Last of the Summer Wine

IMDb website specifies 'The Incredible Ordeal of Norman Clegg', 27 January 2002 (Series #23, Episode #4) as episode with two drunks played by James Casey and Eli Woods.

As I said, same website lists Eli in the cast for first episode, 'A Brief Excursion in the Fast Lane' (Original Air Date: 6 January 2002). I have checked and he was not in the Christmas 2001 Special, 'Potts in Pole Position'. Possibly Danny O'Dea was contracted on an episode basis?

How about, Alan Bell rings the changes and Roy Clarke clerks the scripts?

Hi everyone, aint it sad, Summer Wine has finished now, man 10 weeks went way too fast! I wonder if their will be a Christmas Special? I hope so.

ye haggis

Hey does anyone wonder what happened to Billy Hardcastle and Auntie Roz? haven't see either of them in a while?

Ye Haggis

You are naughty, young Haggis, you haven't been following the threads. Your school report has been marked "Can do better".
Big Unc., you said in your post of 22/09/07 that the two drunks only appeared the once, but i think you will find that they also appeared in "Welcome to Earth" the 1993 Christmas Special.

Grumpy

Well done for chiding young Haggis. In my 22/09/07, I was quoting Wikipedia which, I think was trying to say the two drunks were only in Series #23 (2002) the once. You might well be right about 'Welcome to Earth'. I have also seen reference to their having been in 'Crums' the 1988 Christmas Special. But my main interest was in trying to identify Eli Duckett (Danny O'Dea's) final appearance.

Just for Flyinghaggis, from Wikipedia:

Ros Utterthwaite
(Dora Bryan: 2000-2005.) Edie's sister, who has always been more romantically adventurous, to Edie's unending shame. She often speaks of past flings, often with married men. Dora Byran left the series in 2005 to concentrate on stage work, although the door has been left open for her to return.


Big Unc

just a couple who like the show ,not into which episode came when or where but can you ring the changes please??the 'Blamire' episodes have been on twice so far this year.can we see Norman Wisdom again and Dora Bryan??how about when Entwhistle first arrived or Billy ?? from Famouseccles and Minnie Bannister

I have to say that I am glad that the current series is over. I have been a lifelong fan of Summer Wine and frankly no longer find it funny, the cast look as if they are just going through the motions and there are so many of them! Dear Peter Sallis looks terribly ill. The BBC should give the show and cast some dignity and end it now. I'm sure I will be shot down in flames by some but we all have our own opinion.

i have never heard such nonsense, my granddaughter loves summer wine she will perch herself on the sofa alongside grandad and laugh till tears are pouring down her face. The show should go on until no one is laughing anymore and with last of the summer wine that will be a very long time into the future. whilst i respect your opinion never was someone so wrong.

Aaah Haaa! So the famous Eccles & Minnie Bannister are a couple eh. Wait 'till I tell Henry Crun.

Now then, Gnomeandaway & Snowball2 - I tend to agree with both of you to some extent (being a devout coward). Remember Roy Clarke is ageing as well and it must be difficult to keep coming up with new scripts.
I think Peter & Frank are beginning to show their age now and I think it is a bit selfish of us to expect them to go on forever and retain the same ability to make us laugh. Do not forget Peter also has failing eyesight. I hear they are making another Wallace & Grommit tv show. Is Peter doing the voice of Wallace in that as well? If so, he deserves a medal!
Let’s be thankful they are still with us. I guess the famouseccles would agree with me that it would be nice to have Spike, Harry & Peter still with us and Spike still writing the Goon Show scripts but… Dads Army is another of my favourites. And Elvis... Need I say more?
‘The moving finger writes; and having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.

Edward Fitzgerald 1809 - 1883
All the best
Cleggscap

They are at it again those UKTV Drama people. On their home page ‘Peter Sallis profile’ they state:
‘…he didn't start to make a name for himself until after WWII (in which he served as RAF pilot).’
According to his autobiography, ‘Fading into the limelight’, Peter actually served as a Radio Telephony Instructor at Cranwell. He volunteered as a Navigator but was told he had failed the medical due to ‘…albumen in your water’ and was likely to blackout flying at 10,000ft. I think this may be a misunderstanding by Peter as albumen is the white of egg. Albumin is probably what he was told. Albumin is essential for maintaining the osmotic pressure needed for proper distribution of body fluids between intravascular compartments and body tissues.
He does say later in the book that he has happily flown at and above 10,000ft with no ill effects (but not as a pilot).

I suppose it could have been Albumen…he is a good egg!
Cheers
Cleggscap

Cleggscap has a point with regard to Roy Clarke finding it difficult to keep on producing new scenarios for the series. I don't know whether Roy views this messageboard, ( perhaps he does under the codename of BigUnc?) but it might be worth while suggesting a few ideas for him. For example, Clegg confined to bed with flu or some other minor ailment and Howard trying to install Marina as his nurse. Or Auntie Wainright getting involved with computers and trying to sell her junk on Ebay. Iam sure that, given the idea, Roy could apply his unique sense of the ridiculous and turn out another masterpiece. What other ideas can we come up with?

well spotted cleggscap!i posted as a couple and then realised i ought to sign it as a couple .as for the two being an item ,she and henry were landlords to eccles in a couple of episodes(remember them waiting for the 4th boot to drop?they then decided that eccles must have a 1 legged friend!)enough of radio days back to summer wine . i did not realise for a while thatROY CLARKE also wrote' keeping up appearances' so as you say it must be hard for him to keep churning out the shows.but i have to say that if peter sallis takes ill (GOD forbid!!)the show really could not carry on.none of the other characters would seem to be able to carry the show on their own.in closing how about a big hand for JO TEWSON she has played the 'foil' to MRS BUCKET now she seems to be making the part of the librarian her own.

This Message Board is a bit like the series itself. Just when you think it is dying it springs back to life with more sheer, unadulterated idiocy which I find totally absorbing.

My response to the gnomeandaway v snowball2 contretemp is to side with snowball (or do I mean screwball). As long as Roy Clarke (not me, contrary to grumpy uncle's vivid imagination) can produce scripts I will watch the result. I always felt the first two series with the original three were the best. But times move on. Let us have Summer Wine in some form rather than none at all.

According to Wikipedia, we have a 2007 Christmas Special, a 2008 New Year Special and Series #29 for 2008 in the can to look forward to. Someone is doing a great deal of work on the Wikpedia pages covering our favourite series. Take a look at: [link] In particular look at the detail being put in about each particular episode.

Back at their earlier posting Famouseccles and Minnie Bannister asked 'can we see Norman Wisdom again and Dora Bryan??how about when Entwhistle first arrived or Billy ??' Virtually all of that is still with the BBC. UKTV seems to only have up to and including Series#19 and not all the Chritmas Specials from those years. Norman Wisdom's first appearance as Billy Ingleton in 'The Man Who Nearly Knew Pavorotti' the 1995 New Year Special, was recently shown on BBC#1.

Last year around about this time UKTV brought out Series #17, 18 and 19. And at Christmas time, four Christmas Specials (1987 to 1990) were aired. So here's hoping for somthing along those lines later this year.

Big Unc

Famouseccles - Thanks for reminding me. Just the thought of it made me laugh. I must get my GS tapes onto cd soon.

Big Unc - Who you callin' an unadulterated idiot. Let me tell you - I'm an adulterated idiot and I got the paper to prove it see. I'm not a complete idiot. I've been diluted.
Have a nice weekend.
Cleggscap

I liked Seymour more than Foggy. I dunno Foggy was annoying for some reason. Can't believe that old Compo passed on. I'm a recent convert to LotSW. I used to think it was for old fogeys...

I think I have two issues with Cleggscap. I was being highly complimentary. Remember how much Clegg appreciates idiots. Truly, commenting on either folk from Luton or folk who believe in aliens from outer space, I cannot remember which; it mght have been both: dismsses them all as idiots, to which Clegg responds that everyone has their good points.

I think Cleggscap confuses adulterated with diluted. They are not the same thing. When I add a drop of spring water to Uisge Beatha, the drink of the land in which I live, I am diluting it a smidgeon to make it go further and to bring out the flavour. If I were to ruin the Scotch by adding soda water, ginger ale, or heaven forfend, coke, then I would be adulteraitng it. Same is true of our beloved Summer Wine. A wee leavening of good clean water (not something I would do myself) can be beneficial. But anything else is sacriliege!
Big Unc

Water into Summer Wine, BigUnc? Hasn't that been done before somewhere? Please don't make it sodawater, otherwise we shall have to change the name to Last of the Summer Spritzers.

Nay, grumpy. I did not say 'turning' water into Summer Wine but 'adding' a wee splash to it. However, you have hit the nail on the head with your condemnation of the dreaded Spritzer. That was precisely what I was warning against.

Mind, for some reason I always thought the dreaded spritzer was concocted with white wine. Maybe shows how little I know. But as far as I am concerned, our beloved Summer Wine is a great, big, booming Red!

BigUnc

Champagne, BigUnc, or at the very least a sparkling elderflower.

Chacon à son goût

Hi Big Unc
I know you were/are in LOTSW mode but I was in The Goons mode at the time of writing. I’m sure the famouseccles understood.
You are right about Cleggs appreciation of idiots of course, although I can't quote anything off the top of my head this time of night. (It's called old age!)
According to my (English )) dictionaries of synonyms:
Dilute v – ADULTERATE, cut, make thinner, thin (out), water down, and weaken. Plus many more such as contaminate, debase, attenuate, depreciate etc.
Unadulterated adj – UNDILUTED, pure, whole, unmixed, genuine, real, full.

I am about to pour a glass of Laphroaig from Islay. It will be unadulterated i.e the glass will be full & the whiskey undiluted (even with highland spring water). Here's to ye!
Keep sending it down!!

Cleggscap

you are right CLEGGSCAP, i realised you were in GOONS mode when you said you got the papers to prove it. (YOU AND ME BOTH !!!) my family think im a right loon for still liking the old comics instead of LITTLE BRITAIN etc. the thing in SUMMER WINE'S favour is that it is gentle ,a slice of life, a sideways poking of fun at us all. LITTLE BRITAIN ETC is inyour face ,deliberate and sometimes down right malicious. (thats my opinion and i am unanimous with it (as MRS SLOCOMBE would have said)so come on all you summer wine fans and raise your whiskey or whatever(mines a double with water tho, doctors orders unfortunately)and play nicely.!

Hi everyone, how about getting some episodes of FIRST OF THE SUMMER WINE it hasen't been shown for years! It would be brilliant to see it again. what do you all think then?

Ye Haggis

I would like to see the first couple of series in which Alan Bates was in. He was very funny.
I just feel in the last couple of series Roy has filled it full of characters so that we can lose one or two slowly as we go along and Roy keeps his pension and the series going.

dave i think you meant michael bates ,but those series have been aired 3 or 4 times this year already.i watch the shows regularly and would just love to see some that i have not seen for a good while.good luck to all SUMMER WINE fans whoever and where ever you may be.