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Last of the Summer Wine series 21

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Last of the Summer Wine
Series 21
No. of episodes10
Release
Original networkBBC One
Original release2 January (2000-01-02) –
4 June 2000 (2000-06-04)
Additional information
Filming dates
  • Millennium Special: 1999
  • Series 21: 1999
Series chronology
← Previous
20
Next →
22
List of episodes

Last of the Summer Wine's twenty-first series aired on BBC One. Most of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell.

Outline

The trio in this series consisted of:

Actor Role
Bill Owen Compo [a]
Peter Sallis Clegg
Frank Thornton Truly
Tom Owen Tom [b]
  1. ^ Compo only appeared in the Special and the first three episodes of this series prior to his death
  2. ^ Tom only appeared in four episodes of this series and became a supporting character from series 22 till the show's end

First appearances

Last appearances

List of Episodes

Millennium Special (2000)

Title Airdate Description Notes
Last Post and Pigeon 2 January Compo is selected to travel to France with a group of local WWII veterans, only to have the offer withdrawn when the organisers realise how scruffy he looks. The local ladies take pity on him and collect enough money for him to go, and Truly and Clegg join him for the trip.

Meanwhile, Edie's long-estranged sister Ros shows up in town, ready to make amends with Edie and possibly settle down again. Edie, angry at her for leaving her husband and devastating their mother, isn't interested in reconnecting. In France, the trio has two goals: to release Billy Hardcastle's homing pigeon and to revisit a spot Compo and some of his fellow soldiers camped overnight after a grueling escape from the Germans. There's just one snag: Compo doesn't remember where it is.

  • This special is 60 minutes long.
  • This special features the first appearance of Dora Bryan as Ros Utterthwaite.
  • Before Ros actually appeared in this episode, she had never been mentioned and it was not known that Edie, or her brother Seymour, had a sister.
  • This New Year special was the last ever episode to be filmed with Bill Owen as Compo and finished filming just days before he died. The BBC & crew agreed not to be credited at the closing credits but be moved to the opening credits instead, allowing for the moving final image of Compo. However, the first three episodes of Series 21 had already been filmed, thus Compo appears in them.
  • Guest appearance of Ray Cooney as the jovial French café-owner.
  • Second guest appearance of Billy Hardcastle.
  • Audience of 9.16m - 22nd most watched programme of the week.

Regular series

Title Airdate Description Notes
Lipstick and Other Problems 2 April When Glenda finds Barry covered in lipstick he needs assistance from the trio to explain it away. Truly comes up with the notion of a sponsored kiss which only leaves one problem, making it look like they've each been kissed.
  • The first three episodes of Series 21 had already been partly filmed before Bill Owen's death. To make them complete for broadcast, scripts were reworked, camera tricks and stock shots were used, and a body double was used for far off shots. Compo is in fewer scenes, but plays a full part in those he is in.
  • Audience of 7.91m - 35th most watched programme of the week.
Under the Rug 9 April Clegg finds himself having to model Howard's new wig after Pearl becomes suspicious. With Howard reluctant to take the wig they concoct a plan to show him attractive it makes the wearer to the ladies; roping in Smiler and Marina to help.
  • Audience of 7.28m - 36th most watched programme of the week.
Magic and the Morris Minor 16 April The trio finds a married couple stranded in a field trying to contact ancient civilizations with a Morris Minor hubcap. Meanwhile, Howard tries to carry on his relationship with Marina over two-way radio, and Barry tries to prove he's "one of the boys".
  • This was Bill Owen's last episode as Compo (Owen died around 9 months before this episode was aired).
  • Audience of 7.96m - 32nd most watched programme of the week.
Elegy for Fallen Wellies 23 April Nora, in "sexy" costume for a church pageant, takes a dare from Ivy to call Compo's bluff and present herself on his doorstep. The unexpected result is that he collapses and has to be rushed to the hospital. Although Clegg and Truly expect the best, Compo dies as the doctors try to save him.

Cleggy and Truly, as well as Nora and Ivy, spend the night remembering him and trying to figure out how to give him a proper send-off.

  • This was the first episode not to feature Bill Owen as he had died before filming for the rest of this regular series would resume.
  • This, and the following 2 episodes were hastily written to deal with the death of Bill Owen.
  • The end theme is slightly different to give it a more sombre tone. This and "Just a Small Funeral" are the only two episodes to use the sombre end theme.
  • The first of the Compo's passing trilogy.
  • The first of only two instances of Truly's house appearing, named as The Nick, its other appearance being in the later episode "Waggoner's Roll".
  • Audience of 6.45m - 46th most watched programme of the week.
Surprise at Throstlenest 30 April Clegg and Truly find out a few unexpected things about Compo as they take his ferrets to their new home.
  • Guest star Liz Fraser as Reggie Unsworth
  • The second of the Compo's passing trilogy.
  • Audience of 7.23m - 31st most watched programme of the week.
Just a Small Funeral 7 May As the funeral approaches, Howard struggles with having two dates for the occasion, Barry tries to conceal his engine noises from Wesley, and Compo's lady friend Regina is in desperate need of an appropriate dress.
  • The Val Stokes Singers sing the theme tune for its third and final time, this time with lyrics rewritten to reflect Compo's death.
  • The end theme is again given a more sombre tone.
  • The third and final of the Compo's passing trilogy.
  • Guest star Liz Fraser as Reggie Unsworth
  • Audience of 7.86m - 25th most watched programme of the week.
From Here to Paternity 14 May Nora intercepts a letter from Compo's son, Tom, who Compo didn't know about until shortly before he died. They learn that Tom doesn't know about his father's death and is coming to town for a visit.
  • This marks the first appearance of Tom along with that of Mrs Avery and Babs.
  • Audience of 6.81m - 33rd most watched programme of the week.
Some Vans Can Make you Deaf 21 May While others unite in the effort to repair his tatty van, Tom does his best to avoid lifting a finger to help.
  • Ros becomes a regular character from this episode onwards.
  • Audience of 7.54m - 29th most watched programme of the week.
Waggoner's Roll 28 May Tom decides Babs is destined for showbiz, even though Babs herself wants nothing to do with it. Barry quickly becomes another unwilling participant in the act.
  • Audience of 7.13m - 33rd most watched programme of the week.
  • Second and final appearance of Truly's house, 'The Nick'.
I Didn't Know Barry Could Play 4 June Picking up "music" for Babs turns out to be a deceptively simple-sounding task for Clegg, Truly and Barry.
  • 3rd & final appearance of Babs.
  • Audience of 6.97m - 36th most watched programme of the week.

DVD release

The box set for series twenty one was released by Universal Playback in March 2012, mislabelled as a box set for series 21 & 22.

The Complete Series 21 & 22
Set Details[1]
  • 21 episodes
  • 4-disc set
  • Language: English
Release Date
Region 2
26 March 2012

References

  1. ^ "Last of the Summer Wine Series 21 & 22 [DVD]". Amazon. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
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