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

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I never intended to follow the show any further than these first two, nostalgia-carried, series, even though the first Foggy Dewhurst period was probably the most consistenty successful era of Last of the Summer Wine: I remember that period only too well for nostalgia to have much of a grip.

After the death of Owen in 1999, Compo was replaced at various times by his real-life son, Tom Owen, as Tom Simmonite, Keith Clifford as Billy Hardcastle, a man who thought of himself as a direct descendant of Robin Hood, and Brian Murphy as the cheeky-chappy Alvin Smedley. This latter introduced Holmfirth local Gordon Wharmby in the role of Wesley Pegden: Wharmby had no acting experience whatsoever, but was a natural, and Clarke kept him firmly in mind for the future.

Last of the Summer Wine: The Complete Collection Welcome to Holmfirth, a breathtakingly beautiful village in the heart of the Holme Valley, home to our favourite idiosyncratic retired gentlemen.

Gilbert and Clarke then travelled to Holmfirth and decided to use it as the setting for the pilot episode. Composer and conductor Ronnie Hazlehurst, who also produced themes for such series as Are You Being Served?In this early form, the sitcom skilfully utilised the British preoccupation with class that’s underlaid so many successful comedies. The 1983 film, Getting Sam Home, used those two verses, with an additional two and played them over the opening credits.