First of the Summer Wine (1988)

Name: First of the Summer Wine
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 7.3
Cast: Derek Benfield, Joanne Heywood, Linda Davidson, Richard Lumsden, Peter Sallis

Comedy

Sitcom prequel to Last of the Summer Wine set in a small Yorkshire village in 1939 as Britain becomes poised for war.

IMDb rating: 7.3 (228 votes)
Episode average: 7.6 +0.3 vs IMDb
Seasons: 2
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Declining trajectory: each season no better than the last. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well. See every Declining show in the explorer →

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 2 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1988)

7.61 avg 7 episodes 7.7 → 7.7 45 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
0	Pilot	7.7	15
1	Taller Exercises	7.2	14
2	The Just Doesn't Suit	7.9	10
3	The Way of the Warrior	7.7	8
4	Snuff and Stuff	7.6	9
5	The Great Indoors	7.5	8
6	Youth Wanted	7.7	8

Season 2 (1989)

7.60 avg 6 episodes 7.5 → 8.1

Big finale

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Not Thee Missus...	7.5	8
2	Compo Drops In	7.4	11
3	The Gypsy Fiddler	7.5	8
4	Ain't Love Dangerous	7.7	9
5	The Body Snatchers	7.4	7
6	Quiet Wedding	8.1	9

First of the Summer Wine (1988)

Cast

Seasons

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