Compo Simmonite: “I could murder some fish and chips.”New
Foggy Dewhurst: “You usually do.”
Norman Clegg: “If ever there’s been a neglected subject in poetry, it’s vinegar.”
Last week’s market pub contemplation prompted further thoughts on a theme of the leisurely consumption of real ale, a reverie that led me to the venerable British television series, Last of the Summer Wine.
It’s hard to imagine a more unfashionable concept in the milieu of the smart phone, driverless car and sour pickle beer.
Perhaps that’s why I’m so attracted to the show.
For the uninitiated, Last of the Summer Wine ran from 1973 through 2010, an astonishing 37 years, with almost 300 episodes aired. Virtually all of them emphasize a timeless sense of place, with much location filming amid the workmanlike stone buildings and rustic, gorgeous rolling hills of Holmfirth, Yorkshire.
It’s “a whimsical comedy with a penchant for light philosophy and full-on slapstick (following) the misadventures of three elderly friends tramping around the Yorkshire countryside,” a basic narrative premise remaining unchanged throughout the program’s lengthy run.
Reruns of Last of the Summer Wine have been showing on KET (public television)...Read more
