Of Funerals and Fish first episode, is referred to as Harold; when the character went on to appear in the series, he would be called Wally. Of Funerals and Fish "Of Funerals and Fish" is the pilot episode of the world's longest running sitcom, "Last of the Summer Wine" (1973–2010), written by Roy Clarke. It was first aired on 4 January 1973 and became the first of 295 episodes. It was aired as a "Comedy Playhouse" episode. The plot involved the trio going around discussing life and death. It starred Bill Owen, Peter Sallis and Michael Bates. This also was the first appearance of
British Comedy Guide which Fry revealed that he had attempted to commit suicide. The story was also reported widely across the media, including the BBC and Sky News. The podcasts hosted by BCG are: In January 2007, the website launched "The British Sitcom Guide Awards", which were later renamed "The British Comedy Guide Awards" and are now known as "The Comedy.co.uk Awards". The awards are notable for allowing the public to choose the winners via an online poll, but with no shortlist - all broadcast programmes are available to choose. This differs from the British Comedy Awards which relies on broadcasters to put