First of the Summer Wine

First of the Summer Wine
First of the Summer Wine intertitle
Created byRoy Clarke
Written byRoy Clarke
Directed byGareth Gwenlan (Pilot)
Mike Stephens (Series)
StarringDerek Benfield
Sarah Dangerfield
Linda Davidson
David Fenwick
Judy Flynn
Joanne Heywood
Richard Lumsden
Paul McLain
Paul Oldham
Maggie Ollerenshaw
Helen Patrick
Peter Sallis
Gary Whitaker
Paul Wyett
Theme music composerJules Lemare (alias Charles N. Daniels)
Opening theme"Sweet and Lovely", sung by Al Bowlly, with Roy Fox and his Band
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
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Production
ProducersGareth Gwenlan (Pilot)
Mike Stephens (Series)
Running time30 minutes (per episode)
Original release
NetworkBBC1
Release3 January 1988 (1988-01-03) –
8 October 1989 (1989-10-08)
Related
Last of the Summer Wine (1973–2010)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

First of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that aired on BBC1. The pilot originally aired on 3 January 1988, and the first series of episodes followed from 4 September 1988. The show ran for two series of six episodes each, with the final episode airing on 8 October 1989. The pilot episode was produced and directed by Gareth Gwenlan. Both series of episodes were produced and directed by Mike Stephens. The show has never been repeated by the BBC but has occasionally been repeated on Gold.[1] The show was broadcast in Australia on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation network in the early 1990s.[2]

First of the Summer Wine is a prequel to Clarke's long running show, Last of the Summer Wine, portraying the youth of the principal characters from the mother show in the months leading up to World War II. With the possibility of war hanging over them, the young men and women enjoy their youth while trying to find a place for themselves in the world. The show used young, mostly unknown actors to play the characters, with only two actors from the original series making an appearance in the prequel.[3]

  1. ^ "First of the Summer Wine – Special Article". Summer Wine Online. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  2. ^ "First of the Summer Wine – Uncovered!". Summer Wine Online. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  3. ^ Bright and Ross (2000), p. 28