The Last of the Summer Wine Trio: Compo, Clegg, Truly, Alvin, Foggy & Friends In British TV Comedy

Viewers of Last of the Summer Wine have been watching the same characters do the same things since 1973. At the heart of the show is a trio of men, aging comically and good-naturedly together.

Norman Clegg (Cleggy)

Peter Sallis (the voice of Wallace in Wallace and Grommit) has played Norman Clegg all along. Meek Clegg is never the instigator. A retired carpet salesman, he is the one who takes the cautious road, while never missing out on the fun.

Clegg has been a widower forever. Mrs. Clegg is rarely discussed, and Clegg could easily pass for a life-long bachelor. He favours cardigans and soft slippers. Living alone in a beautiful two-storey row house, Clegg is sometimes the reluctant romantic go-between for married Howard and woman-about-town Marina.

William Simmonite (Compo)

Until his death in 1999, Bill Owen as Compo was the scruffy, comical character who could always be counted on to execute any hare-brained prank the others came up with. (Usually in LOTSW, someone rolls down a long hill in a wheelbarrow, baby carriage, wagon, car with no brakes, or similar conveyance). Compo's storyline death underlined the true message of LOTSW - that friendship is to be highly prized.

Compo used to wear a tattered green knit beanie, Wellington boots, and loose trousers held up with binder twine. His remaining teeth seemed glad of the extra space. A short, compact man, Compo always had a bit of beard and stubble, and was well-known for a lack of hygiene. (What do you expect from a man who often brings a pet ferret along in his pocket?)

He lived in a basement flat underneath the dour Nora Batty (Kathy Staff) for whom he inexplicably pined.

A joyful soul with a wonderfully quaint Yorkshire accent, Compo used words like "thee" and "tha", naturally.

The Serious One

There has always been a voice of reason, distorted by personal eccentricity. Currently, Frank Thornton (Captain Peacock of Are You Being Served?) as retired policeman Herbert "Truly of the Yard" Truelove provides the ersatz gravitas. Truly's predecessors:

Replacing Compo

Since Compo's death, the trio has been a little more elastic. Billy Hardcastle (Keith Clifford) and Alvin Smedley (Brian Murphy) often make up a three- or four-man ensemble. Hardcastle is a true descendant of Robin Hood. He often wears an anorak, when not in Lincoln green archery attire. Hardcastle's role ended with the 2006 season.

Alvin is a dashing fellow with a beret, who now lives beneath Nora Batty and occasionally pays her the same unwelcome attention Compo used to. Heaven knows why - Nora is brutal with her broomstick.

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May 3, 2008 11:00 PM

Guest :

Norman Clegg was never divorced. He was a widower, as evidenced in the first season. He is seen placing flowers on his wife's grave and talking to her spirit about picking up some sausages for his tea. Compo's wife ran off with a "chuffing Pole", as he often referred to his successor.I greatly dislike the Alvin character, as he seems to be written as a Compo replacement. No one could ever replace Compo, and no one should ever try. Alvin's lines and actions are far too close to those of Compo. As you can tell, I am a devoted LOTSW-ite!

May 4, 2008 5:35 AM

Jill Browne :

Thank you! It's nice to meet anyother LOTSW fan, especially one so knowledgable.

The article has now been magically corrected re Clegg.

Clegg's wife has been mentioned so seldom, and never particularly favourably, though not harshly either, that it is hard to get a sense of her character. I imagine her as somewhat fierce (to Norman) - along the lines of Nora Batty, Pearl, or Edie Pegden - come to think of it, all the married women in town seem to strike fear into the hearts of their meek husbands.

I liked the fact that Compo was secretly keeping a stylish girlfriend (wasn't it Tuesday afternoons) - only revealed at his death. Added a final bit of mystery to the old guy. Yes, no one can replace him as a character. However, it's nice that the archetypes go on even as individuals come and go - particularly good to have a core of men friends at the heart of the story. The ladies' coffee group has a similar role, showing us that life goes on even though none of us lasts forever.

Thanks so much for posting, and happy viewing.