Last of the Summer Wine : The Inside Story of the World's Longest-Running Comedy Programme

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9781845135959
• ISBN10: 1845135954
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2010-10-19
• Publisher: Aurum Pr Ltd

Summary

Quite simply, it is the world's longest running comedy series, still going strong after 37 years, having started in 1973 and approaching 300 episodes. And, remarkably for a series of such longevity and international appeal, it is all about elderly people, has little action or plot, and is set and filmed in and around the small Yorkshire village of Holmfirth.Now, Andrew Vine, the deputy editor of Yorkshire's daily newspaper, has written the definitive history of this television phenomenon. It covers the show's inauspicious beginnings, with low ratings, its endless reinvention as participants like Bill Owen, Michael Bates, Brian Wilde and Kathy Staff retired or died, the appearance of a string of guest stars from John Cleese and Norman Wisdom to Thora Hird and Russ Abbott (both of whom soon found themselves fixtures in the cast), and the ingenious plot contrivances as the protagonists became too old and frail to attempt any of the slapstick stunts with runaway prams - indeed any outdoor action.Nowadays the series has been running so long that the endless intrigue as to whether it will be re-commissioned has become a story in itself. What is certain is that endless repeats, and DVD box sets, will ensure a readership for this book for years to come.

Author Biography

Andrew Vine is deputy editor of the Yorkshire Post.