A spin-off prequel show, First of the Summer Wine, premiered on BBC1 in 1988. The new programme was written by Roy Clarke and used different actors to follow the activities of the principal characters from Last of the Summer Wine in the months leading up to World War II. Unlike its mother show, First of the Summer Wine was not filmed in Holmfirth. Period music was used instead of Ronnie Hazlehurst's score to create a more World War II era atmosphere. [116] New supporting characters were added to those from Last of the Summer Wine. Peter Sallis and Jonathan Linsley were the only actors from the original series to appear in the spin-off: Sallis played the father of his own character from the original show and Linsley appeared during the second series as a different character. [12] Britain's Best Sitcom–Top 11–100". BBC. Archived from the original on 14 January 2006 . Retrieved 2 April 2017. Composing the score for each episode until his death in 2007, [29] Hazlehurst spent an average of ten hours per episode watching scenes and making notes for music synchronisation. Hazlehurst then recorded the music using an orchestra consisting of a guitar, harmonica, two violins, a viola, cello, accordion, horn, bass, flute, and percussion. [6] The distinctive harmonica was played by Harry Pitch, who had featured in the 1970 one-hit-wonder " Groovin With Mr Bloe". [30] Ending [ edit ] The image quality is very good for shows of that time period. It looks like to me how it may have been when they originally broadcast it over the air. Could have used a slight bit of noise clean up and maybe some slight white balance correction with some episodes. Still much, much better than watching from a well used VHS or poor quality youtube copy from over a decade ago. In 1976, a selection of early scripts from the series was published as Last of the Summer Wine Scripts. [131] A companion guide to the show, Last of the Summer Wine: The Finest Vintage, was released in 2000. The book was written by Morris Bright and Robert Ross and chronicled the show from its inception through the end of the 2000 series. Included were interviews with cast and crew, a character guide, and an episode guide. [132] Both the companion guide and its updated 30th anniversary version are now out of print. [133] A release by journalist Andrew Vine titled Last of the Summer Wine: The Inside Story of the World's Longest-running Comedy Programme covered the entire series, including the story of the final words of the series. It was released on 16 August 2010. [134] On 5 November 2012, a new book titled Last of the Summer Wine - From the Directors Chair was released and written by producer and director Alan J.W. Bell. [135] 2023 saw the publication of 50 Years of Last of the Summer Wine: An Appreciation by author Miles Eaton. The book was released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast of the sitcom.

Awards Database – Last of the Summer Wine". British Academy of Film and Television Awards. Archived from the original on 18 September 2009 . Retrieved 2 April 2017.Roy Clarke (writer) & Alan J. W. Bell (director) (6 November 1988). "That Certain Smile". Last of the Summer Wine. Series 10. Episode 4. BBC One. Last of the Summer Wine – The Great Boarding-House Caper". British Board of Film Classification Database. British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 19 September 2009 . Retrieved 2 April 2017. Highest Rated Programmes 1985". BARB. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011 . Retrieved 2 April 2017. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Producer and director: Alan J. W. Bell (13 April 2003). 30 Years of Last of the Summer Wine. BBC One. Although the show initially focused on the trio and four to five supporting characters, the cast expanded over the years to include an ensemble of eccentric characters who rounded out the show. The biggest expansion came in 1985 when four characters from the stage adaptation of the show were brought over to the series proper: Howard ( Robert Fyfe), Pearl ( Juliette Kaplan), Marina ( Jean Fergusson), and Ivy's nephew, "Crusher" Milburn ( Jonathan Linsley). [57] Further additions came the following year when the film Uncle of the Bride introduced Seymour's sister, Edie, played by veteran actress Thora Hird, and her family, who were brought over to the programme the following series. [58] The only addition with no professional acting experience was the Holmfirth resident Gordon Wharmby, who performed so well during his audition as mechanic Wesley Pegden, that Alan J. W. Bell cast him in one episode. Pegden would make two more appearances before being brought in permanently as Edie's husband and Seymour's brother-in-law after positive audience reception, becoming a regular character starting in Uncle of the Bride. [59] [60] [61] The increasingly large cast ensured a sense of continuity with the changing configuration of the trio, especially following the death of Bill Owen. [44]

Several members of the royal family were viewers of Last of the Summer Wine. While presenting an OBE to Roy Clarke in 2002, Prince Charles said that his grandmother, the Queen Mother, had introduced him to the show. [139] The Queen told Dame Thora Hird during a 2001 meeting that Last of the Summer Wine was her favourite television programme. [10]Sallis, Peter (2 October 2000). Last of the Summer Wine (BBC Radio Collection). BBC Audiobooks. ISBN 978-0-563-47714-3. Wilkes, Neil (17 July 2007). "Sky1 revamp pulls in 1 million". Digital Spy . Retrieved 5 April 2017.