Happiest with the director's cut

Oct 24 2001 By The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

TELEVISION is a rapidly-changing medium.

So why should a successful director decide to stick with a show for more than 20 years?

In Alan J W Bell's case, there were never any doubts.

"I joined Last Of The Summer Wine in 1981 and have never regretted it.

"I love Roy Clarke's work, it's as simple as that.

"I had worked on Ripping Yarns and Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy and saw Summer Wine as a career development.

"People say I became stuck in a rut - but what a wonderful rut in which to be stuck!

"It is always great fun, but the best thing has been to come up to Yorkshire year after year. Dame Thora Hird - who stars as Evie in the series - and I were talking in London and looking out over the grey, damp streets and we both said: `I can't wait to go on holiday back to Yorkshire'."

Mr Bell is now hard at work editing what will be the 30th anniversary series of the show, due to be screened in the spring.

He completed work earlier this month at Shepperton Studios and is now at Teddington putting the finishing touches to the 10 episodes, plus a Christmas special.

"We have special previews in November and the BBC always send out tickets. They issue something like 360 tickets, even though the theatre only holds 300, because they never expect everyone to turn up.

"When Summer Wine is previewed, every single ticket-holder is there!

"It should continue. People said when Bill Owen died it would be the end, but it wasn't. Someone new comes in and let's us keep the thing alive.

"I can see no reason why it should stop.

"Comedy is hard work. I did Deric Longden's Lost For Words and that was a piece of cake compared to filming Summer Wine.

"But it is all worth it. And especially as last night we were nominated in the National Television Awards alongside The Royle Family, Friends and One Foot In The Grave".