# Last of the Summer Wine series 26

Last of the Summer Wine's twenty-sixth series aired on BBC One from December 2004 through May 2005. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell.

## Outline

The quartet in this series consisted of:
| Actor | Role |
| Peter Sallis | Clegg |
| Frank Thornton | Truly |
| Keith Clifford | Billy |
| Brian Murphy | Alvin |

## Returning this series

* PC Walsh (1988–1989, 2004–2010)

## Last appearances

* Ros Utterthwaite (2000–2005)

## List of episodes

Christmas Special (2004)
| Title | Airdate | Description | Notes |
| Variations on a Theme of the Widow Winstanley | 19 December | Clegg is writing his memoirs, but he is having trouble remember people's names, particularly a tallish girl from school with blonde pigtails who liked black licorice. Ivy and Nora identify the girl as Audrey Needham, now the Widow Winstanley. Truly, Alvin, and Billy Hardcastle scheme to match the notoriously woman-shy Clegg up with the widow. When she shows up at his door, he takes refuge at a poetry reading, disguised as Father Christmas. Meanwhile, Auntie Wainwright, Smiler, and Tom attempt to retrieve a mahogany bedroom set that Auntie Wainwright sold to a man who has died, but Entwistle's truck is not up to the job. | Sir Norman Wisdom makes his seventh & final guest appearance as Billy Ingleton. Audience of 5.29m – 40th most watched programme of the week. Louis Emerick returns as PC Walsh after an absence of 15 years following the death of Tony Capstick. |
Regular series
| Title | Airdate | Description | Notes |
| The Swan Man of Ilkley | 13 March | After Clegg, Truly, Billy and Alvin encounter a stranger planning to float to Ilkley using an inflatable swan, it's up to Entwistle to ensure the man completes his journey. | Guest appearances (for the first time) of Bobby Ball and Tommy Cannon. The trio becomes a quartet from this episode till the next series. Audience of 5.65m – 38th most watched programme of the week. |
| Watching the Clock | 20 March | Clegg climbs an old tree to prove that the town clock from a nearby village can be seen from its height, and a delivery to the church hall gets a bit out of control. | Audience of 4.55m – 54th most watched programme of the week. |
| Has Anyone Seen a Peruvian Wart? | 27 March | Nora Batty finds herself the target of a notorious womaniser after she garners his attention with her baked goods. | Guest appearance of Roy Barraclough. Second appearance of Billy's house and second time Billy's wife is heard talking Audience of 4.53m – 52nd most watched programme of the week. |
| Hermione (The Short Course) | 10 April | A "Do Not Disturb" sign on Clegg's door rouses curiosity and worry among his friends; Smiler finds himself yearning for a lost love. | Audience unknown. Tony Capstick's character, 2nd policeman, is referred to as having been transferred to Huddersfield. |
| Who's That Mouse in the Poetry Group? | 17 April | In an attempt to improve his appeal, Smiler transforms himself into an "intellectual" to both Marina's delight and Howard's chagrin. | Audience of 5m – 38th most watched programme of the week. Jess Conrad makes an appearance as a walker. |
| Available for Weddings | 24 April | After Clegg breaks his leg attempting a steep hill, the Yorkshire countryside becomes a test track for Truly's experimental studded bicycle tyres. | Audience of 4.73m – 39th most watched programme of the week. |
| The McDonaghs of Jamieson Street | 1 May | When Smiler tells the boys about the "girl who got away", they venture out to track her down and play Cupid. | Audience of 3.9m – 59th most watched programme of the week. Dora Bryan is billed in the opening credits but does not appear. |
| The Afterthoughts of a Co-op Manager | 8 May | Truly heads a search for a manager Clegg worked under in his youth, finding that even the tyrannous can harbour virtue. | Audience of 4.93m – 34th most watched programme of the week. |
| Lot No. 8 | 15 May | Auntie Wainwright acquires a mystery parcel at an auction and sends Tom and Smiler to pick it up; when the items in question turn out to be coffins, the men try to think of other marketable uses for them. | Audience Unknown |
| Little Orphan Howard | 29 May | While Alvin endeavours to become the world's greatest kite flyer, Howard falls into a depression after Clegg devilishly convinces him that he's an orphan. | Final appearance of Ros Utterthwaite. Audience of 3.67m – 59th most watched programme of the week. |

## DVD release

The box set for series twenty-six was released by Universal Playback in October 2015, mislabelled as a box set for series 27 & 28.
The Complete Series 27 & 28 :
* Set Details ||
* 21 episodes
* 4-disc set
* Language: English ||
* Release Date ||
* Region 2
* 5 October 2015