Wainwright and Mrs Partridge had been jettisoned after series 1 because Clarke couldn’t see their potential for development. Ballad for Wind Instruments and Canoe' has the trio embark upon a canoe expedition, Finally, in 'Northern Flying Circus', Compo dons goggles and helmet to become the new Barry Sheen.

Bell, in an effort to get each scene exactly right, was known for his use of more film and more takes than his predecessors [6] and for using wider angles that feature more of the local Holmfirth landscape. The show used actual businesses and homes in and around Holmfirth, and Nora Batty's house, which is actually a Summer Wine themed holiday cottage where members of the public can stay in a replica of Nora Batty's home. And of course we arrive at Sid’s Cafe, with Sid (the great John Comer) and Ivy (Jane Freeman) bickering at the tops of their voices. Norman Clegg, recently widowed, has been made redundant from his job as a linoleum salesman at the local Co-Op. Please note these DVD's are Region 2 and you will either need a compatable DVD player or a regional free DVD player.The Comedy Playhouse pilot and all episodes of the first series were produced and directed by James Gilbert. The revival of the classic sitcom Open All Hours as a one-off special, replicating the formula with David Jason mimicking the late Ronnie Barker and a new, genuinely young actor mimicking Jason’s old role as Granville has been revealed as the most popular programme on Boxing Day, with an audience, at its peak, of just over 10,000,000 viewers.

He has found out her name and exactly where she lives, but how should he approach the poor woman to tell her the good news? Foggy was full of himself, confident that he knew everything in any situation and that he was a natural leader. The character of Norman Clegg was created especially for Sallis, who liked the character and agreed to play him. It involves cheap cars being held together by cardboard and string (no-one would waste baling wire on these clunkers) and a guest role for Ronald Lacey, who could do whining sleaze in his sleep. The working title was changed later to The Library Mob, a reference to one of the trio's regular haunts early in the show.FOTSW was set in 1939 and featured the trio of Clegg, Compo and Uttherthwaite, plus the young Foggy, and other similarly aged youngsters, in their late teens, with the Second World War approaching (War was declared in the final episode, which saw Clegg’s cousin Brad enlisting). Thus, when Bill Owen died in 1999, having filmed only two episodes of a twelve episode season, I was curious as to how LOTSW would handle this, and how it would continue without him. As I said, each episode had a handful of funny lines, but the overall effect was one of filling up the time with disconnected notions, easily brushed aside, and ultimately too loose to be successful. That Michael Bates was actually very High Tory and Bill Owen staunch Socialist amplifies their roles and gives a real edge to their quarrels, making the first two series much more political than anything that followed, without every turning overt. It remained popular, with repeat series regularly mustering a 5,000,000 audience, but the tide of protest against it even being allowed to exist grew more intensive every time the show was broadcast.