Last of the Summer Wine series 17 explained

Bgcolour:
  1. DEDDE2
Network:BBC1
Num Episodes:11
Film Start:
  • Series 17: 1995
  • Christmas Special: 1995
Prev Season:16

Last of the Summer Wines 17th series was broadcast on BBC1. All 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:

ActorRole
Bill OwenCompo
Peter SallisClegg
Brian WildeFoggy

List of episodes

Regular series

TitleAirdateDescriptionNotes
Leaving Home Forever, or Till Teatime 3 SeptemberThis time it's for real: Howard's had enough of Pearl and decides to leave home forever, although the lipstick she finds on his collar may have something to do with it. Either way, he desperately wants to return home by teatime in order to enjoy Pearl's excellent steak and kidney pie – can Foggy come up with a plan to help him?
  • Repeat broadcasts have the 1997 BBC corporate logo at the end.
Bicycle Bonanza 10 SeptemberThe trio hire some bicycles from Auntie Wainwright and have an "off-road" ride through the hills. Meanwhile, Smiler risks his life to give out flyers advertising Auntie Wainwright's new "Bonanza Bicycle Sale"
  • Reversion to earlier bright yellow opening and closing credits
  • Cameo Appearance of Lois Laurel (Daughter of Stan Laurel) during which a snippet of the Cuckoo Waltz can be heard in the incidental music
The Glamour of the Uniform 17 SeptemberWhen Marina's affections turn to a traffic policeman, and boyhood bully, Howard decides to leave home to join the French Foreign Legion, even going so far as to wear the relevant uniform. Foggy takes Howard under his wing to help him win her back.
  • Guest Appearance Brian Rawlinson
  • Features later opening and closing credits but in yellow not white
  • Repeat broadcasts have the later 1997 BBC corporate logo at the end.
The First Human Being To Ride A Hill 24 SeptemberPearl has confiscated Howard's bicycle, so Wesley builds him a new "secret" one which is put through its paces by Compo and later disguised
  • Features the later white opening and closing credits
  • Repeat broadcasts have the later 1997 BBC corporate logo at the end.
Captain Clutterbuck's Treasure1 OctoberThe trio meet Lieutenant Commander Willoughby who tells them all about the famous Yorkshire pirate, Captain Clutterbuck. The trio then buy a map from Willoughby so they can find the captain's treasure.
  • Guest appearance by Ron Moody
  • Yellow filmic-style credits with earlier BBC corporate logo at end
Desperate for a Duffield 8 OctoberCompo tries to find one of his old girlfriends, Audrey Duffield (née Mottershaw) but after hearing she moved to Canada, he decides to stay with Nora Batty but not before smartening his appearance in order to impress.
  • Cameo Appearance Roger Grainger
  • Yellow filmic-style credits with earlier BBC corporate logo at end
The Suit that Turned Left 15 October The trio meet a man who wants to find the centre of magnetism in Yorkshire which he believes may lead him to be a contender for the Nobel Prize, gathering the locals to create a 'power circle' in the dales.
Beware of the Elbow 22 OctoberThe trio meet a man who wants to show the world that he likes fat people and obesity, and that he is dead against slimming and weight loss, to promote which he has a giant inflatable lady
  • Guest Appearance Norman Rossington.
  • Filming took place at a level crossing on a disused railway (subject to a strict safety arrangement, explained at the end of the closing credits).
The Thing in Wesley's Shed 29 OctoberJust what is the secret invention that Wesley Pegden has built? The trio try to find out, discovering it to be an entry in the 'Mad Machines' contest as part of the Huddersfield Show
  • Stuntman Terry Cade is credited at 'Boatman'
  • Yellow filmic-style credits with earlier BBC corporate logo at end
Brushes at Dawn 5 NovemberFor the series' finale, Compo is shocked to find Nora Batty in a cupboard with another man, and so he challenges him to a duel which Foggy, naturally, decides should take place on bicycles.

Christmas Special (1995)

DVD release

The box set for series seventeen was released by Universal Playback in December 2010, mislabelled as a box set for series 17 & 18.

The Complete Series 17 & 18
Set Details[1]
  • 20 episodes
  • 4-disc set
  • Language: English
Release Date
Region 2
27 December 2010

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Last of the Summer Wine Series 17 & 18 [1995] [DVD]]. 20 August 2016 . Amazon .