Last Of The Summer Wine

An insider’s look at story behind the longest running situation comedy in British television history. Quite simply, Last of the Summer Wine is the longest-running comedy programme in the world. It premiered thirty-seven years ago, in 1973, and, after thirty-one series it finally came to an end—even though all its original protagonists—Compo, Foggy, even Nora Batty—are now dead. Remarkably, for a series of such longevity and international appeal, it is all about elderly people, has little action or plot, and is set and filmed in and around the small Yorkshire town of Holmfirth. Now, Andrew Vine, the deputy editor of Yorkshire’s daily newspaper, has written the definitive history of this television phenomenon. It covers the show’s inauspicious beginnings, with low ratings, its endless reinvention as participants like Bill Owen, Michael Bates, Brian Wilde and Kathy Staff retired or died, the appearance of a string of guest stars from John Cleese and Norman Wisdom to Thora Hird and Russ Abbott (both of whom soon found themselves fixtures in the cast), and the ingenious plot contrivances as the protagonists became too old and frail to attempt any of the slapstick stunts with runaway prams—indeed any outdoor action. The town of Holmfirth is now a year-round tourist attraction, and the endless availability of the show via streaming, ensures that Last of the Summer Wine, and the book it inspired, will live on for generations of fans.

Only a man with a ferret down his trousers could love Nora Batty. So lock up your ferrets (and Nora Batty!), here come Yorkshire's hilarious adventurers -- three pensioners in four classic capers from the BBC television series which still has England laughing after more than twenty-five years. Nora goes on the rampage when one of Compo's ferrets escapes into her house, Sid decides to install a new bell in the caf, Clegg communicates with plants, and Foggy's interest with a Welsh widow makes the lads too curious to stay put.

This book is a tribute to the long-running sitcom "Last of the Summer Wine." It contains interviews with the show's major stars, and recalls the numerous guest stars that have been featured over the years, from John Cleese to Kate Robbins. There is a guide to every single show since 1973 and archive photographs that provide a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

The best jokes, gags and scenes from a true British comedy classic. ‘Do you reckon I’m in love with Mrs. Batty, or is it just sex?’ Compo

Roy Clarke's rural tales of three bumbling, elderly eccentrics have been entertaining audiences for over 25 years. In this tribute, the authors retrace the history of the hugely successful TV series, including interviews with the regular stars, and disclosing the some behind-the-scenes secrets.

The summer of '28 was a vintage season for a growing boy. A summer of green apple trees, mowed lawns, and new sneakers. Of half-burnt firecrackers, of gathering dandelions, of Grandma's belly-busting dinner. It was a summer of sorrows and marvels and gold-fuzzed bees. A magical, timeless summer in the life of a twelve-year-old boy named Douglas Spaulding—remembered forever by the incomparable Ray Bradbury. The only god living in Green Town, Illinois, that Douglas Spaulding knew of. The facts about John Huff, aged twelve, are simple and soon stated. • He could pathfind more trails than any Choctaw or Cherokee since time began. • Could leap from the sky like a chimpanzee from a vine. • Could live underwater two minutes and slide fifty yards downstream. • Could hit baseballs into apple trees, knocking down harvests. • Could jump six-foot orchard walls. • Ran laughing. • Sat easy. • Was not a bully. • Was kind. • Knew the words to all the cowboy songs and would teach you if you asked. • Knew the names of all the wild flowers and when the moon would rise or set and when the tides came in or out. He was, in fact, the only god living in the whole of Green Town, Illinois, during the twentieth century that Douglas Spaulding knew of. “[Ray] Bradbury is an authentic original.”—Time