BBC says Still Open All Hours discussions are 'ongoing'

The BBC has insisted \'Still Open All Hours\' could return for another series.

There had been some speculation regarding the future of the sitcom spin-off, which stars Sir David Jason as shopkeeper Granville in a follow-up to the classic comedy.

A Beeb spokesperson told RadioTimes.com: "Discussions on future episodes are ongoing.

"The safety and wellbeing of all those involved in \'Still Open All Hours\' is our number one priority, and we have been unable to film this year due to COVID-19."

The original programme starred the late, great Ronnie Barker as shopkeeper Arkwright and aired for four series from 1973 to 1985, before making a comeback in 2013.

Last year, David opened up on the reasons fans are still so passionate about the long running show.

Speaking just before the sixth season aired, he said: "It\'s just escapism. It\'s a vehicle to make people laugh, that\'s all it is.

"There\'s a lot of people fed up with the constant grind, and the dramas getting heavier and heavier."

Earlier this year, the 80-year-old veteran hit out at television bosses for ruining modern comedy with trailers.

He claimed: "You cannot watch the television without them spoiling the story about what\'s coming up, it annoys me intensely.

"The problem with today\'s values is that the people who promote the shows would reveal that in the trailers, what\'s coming up next week.

"You lose that wonderful explosion of laughter when it comes all at once as a surprise."

The \'Only Fools And Horses\' star also heaped praise on the iconic sitcom\'s writer John Sullivan - who sadly died aged 64 in 2011 - for the way he took viewers and the cast on a "journey".

He explained: "John held [the punchlines] back so none of us knew what was going to happen until that last moment.

"He held that until the last minute and it was a wonderful relief, a realisation and a big laugh.

"Nothing would surprise me that John could twist in his mind and put on paper, he could make it happen.

"The stories that he invented for us to portray, some of them were just so bizarre, there were so many, but it\'s all about the journey that he takes us on."