Last of the Summer Wine (series 3) Last of the Summer Wine (series 3) Last of the Summer Wine's third series originally aired on BBC1 between 27 October 1976 and 24 December 1976. All episodes from this series were written by Roy Clarke and produced by Sydney Lotterby Five episodes were directed by Sydney Lotterby but two, the two parter, "The Great Boarding House Bathroom Caper" and "Cheering Up Gordon", were directed by Ray Butt. Although none of the episodes from series 3 made it into the top ten programmes of the week on their initial screening, a repeat showing of the final episode, "Isometrics and After,"
Last of the Summer Wine recorded and then mixed into each episode's soundtrack to provide a laugh track and avoid the use of canned laughter. 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. Although this has helped the Holmfirth economy and made it a tourist destination, tensions have occasionally surfaced between Holmfirth residents and the crew. One such incident, regarding compensation to local residents, prompted producer Alan J. W. Bell to consider not filming in