Last of the Summer Wine episodes from series seventeen and the 30th anniversary documentary. A 2008 release named "Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1976" focuses on the third series of the show and includes bonus interviews with Peter Sallis, Brian Wilde, and Frank Thornton. Subsequently, every episode from the third to the twenty-seventh series has been released on DVD in "Vintage" collections, many including special features and interviews. A spin-off prequel show, "First of the Summer Wine", premiered on BBC1 in 1988. The new programme was written by Roy Clarke and used different actors to follow the activities of the principal characters from "Last
Last of the Summer Wine regular character starting in "Uncle of the Bride". The increasingly large cast ensured a sense of continuity with the changing configuration of the trio, especially following the death of Bill Owen. When Alan J. W. Bell took over as producer, the plots of "Last of the Summer Wine" moved away from the original dialogue-packed scenes in the pub and the library; guest actors were brought in to interact with the trio in new situations. Although many of these guest appearances lasted for only one episode, some led to a permanent role on the show, as in the cases of Gordon