# Last of the Summer Wine (1973)

> Three retired Yorkshire men with no wives, jobs or responsibilities wander the Dales dreaming up unlikely adventures and gossiping about their neighbours.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/4037

## Facts

- Seasons: 31
- Episodes: 269
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Roy Clarke
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Peter Sallis, Frank Thornton, Michael Bates, Jane Freeman, Kathy Staff, Joe Gladwin, John Comer, Jean Fergusson
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069602/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: gentle, whimsical, nostalgic, cosy, absurd

## What critics say

Critics broadly admire its gentle warmth, enduring ensemble chemistry and remarkable longevity, while agreeing it is a comfort watch rather than a formally ambitious one.

## Synopsis

Last of the Summer Wine is a gentle British sitcom created by Roy Clarke for the BBC, running from 1973 to 2010 and becoming the longest running comedy series Britain has produced. Three retired Yorkshire men, Compo, Clegg and Foggy, have no wives, jobs or responsibilities, so they fill their days with modest schemes and wandering through the Yorkshire Dales. Their adventures rarely go as planned, and the comic complications arrive with easy inevitability before everyone drifts back to the pub or a park bench. Each episode stands alone, so the show plays as a long run of small capers rather than one continuing story. Thirty-one seasons give it an unhurried, familiar rhythm that rewards long-term viewers. The tone is cosy, nostalgic and warmly absurd, with gentle slapstick and an affectionate eye on the rural community and its gossip. Beneath the silliness runs a wistful undercurrent about growing old, friendship and refusing to stop being daft. It is comfort television for quiet evenings, the kind of show that feels like visiting old friends.

## Shows like Last of the Summer Wine

- [Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973)](https://ember.film/tv/5635)
- [The Vicar of Dibley (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/2630)
- [Rising Damp (1974)](https://ember.film/tv/2417)
- [dinnerladies (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/692)
- [Dad's Army (1968)](https://ember.film/tv/475)
- [Still Game (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/408)
- [One Foot in the Grave (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/4327)
- [Mum (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/58530)
- [Steptoe and Son (1962)](https://ember.film/tv/3171)
- [Vicious (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/42578)

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