What a swell party!

Aug 23 2002 By Karen Grattage, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Some guests travelled from Ireland and even America to be part of the gathering.

Actress Kathy Staff said she felt so at home in Holmfirth it was as if she had never left the series.

"It doesn't seem very long since we were celebrating the 25th anniversary," she said.

"It's lovely to be back. I just got straight back into it. When you've been in something as long as this, you don't fall out of it a lot.

"The characters are beautifully written by Roy Clarke and it is as if Nora has always been there.

"I was only out of it for a year while I was doing Crossroads because that was filming every day and there was no time for anything else.

"On Summer Wine it is more relaxed and more fun."

Stephen Lewis, who plays Smiler, said: "Being in Last Of The Summer Wine is not like work at all and we don't treat it as work - things like the weather are our only problem.

"All the people of Holmfirth are great and it is lovely that they come to watch us filming.

"When we are doing café scenes they stand and watch us all day, the children as well, and they all say funny things to us."