Last of the Summer Wine, One Foot in the Grave restorations to air on BBC

Last of the Summer Wine's Getting Sam Home was the first example of a television film based on an existing British television series.

The original sitcom aired for 31 seasons from 1973 to 2010, with restorations overseen by Richard Latto and additional work carried out by Paul Venezis and Andrew T Smith.

Filmmaker and Last of the Summer Wine historian, Andrew T Smith, said: "I think Getting Sam Home is amongst the greatest works in writer Roy Clarke's long career – a beautifully filmed black comedy featuring a stellar cast firing on all cylinders. I have long wanted to see it in better quality than the existing master tape – with its reduced resolution and overly dark appearance.

"When the town of Holmfirth decided to celebrate the series 50th anniversary this year, I approached Richard about the possibility of tackling a restoration and although logistical factors prevented us from screening the final version in the town over the summer, I'm incredibly pleased to see it premiere in its refreshed splendour this Christmas."

One Foot in the Grave aired for six seasons, over the course of 10 years, and unlike many of the episodes of the series produced at the time, the feature-length episode was filmed entirely on 16mm and Super16 film rather than the traditional UK sitcom approach.

BBC producer, broadcaster and archive expert, Richard Latto, said the two feature length specials are "perfect examples of the genius of classic British television comedy."

He continued: "1983's Getting Sam Home set the bar for many festive feature-length specials that were to follow, and in 1993 One Foot In The Algarve delivered what so many other comedies struggled to achieve, by taking familiar sitcom characters and placing them in an entirely different setting, but with great success and over 20 million viewers enjoying it on original transmission. Roy Clarke and David Renwick are masters of writing for the small screen and these specials continue to stand the test of time."

Last of the Summer Wine: Getting Sam Home will air at 7pm, Christmas Eve on BBC Four. One Foot in the Grave: One Foot in the Algarve will follow at 9.30pm.

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