"Mildred"", where he played the hen-pecked husband to a strong-willed woman. In 2008, the BBC announced that Russ Abbot would join the cast in series 30 as a relatively youthful actor. Abbot was cast to allow Sallis and Thornton to reduce their role on the show to indoor scenes only. Abbot portrayed Luther ""Hobbo"" Hobdyke, who formed a new trio with Entwistle and Alvin. Entwistle, played by Burt Kwouk, had been a supporting character brought in to replace Wesley Pegden after the death of actor Gordon Wharmby, but his role on the show steadily increased in the previous two series."
"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,"
"London Palladium and Fagin in ""Oliver!"" both in 1998 and 2009. From July 2007, he took over the role of Roger De Bris in the UK tour of ""Mel Brooks' The Producers"". In 2008, Abbot appeared as the Tin Man in the stage production of ""The Wizard of Oz"" at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton. In 2008, the BBC announced that Abbot would be joining the cast of ""Last of the Summer Wine"" for the show's 30th series. He played Luther 'Hobbo' Hobdyke, who was the leader of a group consisting also of Entwistle, played by Burt Kwouk and Alvin, played"
"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"
"Brian Wilde Brian George Wilde (13 June 1927 – 20 March 2008) was an English actor, best known for his roles in television comedy, including Mr Barrowclough in ""Porridge"" and ""Foggy"" Dewhurst in ""Last of the Summer Wine"". His lugubrious world-weary face was a staple of British television for forty years. Though born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, Wilde was brought up in Devon and Hertfordshire and attended Hertford Grammar School. He trained as an actor at RADA. He had an early uncredited role as a small-time crook in the 1954 film ""Forbidden Cargo"", starring Jack Warner and Nigel Patrick, and a"
"bread and jam. At the time of his death, he was living in Greenwich, London. Michael Aldridge Michael William ffolliott Aldridge (9 September 1920 – 10 January 1994) was an English actor. He was known for playing Seymour in the television series ""Last of the Summer Wine"" from 1986 to 1990 and he had a long career as a character actor on stage and screen dating back to the 1930s. The son of Dr Frederick James Aldridge and his wife Kathleen Michaela Marietta White, Aldridge was born in Glastonbury, Somerset, England, on 9 September 1920. He was educated at Gresham's"
"morning of 20 March 2008 at his home in Ware, Hertfordshire and was survived by Eva, his wife, and their son and daughter. His son, Andrew Wilde, had been film editor on ""Last of the Summer Wine"" since the mid-1990s, working initially on many of the episodes that had starred his father, and later on the Frank Thornton editions. Brian Wilde Brian George Wilde (13 June 1927 – 20 March 2008) was an English actor, best known for his roles in television comedy, including Mr Barrowclough in ""Porridge"" and ""Foggy"" Dewhurst in ""Last of the Summer Wine"". His lugubrious world-weary"
"March 2013, aged 92. Frank Thornton Frank Thornton Ball (15 January 192116 March 2013) professionally known as Frank Thornton, was an English actor. He was known for playing Captain Peacock in ""Are You Being Served?"" and its sequel ""Grace & Favour"" (""Are You Being Served? Again!"") and as Truly in ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Frank Thornton Ball was born in Dulwich, London, the son of Rosina Mary (née Thornton) and William Ernest Ball. His father was an organist at St Stephen's Church, Sydenham Hill, where Frank learned to play the organ for a short while. Music proved too difficult"
"Michael Aldridge Michael William ffolliott Aldridge (9 September 1920 – 10 January 1994) was an English actor. He was known for playing Seymour in the television series ""Last of the Summer Wine"" from 1986 to 1990 and he had a long career as a character actor on stage and screen dating back to the 1930s. The son of Dr Frederick James Aldridge and his wife Kathleen Michaela Marietta White, Aldridge was born in Glastonbury, Somerset, England, on 9 September 1920. He was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk, where he acted in school plays. In his last year at school"
"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"
"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"
"episode from ""Last of the Summer Wine's"" third series consisting of the episodes, ""The Great Boarding House Bathroom Caper"" and ""Cheering up Gordon."" Butt would also serve as primary producer for ""Are You Being Served?"" between 1975 and 1977. He frequently collaborated with writer John Sullivan, directing for four different series written by Sullivan. Butt retired in 1989. He died on 12 July 2013 and was survived by his partner, Jo Blyth, and a daughter from an earlier marriage. Butt won two BAFTAs, one for ""Only Fools and Horses"" and one for ""Just Good Friends"" Ray Butt Raymond William ""Ray"""
"Sallis died at the Denville Hall nursing home in Northwood, London, on 2 June 2017 at the age of 96. He was buried next to fellow ""Last of the Summer Wine"" actor Bill Owen in the churchyard of St John's Parish Church, Upperthong, near the town of Holmfirth in Yorkshire, the home of ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Peter Sallis Peter John Sallis, (1 February 1921 – 2 June 2017) was an English actor. He was the voice of Wallace in the Academy Award-winning ""Wallace and Gromit"" films and played Norman ""Cleggy"" Clegg in ""Last of the Summer Wine"" from"
"""Big Day at Dream Acre."" Returning SMILER Foggy (1976–1985, 1990-1997) Seymour (1985–1990)<br> Barry (1985-1990, 1996–2010) Regular series Christmas Special (1990) The box set for series twelve was released by Universal Playback in December 2008, mislabelled as a box set for series 13 & 14. Last of the Summer Wine (series 12) The Last of the Summer Wines twelfth series aired on BBC1. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell. With the departure of Michael Aldridge who had left to nurse his ill wife, the character of Foggy Dewhirst returned"
"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"
"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"
"Peter Sallis Peter John Sallis, (1 February 1921 – 2 June 2017) was an English actor. He was the voice of Wallace in the Academy Award-winning ""Wallace and Gromit"" films and played Norman ""Cleggy"" Clegg in ""Last of the Summer Wine"" from its 1973 inception until its final episode in 2010, making him the only actor to appear in all 295 episodes. Although Sallis was born and brought up in London, the characters of Wallace and Clegg were both Northerner. He also voiced Rat in ""The Wind in the Willows"", appeared in ""Danger Man"" in the episode ""Find and Destroy"""
"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"
"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"
"Juliette Kaplan Marlene Juliette Kaplan is a British actress, whose married name is Marlene Hoser. She is most famous for playing the role of battle-axe Pearl Sibshaw in the BBC comedy ""Last of the Summer Wine"", from 1985 to 2010. Kaplan was born in Bournemouth, to Jewish parents and spent her early years in South Africa. She has also appeared in many British drama series including ""Doctors"", ""Brookside"", ""EastEnders"" and ""London's Burning"". She also appeared in the film, ""The Death of Klinghoffer"". Juliette appeared in ""Last of the Summer Wine"" from 1985 until the very final episode on 29 August"
"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"
"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 &"
"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"
"Frank Thornton Frank Thornton Ball (15 January 192116 March 2013) professionally known as Frank Thornton, was an English actor. He was known for playing Captain Peacock in ""Are You Being Served?"" and its sequel ""Grace & Favour"" (""Are You Being Served? Again!"") and as Truly in ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Frank Thornton Ball was born in Dulwich, London, the son of Rosina Mary (née Thornton) and William Ernest Ball. His father was an organist at St Stephen's Church, Sydenham Hill, where Frank learned to play the organ for a short while. Music proved too difficult for him, however, and"
"episode was also the final acting turn for Clegg's actor Peter Sallis before his death in 2017. The box set for series 31 was released by Universal Playback in August 2016, mislabelled as a box set for series 31 & 32. Last of the Summer Wine (series 31) Last of the Summer Wine's 31st and final series was aired in 2010, beginning on 25 July. All six episodes in series 31 were 30 minutes in length. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and directed by Alan J. W. Bell. The series was the first in 19 years"
"home on 1 May 1986 of bronchial pneumonia, aged 81. Joe Gladwin, who played Stan, went on to other television roles, including Wally Batty in the long-running sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"", a role he played until his death on 11 March 1987. Jewel continued to work in a variety of roles in both theatre and television until his death on 3 December 1995, the day before his 86th birthday. Co-creator Vince Powell died on 13 July 2009, aged 80. Madge Hindle, the sole surviving member of the cast, went on to become a series regular in ""Coronation Street"""
"later in Southport Hospital. Jean Alexander Jean Mavis Hodgkinson (11 October 1926 – 14 October 2016), known by the stage name Jean Alexander, was a British television actress. She was best known to television viewers for her long running role of Hilda Ogden in the soap opera ""Coronation Street"", a role she played from 1964 until 1987, and also as Auntie Wainwright in the long-running sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"" from 1988 to 2010. For her role in ""Coronation Street"", she won the 1985 Royal Television Society Award for Best Performance, and received a 1988 BAFTA TV Award nomination"
"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"
"Jean Alexander Jean Mavis Hodgkinson (11 October 1926 – 14 October 2016), known by the stage name Jean Alexander, was a British television actress. She was best known to television viewers for her long running role of Hilda Ogden in the soap opera ""Coronation Street"", a role she played from 1964 until 1987, and also as Auntie Wainwright in the long-running sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"" from 1988 to 2010. For her role in ""Coronation Street"", she won the 1985 Royal Television Society Award for Best Performance, and received a 1988 BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Actress. Alexander"
"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,"
"pain; when he got back to England he was confirmed as having pancreatic and bowel cancer. The 2008 produced 'It's Never Ten Years' episode remembering the Compo character, showed several clips including nine minutes on the ferry and around Dunkirk and Bray-Dunes. He continued working right up to his death from pancreatic cancer in Westminster, London, on 12 July 1999, coincidentally, the birthday of co-star Kathy Staff, who played his love interest Nora Batty on ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Owen is buried in the churchyard of St John's Parish Church, Upperthong, near his beloved town of Holmfirth in Yorkshire,"
"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"
"Ray Butt Raymond William ""Ray"" Butt (25 June 1935 – 12 July 2013) was a British television producer and director best known for his work on ""Only Fools and Horses"". Butt grew up in London as an only child with his mother and father. He left school at 16 and served national service in the Royal Air Force. He produced ""Only Fools and Horses"" until Series 5, directing most episodes himself, when he moved onto new projects. He is also remembered for his work on ""Last of the Summer Wine"" and ""Are You Being Served?"". Butt directed the 1976 two-part"