Last of the Summer Wine

Last of the Summer Wine

Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that was broadcast on BBC One. Last of the Summer Wine 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...

's thirtieth series originally aired 19th April 2009. All eleven episodes in series thirty were thirty minutes in length. A New Years Special aired on 31 December 2008. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke

Roy Clarke

Roy Clarke OBE is an English comedy writer.-Career:Clarke is best known for creating BBC Sitcoms; Last of the Summer Wine, Open All Hours and Keeping Up Appearances...

 and directed by Alan J. W. Bell

Alan J. W. Bell

Alan J. W. Bell is a British television producer and director. He has produced and/or directed many BBC series since the early 1970s, most notably Last of the Summer Wine, Ripping Yarns and the TV adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...

.

This series is notable for forming a new trio composed of Alvin, Entwistle and Hobbo, who was introduced in the New Years Special.
Peter Sallis (Clegg) and Frank Thornton (Truly) are now demoted to secondary characters, filmed only in studio scenes due to the cost of insurance for the actors at their age on location.

Outline

The trio in this series consisted of:

Actor	Role
Brian Murphy Brian Murphy (actor) Brian Murphy is a British actor.Murphy was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. Although a prolific actor in many films and theatre productions for almost half a century, Murphy's most famous role was as the henpecked husband George Roper in the sitcom Man About the House and spin-off George and...	Alvin
Burt Kwouk Burt Kwouk Burt Kwouk OBE , born Herbert Kwouk, is an English actor of Chinese descent, known for many television appearances and for his role as Cato in the Pink Panther films.-Career:...	Entwistle
Russ Abbot Russ Abbot Russ Abbot is an English musician, comedian and actor who first came to public notice during the 1970s as the singer and drummer with British comedy showband the Black Abbots, later forging a prominent solo career as a television comedian with his own weekly show on British television.Continuing...	Hobbo

New Year Special (2008)

Title	Airdate	Description	Notes
I Was A Hitman For Primrose Dairies	31 December 2008	Retired milkman Luther 'Hobbo' Hobdyke calls upon his MI5 experience to form a band of reluctant volunteers, to react to any emergency.	First appearances of Hobbo and Stella. This episode sees the introduction of the new trio: Alvin, Entwistle and Hobbo. Clegg and Truly are reduced to secondary characters, and only appear briefly in the episode. This episode was dedicated to Kathy Staff Kathy Staff Kathy Staff was an English actress, well known for her work on British television...  who died 2 weeks before this episode aired. Her character, Nora Batty, does not appear in this episode. It is explained that she is visiting Australia, and her sister, Stella, is house-sitting for her. This is the first episode to be produced in High Definition (HD) Final New Years special Provisional audience figure of 3.9m.

Series 30 (2009)

Title	Airdate	Description	Notes
Some Adventures of the Inventor of the Mother Stitch	19 April 2009	When Hobbo discovers that the newly divorced Morton is lonely and depressed, what else should a former milkman and undercover spy do, but find him a good friend. Meanwhile the hapless Barry is also depressed when he finds that Toby, the Golf Captain is moving-in next door, and firmly cements the ill-will that exists between them by smashing his bedside lamp. The situation is set for happy endings all round.
The Mother of All Mistakes--Or Is It?	26 April 2009	Adopted as a baby, former milkman and undercover secret agent Hobbo is determined to trace his natural mother. He has found out her name and exactly where she lives, but how should he approach the poor woman to tell her the good news? Meanwhile, Howard is in trouble when Marina, on finding out that he has been making inquiries about another woman, turns up at his house.
How Will Howard Cross the Atlantic Single Handed?	3 May 2009	Hobbo is still having trouble getting Nelly to admit that she is his natural birth mother. To get the proof he needs, he fits Howard up with an eavesdropping wire to pick up Nelly talking to Pearl. Howard does his best to look inconspicuous, but his rumbling stomach and an electronic fault on his transmitter may scupper his plans.
Who's That Looking Sideways At Nelly?	10 May 2009	Hobbo, former milkman and undercover agent at Primrose Dairies, is ready for any dangerous situation - and going round telling everyone that Nelly is his mother is one. Another danger arises when he demonstrates his gift of disguise, and finds himself the new recipient of Marina's affections. Hobbo then discovers the danger of exercising when his neck locks solid while doing some simple head movements. Not only is this dangerous, but highly hazardous when trying to sip a pint of beer sideways.
Nobody Messes with Tony the Throat	17 May 2009	Howard is deeply concerned when Pearl starts going out every day with Nelly, and she will not say where. Hobbo comes to his aid, and heads a surveillance party to follow Pearl and Nelly. When the women go into a Hell's Angels club, they decide not to be hasty, and confront them later.
Will Stella Find True Love with Norris Fairburn?	24 May 2009	When Clegg and Truly tell Hobbo that local serial groom Norris Fairburn is free again, he decides that Norris would be an ideal husband for Stella. At the cafe, Ivy observes and listens as Hobbo, Alvin and Entwistle discuss their foolproof scheme. Later, Ivy warns Stella about the plot to provide her with one house-trained potential husband. Hobbo and his team return with Norris, but both Stella and Ivy look at him with total disdain. Hobbo decides to save the day, but Stella has other ideas.	David Williams reprises his role of Mr. Fairburn from the 1983 feature length episode Getting Sam Home.
Will Randolph Make a Good Impression?	31 May 2009	Hobbo turns up at the river wall with Randolph, who he hopes will bring romance into Stella's life. Randolph seems to lack any of the requirements of a potential suitor, and is limp and unattractive, especially after Hobbo drops him in the river. After a little rehearsal and some invaluable tips on how to give Stella 'the look', Randolph demonstrates that he has no chance whatsoever of impressing her. But there must be some way - for instance, who is Stella's favourite movie character?
In Which Romance Springs A Leak	7 June 2009	Toby is beginning to realise that the benefits of going back to his ex-wife far outweigh the advantages of living alone in a sparsely furnished house with no-one to cook or clean for him. Fortunately, Hobbo is on hand to skilfully guide him on the route back to marital bliss. But, for some reason, his wife doesn't want him back, and flowers don't work. Undaunted, Hobbo reminds Toby that, in films, romance equals music.
Variations On A Theme Of Father's Day	14 June 2009	In order that Hobbo can find out more about Nelly, his supposed mother, he has Howard eavesdrop on her when she is visiting Pearl. Soon realising what Howard is up to, the women plant a completely false story about Hobbo's father being a hippie. Hobbo loses no time in making himself look exactly like the description of his father, complete with earrings and beads. Unfortunately, by the time the women see the fruits of their imagination, Hobbo is being arrested.
Goodnight Sweet Ferret	21 June 2009	When word goes around town that Old Heptonstall is looking for volunteers, Hobbo and his army of volunteers, namely Alvin and Entwistle, go and visit him without a second thought. They find that he has a bad leg and is confined to the shed, where at least he doesn't have to listen to his wife's snoring. Tearfully, Heptonstall tells them he wants to go to the churchyard and bury a very dear friend. They are scuppered, however, by a wedding in progress, and by PCs Cooper and Walsh.	Guest appearance of Peter Baldwin

Critics

This comedy show is criticised for its speculated loss of quality and the fact that it is generally aimed at the older generation. Despite this, the show still gains respectable viewing figures.