"original series making an appearance in the prequel. With the success of ""Last of the Summer Wine"", the BBC approved a new series which Roy Clarke would carry over characters of the original show. With the new series, Clarke hoped to show the lives of his characters as they were in the ""first summer"" of their lives, as opposed to the last summer depicted in ""Last of the Summer Wine"". While there would still be the ""shadow of the Grim Reaper"" hanging over them, this time it would be because of World War II, not due to their old age."
"Roy Clarke Royston Clarke OBE (born 28 January 1930) is an English comedy writer best known for creating the sitcoms ""Last of the Summer Wine"", ""Keeping Up Appearances"", ""Open All Hours"" and its sequel series, ""Still Open All Hours"". Clarke was born in Austerfield, West Riding of Yorkshire. His jobs before becoming a writer included teacher, policeman, taxi driver, salesman and also soldier in the Royal Corps of Signals of the British Army. Clarke was the sole writer of ""Last of the Summer Wine"", which at its peak had over 18 million viewers. During its long run it featured Bill"
"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,"
"the last series, Gilbert won a BAFTA in 1974 for Best Comedy, and was also nominated that year for ""Last of the Summer Wine"" in the category. He succeeded Michael Mills as the BBC's Head of Comedy from 1973–1977. Gilbert was appointed as the BBC's Head of Light Entertainment in 1977, in succession to Bill Cotton, remaining in the post and with the BBC until 1982. Subsequently, he worked as a freelance. In 2003, Gilbert appeared on the documentary special ""30 Years of Last of the Summer Wine"" to discuss his role in helping to create the series. James Gilbert"
"job down as he felt that the BBC's idea for a programme about three old men was a dull concept for a half-hour sitcom. Instead, Clarke proposed that the men should all be unmarried, widowed, or divorced and either unemployed or retired, leaving them free to roam around like adolescents in the prime of their lives, unfettered and uninhibited. Clarke chose the original title, ""The Last of the Summer Wine"", to convey the idea that the characters are not in the autumn of their lives but the summer, even though it may be ""the last of the summer"". BBC producers"
"enough positive response that a full series was commissioned to be broadcast before the end of the year. Although the initial series did not do well in the ratings, the BBC ordered a second series in 1975. The site for the exterior shots of ""Last of the Summer Wine"" was, in part, suggested by television producer Barry Took, who was familiar with the area. Took had, in the 1950s, toured as a stand-up comic, often appearing at working men's clubs. One such appearance was at Burnlee Working Men's Club, a club in the small West Yorkshire town of Holmfirth, and"
"Tony Capstick Joseph Anthony Capstick (27 July 1944 – 23 October 2003) was an English comedian, actor, musician and broadcaster. First son of Joe Capstick, a wireless operator in the RAF, and his wife, June, née Duncan, he was born in Rotherham, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, and spent most of his childhood in Swinton, South Yorkshire, near Mexborough, also in the West Riding, and for over thirty years he was a presenter on BBC Radio Sheffield. Outside Sheffield, he is perhaps better known as one of the policemen in the long-running British sitcom, ""Last of the Summer Wine"", where"
"""a concept whose time had come – about 20 years ago"" or as ""Last of the Summer Wine"" as written by Barry Crump. In the late 1980s, TVNZ made a pilot which was never shown. Then in 1989 Three screened an hour-episode in the new channel’s first week on Friday 1 December from 7.30 to 8.30 pm. Director Ian Mune said it was a comedy of foibles about people getting into appalling trouble because they’re either cocky or stupid or trying to impress someone or they’re opportunists. No more episodes were made because of financial difficulties. Three series were screened"
"themes from ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Ronnie Hazlehurst used the resulting list for an independently released CD collection titled ""Last of the Summer Wine: Music from the TV Show"". BBC Radio released audio-only versions of episodes starting in 1995. Peter Sallis provided narration to compensate for the loss of the televised visual elements. All twelve audio episodes were released in CD format. In 1976, a selection of early scripts from the series was published as ""Last of the Summer Wine Scripts"". A companion guide to the show, ""Last of the Summer Wine: The Finest Vintage"", was released in 2000."
"Alan J. W. Bell Alan J. W. Bell (born 14 November 1937) is a British television producer and director. He has produced and/or directed many BBC series since the early 1970s, most notably ""Last of the Summer Wine"", ""Ripping Yarns"" and the TV adaptation of ""The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"". He was also assigned to re-edit and improve Ronnie Barker's short 1982 film, ""By the Sea"". Other comedy shows include ""There's a Lot of it About"", ""The Hello Goodbye Man"", ""The Clairvoyant"", ""Wyatt's Watchdogs"", ""Dogfood Dan and the Carmarthen Cowboy"" and ""Split Ends"". He was born in Battersea, London."
"Alan J. W. Bell Alan J. W. Bell (born 14 November 1937) is a British television producer and director. He has produced and/or directed many BBC series since the early 1970s, most notably ""Last of the Summer Wine"", ""Ripping Yarns"" and the TV adaptation of ""The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"". He was also assigned to re-edit and improve Ronnie Barker's short 1982 film, ""By the Sea"". Other comedy shows include ""There's a Lot of it About"", ""The Hello Goodbye Man"", ""The Clairvoyant"", ""Wyatt's Watchdogs"", ""Dogfood Dan and the Carmarthen Cowboy"" and ""Split Ends"". He was born in Battersea, London."
"Emerick appealed for funding through crowd-sourcing sites in the hopes of gaining enough support to produce a feature film featuring the duo or even a television series. Associate Producer Terry Bartlam believed there was enough of a scope with Cooper and Walsh that they could carry their own series and that this spin-off could be the answer to those who believed ""Last of the Summer Wine"" should have been given a proper ending. A live production of ""Last of the Summer Wine"", known informally as the ""summer season"", was produced in Bournemouth in 1984. While Bill Owen and Peter Sallis"
"Kathy Staff Kathy Staff (born Minnie Higginbottom; 12 July 1928 – 13 December 2008) was an English actress, well known for her work on British television. She is most famous for her portrayal of Nora Batty on the longest running sitcom in the world, ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Born in Dukinfield, Cheshire, Staff was best known for her role as one of the main characters, Nora Batty, in the long-running BBC sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"". She played Nora Batty from the pilot episode in 1973 (though in the pilot and first series, she was referred to as"
"before departing again the same year. Bell then returned to the show beginning with the 1983 Christmas special and produced and directed all episodes of the show to the end of the 31st series. In 2008, Bell announced that he had quit as producer of ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Citing differences with the BBC and his dislike of their indifference towards the series, Bell said, ""I have now decided I will not do it again. I have had enough of the BBC's attitude."" The announcement came following rumours initiated by Bell that the network would not commission another series"
"Barry trying to better himself (at the insistence of Glenda), and Tom trying to stay one step ahead of the repo man. ""Last of the Summer Wine"" is the longest-running comedy programme in Britain, and the longest running situation comedy in the world. Each series has between six and twelve episodes; most were thirty minutes in length, with some specials running longer. There were 295 episodes and 31 series between 1973 and 2010, counting the pilot, all episodes of the series, specials, and two films. In 1978, the BBC commissioned a ""Last of the Summer Wine"" Christmas special instead of"
"first episode, is referred to as Harold; when the character went on to appear in the series, he would be called Wally. Of Funerals and Fish ""Of Funerals and Fish"" is the pilot episode of the world's longest running sitcom, ""Last of the Summer Wine"" (1973–2010), written by Roy Clarke. It was first aired on 4 January 1973 and became the first of 295 episodes. It was aired as a ""Comedy Playhouse"" episode. The plot involved the trio going around discussing life and death. It starred Bill Owen, Peter Sallis and Michael Bates. This also was the first appearance of"
"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"
"grandfather, John Kilner (1792–1857), who invented the Kilner jar, a container for preserved fruit. Clarkson's views are often showcased on television shows. In 1997, Clarkson appeared on the light-hearted comedy show ""Room 101"", in which a guest nominates things they hate in life to be consigned to nothingness. Clarkson dispatched caravans, houseflies, the sitcom ""Last of the Summer Wine"", the mentality within golf clubs, and vegetarians. He has made several appearances on the prime time talk shows ""Parkinson"" and ""Friday Night with Jonathan Ross"" since 2002. By 2003, his persona was deemed to fit the mould for the series ""Grumpy"
"Norman Clegg Norman Clegg, often nicknamed Cleggy, is a fictional character from the world's longest-running sitcom, ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Norman Clegg was the only child of a builder and decorator, David Clegg, and his rather volatile wife Violet (Peter Sallis and Maggie Ollerenshaw). David, a war veteran, was very quiet and rarely interacted with his family, much to the concern of Norman, who thought his father didn't like him (Vi felt the same way). His mother was overprotective of her son, and panicked when he was walked home by a girl a year older than him. Norman married"
"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"
"Last Day of Summer Last Day of Summer is a 2009 drama-comedy film written, produced and directed by Vlad Yudin of The Vladar Company, featuring DJ Qualls, Nikki Reed, and William Sadler. Gregory (a.k.a. ""Joe"") (DJ Qualls) is a disturbed fast-food worker, who has reached the end of his mental tether after being tormented and humiliated by his cruel boss, Mr. Crolick (William Sadler). Fed up with Joe’s ineptitude, Crolick fires Joe. Joe soon hatches a deadly plot for revenge and returns to the restaurant only to become side-tracked when he catches the eye of Stefanie (Nikki Reed), a beautiful"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"Gordon Wharmby Gordon Wharmby (6 November 1933 – 18 May 2002) was a British television actor. He was best known for the role of Wesley Pegden on ""Last of the Summer Wine"". He was born in Manchester, Lancashire, in 1933, and served in the Royal Air Force during his national service. Wharmby was originally employed as a painter and decorator and had no formal training as an actor. He gained stage experience with Oldham Repertory Theatre and worked part-time as a jobbing actor. Early television roles included bit-parts in programmes such as ""Bill Brand"" (1976), ""The One and Only Phyllis"
"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"
"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"
"hated this at first and insisted that it remain a temporary working title, while the cast worried that viewers would forget the name of the show. The working title was changed later to ""The Library Mob"", a reference to one of the trio's regular haunts early in the show. Clarke switched back to his original preference shortly before production began, a title that was shortened to ""Last of the Summer Wine"" after the pilot show. ""The Last of the Summer Wine"" premiered as an episode of BBC's ""Comedy Playhouse"" on 4 January 1973. The pilot, ""Of Funerals and Fish"", received"
"Of Funerals and Fish ""Of Funerals and Fish"" is the pilot episode of the world's longest running sitcom, ""Last of the Summer Wine"" (1973–2010), written by Roy Clarke. It was first aired on 4 January 1973 and became the first of 295 episodes. It was aired as a ""Comedy Playhouse"" episode. The plot involved the trio going around discussing life and death. It starred Bill Owen, Peter Sallis and Michael Bates. This also was the first appearance of Kathy Staff, although her character is at this point only known as Mrs Batty rather than Nora. Her husband, unseen in this"
"remained too popular for cancellation; even repeats received ratings of as much as five million viewers per episode. The show came 14th in a high-profile 2004 BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom, and was praised for portraying older people in a non-stereotypical, positive, and active manner. It was also praised for its clever and at times philosophical writing, and for being a family-friendly show. ""Last of the Summer Wine"" was nominated numerous times for two British television industry awards. The show was proposed five times between 1973 and 1985 for the British Academy Film Awards, twice for the Best"
"new book titled ""Last Of the Summer Wine - From The Directors Chair"" was released and was written by producer and director Alan J.W. Bell. During its first series, ""Last of the Summer Wine"" did not receive a high ratings share. The second series proved to be a success, however, and two episodes made it to the top ten programmes of the week. The programme has since consistently been a favourite in the ratings, peaking at 18.8 million viewers for an episode shown on 10 February 1985. The premiere of the 28th series in 2007 brought in an 18.6 percent"
"start recording the 25th series of ""Last of the Summer Wine"". Gordon died of cancer on 18 May 2002, aged 68. Gordon Wharmby Gordon Wharmby (6 November 1933 – 18 May 2002) was a British television actor. He was best known for the role of Wesley Pegden on ""Last of the Summer Wine"". He was born in Manchester, Lancashire, in 1933, and served in the Royal Air Force during his national service. Wharmby was originally employed as a painter and decorator and had no formal training as an actor. He gained stage experience with Oldham Repertory Theatre and worked part-time"