Last of the Summer Wine, written by Roy Clarke, is a British sitcom, which has run longer than any other comedy series in the world, now in its twenty-sixth series. Set in and around Holmfirth, Yorkshire, the series centers around the adventures of three elderly, unmarried friends: Norman Clegg (Peter Sallis), "Cleggy", shy and self-effacing; and William "Compo" Simmonite (Bill Owen), sly and amorous towards one of the women, Nora Batty (Kathy Staff), and a third member, who varied through the series. The original third member was Cyril Blamire (Michael Bates), then Foggy Dewhurst (Brian Wilde), pompous and boastful, then the ineffectual eccentric would-be inventor Seymour Utterthwaite (Michael Aldridge), then a return by Foggy Dewhurst and currently retired police officer Herbert "Truly" Truelove (Frank Thornton).
After the death of Bill Owen in 1999, he was replaced by Keith Clifford as Billy Hardcastle, who tried to emulate and claimed to be descended from Robin Hood. Also joining the cast was Owen's real life son, Tom Owen , playing Tom Simmonite, Compo's long lost son.
A spin-off series, First of the Summer Wine, used different actors to follow the exploits of the main characters in their youth.
Important regular sub-plots in Last of the Summer Wine revolve around Howard's love affair with Marina (which his wife, Pearl, knows about, and tolerates up to a point mainly because it gives her something to use against him); discussions of the women's informal group: Nora, Ivy, Pearl, Edie and Glenda; Compo's pursuit of Nora (in later episodes, after Wally Batty is no longer on the scene); Aunty Wainwright's machinations to sell her merchandise, and Eli's gaffes.
At various times, Auntie Wainwright mentions that both Howard and Smiler are relatives of hers, but she never specifies how.
This show is very unusual for its large regular cast:
- Norman Clegg (Peter Sallis)
- The second member of the trio:
- Compo Simmonite (Bill Owen*)
- Billy Hardcastle (Keith Clifford )
- The third member of the trio:
- Nora Batty (Kathy Staff), Compo's love interest (especially after Wally's death)
- Wally Batty (Joe Gladwin*), Nora's husband (in early episodes)
- Howard (Robert Fyfe ), henpecked husband, and lover of Marina
- Pearl (Juliet Kaplan ), Howard's long-suffering wife and a bit of a shrew
- Marina (Jean Fergusson ), flashy but over-age, Howard's love interest
- Aunty Wainwright (Jean Alexander), sly and grasping junkstore owner
- Sid (John Comer*), bluff tea-shop owner (in early episodes)
- Ivy (Jane Freeman ), joint owner of tea-shop with husband Sid
- Edie Pegden (Dame Thora Hird*), highly opinionated older woman
- Wesley Pegden (Gordon Wharmby*), Edie's husband, who spends all his time in his workshop
- Glenda Wilkinson (Sarah Thomas), daughter of Edie and Wesley
- Barry Wilkinson (Mike Grady), hen-pecked husband of Glenda
- Roz (Dora Bryan), Edie's sister.
- Smiler (Stephen Lewis), sour and not-too-bright comic foil
- Eli Duckett (Danny O'Dea *), extremely near-sighted bumbler
- Tom Simmonite (Tom Owen ), Compo's son on the show and in real life
- Entwistle (Bert Kwouk ), Electrician and fortune-teller
- Alvin Smedley (Brian Murphy ), Nora's neighbor after Compo dies
- Policemen (Ken Kitson and Tony Capstick), generally seen driving around the moors and trying not to get involved with anything
- Barman (only occasionally seen)
*These actors have died and their characters' deaths have been written into the scripts.
See also
