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Arkwright sign to be auctioned

The sign from Ronnie Barker’s shop in Open All Hours is to be put up for auction.

The BBC took over a Doncaster hairdresser’s for the sitcom’s exterior scenes in the Seventies.

But now its owner Helen Ibbotson, 75, has dusted off the fascia for Arkwright’s store and plans to sell it on the internet.

She said: ‘There must be people who collect TV memorabilia who would love the sign.’

As well as the sign, the BBC also gave her a script from the show and she also has photos taken during filming, which she plans to sell, too.

‘I went on a nice holiday with the money the BBC paid me for taking over the shop,’ she said. ‘But now I'm retired I need to look after my assets.’

The hairdresser’s, in the Balby district of the town, is now run by Helen’s daughter, Lisa Taylor.

But the building could be knocked down as part of a redevelopment plan proposed by Doncaster Council.

Published: 11 Oct 2006

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