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Axed: Last of the Summer Wine

The world's longest-running comedy series is coming to an end in the UK.

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Think Law and Order or The Bill had it tough being axed after 20 and 27 years? Try 37.

The BBC has axed UK comedy Last of the Summer Wine, a show about three old blokes that has been running so long many of its most famous cast members are long gone. Bill Owen, who played ‘Compo’, died in 1999; while Brian Wilde who played ‘Foggy’ and Kathy Staff, aka ‘Nora Batty’, both died in 2008.

Premiering in 1973, it is the world’s longest-running comedy series. Impressively, all 289 episodes have been written by creator Roy Clarke.

In that time the cast has included  June Whitfield and Trevor Bannister with guests including John Cleese, Norman Wisdom, Eric Sykes and Philip Jackson.

Cheryl Taylor, controller of BBC comedy commissioning, said the decision to end the show was ‘very tough’.

She added: “It is a testimony to the wit and warmth of the characters that Roy Clarke originally created that this amazing series has endured over several decades.

“We very much respect the affection in which it is held. It is very tough to have to call time on such a cherished institution but we are very sincere in our gratitude for, and admiration of Last Of The Summer Wine. It is the undisputed champion of long-running comedy series.”

The final series will be shown in the UK summer, with Peter Sallis as Clegg alongside Russ Abbott as Hobbo and Brian Murphy (George and Mildred) as Alvin.

Source: Chortle

9 Responses

  2. I remember as a kid this being on,although i did not watch it,however it is something i have enjoyed the last few years on UK TV.A very simple yet quirky & humorous little show with a who’s who from uk television.
    Blakey from On The Buses,Captain Peacock & Mr Lucas from Are You Being Served,gran from Ab Fab & of course George from Man About The House amongst many others.My fave character is the old girl always dressed to the nines wearing skimpy outfits & always chasing the men of the town.Ok not side splitting funny but a good chuckle.
    Will miss it.

  4. This show was a graveyard for aged stars like Frank Thornton (Capt Peacock) and Jean Alexander (Hilda Ogden). It seemed to have a massive supporting cast who all had 1 line per episode. A few years ago The Times reported the cost of insuring the actors over 80 was too high and Peter Sallis and Frank Thornton were only allowed to do studio work. In 2003 a radio times reader survey voted it the most wanted series to be cancelled. It just goes to show that people with only ‘free to air’ will watch anything on a sunday evening if nothing else is on

  5. I assume this wasn’t a continuous run though? Whereas shows like The Bill, Law and Order and The Simpsons have been consistently producing episodes throughout their time on the screen.

  6. wow that’s a long time. but 37 years and only 289 episodes? must have had less that 4 hours worth a year. a geat achievement nonetheless.

  8. I guess now the argument could be that while this show has run for longer in terms of years, the episode count is relatively low given that the UK season orders are generally much less than a US Show, such as Law and Order, which has a higher episode count despite running for almost half as long.

    Either way, 37 years is a sterling achievement.

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