The Last of the Summer Wine

Last of the Summer Wine
A typical intertitle
Also known as	The Last of the Summer Wine (Pilot episode)
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Roy Clarke
Written by	Roy Clarke
Directed by	James Gilbert (1973) Bernard Thompson (1975) Sydney Lotterby (1976–1979, 1982–1983) Ray Butt (1976) Alan J. W. Bell (1981–1982, 1983–2010)
Starring	Michael Bates Bill Owen Peter Sallis Brian Wilde Michael Aldridge Frank Thornton Tom Owen Keith Clifford Brian Murphy Burt Kwouk Russ Abbot John Comer Jane Freeman Joe Gladwin Kathy Staff Dame Thora Hird Jean Alexander Stephen Lewis Dora Bryan Mike Grady Sarah Thomas Gordon Wharmby Robert Fyfe Juliette Kaplan Jean Fergusson Danny O'Dea Josephine Tewson June Whitfield Trevor Bannister Barbara Young
Theme music composer	Ronnie Hazlehurst
Opening theme	"The Last of the Summer Wine"
Composer(s)	Ronnie Hazlehurst Nigel Hess Jim Parker
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	31
No. of episodes	295 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	James Gilbert (1973) Bernard Thompson (1975) Sydney Lotterby (1976–1979, 1982–1983) Alan J. W. Bell (1981–1982, 1983–2010)
Location(s)	Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England
Cinematography	Pat O'Shea
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	BBC
Distributor	BBC Worldwide 2entertain Universal Pictures ABC (Australia, home video) Warner Home Video (US, home video)
Release
Original network	BBC1 BBC HD
Picture format	(4:3 PAL 576i,Colour SDTV) (1973–1998) (16:9 576i SDTV) (1999–2005) (16:9 720p, HDTV) (2006) (16:9 1080i HDTV) (2007–2010)
Audio format	Monaural (1973–1990) Stereo (1990-2005) Dolby Digital 5.1 (2006–2010)
Original release	4 January 1973 (1973-01-04) – 29 August 2010 (2010-08-29)
Chronology
Related shows	Comedy Playhouse First of the Summer Wine

(4:3 PAL 576i,Colour SDTV) (1973–1998)
(16:9 576i SDTV) (1999–2005)
(16:9 720p, HDTV) (2006)
(16:9 1080i HDTV) (2007–2010)

Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke that was originally broadcast on the BBC. It premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. From 1983 to 2010, Alan J. W. Bell produced and directed all episodes of the show. The BBC confirmed on 2 June 2010 that Last of the Summer Wine would no longer be produced and the 31st series would be its last. Subsequently, the final episode was broadcast on 29 August 2010.Tom Owen criticised the BBC for not permitting a special final episode. Roy Clarke, however, stated that he was fully aware this was the last series, and preferred the show to have a quiet ending. The final line was said by Peter Sallis, the longest serving actor. Since its original release, all 295 episodes comprising, thirty-one series—including the pilot and all Specials—have been released on DVD. Repeats of the show are broadcast in the UK on Gold, Yesterday, and Drama. It is also seen in more than twenty-five countries, including various PBS stations in the United States and on VisionTV in Canada. Last of the Summer Wine is the longest-running comedy programme in Britain and the longest-running sitcom in the world.