Last of the Summer Wine

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Last of the Summer Wine

Last of the Summer Wine intertitle
Genre Sitcom
Created by Roy Clarke
Written by Roy Clarke
Directed by James Gilbert (1973)
Bernard Thompson (1975)
Sydney Lotterby (1976–1979, 1982–1983)
Ray Butt (1976)
Alan J. W. Bell (1981–1982, 1984–present)
Starring current cast:
Peter Sallis
Kathy Staff
Frank Thornton
and Brian Murphy

Burt Kwouk
Stephen Lewis
June Whitfield

Jean Alexander
Jane Freeman
Mike Grady
Josephine Tewson
Theme music composer Ronnie Hazlehurst
Opening theme "The Last of the Summer Wine"
Composer(s) Ronnie Hazlehurst (1973–2007)
Country of origin Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Language(s) English
No. of series 28 as of 2007
No. of episodes 267 as of 23 September 2007 (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s) James Gilbert (1973)
Bernard Thompson (1975)
Sydney Lotterby (1976–1979, 1982–1983)
Alan J. W. Bell (1981–1982, 1984–present)
Location(s) Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England
Running time 30 min. (approx.)
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
Original run 12 November 1973 – Present
Status Returning series
Chronology
Related shows Comedy Playhouse
First of the Summer Wine
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that airs on BBC One. Since 1983, Alan J. W. Bell has produced and directed all episodes of the show. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973, with the first series of episodes following on 12 November 1973. The 28th series aired on Sunday nights at 6:20 p.m. and concluded on 23 September 2007.[1] As of June 2008, a 29th series is in production, set to premiere later in the year.[2] Reruns of the show air in the UK on satellite stations UKTV Gold and UKTV Drama, and it is also seen in more than twenty-five countries,[3] including various PBS stations in the United States. Last of the Summer Wine is the longest-running comedy programme in Britain and the longest-running sitcom in the world.[2][4]

Last of the Summer Wine is set and filmed in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England, and centres around a trio of old men whose lineup has changed over the years. The original trio consisted of Bill Owen as the scruffy and child-like Compo, Peter Sallis as deep-thinking, meek Clegg, and Michael Bates as authoritarian and snobbish Blamire. Brian Wilde joined the cast as the quirky war veteran Foggy when Bates left in 1976 after two series. The three never seem to grow up, and develop a unique perspective on their equally eccentric fellow townspeople through their youthful stunts. The cast has grown to include a variety of supporting characters, each contributing their own unique subplots to the show and often becoming unwillingly involved in the plots of the trio.

Although some feel the show's quality has declined,[5] Last of the Summer Wine continues to garner a large audience for the BBC[6] and has been praised for its positive portrayal of older people[7] and family-friendly humour.[7] Many members of the British Royal Family enjoy the show.[8] Last of the Summer Wine has inspired other adaptations, including a television prequel,[9] several novelisations,[10] and a stage adaptation.[11]

Contents

[edit] Production

[edit] History and development

In 1972 Duncan Wood, at that time the head of BBC Comedy, watched a drama on television called The Misfit, written by Roy Clarke. Wood was so impressed with his ability to inject comedy into the script of a drama that he offered Clarke the opportunity to write a sitcom, an offer Clarke readily accepted.[4]

Initially Clarke was not enthusiastic about the BBC's idea for a programme about three old men, and nearly turned the job down. Then he decided that the men should all be unmarried, widowed, or divorced, and either unemployed or retired. This would leave them free to roam around like adolescents in the prime of their lives, unfettered and uninhibited.[4]

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 hated this title at first, and insisted that it remain a working title, not official. The cast worried that viewers would not be able to remember 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 series. But Clarke switched back to his original idea shortly before production began,[4] which was shortened to Last of the Summer Wine after the pilot show.[12]

The Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of BBC's Comedy Playhouse. The pilot, "Of Funerals and Fish", aired on 4 January 1973 and received enough positive response that a full series was commissioned and had aired before the end of the year.[13] Although the initial series did not do well in the ratings, the BBC ordered a second series in 1975.[14]

[edit] Filming

Barry Took was partially responsible for the choice of location for the exterior shots. He had produced a series of documentaries for the BBC about working men's clubs, and one of those clubs, Burnlee Working Men's Club, was in the small West Yorkshire town of Holmfirth. Although Took's series of documentaries was a failure, the one set in Holmfirth drew the highest ratings of all the programmes. Took saw Holmfirth's potential as the backdrop of a television series and suggested it to Duncan Wood, who was at that time filming Comedy Playhouse.[15] Wood passed the suggestion along to James Gilbert and Roy Clarke, who then travelled to Holmfirth and decided use it as the setting for the pilot of Last of the Summer Wine there.[4][16]

Though the exterior shots have always been filmed on location in Holmfirth, the interior shots were, until the early 1990s, filmed in front of a live studio audience at BBC Television Centre in London. The amount of location work increased as the cast began to age and studio work became a drain on time and money. Under Alan J. W. Bell, Last of the Summer Wine became the first comedy series to do away with the live studio audience, doing all of the filming on location in Holmfirth.[17] The episodes are filmed and then shown to preview audiences, whose laughter is recorded and then spliced into each episode to provide a laugh track and avoid the use of canned laughter.[4][17]

The show uses actual businesses and homes in and around Holmfirth, including Sid's Café and Nora Batty's house, a real Holmfirth residence owned by Sonia Whitehead.[4] Although this has helped the Holmfirth economy and made it a tourist destination, tensions have occasionally surfaced between Holmfirth residents and the crew. One such incident, regarding compensation to local residents, prompted producer Alan J. W. Bell to consider not filming in Holmfirth any more. The situation escalated to the point that Bell filmed a scene in which Nora Batty put her house up for sale.[18]

Beginning with the 29th series, Frank Thornton and Peter Sallis will no longer appear in outdoor scenes because of the cost of insuring actors over the age of 80. Thornton and Sallis, both 87, will only film scenes indoors while younger actors film the outdoor scenes.[19]

[edit] Crew

Every episode of Last of the Summer Wine is written by Roy Clarke. The Comedy Playhouse pilot and all episodes from the first series were produced and directed by James Gilbert. Bernard Thompson produced and directed the second series of episodes in 1975.[13] In 1976, Sydney Lotterby took over as producer and director. He would direct all the third series except for two episodes.[4][20] The third series episodes "The Great Boarding House Bathroom Caper" and "Cheering up Gordon" were directed by Ray Butt.[21][22] Lotterby directed two additional series of episodes and departed the series in 1979.[4][20] In 1981, Alan J. W. Bell took over as producer and director of the series. Bell has been noted for his use of more film and takes than his predecessors to get a scene just right[4] and for wider angles, which featured more of the local Holmfirth landscape.[10]

In 1983, Lotterby returned to the series, largely due to the insistence of Brian Wilde, who preferred Lotterby's style of filming, which focused on the trio as they talked rather than Bell's wider shots. Lotterby produced and directed one additional series before departing again the same year.[10] Bell would return to the series beginning with the 1983 Christmas special and has produced and directed all episodes of the show to date.[10]

[edit] Music

Composer and conductor Ronnie Hazlehurst, who had also produced themes for such series as Are You Being Served? and Yes Minister, created the theme for the show. The BBC initially disliked Hazlehurst's theme, feeling it was not proper for a comedy programme to have such mellow music. He was initially asked to play the music faster for more comedic effect, but eventually the original slower version became the theme.[4]

The usually instrumental theme featured lyrics three times. The 1981 Christmas special, "Whoops", had two verses of lyrics written by Roy Clarke featured over the closing credits. The 1983 film, "Getting Sam Home", featured the previous two verses with an additional two verses played over the opening credits. An altered version was sung during Compo's funeral in the 2000 episode "Just a Small Funeral". Bill Owen also wrote a different version of the lyrics, but this version has never been used during an episode of the show.[23]

Composing the score for each episode until his death in 2007,[24] Hazlehurst spent ten hours per episode on average watching and noting scenes for music synchronisation. Hazlehurst then recorded the music using an orchestra consisting of a guitar, harmonica, two violins, a viola, cello, accordion, horn, bass, flute, and percussion.[4]

[edit] Characters and casting

Main article: List of Last of the Summer Wine characters
The most famous of the Last of the Summer Wine trios: From left to right: Peter Sallis as Norman Clegg, Brian Wilde as "Foggy" Dewhurst, and Bill Owen as "Compo" Simmonite.
The most famous of the Last of the Summer Wine trios: From left to right: Peter Sallis as Norman Clegg, Brian Wilde as "Foggy" Dewhurst, and Bill Owen as "Compo" Simmonite.

Initially, the only actor to be cast in stone for the series was Peter Sallis. Clarke had already collaborated on a few scripts with him, and the character of Norman Clegg was created especially for Sallis, who liked the character and agreed to play him.[25] He would soon be joined by an actor he had previously worked with, veteran comedy actor Michael Bates, as Cyril Blamire.[26]

It was James Gilbert's idea to cast film actor Bill Owen as Compo Simmonite. Clarke initially disagreed with Gilbert's choice for the role, having seen Owen as an archetypal cockney. Compo was envisioned as a solid northern character, and Gilbert had seen Owen playing such characters in the Royal Court Theatre. Clarke soon changed his mind when he went to London for a read-through with Owen and recognised the potential.[13]

Later changes to the cast were based on the on-screen chemistry with existing cast members. Brian Wilde, Michael Aldridge, and Frank Thornton each brought a sense of completion to the trio after the departure of the preceding third man.[27] Tom Owen provided a direct link between his father and himself after the death of Bill Owen.[4][28] Keith Clifford was added following three popular guest appearances on the show.[29] Brian Murphy was chosen as Nora Batty's neighbour based on his work on George and Mildred, where he played the hen-pecked husband to a strong-willed woman.[4] In 2008, the BBC announced that Russ Abbot would join the cast as a relatively more youthful actor for the 29th series.[19]

The original cast of Last of the Summer Wine also included a handful of characters that the trio interacted with on a regular basis. Kathy Staff was cast as Compo's neighbour, Nora Batty. Gilbert was initially sceptical about casting Staff. He relented after she padded herself to look bigger and read from a scene between Owen and her.[30] The original cast was rounded out by characters at two locales frequented by the trio: John Comer and Jane Freeman as the quarreling husband-wife owners of the local café, Sid[31] and Ivy,[32] and Blake Butler and Rosemary Martin as the librarians having a not-so-secret affair, Mr. Wainwright[33] and Mrs. Partridge.[34] Butler and Martin were, however, dropped as major characters after the first series. According to Peter Sallis, Roy Clarke felt there was little he could do with the characters.[35]

Additional supporting cast members have been added throughout the run of the show. Gordon Wharmby was the only addition who was not a professional actor before joining the series and never claimed to be one. Wharmby was a local of Holmfirth, and was able to portray his mechanic character, Wesley Pegden, so well during his audition with Alan J. W. Bell that he was given a one-off role that eventually became a regular role.[36]

[edit] Guest appearances

The plots of Last of the Summer Wine moved away from the original dialogue-packed discussions in the pub and the library when Alan J. W. Bell took over as producer, and guest actors were brought in to interact with the trio in new situations. Although many of these guest appearances would only be one-off appearances,[37][38] some lead to a permanent role on the series, as in the cases of Gordon Wharmby,[39] Thora Hird,[40] Jean Alexander,[41][42] Stephen Lewis,[43] Dora Bryan,[44] Keith Clifford,[45][44][46] Brian Murphy,[47] Josephine Tewson,[48] and June Whitfield.[49]

Other noted guests on the series have included John Cleese,[50] Ron Moody,[51] Sir Norman Wisdom,[52] Eric Sykes,[53] Liz Fraser,[54][55] Stanley Lebor,[56] Philip Jackson,[57][58][59] and Trevor Bannister.[60]

[edit] Plot

Last of the Summer Wine focuses on a trio of older men and their youthful antics. The original trio consisted of Compo Simmonite, Norman Clegg, and Cyril Blamire. When Blamire left after two seasons in 1975, the empty spot of the trio would be recast four times over the next three decades: Foggy Dewhurst in 1976,[61] Seymour Utterthwaite in 1986,[62] Foggy again in 1990,[63] and Truly Truelove in 1997.[64] After the death of Compo mid-series in 2000, the gap was filled for the rest of the series by Compo's son, Tom Simmonite,[65] before being permanently filled by Billy Hardcastle in 2001.[66] The trio became a quartet between 2003 and 2006 when Alvin Smedley moved in next-door to Nora Batty.[47] Billy Hardcastle departed the show following the 2006 season.[67]

The trio explore the world around them and experience a second childhood with no wives, jobs, or ties to responsibility. They philosophise about the world around them, engage in psychology about their fellow townspeople, and test inventions as a means to pass time.[68] Regular subplots in the first decade of the show included the bickering of Sid and Ivy over the management of the café,[69] Mr. Wainwright and Mrs. Partridge engaging in a secret love affair everyone knows about,[33] Wally's attempts to get away from Nora's watchful eye,[70] Foggy's exaggerated war stories,[71] and Compo's schemes to win the affections of Nora Batty.[72]

The number of subplots on the show grew as more cast members were added to the series. Regular subplots since the 1980s have included Howard and Marina's attempts at carrying out an affair without Howard's wife finding out (a variation on the Wainwright/Partridge subplot of the 1970s),[33] the meeting of the older women for tea and their theories of men and life,[73] Auntie Wainwright's attempts to sell unwanted merchandise to unsuspecting customers,[74] Smiler's attempts to find a woman,[75] Barry's attempts to better himself (at the insistence of Glenda),[76] and Tom's attempts to stay one step ahead of the repo man.[77]

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Last of the Summer Wine episodes
The Summer Wine quartet, around 2004. From left to right: Peter Sallis as Norman Clegg, Keith Clifford as Billy Hardcastle, Frank Thornton as "Truly" Truelove, and Brian Murphy as Alvin Smedley.
The Summer Wine quartet, around 2004. From left to right: Peter Sallis as Norman Clegg, Keith Clifford as Billy Hardcastle, Frank Thornton as "Truly" Truelove, and Brian Murphy as Alvin Smedley.

Last of the Summer Wine is the longest running comedy programme in Britain. Each series of episodes has between six to twelve episodes. Regular episodes are thirty minutes in length, with some specials running longer. The show has run for 267 episodes between 1973 and 2007, including the pilot, all episodes of the series, specials, and two films. A 29th season is in production to air in 2008.[2]

[edit] Specials

In 1978, the BBC commissioned a Last of the Summer Wine Christmas special in lieu of a new series. The special, titled "Small Tune on a Penny Wassail", aired on 26 December 1978. Other Christmas specials followed in 1979 and 1981. The 1981 special, "Whoops", gained 17 million viewers and was beaten only by Coronation Street for the number one spot. Christmas specials have since been produced infrequently. Specials may constitute the only new episodes in the years without an order for a new series.[78] which often happened during the 1980s when Roy Clarke's commitment to Open All Hours prevented the production of a full series every year.[79] The specials often include well-known guest stars such as John Cleese[80] and June Whitfield.[49]

The first New Years special, "The Man who Nearly Knew Pavarotti", was commissioned in 1994. It featured Norman Wisdom as a piano player who had lost the confidence to play. The hour-long special aired on 1 January 1995.[37] One additional New Years special was produced and broadcast in 2000 to celebrate the new millennium. It featured the second guest appearance by Keith Clifford and a guest appearance by Dora Bryan. The special, "Last Post and Pigeon", ran for sixty minutes and featured the trio making a pilgrimage to visit war graves in France. Part of the special was shot on location in France.[81]

[edit] Films

In 1983, Bill Owen suggested to returning producer Alan J. W. Bell that Roy Clarke's novelisation of the series should be made into a feature length special. Other British sitcoms such as Steptoe and Son and Dad's Army previously had films made for the cinema. The BBC, however, had never before commissioned a film based on a comedy series for original broadcast on television. Despite initial scepticism, they commissioned the ninety minute film, "Getting Sam Home". The film aired on 27 December 1983 and started a trend which would continue with other British sitcoms, including Only Fools and Horses.[10]

After the success of "Getting Sam Home", a second film was made in 1986. Titled "Uncle of the Bride", the film featured the introduction of Michael Aldridge as Seymour, the new third man of the trio. The plot centred around the marriage of Seymour's niece, Glenda (Sarah Thomas), to Barry (Mike Grady). Also making her first appearance in the film was Thora Hird as Seymour's sister and Glenda's mother, Edie. The second film proved a success and all four new characters were carried over to the series beginning with the ninth series in 1986.[82]

[edit] Documentaries

A documentary was commissioned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Last of the Summer Wine. The documentary was produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell and featured interviews with the majority of cast and crew members, outtakes from the show, and a behind the scenes look at production. Segments with Duncan Wood and Barry Took explained the origins of the show and how it came to be filmed in Holmfirth. The special aired on 30 March 1997.[13]

An updated version of the documentary was commissioned for the 30th anniversary of the series and aired on 13 April 2003. This version featured an expanded interview with Brian Wilde and new interviews with Brian Murphy and Burt Kwouk.[4]

[edit] DVD releases

Beginning in September 2002, the BBC began releasing boxed sets of episodes on DVD for region two. Each set contains two consecutive full series of episodes.[83] Three "best of" collections have been released for region one, and a fourth is in production. The first, simply titled Last of the Summer Wine,[84] was released in 2003 and includes early episodes from the 1970s and 1980s. The second collection, titled Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1995,[85] followed in 2004 and includes episodes from series seventeen. The third collection, Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1976, released in 2008, focuses on the third series of the show and includes bonus interviews with Peter Sallis, Brian Wilde, and Frank Thornton.[86] A fourth title, Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1977, is set to be released in September 2008; it will focus on the fourth series and feature a rare 1977 interview with Roy Clarke.[87]

[edit] Other adaptations

[edit] Spin-off

Main article: First of the Summer Wine

A spin-off prequel series, First of the Summer Wine, premiered on BBC One in 1988. The new series was written by Roy Clarke and used different actors to follow the exploits of the principal characters from Last of the Summer Wine in the months leading up to World War II. First of the Summer Wine portrayed the characters in their youth while showing how the coming war affected each of their lives. Unlike its mother show, First of the Summer Wine was not filmed in Holmfirth. Period music was used in place of Ronnie Hazlehurst's score to give the series more of a World War II era feel.[88] New supporting characters rounded out the characters that were brought over from Last of the Summer Wine. Peter Sallis and Jonathan Linsley were the only actors from the original series to appear in the spin-off. Sallis played the father of his own character from the original series and Linsley appeared during the second series as a different character.[9]

The show enjoyed early success due to its spin off status but was never able to develop the following necessary for its survival on the BBC.[88] The series was cancelled after two series of thirteen episodes in 1989.[89] Although the BBC has never rerun the series, it has been broadcast on UKTV Gold[88] and internationally.[90]

[edit] Stage adaptation

In 1984, a live production of Last of the Summer Wine, known informally as the "summer season", was produced in Bournemouth. Bill Owen and Peter Sallis reprised their roles as Compo and Clegg, although Brian Wilde chose not to take part due to personal differences with Owen.[11] The show centred around Compo and Clegg, and their interaction with Clegg's new neighbour, Howard (Kenneth Waller) and his wife, Pearl, played by a local actress. The first act built up to the appearance of Marina (Jean Fergusson), who was in correspondence with Howard. At the end of the first act, Marina was revealed to be a blonde sexpot.[91] The plot of Howard and Marina was partly based on an early subplot of the series. In the first season, the librarian, Mr. Wainwright, was engaged in a love affair with his married assistant, Mrs. Partridge, all while attempting to keep the plot secret, especially from her husband. Despite their efforts, the trio were well aware of their affair.[33] For the summer season, the roles were reversed and Howard became the married man in the affair trying to keep it a secret from his wife.[11]

The summer season proved to be a success, with the show frequently playing to packed houses. In 1985, the show was once again produced, first as a two-week tour of Britain, and then as another summer season in Bournemouth. Fergusson returned for the second summer season, once again playing Marina. Waller did not return, and the role of Howard was recast to Robert Fyfe. Juliette Kaplan would play Pearl for this season. Although the new characters were not intended to be carried over to the television series, Roy Clarke included them in four of the following six episodes of the 1985 series. All three characters are still members of the television series.[91]

An amended version of the show toured across Britain in 1987. Sallis was reluctant to appear in the new production, and his role in the show was rewritten and recast to Derek Fowlds. With Owen being the only member of the television show's trio to appear in the production, it was retitled Compo Plays Cupid and nevertheless proved to be a success.[92]

[edit] Other media

Author Roy Clarke
Publication date 7 October 1974
Pages 160 pp
ISBN ISBN 0-340-18994-0

Coronet Books released a novelisation of Last of the Summer Wine in 1974. The novel was written by Roy Clark as an original story not previously aired in an episode, and featured Compo, Clegg and Blamire attempting to help their friend, Sam, enjoy one last night with a glam girl. The book would become the basis for the Last of the Summer Wine film, "Getting Sam Home", with Blamire being replaced by Foggy.[10]

In the late 1980s, Roy Clarke wrote a number of novels featuring Compo, Clegg and Seymour. The books were published by Penguin Books under the titles Summer Wine Chronicles. Titles included Gala Week[93] and The Moonbather.[94] Clarke later adapted The Moonbather into a stage play, which was first performed by the Scunthorpe Little Theatre Club from 7 October to 11 October 2003.[95]

In the early 1980s, a daily comic strip drawn by Roger Mahoney and based on the series appeared in the Daily Star.[96] A compilation of these strips was published by Express Books in a book released in 1983.[97]

In 1993, the Summer Wine Appreciation Society asked their members for their favourite themes from Last of the Summer Wine. Ronnie Hazlehurst used the resulting list for an independently released CD collection. This CD was released under the name Last of the Summer Wine: Music from the TV Show.[98]

BBC Radio released audio-only versions of episodes starting in 1995. Peter Sallis provided narration to allow a smooth transition without the visuals of the televised episodes. All of the twelve produced audio episodes were released in CD format.[99]

A companion guide to the show, Last of the Summer Wine: The Finest Vintage, was released in 2000. The book was written by Morris Bright and Robert Ross and chronicled the show from its inception through the end of the 2000 series. Included were interviews with cast and crew, a character guide and an episode guide.[100] Both the companion guide and its updated 30th anniversary version are now out of print.[101]

[edit] Reception

"I've reached the stage now where I don't want it to end. I'm hoping that as one by one we drop dead that, provided Roy is still alive, it will just keep going."
Peter Sallis on the longevity of Last of the Summer Wine[28]

After the first series of Last of the Summer Wine did not do well in the ratings, a second series proved a success when two episodes made it into the top ten programmes of the week.[14] The series has since consistently become a firm favourite in the ratings, peaking at 18.8 million viewers for an episode shown on 10 February 1985.[102] The series premiere of the 28th series in 2007 brought in an 18.6 share of viewers in the 6:20 time slot with an average of 3.2 million viewers. Last of the Summer Wine's audience grew from 2.7 million to 3.4 million over the 30 minutes. The show was beaten for the night only by Channel 4's Big Brother, which had 3.6 million viewers at 9:00 pm but a lower share of viewers for its time slot.[6]

Several members of the royal family are viewers of Last of the Summer Wine. While presenting an OBE to Roy Clarke in 2002, Prince Charles said that his grandmother, the Queen Mother, had introduced him to the show.[103] The Queen told Dame Thora Hird during a 2001 meeting that Last of the Summer Wine is her favourite television programme.[8] The show is also a favourite of Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan.[104]

A 2003 survey by Radio Times found that Last of the Summer Wine was the programme readers most wanted to see canceled. The show received nearly 12,000 votes in the survey, which came out to be one-third of the total vote, and twice as many votes as the runner up in the poll, Heartbeat. Alan J. W. Bell responded that Radio Times has always been anti-Last of the Summer Wine and Roy Clarke said if people do not like the show, "they shouldn't switch it on! What's the matter? Are they too idle to turn it off?"[105] The BBC has wanted to cancel Last of the Summer Wine for years in favour of a new series aimed at a younger demographic. However, the show remains too popular for cancellation, with reruns on UKTV Gold receiving ratings of as much as five million viewers per episode.[106] The series came 14th in a high-profile 2004 BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom.[7][107] The series has been praised for portraying older people in a non-stereotypical, positive, and active light. It was also praised for its clever and at times philosophical writing, and for being a viewer family-friendly show.[7]

Last of the Summer Wine has been nominated numerous times for two different British television industry awards. The series has been nominated six times between 1973 and 1985 for the British Academy Film Awards, twice for the Best Situation Comedy Series award (in 1973 and 1979) and three times for the Best Comedy Series award (in 1982, 1983, and 1985).[108] The series has been nominated four times since 1999 (in 1999,[109] 2000,[110] 2003,[111] and 2004[112] ) for the National Television Awards, all four times for the Most Popular Comedy Programme award. The series won the National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Programme in 1999.[109]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Last of the Summer Wine - Series 28 - Sinclair and the Wormley Witches. BBC Programmes. BBC. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
  2. ^ a b c Mangan, Lucy. "Cable girl: why has the Summer Wine lasted?", The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 2007-11-06. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. 
  3. ^ "The Summer Wine Story", Summer Wine Online, Summer Wine Appreciation Society. Retrieved on 2007-12-07. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 30 Years of Last of the Summer Wine. Producer and director: Alan J. W. Bell. BBC. BBC One. 2003-04-13.
  5. ^ Reed, Ed. "Axe Summer Wine says shock magazine survey", Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 2003-09-23. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. 
  6. ^ a b Oatts, Joanne. "3.2 million enjoy 'Summer Wine'", Digital Spy, 2007-07-17. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. 
  7. ^ a b c d "Series Profile: Last of the Summer Wine" (DOC), The Insider, BBC Sales, May 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. 
  8. ^ a b Parkin, Jenny. "A Summer Wine fit for the Queen", The Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 2001-12-15. Retrieved on 2007-12-14. 
  9. ^ a b Bright and Ross (2000), p. 160
  10. ^ a b c d e f Bright and Ross (2000), p. 24
  11. ^ a b c Bright and Ross (2000), pp. 24–25
  12. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), p. 16
  13. ^ a b c d Bright and Ross (2000), pp. 16-17
  14. ^ a b Bright and Ross (2000), pp. 17–19
  15. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), pp. 13–14
  16. ^ The Summer Wine Story: Why was it filmed in Holmfirth?. Summer Wine Online. Summer Wine Appreciation Society. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
  17. ^ a b Bright and Ross (2000), p. 117
  18. ^ Atkinson, Neil. "Is it the Last of Summer Wine?", The Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 2005-08-16. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. 
  19. ^ a b Sherwin, Adam. "Last of the Summer Wine antics 'dangerous' for elderly actors", The Times, 2008-05-10. Retrieved on 2008-05-30. 
  20. ^ a b Bright and Ross (2000), pp. 19–20
  21. ^ LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE - THE GREAT BOARDING-HOUSE BATHROOM CAPER. British Board of Film Classification Database. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  22. ^ LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE - CHEERING UP GORDON. British Board of Film Classification Database. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  23. ^ "Summer Wine Music and Lyrics", Summer Wine Online, Summer Wine Appreciation Society. Retrieved on 2007-12-27. 
  24. ^ "Theme tune writer Hazlehurst dies", BBC News, 2007-10-02. Retrieved on 2008-01-02. 
  25. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), p. 14
  26. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), p. 15
  27. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), pp. 61–67
  28. ^ a b Bright and Ross (2000), p. 36
  29. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), pp. 139–140
  30. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), pp. 74–75
  31. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), p. 94
  32. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), p. 77
  33. ^ a b c d Bright and Ross (2000), p. 102
  34. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), p. 89
  35. ^ Tillotson, Margaret. "Interview with Peter Sallis 1994", Summer Wine Online, Summer Wine Appreciation Society. Retrieved on 2007-12-27. 
  36. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), pp. 99–101
  37. ^ a b Bright and Ross (2000), p. 30
  38. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), p. 145
  39. ^ "Car and Garter". Roy Clarke (writer) & Alan J. W. Bell (director). Last of the Summer Wine. BBC One. 1982-01-11. No. 2, season 6.
  40. ^ "Uncle of the Bride". Roy Clarke (writer) & Alan J. W. Bell (director). Last of the Summer Wine. BBC One. 1986-01-01. New Year Special.
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[edit] Reference

Bright, Morris; Ross, Robert (2000-04-06). Last of the Summer Wine: The Finest Vintage. London: BBC Worldwide. ISBN 0563551518. 

[edit] External links

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