30 Years Of Last Of The Summer Wine

In 2003, a British comedy institution celebrated its 30th birthday. Last Of The Summer Wine, written by Roy Clarke, was created as a submission for the BBC's Comedy Playhouse in 1973, but before the year was up, a full series had hit our screens. It then went on to become the world's longest running sitcom.

A whimsical comedy with a penchant for light philosophy and full-on slapstick, that first run followed the misadventures of three elderly friends traipsing around the Yorkshire countryside (the town of Holmfirth and its surroundings). In its original incarnation the upper, middle and lower classes were represented: they were Former Royal Signals Sergeant and notional gang leader Cyril Blamire (Michael Bates); flat cap-wearing voice-of-reason Norman 'Cleggy' Clegg (Peter Sallis) and frisky layabout Compo Simonite (Bill Owen). As actors came and went, there was a new influx of talent but the blueprint stayed the same - how a group of elderly friends lived a carefree life in a Yorkshire village.

Here, Roy Clarke and the cast past and present reveal how the show was created, why the village of Holmfirth was chosen as the location, and what happened behind the scenes of this much-loved sitcom.