Last of the Summer Wine
First Aired
Jan 04, 1973
Seasons
31
Episodes
269
Episode Runtime
30 min
Overview
Unencumbered by wives, jobs or any other responsibilities, three senior citizens who've never really grown up explore their world in the Yorkshire Dales. They spend their days speculating about their fellow townsfolk and thinking up adventures not usually favored by the elderly. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse in 1973. The show ran for 295 episodes until 2010. It is the longest running comedy Britain has produced and the longest running sitcom in the world.
Genres
Networks
BBC One
Top Cast
16 cast members
Seasons
Specials
28 Episodes • 1978
No overview available.
Season 1
7 Episodes • 1973
Last of the Summer Wine's first series originally aired on BBC1 between 12 November 1973 and 17 December 1973. All episodes from this series were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by James Gilbert. The pilot episode, alternately known as "The Last of the Summer Wine" and "Of Funerals and Fish," originally premiered on the BBC's Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973 at 8:00 p.m. "The Last of the Summer Wine" was the first episode of that show's fourteenth series. The pilot warranted a positive enough that the BBC ordered a full series of episodes which premiered on 12 November 1973. The first series was released on DVD in region 2 as a combined box set with series 2 on 2 September 2002.
Season 2
7 Episodes • 1975
Last of the Summer Wine's second series originally aired on BBC1 between 5 March and 16 April 1975. All episodes from this series were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Bernard Thompson. Although ratings from the first series were not good, the BBC ordered a second series of Last of the Summer Wine after the first season aired but were delayed due to strike action. The second series was eventually produced and aired during March and April 1975. For the first time, series 2 saw two episodes make it into the top ten programs of the week, starting with the opening show, "Forked Lightning," which was watched by over 18 million people. Joining the cast this season was Joe Gladwin as Wally Batty, Nora Batty's henpecked husband. Series 2 would also mark the final appearance of Blamire, played by Michael Bates, who left at the end of the series due to health problems. The second series was released on DVD in region 2 as a combined box set with series 1 on 2 September 2002.
Season 3
7 Episodes • 1976
Last of the Summer Wine's third series originally aired on BBC1 between 27 October 1976 and 8 December 1976. All episodes from this series were written by Roy Clarke and produced by Sydney Lotterby. Five episodes were directed by Sydney Lotterby but two, the two parter, "The Great Boarding House Bathroom Caper" and "Cheering Up Gordon", were directed by Ray Butt. Although none of the episodes from series 3 made it into the top ten programmes of the week on their initial screening, a repeat showing of the final episode, "Isometrics and After," attracted 15 million viewers during a repeat screening in spring 1977. Also notable was the inclusion for the first time of a two-part episode consisting of "The Great Boarding House Bathroom Caper" and "Cheering Up Gordon," both featuring guest appearances by Philip Jackson as Compo's nephew, Gordon. Blake Butler reprises his role from the first series as the librarian, Mr. Wainwright, before departing the show again at the end of the year. The most notable change this season, however, was the addition of Brian Wilde as the new third-man of the trio, Foggy Dewhurst, an ex-military sign painter. Wilde would play this role twice: between 1976 and 1985 and then again from 1990 until 1997, when he was forced to leave due to health problems.
Season 4
8 Episodes • 1977
Last of the Summer Wine's fourth series originally aired on BBC1 between 9 November 1977 and 4 January 1978. All episodes from this series were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Sydney Lotterby. The fourth series was released on DVD in region 2 as a combined box set with series 3 on 26 July 2004. A box set featuring just series 4 was released for region 1 on 9 September 2008.
Season 5
7 Episodes • 1979
Last of the Summer Wine's fifth series originally aired on BBC1 between 18 September and 30 October 1979. All episodes from this series were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Sydney Lotterby. The fifth series was something of a departure; it was the first to include two-part episodes and introduced a small number of new characters such as Compo's oft-mentioned but never seen nephew and was also notable for an increase in the more physical comedy for which the programme would become more well-known latterly. The fifth series was released on DVD in region 2 as a combined box set with series 6 on 5 March 2007.
Season 6
7 Episodes • 1982
Last of the Summer Wine's sixth series originally aired on BBC1 between 4 January and 15 February 1982. All episodes from this series were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell. The sixth series was released on DVD in region 2 as a combined box set with series 5 on 5 March 2007.
Season 7
6 Episodes • 1983
Last of the Summer Wine's seventh series originally aired on BBC1 between 30 January and 6 March 1983. All episodes from this series were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Sydney Lotterby, except for "Getting Sam Home", which is produced and directed by Alan J.W. Bell. The seventh series was released on DVD in region 2 as a combined box set with series 8 on 3 March 2008.
Season 8
6 Episodes • 1985
Last of the Summer Wine's eighth series originally aired on BBC1 between 10 March and 14 April 1985. All episodes from this series were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell. The eighth series was released on DVD in region 2 as a combined box set with series 7 on 3 March 2008.
Season 9
12 Episodes • 1987
Last of the Summer Wine's ninth series originally aired on BBC1 between 4 January and 22 March 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.
Season 10
6 Episodes • 1988
The Last of the Summer Wines tenth series aired on BBC1. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell. [NOTE: Boxed set by 'Playback' omits season 10. In their dual season 9+10 set they only provide season 9. Instead they rename it season 11 in the next boxed set - shifting season numbers along by 1].
Season 11
7 Episodes • 1989
The Last of the Summer Wines eleventh series aired on BBC1. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell. [NOTE: Boxed set by 'Playback' omits season 10. In their dual season 9+10 set they only provide season 9. Instead they rename it season 11 in the next boxed set - shifting season numbers along by 1].
Season 12
10 Episodes • 1990
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 to the fold.
Season 13
6 Episodes • 1991
The Last of the Summer Wines thirteenth series aired on BBC1. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell. Notably, this series of the show was shot entirely on videotape. Prior to this, the show had used videotape for studio scenes and film for location footage. From the following series until 2004, when the it started being shot digitally in High-Definition, the show moved to being shot entirely on film, although the laughter track is still included, respectively.
Season 14
10 Episodes • 1992
The Last of the Summer Wines fourteenth series aired on BBC1. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell. This was the first series to be shot entirely on film, although the complete episode was still assembled on videotape. This and the following series were broadcast in a 16:10 aspect ratio, compared to the standard 4:3 aspect ratio that it was broadcast in for its previous 13 series.
Season 15
9 Episodes • 1993
The Last of the Summer Wines fifteenth series aired on BBC1. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell.
Season 16
8 Episodes • 1995
The Last of the Summer Wines sixteenth series aired on BBC1. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell.
Season 17
10 Episodes • 1995
Last of the Summer Wine's seventeenth series aired on BBC1. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell.
Season 18
10 Episodes • 1997
The trio in this series consisted of:
Season 19
10 Episodes • 1998
The trio in this series consisted of:
Season 20
10 Episodes • 1999
The trio in this series consisted of:
Season 21
10 Episodes • 2000
The trio in this series consisted of: ^1 Compo only appeared in the Special and the first three episodes of this series prior to his death ^2 Tom only appeared in four episodes of this series and became a supporting character from series 22 till the shows end
Season 22
10 Episodes • 2001
No overview available.
Season 23
10 Episodes • 2002
No overview available.
Season 24
10 Episodes • 2003
No overview available.
Season 25
10 Episodes • 2004
No overview available.
Season 26
10 Episodes • 2005
No overview available.
Season 27
9 Episodes • 2006
No overview available.
Season 28
10 Episodes • 2007
No overview available.
Season 29
11 Episodes • 2008
The Last of the Summer Wine's twenty-ninth series aired on BBC One from 22 June to 31 August 2008. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell.
Season 30
10 Episodes • 2009
Last of the Summer Wine's thirtieth series originally aired 19 April 2009. All eleven episodes in series thirty were thirty 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 and Frank Thornton are now demoted to secondary characters, filmed only in studio scenes due to the cost of insurance for the actors at their age on location.
Season 31
6 Episodes • 2010
No overview available.
