruin the shop's chances of selling the valuable item, but also end up costing them a lot of money. So, he comes up with an idea to get the dog out of the shop for the day by loaning it out to a local hardware store.

Meanwhile, Granville is having troubles of his own, as he's still trying to impress his love interest, Nurse Gladys Emmanuel. He's spent the day running errands for her under the guise of being a health food enthusiast, and has to keep going back and forth to the shop to retrieve forgotten items. As the day goes on, he realizes that he's been roped into running errands for her co-worker as well, making him more and more exhausted.

Throughout the episode, the audience sees the regular customers that frequent the shop, including a nosy elderly woman who has a close eye on Granville's love life. They also see the dynamics between Arkwright and Granville, who have a father-son-like relationship, as well as the tension between Arkwright and his customers, who often get short shrift when they ask for his assistance with their purchases.

As the day goes on, the situation with the dog becomes more dire. Arkwright takes an extended lunch break, assuming that the loan of the dog will keep it out of the shop for the day, but when he returns, he finds that the dog-led cavalry has arrived – a group of customers that can't be served because the dog has taken up residence in front of the cash register and won't move.

Granville, meanwhile, is at the end of his rope, completely exhausted from running errands all day. Nurse Gladys Emmanuel finally shows up at the shop, ready to collect her order, but Granville is too tired to even try to impress her anymore. She makes a couple of comments about how he looks tired and then makes her way out, leaving Granville to his own devices.

When Arkwright returns and finds that the dog has taken over his shop, he loses his temper and grabs a stick to threaten him. However, the stick is quickly snatched away by his elderly female customer, who tells him off for his cruel behavior. Arkwright is left standing in the middle of his ruined shop, with no other recourse than to try to fix it, but he finds himself too angry and frustrated to be of any use.

In the end, Arkwright and Granville are left exhausted and defeated, with no valuable items sold, no satisfied customers, and a shop in shambles. The episode ends on a slightly comedic note, with the dog being returned to their shop after destroying the hardware store, leaving Arkwright to lament - "Beware of the dog? I wish it had said 'beware of the owner'!"