Last of the Summer Wine series 18

Last of the Summer Wine's eighteenth series aired on BBC1. All of the episodes were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell.

Last of the Summer Wine
Series 18
No. of episodes	11
Release
Original network	BBC1
Original release	29 December 1996 (1996-12-29) – 22 June 1997 (1997-06-22)
Additional information
Filming dates	Christmas Special: 1996 Series 18: 1996-1997
Series chronology
List of episodes

Outline

The trio in this series consisted of:

Actor	Role
Bill Owen	Compo
Peter Sallis	Clegg
Brian Wilde	Foggy

Returning this series

• Barry Wilkinson (1986–1990, 1996–2010)

Last appearances

• Foggy Dewhirst (1976–1985, 1990–1997)

List of Episodes

Christmas Special (1996)

Title	Airdate	Description	Notes
Extra! Extra!	29 December	A film crew are making a spoof horror film in the area. When the trio persistently interrupt rehearsals, the director has them recruited as extras, and they soon find they are in good company.	Seasonal 45-Minute Special. Barry returns, having been absent since the episode Barry's Christmas Guest Appearance of George Chakiris Guest Appearance of Norman Wisdom as Billy Ingleton Features the song Compo Has Gone and Lost His Wellies by Bill Owen, Holme Silver Band and Upperthong School which was originally released as a single in 1981

Regular series

Title	Airdate	Description	Notes
The Love Mobile	20 April	Auntie Wainwright sells Smiler a tandem as incentive for him to sell it on; a vindictive, argumentative couple with a mobile lonely hearts office in a caravan break down outside the village. Wesley, Foggy, Clegg and Compo try to assist.	Guest Appearance of Kenneth Cope & Maggie Ollerenshaw These characters also appear in All That Glitters Is Not Elvis Maggie Ollerenshaw also appeared in the 1979 episode The Flag & Further Snags
A Clean Sweep	27 April	An unlucky chimney sweep is in town in an attempt to resurrect an old tradition of having a sweep at weddings and Foggy finds him a good old-fashioned chimney to sweep.	Guest Appearance of Keith Marsh (as the sweep).
The Mysterious C. W. Northrop	5 May	Smiler has a crush on Ivy, but pretends it's C.W. Northrop so Ivy won't know it's him, leading to much discussion around the town before the true identity is finally revealed after confusion reigns.
A Double for Howard	11 May	The trio help Howard to find somebody who might look like him from a distance to have a date with Marina. He hopes Pearl will see them and, for once, he won't be in trouble.	Guest Appearance of Duggie Brown
How to Create a Monster	18 May	Foggy decides to train Smiler to help him become more confident and lose his deepest fears which are leaving him unlucky in love. Is the world ready though for Smiler as "Captain Catastrophe"?	Guest Appearance of Elizabeth Estensen (as the Educational Adviser) This was the first episode in which Barry and Glenda's current home was seen, although at the time, next door hadn't been built.
Deviations with Davenport	25 May	The trio meet Mr. Davenport, a hapless hiker who aspires to write a guidebook, but Foggy gets them completely lost; meanwhile, Wesley dreams up a makeshift trailer in lieu of a minibus for the ladies' outing.	Guest Appearance of Jack Smethurst
According to the Prophet Bickerdyke	1 June	According to what Clegg refers to as a 'passing idiot', the prophet Bickerdyke has predicted that the world is coming to an end. Clegg wonders if this information should be trusted.	Guest Appearances of Tony Millan and Peter Martin.
Next Kiss Please	8 June	Compo bets Foggy that he can get a kiss, insisting it will willingly be given from Nora Batty. The trio go to Auntie Wainwright's to purchase a camera to be sure that Compo will not cheat to win the bet.	Cameo Appearance Denis Mawn (Owen's Stunt Double)
Destiny and Six Bananas	15 June	Compo convinces Nora to accompany him to Citizens' Advice on a personal matter while the trio meet a stranger who is exhausted from running through the woodland where he has seen what he believes to be "giant apes". Foggy organizes a safari to try and capture them.	Guest Appearance of Joe Belcher Outtakes were featured in 30 Years of Last of the Summer Wine
A Sidecar Named Desire	22 June	Compo hires a motorbike and sidecar from Auntie Wainwright and takes Nora Batty for a ride in it in another attempt to woo her and rekindle memories of her late husband, who drove a similar vehicle in earlier episodes.	This episode marks the final appearance of Foggy, as played by Brian Wilde (Foggy is seen in some shots of the next episode, but is played by a body double). This is the last episode not to have a Cold open. Although some subsequent episodes don't have it (albeit less frequent).

DVD release

The box set for series eighteen was released by Universal Playback in February 2011, mislabelled as a box set for series 19 & 20.

The Complete Series 19 & 20

Set Details[1]

22 episodes 4-disc set Language: English

Release Date

Region 2

7 February 2011

References

1. "Last of the Summer Wine Series 19 & 20 [1997] [DVD]". Amazon. Retrieved 20 August 2016.