Last of the Summer Wine (series 5) Last of the Summer Wine (series 5) Last of the Summer Wine's fifth series originally aired on BBC1 between 18 September and 30 October 1979. All episodes from this series were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Sydney Lotterby. The fifth series was something of a departure; it was the first to include two-part episodes and introduced a small number of new characters such as Compo's oft-mentioned but never seen nephew and was also notable for an increase in the more physical comedy for which the programme would become more well-known latterly. The fifth series was released
First of the Summer Wine For the new series, Clarke used mostly young, inexperienced actors to fill the roles of the characters carried over from the original series. The actors were required to mimic the vocal characteristics and mannerisms already established in "Last of the Summer Wine" to create a continuity between the two series. The show features much 1920s and 1930s music, which adds to the nostalgic feel of the show. The theme tune is "Sweet and Lovely", sung by Al Bowlly, accompanied by Roy Fox and his Band. The recording was made in London on 18 September 1931. "First of the Summer Wine"