Last Of The Summer Wine - Series 1-2 - Complete (DVD)

Last of the Summer Wine is the longest running sitcom in the world. This DVD features the first two series from 1973-75. Sadly they missed an oppurtunity by not including the pilot episode, which introduced us to the characters at the funeral of Clegg's wife.

From the pen of Roy Clarke (Keeping Up Appearances, Open All Hours), Last of the Summer Wine featured Compo (Bill Owen - Carry On Sergeant, Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads), ...
...Who - The Ice Warrirors, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit) and Blamire (Michael Bates - It Ain't Half Hot Mum, A Clockwork Orange), three unlikely friends who have known each other since they were boys and who now finding themselves heading toward the twilight of life and facing abject boredom and a lack of work try and find ways to recapture their lost youth and pass the time away.

This is brilliant stuff and not as 'gentle' ... more

Last of the Summer Wine is the longest running sitcom in the world. This DVD features the first two series from 1973-75. Sadly they missed an oppurtunity by not including the pilot episode, which introduced us to the characters at the funeral of Clegg's wife.

From the pen of Roy Clarke (Keeping Up Appearances, Open All Hours), Last of the Summer Wine featured Compo (Bill Owen - Carry On Sergeant, Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads), Clegg (Peter Sallis - Taste the Blood of Dracula, Doctor Who - The Ice Warrirors, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit) and Blamire (Michael Bates - It Ain't Half Hot Mum, A Clockwork Orange), three unlikely friends who have known each other since they were boys and who now finding themselves heading toward the twilight of life and facing abject boredom and a lack of work try and find ways to recapture their lost youth and pass the time away.

This is brilliant stuff and not as 'gentle' as it was to become in later years. There is much more biting comedy in these early series. The charcters have not yet become characateurs either. They smoke and swear. Cleggy even calls his late wife a 'silly bitch' at one point.

There are some wonderful scripts and characters in these early episodes. They had not yet started to regurgitate the same old plots and set-pieces.

The description of this DVD calls the trio 'Elderly delinquents'. Actually when this was made in 1973 none of the cast could be described as elderly. They were actually mostly in their late 50's.

Blamire is a great character played by a great character actor. It is a shame that these were the only series to feature him. Michael Bates was forced to drop out due to ill health and the character of Foggy Dewhurst written in as a replacement in series 3.

For people who are only familiar with the recent series this is surprising and refreshing stuff. Its time the early episodes were re-evaluted. A true classic of British comedy, and not a bath-tub on wheels in sight! 

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