The Ultimate British Classic Comedy Wiki

## Welcome, Comedy Lovers!

This website has been created and developed by die-hard fans of all things classic British comedy, using reliable sources and using exclusive pictures. Whether your thing is the *Carry On films*, *George and Mildred*, *Dad's Army* or *On the Buses*, it's all here: take a trip back to the golden age of British comedy!

## Latest news

### Recent deaths:

It is with great sadness to report the passing of the following comedy legends:

Barbara Windsor 10 December 2020 (age 83)Margaret Nolan (5 October 2020) (age 76)Jean Fergusson (14 November 2019) (age 74)Juliette Kaplan (10 October 2019) (age 80)Clive Swift (1 February 2019) (age 82)June Whitfield (28 December 2018) (age 93)Fenella Fielding (11 September 2018) (age 90)Liz Fraser (6 September 2018) (age 88)
### On the Buses at 50

Exactly 50 years ago on the 28th February 2019, the popular sitcom *On the Buses* aired for the first time. Since then, 7 series were made, plus 3 films and several spin offs, and although only one of the main cast is still with us, Anna Karen, the series is still a firm favourite in people's minds across the world.

## Featured articles

### Featured sitcom: Last of the Summer Wine

***Last of the Summer Wine*** is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010 comprising of 295 episodes and thirty-one series. Repeats of the show are broadcast regularly in the UK on the Gold, Yesterday, and Drama television channels. *Last of the Summer Wine* is the longest-running comedy programme in Britain and the longest-running sitcom in the world.

*Last of the Summer Wine* was set and filmed in and around the picturesque town of Holmfirth in West Yorkshire, England, and centred on a trio of old men and their youthful misadventures; the members of the trio changed several times over the years. The original trio consisted of Bill Owen as the mischievous and impulsive Compo Simmonite, Peter Sallis as lovable easy-going Norman "Cleggy" Clegg, and Michael Bates as uptight and arrogant Cyril Blamire. When Bates dropped out after two series due to ill health, the role of the third man of the trio was filled in various years by Walter "Foggy" Dewhurst (Brian Wilde), who had two lengthy stints in the series, the eccentric inventor Seymour Utterthwaite (Michael Aldridge), and former police officer Herbert "Truly of The Yard" Truelove (Frank Thornton).

The series revolves what the men get up to and who they meet, including the famously feared Nora Batty (Kathy Staff) instantly recognised by he pinafore and her trusty sweeping brush, Cleggy's mouse-like neighbour Howard (Robert Fyfe) who 'carries on' with the ageing blonde bombshell Marina (Jean Fergusson) while trying to keep her hidden from his battle-axe wife Pearl (Juliette Kaplan) even though she knows all about it and makes life hard for him, the sly money-obsessed owner of the bric-a-brac shop that seems to have everything Auntie Wainwright (Jean Alexander) and her long suffering assistant the constantly glum Smiler (Stephen Lewis), the ferocious owner of the local cafe Ivy (Jane Freeman) who won't take kindly to anyone criticising her food and her friendly husband Sid, friendly mechanic Wesley (Gordon Wharmby) who is always tinkering with a car, and his domineering wife Edie (Thora Hird) who won't allow her husband into the house until she has put newspaper down first for him to walk on, and the friendly but man hungry Miss Davenport (Josephine Tewson) who works at the local library.

After the death of Bill Owen in 1999, Compo was replaced at various times by Keith Clifford as Billy Hardcastle, a man who thought of himself as a descendant of Robin Hood, and Brian Murphy as the cheeky-chappy Alvin Smedley. Due to the age of the main cast, a new trio was formed during the 30th series featuring somewhat younger actors, and this format was used for the final two series. This group consisted of Russ Abbot as former milkman "Hobbo" Hobdyke, Burt Kwouk as the amusing Oriental electrical repairman, "Electrical" Entwistle, and Murphy as Alvin Smedley. Sallis and Thornton, both past members of the trio, continued in supporting roles alongside the new actors.

Many famous guest stars appeared in the series which included Eric Sykes, Norman Wisdom, Liz Fraser, Valerie Leon and Bernard Cribbins.

## Our other wikis

* George and Mildred Wiki
* Keeping Up Appearances Wiki
* Man About the House Wiki (under construction)

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