From Alan Bell

maltrab

maltrab

Administrator
Staff member
I Have just spotted this on my petition to keep LOSW going, the link is here, http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/wewantsummerwine/signatures/page/13, this is what Alan Wrote

Comments: As the producer/director of the series, it is gratifying to know that there are people out there who miss the series. There was good news at the start of this year when UK Gold - the satellite channel - were very keen to make a further 10 episodes, and I budgeted it with mamoth savings. Unfortunately, because UK Gold is a commercial channel owned 50/50 by the BBC and, at the time, Virgin Media, the plans were vetoed. I call it the dark hand of the BBC that was determined to kill it off. It is sad, because there was no valid reason to end the series on BBC1 - and the girl who took the blame, simply jumped ship from BBC to Channel Four. And for this sort of contempt for viewers, we pay a licence fee? Maybe there should be a petition to get rid of the overpaid executives with their blatant contempt for the more mature viewers, and start with some of the peolple on the BBC Trust - they should be monitoring the quality of programmes and ending the wastage at the BBC in general. About 12 years ago, the old Board of Governors thanked me for making a series that satisfied so many viewers. But that was the old BBC - not the new BBC which is populated by ex ITV executives and young, untalented, radicals. Thora Hird once said that Last of the Summer Wine was too clean for the BBC, and that maybe Roy Clarke should write a series that is punctuated with four letter words. Maybe she should have added - 'and unfunny'. Alan JW Bell
 
Wow, 10 more episodes? And it´s sad there is such a cut between the old and the new BBC. Not only sad, it is cynical and disgusting!
 
its weird how the show would get vetoed if there was mammoth savings. If you think about how many people watched summer wine, it got millions of viewers i bet the dvds sell hundreds of thousands so this should show the BBC that it is still a popular show. I can't understand it, i bet the advertisers on UK Gold would be angry about this as their products would've had a lot of good publicity. It does seem there has been a BBC witch hunt against summer wine for years now and it finally seems that the last nail may well have been banged well into the wood now! Just hope someone has a crowbar.
 
Have to say that im so disappointed that we came so close to ten more episodes and the possibilities from that if they were a great success.
It seems a shame that the BBC seem so determined to kill off this wonderful programme

Hector
 
That is a pretty interesting response for Alan Bell. With mammoth savings, it would just seem as if there was one way or another to produce ten more episodes. Perhaps it could have been an independent production, but maybe there is copyright issues with that idea.

In the other forum we often wrote about ideas for a Summer Wine comeback and a lot of purists were not up for it because it simply cannot return to the Clegg, Compo, and Foggy era.

What about starting it up again (at least ten episodes) under a new but similar name? That way the LOTSW name stays pure and fans get to see more at the same time.

The only concern about ten more potential episodes is that the quality of the last two seasons decreased. I don't know the interest level for more episodes similar to that of the Hobbo era.
 
This I would have loved to see come to fruition! A shame the BBC doesn't know good, quality comedy when they see it. Apparently, vulgarity and lewd behavior passes for comedy these days, and I find that utterly shameful.
 
Have a look on Julliete Caplan,s site very interestng look at the people that were present ,now that would make a good show.
 
I think a new series of First of the Summer Wine would be good and we could start again. I like to dream and live in hopes it keeps you going.
 
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