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Last Of The Summer Wine. Image shows from L to R: William 'Compo' Simmonite (Bill Owen), Herbert Truelove (Truly) (Frank Thornton), Norman Clegg (Peter Sallis). Image credit: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Last Of The Summer Wine
Last Of The Summer Wine. Image shows from L to R: Alvin Smedley (Brian Murphy), Herbert Truelove (Truly) (Frank Thornton), Norman Clegg (Peter Sallis). Image credit: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Last Of The Summer Wine

A new series of this comedy is in production.

Gentle sitcom following a group of pensioners living in Yorkshire. This show is Britain's longest-running comedy programme

AKA:
Lotsw
Genre:
Sitcom
Broadcast:
1973 - 2009  (BBC One)
Episodes:
289 (pilot + 30 series)
Starring:
Bill Owen, Peter Sallis, Frank Thornton, Brian Murphy, Michael Bates, Brian Wilde, Michael Aldridge, Keith Clifford, Mike Grady, Kathy Staff, Sarah Thomas
Writers:
Roy Clarke
Production:
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Sitcom following a group of male pensioners looking for adventure. Previous groupings have included Compo, Clegg and Foggy; and Clegg, Truly and Alvin. The current main trio are Hobbo, Entwistle and Alvin.

The 'gang' are ageing delinquents who carry out boyish pranks in a quiet Yorkshire village. Their japes revolve around daredevil stunts aimed at wooing their lady friends or getting male chums out of trouble.

Our Review: It would be hard to argue that Last Of The Summer Wine is anything but a British classic. It is the UK's longest running TV comedy show by quite some margin.

This programme is an inoffensive and slow-moving sitcom which gets viewers hooked in via the charming and loveable characters, relaxing pace and beautiful scenery. It should be noted this is a programme mainly enjoyed by the older generations. Quite a few of the younger people dislike it, with some TV critics and viewers calling it 'boring, outdated, slow and un-funny'.

Even if you're not a fan, LOTSW's influence on the comedy landscape shouldn't be overlooked. To give just one example, this was the first comedy show on British TV to try extending the length of a Christmas special beyond the traditional 30 minutes... a practice which has since become commonplace.

However, how much longer this show will be on telly is now the big question. Even the show's biggest fans are starting to suggest the quality is dropping off rapidly, and there are strong rumours the BBC is now looking to cancel it. The first clue this could be true is that, although the comedy will be returning in 2010, the BBC have this time only ordered six new episodes.