Last of the Summer Wine (series 8)


Last of the Summer Wine's eighth series originally aired on BBC1 between 30 December 1984 and 17 March 1985. All episodes from this series were written by Roy Clarke and produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell.
The eighth series was released on DVD in region 2 as a combined box set with series 7 on 3 March 2008.

Outline

The trio in this series consisted of:
ActorRole
Bill OwenCompo
Peter SallisClegg
Brian WildeFoggy

First appearances

Crusher "Milburn"

Howard

Pearl

Marina

Last appearances

Foggy

List of episodes

Christmas Special
TitleAirdateDescriptionNotes
The Loxely Lozenge30 December 1984Wesley needs some help. He's found an old racing car, and wants the lads to help him get it home.
  • This episode marks the first appearance of Crusher, however his introduction appears in the 8th series, officially.
  • Note that, for continuity reasons, in some airings of this episode, Jonathan Linsley's appearance as Crusher has been edited out, although his name still appears in the end credits. This was because when the episode was originally shown before "Keeping Britain Tidy", it made no sense for him to be a surprise if the key characters had already met him. Loxley Lozenge was effectively brought to the front of this series, to become a seasonal special, which caused this continuity problem.
  • This episode also marked the 2nd guest appearance of Wesley Pegden.
  • Also guest-starring appearance of Ashley Jackson as a Painter.
  • Included on the Series 7 & 8 boxset.
  • The general consensus is the chassis of an Austin Sheerline was used as a prop for the titular fictional vehicle.
Regular series
TitleAirdateDescriptionNotes
The Mysterious Feet of Nora Batty10 February 1985Foggy and Compo have a disagreement about the size of Nora's feet, so they set out to find out the truth.
Keeping Britain Tidy17 February 1985Foggy decides to embark upon a campaign to clean up the countryside, starting with an old mattress.
  • This episode officially features the introduction of Crusher, despite his having appeared in the previous Christmas Special.
  • This episode guest features that of Brian Glover. Note that Brian Glover and Brian Wilde previously co-starred in Porridge.
Enter The Phantom24 February 1985Compo transforms himself into 'The Phantom', a daredevil motorcyclist. Will this impress Nora?
  • 'Crusher' Milburn is a regular character from this episode until the 1987 Christmas Special
    • Catching Digby's Donkey3 March 1985Foggy offers to help Digby catch his donkey.
  • This episode marks the first appearances of Howard, Pearl and Marina whom become full regulars from the next series onward, thereafter.
  • Also guest-starring John Evitts as Digby
    • The Woollen Mills of your Mind10 March 1985Compo comes up with yet another plan to impress Nora - entering a marathon.
    Who's Looking After The Cafe, Then?17 March 1985Foggy volunteers to look after Ivy's Cafe while she goes out.
  • This episode sees the last appearance of Foggy. He would return in Series 12 5 years later.

    • DVD release

    The box set for series 7 and 8 was released by Universal Playback in March 2008.