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Of Funerals And Fish
"Of Funerals and Fish" is the pilot episode of the world's longest running sitcom, ''Last of the Summer Wine'' (1973–2010), written by Roy Clarke. It was first aired on 4 January 1973 and became the first of 295 episodes. It was aired as a ''Comedy Playhouse'' episode. The plot involved the trio going around discussing life and death. It starred Bill Owen, Peter Sallis and Michael Bates. This also was the first appearance of Kathy Staff, although her character is at this point only known as Mrs Batty rather than Nora. Her husband, unseen in this first episode, is referred to as Harold; when the character went on to appear in the series, he would be called Wally. References External links "Of Funerals and Fish"on British Comedy Guide British Comedy Guide or BCG (formerly the British Sitcom Guide or BSG) is a British website covering all forms of British comedy, across all media. At the time of writing, BCG has published guides to more than 7,000 individual British comedi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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. It 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 directed all episodes of the show. The BBC confirmed on 2 June 2010 that ''Last of the Summer Wine'' would no longer be produced and the 31st series would be its last. Subsequently, the final episode was broadcast on 29 August 2010. Since its original release, all 295 episodes, comprising thirty-one series—including the pilot and all films and specials—have been released on DVD. Repeats of the show are broadcast in the UK on BBC One (until 18 July 2010 when the 31st and final series started on 25 July of that year), Gold (UK TV channel), Gold, Yesterday (TV channel), Yesterday, and Drama (British TV channel), Drama. It is also seen in more than 25 countries, inclu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Gilbert (producer)
Cecil James "Jimmy" Gilbert (15 May 1923 – 7 July 2016) was a Scottish television producer, director and executive for the BBC. Early life Gilbert was born in Edinburgh in May 1923 and educated at Edinburgh Academy, Edinburgh University and RADA. He served as a pilot with RAF Coastal Command during World War II, flying Handley Page Halifax and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft from RAF Wick, Scotland.''The Times'' Obituary 12 July 2016 p. 55 Career As the co-devisor of ''The Frost Report'', with David Frost, it was Gilbert who brought together Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, as well as most of the members of Monty Python. With the first director of ''The Two Ronnies'', Terry Hughes, Gilbert created the format of the series which began in 1971. According to the ''Daily Telegraph'' obituary of Gilbert, the two men "were largely responsible for establishing the pattern of the show with its quick-fire verbal gags, double entendres and cavalcade of naive caricatures of Bri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roy Clarke
Royston Clarke Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 28 January 1930), usually known as Roy Clarke, is an English comedy writer best known for creating the sitcoms ''Last of the Summer Wine'', ''Keeping Up Appearances'', ''Open All Hours'' and its sequel series, ''Still Open All Hours''. Early life Clarke was born in Austerfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire. His jobs before becoming a writer included teacher, policeman, taxi driver, salesman and he was a soldier in the Royal Corps of Signals of the British Army.Roy Clark at screenonline Retrieved 25 January 2015 Career In the late 1960s, Clarke wrote thrillers for BBC Radio. The first in January 1968, ''The 17-Jewelled Shockproof Swiss-Made Bomb'', featured Peter Coke, Ben Kingsley, Bob Grant (actor), Bob Grant and Anne Stallybrass. ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blake Butler
John David Blake Butler (22 October 1924 – 15 April 1981) was an English actor best known for his role as the lecherous chief librarian Mr. Wainwright during the first and third series of ''Last of the Summer Wine'' in 1973 and 1976 respectively. Background Butler was the second son of FitzWalter Butler (1889–1979), of Grantham, Lincolnshire, and Doris Emma (d. 1950), daughter of Robert Pollok, of Cavendish Park, Barrow-in-Furness. The Butler family were Irish landed gentry; Blake Butler's line, prominent in County Clare, descended from James Butler, 10th Baron Dunboyne. Career In addition to his work on ''Last of the Summer Wine'', Butler made guest appearances on such programmes as ''Dad's Army'', '' Doctor at Large'', '' Bless This House'', '' The Good Life'', ''Paul Temple'', ''George and Mildred'', ''Grange Hill'' and, in 1967, Crossroads playing assistant manager Maurice Raine. Filmography 1978 'Rumpole of the Bailey' 'Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade' - ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rosemary Martin
Rosemary Martin (17 December 1936 – 14 August 1998) was an English actress, born in Birmingham. She appeared in dozens of films from 1964 to 1998 and is also known for television roles including Mrs. Partridge in ''Last of the Summer Wine'', Vera in ''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt'', Marjorie in '' Pennies from Heaven'', Miss Weber in ''The Insurance Man'', Renie Fox in ''Fox'' and Verna Johnson in '' Tenko''. Other TV credits include: ''Z-Cars'', '' Crown Court'', '' Bill Brand'', '' Coronation Street'', ''The Gentle Touch'', '' The Sweeney'', '' Looking For Clancy'', '' Maggie: It's Me'', '' Thomas & Sarah'', '' Bergerac'', '' The Chinese Detective'', ''Jeeves and Wooster'', ''Drop the Dead Donkey'', ''Pie in the Sky'', '' Cracker'', '' Heartbeat'', ''The Bill'', '' Outside Edge'', ''Driving Ambition'', ''Peak Practice'' and '' EastEnders''. Her film credits include ''It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet'' (1976), ''Tess'' (1979), ''Britannia Hospital'' (1982), ''Slayground'' (1983) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comedy Playhouse
''Comedy Playhouse'' is a long-running British anthology series of one-off unrelated sitcoms that aired for 120 episodes from 1961 to 1975. Many episodes later graduated to their own series, including ''Steptoe and Son'', '' Meet the Wife'', ''Till Death Us Do Part'', ''All Gas and Gaiters'', ''Up Pompeii!'', '' Not in Front of the Children'', ''Me Mammy'', ''That's Your Funeral'', ''The Liver Birds'', ''Are You Being Served?'' and particularly ''Last of the Summer Wine'', which is the world's longest running sitcom, having run from January 1973 to August 2010. In March 2014, it was announced that ''Comedy Playhouse'' would make a return that year with three new episodes. Background The series began in 1961 at the prompting of Tom Sloan, Head of BBC Light Entertainment at the time. Galton and Simpson were no longer writing for Tony Hancock and Sloan asked them to write ten one-offs with the hope that one might become established as a series. Thus, the first two series of ''C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Owen (actor)
William John Owen Rowbotham, (14 March 1914 – 12 July 1999) was an English actor and songwriter. He was the father of actor Tom Owen. He is best known for portraying Compo Simmonite in the Yorkshire-based BBC comedy series ''Last of the Summer Wine'' for over a quarter of a century. He died on 12 July 1999, his last appearance on-screen being shown in April 2000. Early life and career Born at Acton Green, London to a working-class family (his father a staunchly left-wing tram-driver), Owen made his first film appearance in 1945, but did not achieve lasting fame until 1973, when he took the co-starring role of William "Compo" Simmonite in the long-running British sitcom ''Last of the Summer Wine''. Compo is a scruffy working-class pensioner, often exploited by the bossy characters played by Michael Bates, Brian Wilde, Michael Aldridge and Frank Thornton for dirty jobs, stunts and escapades, while their indomitably docile friend Norman Clegg, played by Peter Sallis, follow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Sallis
Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Culture * Peter (actor) (born 1952), stage name Shinnosuke Ikehata, Japanese dancer and actor * ''Peter'' (album), a 1993 EP by Canadian band Eric's Trip * ''Peter'' (1934 film), a 1934 film directed by Henry Koster * ''Peter'' (2021 film), Marathi language film * "Peter" (''Fringe'' episode), an episode of the television series ''Fringe'' * ''Peter'' (novel), a 1908 book by Francis Hopkinson Smith * "Peter" (short story), an 1892 short story by Willa Cather Animals * Peter, the Lord's cat, cat at Lord's Cricket Ground in London * Peter (chief mouser), Chief Mouser between 1929 and 1946 * Peter II (cat), Chief Mouser between 1946 and 1947 * Peter III (cat), Chief Mouser between 1947 a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Bates (actor)
Michael Hammond Bates (4 December 1920 – 11 January 1978) was a British actor born in India. He was best known for playing Chief Guard Barnes who processes (and strip-searches) Alex (Malcolm McDowell) in ''A Clockwork Orange'', Cyril Blamire in ''Last of the Summer Wine'' (1973–75), and Rangi Ram in ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' (1974–77). Early life Bates was born in Jhansi, United Provinces, India. His parents were of Cheshire families; his father, Henry Stuart "Harry" Bates (1893–1985), son of Albert Bates, of Congleton, Cheshire,Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes, 1969, pg. 224 was educated at Denstone School and Cambridge University before entering the Indian Civil Service in 1920. He served as Deputy Secretary of the Revenue Department and a Member of the Board of Revenue for the United Provinces of India until 1947 (in which year he was created CSI) and was later of the Colonial Office.Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage and Companionage, Kelly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kathy Staff
Kathy Staff (born Minnie Higginbottom; 12 July 1928 – 13 December 2008) was an English actress known for her work on British television. She is best known for her portrayal of Nora Batty in ''Last of the Summer Wine'', the longest running sitcom in the world. Career Early career She began her acting career with touring repertory companies in 1946, changing her name to Katherine Brant. After she married John Staff in 1951, she adopted the surname as her stage name, hence Kathy Staff. She retired from the stage at this point to raise her family, but started working as an extra for Granada Television in Manchester in the 1960s. In her autobiography, Staff revealed herself to be a Conservative, and noted that she had once stood as an election candidate for the party. This appears to have been in 1971, when a Ms. M. Staff contested the Central ward in the Municipal Borough of Dukinfield. The seat was comfortably held by Labour, with the Liberals beating all three Conservative can ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide or BCG (formerly the British Sitcom Guide or BSG) is a British website covering all forms of British comedy, across all media. At the time of writing, BCG has published guides to more than 7,000 individual British comedies - primarily TV and radio situation comedy, sketch shows, comedy dramas, satire, variety and panel games. Other notable features on BCG include a news section, a message board, interviews with comedians and actors, a series of comment and opinion articles, a searchable merchandise database, and a section offering advice to aspiring comedy writers. The website also runs ''The Comedy.co.uk Awards'' and hosts several podcast series, some of which have won awards. Reportedly, British Comedy Guide attracts over 500,000 unique visitors a month, making it Britain's most-visited comedy-related reference website. Background The website was founded in August 2003 as the ''British Sitcom Guide'' (''BSG''), a website devoted to British sitcom TV ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1973 British Television Episodes
Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam. * January 17 – Ferdinand Marcos becomes President for Life of the Philippines. * January 20 – Richard Nixon is Second inauguration of Richard Nixon, sworn in for a second term as President of the United States. Nixon is the only person to have been sworn in twice as President (First inauguration of Richard Nixon, 1969, Second inauguration of Richard Nixon, 1973) and Vice President of the United States (First inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953, Second inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1957). * January 22 ** George Foreman defeats Joe Frazier to win the heavyweight world boxing championship. ** A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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