The thirty-first and final series of Last of the Summer Wine aired in 2010, beginning on 25 July. All six episodes were thirty minutes long; they were written by Roy Clarke, and directed by Alan J. W. Bell.

The series was the first in 19 years to be only six episodes long, owing in part to the BBC's axing of the show and then recommissioning it. Actress Juliette Kaplan (Pearl) wrote on her website that the series was a result of fan response to rumours of the show's axing in December 2008,Home while Bell also credited the series to fan reaction.

Overview The series continued with the same trio from series 30, with Russ Abbot (Hobbo), Burt Kwouk (Entwistle), and Brian Murphy (Alvin). Peter Sallis (Clegg) and Frank Thornton (Truly), who were previously central characters, remained, but were now secondary characters, taping only studio scenes owing to the cost of insurance for actors of their advanced age on location. Jane Freeman (Ivy) also filmed only in-studio scenes.

The series contains a loose story arc of Pearl throwing Howard out of their house and his attempts to return.

On 2 June 2010, the BBC announced that the 31st series would be the last, despite the show still having a loyal fan base. To commemorate the show's final appearance, the BBC broadcast Songs of Praise from Holmfirth, and a special edition of Countryfile about Holmfirth and the surrounding area (where the series was primarily filmed). The Countryfile special aired on 25 July straight after the first episode of the final series. Songs of Praise from Holmfirth aired on 29 August, the day the last ever episode was broadcast.

That final episode, "How Not to Cry at Weddings", was dubbed "The Very Last of the Summer Wine" in the Radio Times edition dated 28 August – 3 September 2010. However, that title modification was not used when the episode was transmitted. The Radio Times edition also included a feature on actor Sallis, headlined "It never occurred to me that I could be an actor".

In an interview conducted several years after the series' end, Roy Clarke revealed that, although he knew the series was ending, he did not want to write a definitive ending: "I knew by that time that it likely was [the end], but I still didn't make a huge splash about it. Just in case, you know?"

All twenty remaining cast characters made their final appearances. Ivy and Nelly's final appearances were in the penultimate episode, "Look Whose Wheel's Come Off". The remaining eighteen signed off in the final episode, "How Not to Cry at Weddings", most notably Norman Clegg, who appeared in every one of the 295 episodes and who spoke the last line of the series. Barring his role in Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention later in 2010, the episode was also the final acting turn for Clegg's actor Peter Sallis before his death in 2017.

Episodes

DVD release The box set for series thirty-one was released by Universal Playback in August 2016, mislabelled as a box set for series 31 & 32.

+ The Complete Series 31 & 32 Set Details 18 episodes 4-disc set Language: English Release Date Region 215 August 2016

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