Last Of The Summer Wine: The Complete Collection [DVD]

Product Information

Atkinson, Neil (16 August 2005). "Is it the Last of Summer Wine?". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner . Retrieved 5 April 2017. Jeffries, Mark (12 August 2010). "Last of the Summer Wine: We reveal axed show's final words". The Daily Mirror . Retrieved 12 August 2010. I have watched these episodes so many times that I could probably play any part! I never get tired of the beautiful countryside, the warm, fuzzy feeling, and of course, all the laughs!

The Summer Wine Story". Summer Wine Online. Summer Wine Appreciation Society. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008 . Retrieved 2 April 2017.

Side guide

In March 2022, Channel 5 aired a 67-minute special retrospective for their series "30 Years Of Laughs". Cast, crew and celebrities paid tribute to the show. [108] DVD releases [ edit ] Roy Clarke (writer) & Alan J. W. Bell (director) (4 June 2000). "I Didn't Know Barry Could Play". Last of the Summer Wine. Series 21. Episode 10. BBC One.

In 1972, Duncan Wood, the BBC's Head of Comedy, watched a comedy on television called The Misfit. Impressed by writer Roy Clarke's ability to inject both comedy and drama into the sitcom, Wood offered Clarke the opportunity to write a sitcom. [6] Clarke nearly turned the 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. [6]Sallis, Peter (2 October 2000). Last of the Summer Wine (BBC Radio Collection). BBC Audiobooks. ISBN 978-0-563-47714-3. 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 man. The third member of the trio would be recast four times over the next three decades: Foggy Dewhurst in 1976, [87] Seymour Utterthwaite in 1986, [88] Foggy again in 1990, [89] and Truly Truelove in 1997. [90] After Compo died in 1999, his son, Tom Simmonite, filled the gap for the rest of that series, [42] and Billy Hardcastle joined the cast as the third lead character in 2001. [91] The trio became a quartet between 2003 and 2006 when Alvin Smedley moved in next door to Nora Batty, [72] but returned to the usual threesome in 2006 when Billy Hardcastle left the show. [92] The role of supporting character Entwistle steadily grew until the beginning of the 30th series, when he and Alvin were recruited by Hobbo Hobdyke, a former milkman with ties to MI5, to form a new trio of volunteers who respond to any emergency. [46] Britain's Best Sitcom–Top 11–100". BBC. Archived from the original on 14 January 2006 . Retrieved 2 April 2017.

Lambert, David (10 February 2008). "Ah, That 1976 Vintage of the BBC Program Comes to DVD Next Month!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2008 . Retrieved 22 May 2008. Lambert, David (12 February 2004). "Summer Wine on DVD this summer". TVShowsOnDVD.com. TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008 . Retrieved 22 May 2008.Roy Clarke (writer) & Alan J. W. Bell (director) (1 January 1986). "Uncle of the Bride". Last of the Summer Wine. Series 8. BBC One. New Year Special.

In 1983, Bill Owen suggested to a newly returned producer Alan J. W. Bell that Roy Clarke's novelisation of the show should be made into a feature-length special. Other British sitcoms such as Steptoe and Son and Dad's Army had previously produced films made for the cinema, but the BBC were initially sceptical as they had never before commissioned a film based on a comedy programme for original broadcast on television. They nevertheless commissioned a ninety-minute film named Getting Sam Home, which was broadcast on 27 December 1983, and started a trend which would continue with other British sitcoms, including Only Fools and Horses. [13] In December 2008, Alan J. W. Bell stated in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that the BBC had not yet commissioned a new series and that bosses at the network told him one would not be produced. Bell criticised this decision, stating that "millions still enjoy the series and the actors love being involved" and that it would be a terrible blow to the shops and businesses in Holmfirth who have come to depend on tourist revenue. The BBC denied these claims, saying that a decision had not yet been reached whether to commission another series or not. [32] Roy Clarke (writer) & Alan J. W. Bell (director) (1 January 1995). "The Man Who Nearly Knew Pavarotti". Last of the Summer Wine. Series 16. BBC One. New Year's Special. 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.BBC – Celebrating Last of the Summer Wine's record run". BBC. 16 August 2010 . Retrieved 3 August 2016. In 1976, a selection of early scripts from the series was published as Last of the Summer Wine Scripts. [131] 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. [132] Both the companion guide and its updated 30th anniversary version are now out of print. [133] A release by journalist Andrew Vine titled Last of the Summer Wine: The Inside Story of the World's Longest-running Comedy Programme covered the entire series, including the story of the final words of the series. It was released on 16 August 2010. [134] On 5 November 2012, a new book titled Last of the Summer Wine - From the Directors Chair was released and written by producer and director Alan J.W. Bell. [135] 2023 saw the publication of 50 Years of Last of the Summer Wine: An Appreciation by author Miles Eaton. The book was released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast of the sitcom. Although many felt that the show's quality had declined over the years, [7] Last of the Summer Wine continued to receive large audiences for the BBC [8] and was praised for its positive portrayal of older people and family-friendly humour. [9] Many members of the royal family enjoyed the show. [10] The programme was nominated for numerous awards and won the National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Programme in 1999. [11] There were twenty-one Christmas specials, three television films and a documentary film about the series. Last of the Summer Wine inspired other adaptations, including a television prequel, [12] several novelisations, [13] and stage adaptations. [14] Production [ edit ] History and development [ edit ] Examiner, Huddersfield (24 July 2010). "Last of the Summer Wine Creator Roy Clarke says he knew this season would be the last". Examiner.co.uk . Retrieved 3 August 2016.