Last of the Summer Wine series 1

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Last of the Summer Wine: Series 1

The first series of Last of the Summer Wine aired on BBC1. The pilot episode, called “The Last of the Summer Wine” or “Of Funerals and Fish,” was shown on Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973. Because it was well received, the BBC ordered a full series, which ran from 12 November to 17 December 1973. There were six episodes in this series. All episodes were written by Roy Clarke, and James Gilbert produced and directed the series.

The main trio in Series 1 were Blamire, Compo, and Clegg. In one story, Blamire wants Compo to visit a church; Sid and Ivy persuade him to go, though he jokes that all he felt was an itchy nose. Blamire also takes up photography. He and Compo visit Clegg’s house to see his camping gear, and they decide to go camping and photograph the sunrise. A thunderstorm forces them to shelter in a barn, and they oversleep, missing the sunrise.

Home video releases: The first and second series were released together in a box set in 2002, but the pilot was not included and some episodes were altered. A 2011 re-release restored the original versions of the altered episodes, but the pilot remained excluded. The pilot later appeared on the final box set (series 31 & 32) released on 15 August 2016.