"the timid and eager-to-please Barrowclough. ""Porridge"" was popular and successful; it ran until 1977, with a film version being made in 1979. Wilde gained and established another role in 1976, when he took over from Michael Bates as the third member of a trio of old men in the BBC sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"". The character, Walter ""Foggy"" Dewhurst, was a determined ex-army man who planned the group's misadventures with military precision and a painstaking eye for detail. Wilde saw the long-running series gather momentum and continue its success; he stayed with the series for nine years, before"
"the long-running British sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Owen's character is a scruffy working-class pensioner, often exploited by the bossy characters played by Michael Bates, Brian Wilde, Michael Aldridge and Frank Thornton for dirty jobs, stunts and escapades, while their indomitably docile friend Norman Clegg, played by Peter Sallis, follows and watches with a smirk. He wore a woollen hat and spent much of his time lusting after dowdy housewife Nora Batty. As Compo, Owen saw off several co-stars. The series, starting in 1973 and finishing in 2010, is today the world's longest-running comedy series. Owen became an icon,"
"Wine"" too. Brian Wilde, who played the final Bloody Delilah, played Walter Foggy Dewhurst in the programme. John Comer who played Sid in the programme, once played a policeman in ""The Dustbinmen"" and Trevor Bannister has a recurring role as the golf club captain Toby Mulberry Smith. Also, Trevor Bannistor would later appear (1972-1979) in the classic Perry & Croft sitcom Are You Being Served?. In 1988 Brian Wilde starred with Trevor Bannister in the BBC1 show ""Wyatt's Watchdogs,"" a short-lived sitcom about bickering neighbours trying to run a Neighbourhood Watch scheme. In 2005 the sole surviving material was released"
"a production of ""The Pirates Of Penzance"" at the ""London Palladium"" which starred ""Paul Nicholas"" as the Pirate King and ""Bonnie Langford"". In 1997 he took the role of Herbert ""Truly"" Truelove in ""Last of the Summer Wine"", replacing Brian Wilde, who had suggested him for the role. He can also be seen in the film ""Gosford Park"" (2001) as Mr Burkett. Thornton was the subject of ""This Is Your Life"" in 1998, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at Pinewood Studios. Thornton died from natural causes peacefully in his sleep at his home in Barnes, London, on 16"
"Summer Wine"" in 1990. The show was set in the fictional commuter village of Bradly Bush although actually filmed on location in Claygate, Surrey, England. Retired soldier Major John Wyatt (Brian Wilde) is spurred into action after his sister Edwina’s (Anne Ridler) home is burgled in broad daylight. Ignoring correct police procedures, he forms his own Neighbourhood Watch group of incompetents and patrols the streets in his Range Rover known locally as the ‘Dogmobile’. The Watch members are a hopeless bunch drawn together to fight crime, and bungling and personality clashes are highly evident. Brian Wilde as Major Wyatt clashes"
"and at times of day dedicated to children's programming. The three individual films were in fact part of a longer 10-minute film shown in schools to highlight the dangers of electricity. The film was hosted by two animated characters, a Wise Owl voiced by actor Brian Wilde, famous for his roles in ""Last of the Summer Wine"" and ""Porridge"", who indoctrinates a younger bird, a robin, voiced by Bernard Cribbins, in electrical dangers and then shows the three films as demonstration of the hazards described. The inclusion of these animated characters provided a reassuring presence to younger children who would"
"episodes from series seventeen and the 30th anniversary documentary. A 2008 release named ""Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1976"" focuses on the third series of the show and includes bonus interviews with Peter Sallis, Brian Wilde, and Frank Thornton. Subsequently, every episode from the third to the twenty-seventh series has been released on DVD in ""Vintage"" collections, many including special features and interviews. A spin-off prequel show, ""First of the Summer Wine"", premiered on BBC1 in 1988. The new programme was written by Roy Clarke and used different actors to follow the activities of the principal characters from ""Last"
"film ""Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise"". In 2007 he played Frank Nicholls in Coronation Street having previously appeared in the series in the guise of a different character; that of Les Battersby's mate, Charlie West. He won a Sony Radio Award in 1993 for his portrayal of the Lancashire comedian Frank Randle in the play ""Randle's Scandals"". Children Danny Clifford, Adam Clifford, Rebecca Clifford, Rachel Clifford. Keith Clifford Keith Clifford (born 20 June 1938 in Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire) is a British actor best known for his role as Billy Hardcastle in Last of the Summer Wine between 1999"
"Last of the Summer Wine (series 30) Last of the Summer Wine's 30th series originally aired 19 April 2009. All eleven episodes in series 30 were 30 minutes in length. A New Years Special aired on 31 December 2008. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and directed by Alan J. W. Bell. This series is notable for forming a new trio composed of Alvin, Entwistle and Hobbo, who was introduced in the New Years Special. Peter Sallis (Clegg) and Frank Thornton (Truly) are now demoted to secondary characters, filmed only in studio scenes due to the cost"
"used for the final two instalments of the show. This group consisted of Russ Abbot as a former milkman who fancied himself a secret agent, Luther ""Hobbo"" Hobdyke, Burt Kwouk as the electrical repairman, ""Electrical"" Entwistle, and Murphy as Alvin Smedley. Sallis and Thornton, both past members of the trio, continued in supporting roles alongside the new actors. Although many feel the show's quality declined over the years, ""Last of the Summer Wine"" continued to receive large audiences for the BBC and was praised for its positive portrayal of older people and family-friendly humour. Many members of the Royal Family"
"Dennis Tanner, played by Philip Lowrie, to take over his job. Robert Fyfe Robert Fyfe is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as Howard in the long-running British sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"" from 1985 to 2010. He was born in Alloa, Scotland. He appeared in the movies ""Xtro"", ""The 51st State"", ""Around the World in 80 Days, Gaolbreak"" and ""Babel"". In 2012 he appeared in ""Cloud Atlas"". Other credits include guest appearances on ""Z-Cars"", ""Survivors"", ""The Gentle Touch"", ""The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes"" and ""Monarch of the Glen"". Fyfe appeared as Malcolm Lagg, a lollipop man,"
"Bill Owen (actor) William John Owen Rowbotham, (14 March 1914 – 12 July 1999), known professionally as Bill Owen, was an English actor and songwriter. He was the father of actor Tom Owen. He is best known for portraying Compo Simmonite in the Yorkshire based BBC comedy series Last of the Summer Wine for 27 years. He died in July 1999, his last appearance on-screen being shown in April 2000. Born in London, Owen made his first film appearance in 1944, but did not achieve lasting fame until 1973, when he took the starring role of William ""Compo"" Simmonite in"
"included in his character's narrative. After several departures and comebacks, Barraclough finally left ""Coronation Street"" at the end of 1998. Barraclough was later to appear in a sitcom, ""Mother's Ruin"" (1994), in which he played a bachelor dominated by his belligerent mother (Dora Bryan). He made a guest appearance in ""Last of the Summer Wine"" (""Has Anyone Seen A Peruvian Wart? 2005), playing opposite both Bryan and his friend Kathy Staff and appeared in a variety of TV shows including ""Casualty"" (1999), ""Peak Practice"" (1994, 2001), ""Funland"" (2005) and the 1993 series of The Krypton Factor, in which he played"
"Rotten Cheater"" for the BBC. Twenty shows were recorded in May at the Maidstone Studios in Kent. Conley presented the Midweek Lottery show on BBC One in 2008. On 24 April 2008, Brian took over from ill presenter Paul O'Grady on ""The Paul O'Grady Show"" on Channel 4, where he starred once again as 'Dangerous Brian' and he contested against 'Nearly Dangerous Joyce'. Larry the Loafer also made an appearance. On 22 June 2008, Brian performed a cameo role in ""Last of the Summer Wine"" as ""Boothroyd"", Barry's fitness mad neighbour. Brian appeared as part of Team Ant on ""Ant"
"Wharmby, Thora Hird, Jean Alexander, Stephen Lewis, Dora Bryan, Keith Clifford, Brian Murphy, Josephine Tewson, June Whitfield, Barbara Young, and Trevor Bannister. Other noted guests on the programme included John Cleese, Ron Moody, Sir Norman Wisdom, Eric Sykes, Liz Fraser, Stanley Lebor, and Philip Jackson. ""Last of the Summer Wine"" focused on a trio of older men and their youthful antics. The original trio consisted of Compo Simmonite, Norman Clegg, and Cyril Blamire. Blamire left in 1976, when Michael Bates fell ill shortly before filming of the third series, requiring Clarke to hastily rewrite the series with a new third"
"regular character starting in ""Uncle of the Bride"". The increasingly large cast ensured a sense of continuity with the changing configuration of the trio, especially following the death of Bill Owen. When Alan J. W. Bell took over as producer, the plots of ""Last of the Summer Wine"" moved away from the original dialogue-packed scenes in the pub and the library; guest actors were brought in to interact with the trio in new situations. Although many of these guest appearances lasted for only one episode, some led to a permanent role on the show, as in the cases of Gordon"
"Last of the Summer Wine (series 25) Last of the Summer Wine's twenty-fifth series aired on BBC1. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell. The trio in this series consisted of: Louis Emerick takes over from Tony Capstick as the 2nd Policeman following the latter's death a year before. The former previously played the role twice in the late 1980s. Christmas Special (2003) Regular series The box set for series twenty five was released by Universal Playback in September 2014, mislabelled as a box set for series 25 &"
"Murphy reprised his role in feature films of both sitcoms. Joyce died in 1980, and ""George and Mildred"" was cancelled. Another sitcom was created for Murphy with him in the title role in ""The Incredible Mr. Tanner"" along with ""Man About The House"" and ""George and Mildred"" co-star Roy Kinnear, but the show failed to gain popularity. Murphy has continued to appear regularly on television, most notably as ""Alvin Smedley"" in ""Last of the Summer Wine"" from 2003 to 2010, and also with roles in ""On Your Way, Riley"" (1985) as Arthur Lucan, ""Lame Ducks"" (as a private investigator); ""The"
"married Margaret M. J. Chisholm. They had three children: Rupert (who also went on to become an actor); Camilla; and Jolyon. Bates was a supporter of the Conservative Party; Peter Sallis claimed that Bates' right-wing opinions contrasted so much with the left-wing views of fellow ""Last of the Summer Wine"" star Bill Owen that the series almost was not made because of their arguments. Bates died of cancer on 11 January 1978 in Chelsea, London, aged 57. Michael Bates (actor) Michael Hammond Bates (4 December 1920 – 11 January 1978) was an Anglo-Indian actor. He was best known for playing"
"Brian Murphy (actor) Brian Trevor John Murphy (born 25 September 1932) is an English actor and comedian, best known as the henpecked husband George Roper in the popular sitcom ""Man About the House"" and its spin-off series ""George and Mildred"", and as Alvin Smedley in ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Murphy was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight, the son of Gerald, a grocer's assistant and Mabel Murphy, both of whom later became restaurateurs. His two brothers Ken and Eric were killed during active service in the Second World War. He was called up to do his national service at"
"""Last of the Summer Wine"". becoming a regular in the 30th series in 2009, finally receiving a name (“Toby Mulbery-Smith”), moving next door to Barry and Glenda (Mike Grady and Sarah Thomas) and befriending Morton (Christopher Beeny). Although Bannister appeared in a few films including ""Reach for the Sky"" (1956), ""Au Pair Girls"" (1972) and the 1977 film version of ""Are You Being Served?"", he worked mostly in the theatre, with credits including ""Billy Liar"" and the farce ""Move Over, Mrs Markham"". Bannister also performed in Shakespeare and was a regular in pantomime for more than 35 years, nearly always"
"Louis Emerick Louis Emerick Grant is a British TV actor, born in the Toxteth area of Liverpool to a Liberian father and British mother. He is the youngest of ten children. He is best known for his portrayal of Mick Johnson in the soap opera ""Brookside"". He also played PC Walsh in 55 episodes of ""Last of the Summer Wine"" (1988, 1989, and 2004–2010). More recently, Emerick has also had roles in ""Casualty"", ""New Tricks"", ""The Bill"", ""Benidorm"" ""Waterloo Road"", and ""Coronation Street"". He has appeared in films such as ""Layer Cake"". He came third in the 2008 series of"
"Keith Clifford Keith Clifford (born 20 June 1938 in Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire) is a British actor best known for his role as Billy Hardcastle in Last of the Summer Wine between 1999 and 2006. He played Billy Hardcastle on the British sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"" from 1999 until he decided to leave the series following the 27th series of 2006. (Billy was a comedy character who believed he was a direct descendant of Robin Hood.) He also made guest appearances on ""Heartbeat"", ""Dalziel and Pascoe"" and an episode of ""Cold Feet"", and appeared in the TV"
"Last of the Summer Wine (series 9) Last of the Summer Wine's ninth series originally aired on BBC1 between 1 January 1986 and 27 December 1987. All episodes from this series were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell. The ninth series was released on DVD in region 2 as a box set on 5 May 2008. The trio in this series consisted of: Seymour (1986–1990) Edie (1986–2003) Barry (1986-1990, 1996–2010) Glenda (1986–2010) Eli (1987–2002) PC Walsh (1986–2010) (aka Second Policeman) Wally Batty (1975, 1976–1987) ""Crusher"" Milburn (1984–1987) New Year Special (1986) Christmas Special"
"Britain's longest-running television sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"" in 1997. He has played two different characters in ""Coronation Street"". Between 1980 and 1983, he occasionally appeared as Johnny Webb, one of the men on Eddie Yeats' bin round. In 2001, he returned for several months as Stan Wagstaff, a friend of Jimmy Kelly, who left his allotment to Jack Duckworth. Together with his brother Ernie, Stan let Jack in on Jimmy's big secret—he used his allotment shed to brew poteen. He also starred in Vince Powell’s eight-part BBC Radio 2 slice-of-life sitcom ""A Proper Charlie"" in 1985, as factory"
"been released on DVD. Wyatt's Watchdogs Wyatt's Watchdogs is a 30-minute BBC1 situation comedy that starred Brian Wilde and Trevor Bannister. Created and written by Miles Tredinnick, the six-episode series was transmitted in the autumn of 1988. Alan J. W. Bell directed and the music was composed by Ronnie Hazlehurst. The series was primarily devised as a vehicle for Wilde after he had left the cast of ""Last of the Summer Wine"" three years prior. Although initially getting passable ratings, the BBC felt that the sitcom had not really caught on, and it was dropped after one series; Wilde returned"
"sitcom ""Yes, Prime Minister"" amongst numerous other appearances. In 1980 he played the role of Matthew Radlett, Lord Alconleigh, in the TV miniseries ""Love in a Cold Climate"" - Simon Raven's adaptation of the Nancy Mitford novels ""Love in a Cold Climate"" and the ""Pursuit of Love"" for Thames Television. Between 1986 and 1990, he starred as Seymour Utterthwaite in ""Last of the Summer Wine"". The character was an ex-headmaster and inventor, designed to replace the Foggy Dewhurst character played by Brian Wilde, who had left the series. However, Aldridge wanted to retire to nurse his sick wife, and this"
"Tom Owen (actor) Thomas William Stevenson Rowbotham (born 8 April 1949), also known as Tom Owen, is a British actor best known for playing Tom Simmonite in the world's longest-running sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"". He is the son of Bill Owen, who played William ""Compo"" Simmonite (the father of Tom Simmonite) in the show. He married Mary Bernadette Therese Moylan in 1978; they have two sons, James and William. Tom Owen trained as a student assistant stage manager at Leatherhead Theatre in 1966. He made his television debut in 1968 playing Bill Cowan in Southern TV's groundbreaking series"
"long-term fan of Summer Wine Kriss Akabusi makes a guest appearance as a disgruntled milkman. 30 years of Last of The Summer Wine by Morris Bright & Robert Ross There Goes the Groom ""There Goes The Groom"" is a 1997 Christmas special of the BBC sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"" first shown on 28 December 1997. It was the first to feature Frank Thornton as new third man leader Herbert ""Truly of the Yard"" Truelove, the episode also marked the final appearance of Foggy. The Trio in this episode was Compo (Bill Owen), Clegg (Peter Sallis) and Truly (Frank"
"Burt Kwouk Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk, OBE (; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor, known for his role as Cato in the ""Pink Panther"" films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army Major Yamauchi in the British drama series ""Tenko"" and as Entwistle in ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Kwouk was born in Warrington, Lancashire, but was brought up in Shanghai. Between the ages of 12 and 16 he attended the Jesuit Mission School there, which he described as ""the Far East equivalent of Eton"". He left China"
"Robert Fyfe Robert Fyfe is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as Howard in the long-running British sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"" from 1985 to 2010. He was born in Alloa, Scotland. He appeared in the movies ""Xtro"", ""The 51st State"", ""Around the World in 80 Days, Gaolbreak"" and ""Babel"". In 2012 he appeared in ""Cloud Atlas"". Other credits include guest appearances on ""Z-Cars"", ""Survivors"", ""The Gentle Touch"", ""The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes"" and ""Monarch of the Glen"". Fyfe appeared as Malcolm Lagg, a lollipop man, in ""Coronation Street"" in December 2012. His character was seen training"
"Marie Curie Hospice in Hampstead, of cancer. He was surrounded by his wife and family. Burt Kwouk Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk, OBE (; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor, known for his role as Cato in the ""Pink Panther"" films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army Major Yamauchi in the British drama series ""Tenko"" and as Entwistle in ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Kwouk was born in Warrington, Lancashire, but was brought up in Shanghai. Between the ages of 12 and 16 he attended the Jesuit Mission"
"Joe Gladwin Joseph Gladwin (22 January 1906 – 11 March 1987) was an English actor, best known in his roles as Fred Jackson in Coronation Street and Wally Batty in the world's longest-running sitcom, ""Last of the Summer Wine"" (1975, 1976–87). Gladwin was born at 44 Tatton Street in the Ordsall district of Salford, Lancashire, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (née Dooley) Gladwin. His father was a coal dealer. Gladwin was baptised on 28 January 1906 at Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church, Ordsall, and educated at the parish school. He married Lily Anne Wynne on 30 December 1933 at"