Last of the Summer Wine: The Lair of the Cat Creature
7:40 pm - 8:20 pm, Friday, June 26 on U&Drama +1 (60)
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About this Broadcast
The Lair of the Cat Creature
Season 24, Episode 1
A hang-gliding enthusiast crashes down in the village, mistakenly believing that he's landed in France, thus breaking the long-distance record. The gang tries to compensate for his disappointment by making him the best at something else - identifying a strange cat creature lurking in the woods. Peter Sallis, Frank Thornton and Brian Murphy star
subtitles
16x9
Movie/Drama
Sitcom
Cast & Crew
Brian Murphy
(Actor)
.. Alvin
Peter Sallis
(Actor)
.. Norman Clegg
Frank Thornton
(Actor)
.. Truly
Jean Alexander
(Actor)
.. Auntie Wainwright
Mike Grady
(Actor)
.. Barry
Keith Clifford
(Actor)
.. Billy
Thora Hird
(Actor)
.. Edie
Sarah Thomas
(Actor)
.. Glenda
Robert Fyfe
(Actor)
.. Howard
Jane Freeman
(Actor)
.. Ivy
Jean Fergusson
(Actor)
.. Marina
Juliette Kaplan
(Actor)
.. Pearl
Tony Capstick
(Actor)
.. Policeman
Ken Kitson
(Actor)
.. Policeman
Dora Bryan
(Actor)
.. Roz
Stephen Lewis
(Actor)
.. Smiler
Tom Owen
(Actor)
.. Tom
Alan JW Bell
(Producer)
Roy Clarke
(Writer)
More Information
Did You Know..
Brian Murphy
(Actor)
.. Alvin
Born:
September 25, 1933
in
Isle of Wight
Best Known For:
Playing George Roper in Man About the House and George and Mildred.
Early-life:
Brian was born on the Isle of Wight on September 25, 1933. During his national service at RAF Northwood, he met future actor Richard Briers. On leaving the RAF, Brian and Richard performed in productions by the Dramatic Society at what is now London South Bank University. Brian was also a member of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop, with Yootha Joyce. During the 1960s and the early 1970s, Brian made guest appearances in a number of TV shows, including The Avengers, Z Cars, Sez Les, Callan, and Dixon of Dock Green.
Career:
Murphy's big break came in 1974 when he began playing George Roper alongside Joyce in the sitcom Man About the House. Joyce played his long-suffering wife Mildred. The popularity of Murphy and Joyce's characters led to them starring in their own spin-off sitcom George and Mildred. The hugely popular series ran on ITV for five series until 1979 and ended after Joyce died in 1980. Murphy and Joyce also starred in a stage version of George and Mildred and a spin-off movie. Murphy went on to star in The Incredible Mr Tanner, L for Lester, Lame Ducks, One Foot in the Grave, the Booze Cruise TV movies, Last of the Summer Wine, and The Cafe.
Quote:
'I was just coming up to 40 when Man About the House fell into my lap and turned everything around.'
Trivia:
Murphy and his wife, actress Linda Regan, have talked about their careers in An Audience with Linda Regan and Brian Murphy.
Peter Sallis
(Actor)
.. Norman Clegg
Born:
February 01, 1921
in
Twickenham, Middlesex
Best Known For:
Playing Clegg in Last of the Summer Wine and providing the voice of Wallace in Wallace & Gromit.
Early-life:
Peter Sallis was born on February 1, 1921, in Twickenham, Middlesex. His first job was as a bank clerk and he held no desire to be an actor until he became an RAF instructor during the Second World War. One of his pupils, Peter Bridge, asked him to play the leading part in Noel Coward's Hay Fever at the YMCA. Peter never looked back and eventually maked his TV debut in a 1947 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Career:
Roles in films such as Doctor in Love, The Mouse on the Moon, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and Charlie Bubbles followed. BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine made him a household name. He featured in all 295 episodes as Norman Clegg between 1973 and 2010. He also played his character's father in short-lived prequel First of the Summer Wine. He was also the voice of Wallace of Wallace & Gromit fame in the acclaimed A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and A Matter of Loaf and Death. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list for services to drama. He died on June 2, 2017 at the age of 96.
Quote:
'I don't eat it, because of the cholesterol effect. I've never eaten much in the way of cheese ever. However, I don't mind pretending that I like it.'
Trivia:
When Sallis was first asked by Nick Park to voice Wallace for a student film, he donatated his £50 fee to charity.
Frank Thornton
(Actor)
.. Truly
Born:
January 15, 1921
in
London
Best Known For:
Are You Being Served? and Last of the Summer Wine.
Early-life:
Frank Thornton Ball was born in London on January 15, 1921 to Rosina and William. Frank wanted to act from an early age but his father encouraged him to have a more stable job, so he began working in insurance after leaving school. He took evening classes at the London School of Dramatic Art and after two years, he was invited to become a day student. During the Second World War, Frank was evacuated with the drama school and his first job was touring with four plays in Ireland. He joined the RAF as an airman and ended the war as an officer. After leaving the RAF in 1947, Frank joined a repertory company. He made his film debut in Radio Cab Murder (1954).
Career:
Thornton went on to become a familiar face on TV, specialising in comedy. He made guest appearances in Hancock, Sykes, The Goodies, Love Thy Neighbour and Steptoe and Son. He is best known for playing Captain Peacock in the BBC sitcom Are You Being Served? He reprised his role for the spin-off series Grace & Favour. In 1997, he joined the cast of Last of the Summer Wine as Herbert 'Truly' Truelove, a role he played until 2010. He also appeared in Robert Altman's Gosford Park (2001). Thornton died peacefully in his sleep on March 16, 2013. He was 92.
Quote:
From Are You Being Served?: 'Mr Humphries, are you free?'
Trivia:
Thornton was nominated of an Olivier Award for his performance in the musical Me and My Girl.
Jean Alexander
(Actor)
.. Auntie Wainwright
Mike Grady
(Actor)
.. Barry
Keith Clifford
(Actor)
.. Billy
Thora Hird
(Actor)
.. Edie
Born:
May 28, 1911
in
Morecambe
Best Known For:
Being one of Britain's finest character actresses.
Early-life:
Born in Morecambe on May 28, 1911, Thora made her stage debut at the age of two months in a play directed by her father, who was the stage manager at the Royalty Theatre in Morecambe. When she was old enough, Thora joined the Royalty's theatre company, although during the day she worked as a cashier at a local grocery store, a job she held for 10 years. After appearing in more than 500 plays, George Formby saw her in a performance in 1941 and recommended her to Michael Balcon at Ealing Film Studios.
Career:
Hird made her film debut in The Black Sheep of Whitehall in 1942 with Will Hay and a string of small roles followed. She had a memorable role as a sharp-tongued mother in A Kind of Loving (1962). Her biggest roles were on TV in sitcoms, including Meet the Wife, In Loving Memory, Hallelujah! and for nearly 20 years in Last of the Summer Wine. Her most acclaimed performances came later in life in straight roles. She won Bafta Best Actress awards for two of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads monologues and the drama Lost for Words. Away from acting, she hosted the religious programme Praise Be! for many years. She died on March 15, 2003 at the age of 91.
Quote:
As Mrs Rothwell in the film A Kind of Loving: 'You filthy pig! You filthy disgusting pig!'
Trivia:
She was made a Dame in 1993.
Sarah Thomas
(Actor)
.. Glenda
Robert Fyfe
(Actor)
.. Howard
Jane Freeman
(Actor)
.. Ivy
Jean Fergusson
(Actor)
.. Marina
Juliette Kaplan
(Actor)
.. Pearl
Tony Capstick
(Actor)
.. Policeman
Ken Kitson
(Actor)
.. Policeman
Dora Bryan
(Actor)
.. Roz
Stephen Lewis
(Actor)
.. Smiler
Tom Owen
(Actor)
.. Tom
Alan JW Bell
(Producer)
Roy Clarke
(Writer)
