Last of the Summer Wine

My father got me hooked on this series, after he mentioned how much he enjoyed it. A local PBS station was running it, and I just fell in love with the three old men and their antics. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Peter Sallis is also the voice of Wallace, as in "Wallace & Grommit" -- another personal favorite. My biggest frustration is that our PBS station stopped running it, the BBC has only released one set of tapes, and that is criminal for a show that's been on the air for 30 years! For gentle, character driven comedies, this show cannot be beat. Also, the scenery is beautiful. All those rural, rustic shots of the English countryside are gorgeous.

I was a big fan of this series before i appeared in it. I still get letters and cards from fans despite leaving the show in 1988. Roy Clarke is one of the greatest comedy writers of his generation, he explores the British class system, old age, and the relationships between Yorshiremen and the Women they love brilliantly. The early shows were about boredom, retirement, life in Yorkshire and friendship between men of differing backgrounds. When the show was taken over by Alan J W Bell ,who produced and directed all the episodes i appeared in, the comedy broadened. Wonderful slapstick and unlikely romance became the strong central themes. In 1987 the show regularly had viewing figures just below 20 Million, and it continues to have a cult following to this day. I made some wonderful friends on the series too, Jane Freeman (who played my Auntie Ivy), Bill Owen (who i sadly miss) Peter Sallis (who taught me so much when we worked on stage together) Thora Hird (who told great stories of her early life in the Co-op as a sales assistant) Joe Gladwyn (who told me the most wonderful tales of early music hall and variety shows) to name just a few... I think one of the best qualities of this show is that anyone of any age can watch it and find something amusing, popular family entertainment is rare these days and this is a gem.

Simply put, this show has been my favorite discovery of late and I am definitely going to try and purchase each and every one of the episodes and specials if possible.

It has really not been done justice by the other comment here. I am absolutely in love with this show.

I had no idea it has been around as long as it has. Apparently the longest running show in England and possibly most anywhere.

With good reason as you will see if you watch a couple of episodes.

These gentlemen trying to recapture their youth are so funny and endearing

This is by far the best British comedy ever shown in the US. The relationships between the characters are real and the humor of the show comes from this fact. The idea of a show about three old men who come up with such outrageous things to do with their time is pure genius. No wonder it's lasted so long.

I was only a casual viewer of this program until I heard it described as "the story of three elderly men who carry on like teenagers." From that moment, I was hooked and have enjoyed every minute of it!

It's a shame that this program wouldn't be given a chance on the commercial networks in the U.S., what with the way they target younger audiences.