Last Of The Summer Wine writer says sitcom would not be made today

The Last Of The Summer Wine would not be made today, comedy writer Sir Roy Clarke said as he was knighted by the Prince of Wales.

Sir Roy, 96, received the Honour of Knighthood in the 2026 New Year Honours list for his services to entertainment, and was awarded the title during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.

The writer told the Press Association we live in a “different world now” to the one in which the hit BBC sitcom was created.

“The Last Of The Summer Wine was what I grew up with,” he said.

“It’s a different world now, and I’m very glad my time was in the world I knew. I don’t know how far I would get now, the show probably wouldn’t be made these days.

“My favourite episodes I ever wrote were the ones around Compo’s funeral, largely because there was a time pressure on them.

“I had to do the three episodes in not much more than a weekend and I’ve never worked at that pace before, and in a funny way, I think that gave them more strength.”

Sir Roy saw the character Clegg from the BBC sitcom as a “mouthpiece” for himself.

He said: “Clegg was my favourite character I ever wrote. He used to get all the best lines and he was my mouthpiece in many ways. He used to say the things I would say and the things that I believed.”

Sir Roy, who wrote 295 episodes of the show, added: “I think leisure is an important element of anybody’s career. If you work like a dog all the time, especially if you’re writing, the results are going to be dismal.

“Three scenes a day was the secret for me. Sometimes I could do those three scenes in a couple of hours. Sometimes, it took the whole day. But if they only took a couple of hours, I didn’t do four, five or six, I knocked off, and I think that balance is important.”

He added that the Prince of Wales said he liked his sitcom work and after the ceremony, Sir Roy said: “I feel taller than I did yesterday.”

Also honoured on Tuesday was Welsh rugby star Jonathan Davies.

Nicknamed “Jiffy”, Davies was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to people with cancer and broadcasting.

Mr Davies, who won 37 caps for Wales Rugby, said William, who is a patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, spoke to him about the team’s Six Nations win against Italy on March 14.

The result was Wales’ first win in a Six Nations game in three years.

Speaking about the current state of Welsh Rugby, Mr Davies added: “It has been tough for Wales on and off the field, with uncertainty around regions and finances.

“Hopefully things can be resolved and the win will give them momentum and give all the future Welsh players the best opportunity to perform at international level.

“It has been rough, but it was so pleasing to see them win.”

The pundit now hosts cycling challenges to raise money for cancer charities in Wales following the death of his wife, Karen, and father, Ken – from different cancers.

Another recipient at Tuesday’s investiture was Jonathan Piers Linney, who was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for services to small business, to entrepreneurs, investors, banking and to diversity and social mobility.

The former Dragons’ Den star turned artificial intelligence start-up boss said the Prince of Wales asked him about the pros and cons of AI.

Mr Linney said: “AI is an arms race.

“Whether AI becomes sentient or conscious is where it becomes more dangerous. With super intelligence, we’re not going to understand how it works and we won’t be able to keep it in a box.

“It’s going to get out and that is why ethics and international alignments are the most important things. It will be as if an alien species lands on this planet in 10 years, maximum.”

He ruled out a return to Dragons’ Den in the near future.