The genuine and only INSIDE STORY of Last of the Summer Wine! Roy Clarkes Last of the Summer Wine was the longest running TV comedy series in the world, largely due to the passion, dedication and creativity of its producer/director ALAN J W BELL. In this book, Alan takes us on the set and into the studio to get up close and personal with the series and its actors. You will laugh out loud, cry in places and also guffaw as your jaw drops at reading these astonishing anecdotes, all told as only Alan can from the inside! Despite being one of the most-watched BBC shows with huge international sales, the programme was unceremoniously dropped by sending Alan an email! A torrent of public protest ensued, only to fall on deaf BBC ears. ''Last of the Summer Wine: From the Directors Chair'' provides a powerful critique of BBC management style from the man who was the very last in the long line of traditional comedy producer/directors who made programmes with little or no executive interference. What was so special about a TV series that was the favourite of the Queen; a TV series that was shown for over 36 years in more than 25 countries?Alan J W Bell remembers the series with the passion and emotion he brought to each episode. The series is finished, but in this memoir we can still relive that little bit of Yorkshire held so dear to the viewing public.