First of the Summer Wine series, and is initially unknown to the other central characters. First of the Summer Wine 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 on 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 BBC has never shown repeats of the show,
Last of the Summer Wine consecutive full series of episodes. The entire series is now available on home video, both in box sets with two series of episodes each, and in a complete collection which features every episode of "Last of the Summer Wine" plus all films and specials. Three "best of" collections as well as sets devoted to individual series have been released for region one. The first, simply titled "Last of the Summer Wine", was released in 2003 and includes early episodes from the 1970s and 1980s. The second collection, titled "Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1995", followed in 2004 and includes