37-748: [REDACTED] Look up compo in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Compo may refer to: Compo Simmonite , a character from the British TV series Last of the Summer Wine , played by Bill Owen Demoscene compo , a competition involving multimedia "demo" programs Short for composition ornament , a mouldable resin worked either by hand or more usually pressed into moulds to produce decorative work Slang word for British Army field rations Slang word for financial compensation Compo Company ,
74-439: A brief liaison; Foggy states of Compo's father that "he was away before you got a good look at him... in fact, he was away before your mother got a good look at him". Having rigged Compo up to look like a kamikaze pilot, and impressed with the likeness, Clegg jokingly suggests Compo's father to have been Japanese, to which Compo replies "Japanese? With a name like Withenshaw?" indicating this to have been his father's surname and that
111-411: A drink out of guilt or remorse. Although he married soon after the war, almost thirty years later he is still in an argument with the thirty- bob tailor who made his wedding suit. He cannot pay his television rental, so the shop take it back so frequently that he leaves his door unlocked so they can take it whenever necessary. In one episode, Foggy states that Compo owes him money and in the episode Compo
148-440: A few days and would be back soon. When Clegg and Blamire tricked Compo into believing that Wally was really emigrating and Nora was intent on marriage, he panicked and tried his hardest to remove Nora from the dinner to which he had invited her. Although Nora often gives Compo the hard end of her broomstick, she does often display concern or kindness towards him. When he cleans himself up during Wally's escape, she dresses up for
185-460: A former record company in Canada which evolved into Universal Music Canada Compo, Connecticut , a residential and beach area of Westport, Connecticut The Compo–Owenoke Historic District Compo (film) , a 1989 Australian film Charles Compo , American composer and musician Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
222-596: A hill. Throughout the series Compo always loved an argument with the third man, Cyril Blamire was perhaps the person he argued with the most. This was largely because Cyril viewed himself as superior to Compo (and occasionally Clegg) and made snide remarks about Compo's working class lifestyle more frequently than his successors. His right-wing political views contrasted to Compo's left wing views. (In real life Bill Owen's and Michael Bates's political views were similar to their onscreen characters and, in turn, both conflicted.) Despite this, Compo and Cyril were still close and Compo
259-571: A housekeeper ( Liz Smith ). He takes her out for a meal at Sid's Café and tries to start a relationship. However, she does a moonlight flit with all his newly-bought possessions. After his death, it is revealed that Compo went every Thursday to visit Regina "Reggie" Unsworth ( Liz Fraser ) to whom he left his ferrets. Despite never actually divorcing his wife, he has an unrequited love for his neighbour of many years, Nora Batty ( Kathy Staff ), they'd neighbours since 1957. Despite constant reminders that it would never happen or, in earlier days, that she
296-465: A loose drain pipe, which soaked Compo. During Truly's stint on the show, Compo was similarly often involved in dangerous situations against his will. Though Truly was pompous like his predecessors, he eventually grew used to Compo's childish behaviour and the two did not argue frequently. Throughout Compo's time on the show, there were numerous references to Compo's vast family and their (implied) criminal tendencies. Although several relatives appeared in
333-425: A meal with him; when he disappears off a cliff on one of Foggy's wild schemes, she shows concern; when he is caught in one of Wesley Pegden's ( Gordon Wharmby ) exploding vehicles, she rushes forwards and tries to comfort him with a showing of her leg. Nora feels guilty when Compo dies in hospital with a smile on his face after suffering a heart attack when seeing her in unwrinkled stockings . She and Ivy sit up for
370-557: A result, he was regularly harmed (though rarely injured) or humiliated. Foggy also commented on Compo not serving in World War 2. (In reality Bill Owen served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corp and was injured in an explosion during a training exercise). During Seymour's brief stint in the late 80's, Compo was often made to test the former's inventions which frequently ended up in disaster for him and he called Seymour
407-492: A series of seven individual stories, all of which starred Ronnie Barker . In the episode, entitled "Prisoner and Escort", Wilde played Mr Barrowclough , one of two prison officers whose job it is to escort Barker's character Fletcher across the moors to his prison (the other was Mr Mackay, played by Fulton Mackay ). The episode proved successful and a series was commissioned by the BBC, titled Porridge . Wilde reprised his role as
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#1732786682765444-512: A sinister plot to get rid of the competition. In 1978, Wilde voiced the public information film series Play Safe , highlighting the dangers of overhead power lines to children. He also supplied the voice of the magician Meredith in the children's animated series Alias the Jester , Shortie the Giraffe in adverts for Coco Pops and narrated an animated series, Microscopic Milton , about
481-404: A third man (such as Cyril) roamed the hills around Holmfirth, getting involved with harebrained schemes to keep themselves one step ahead of boredom. Compo often talks of his vast, vast family and their exploits. He seems closest to Norman, as it is the third man who uses Compo as a guinea pig for their schemes. On one occasion Compo was repeatedly thrown backwards in the hope of getting a lift up
518-431: A tiny man who lives in a clock on the mantelpiece in the parlour of the house that belongs to a lady called Mrs. Witherspoon. Wilde starred in his own BBC series in 1988, Wyatt's Watchdogs , as retired soldier Major Wyatt who forms his own neighbourhood watch group. As a stuffy ex-army member who leads a motley bunch of comic characters, Wyatt was quite similar to Foggy. The programme, which co-starred Trevor Bannister ,
555-432: A twit whenever things went wrong. Despite this, Seymour was more willing to play along with Compo's childish antics than his predecessors were. When Seymour departed the show, Foggy returned at the beginning of the 90s. During this time, Foggy was shown to have mellowed somewhat and as a result became more tolerant of Compo (though not always). It was during this period when perhaps Compo's most famous misfortune happened, in
592-587: The Bottom (1966–67) as Mr Salisbury. His first major television success was in 1970 as refuse depot manager "Bloody Delilah" in the ITV sitcom The Dustbinmen . He showed his sinister side as the mischievous magician Mr Peacock in the children's drama series Ace of Wands between 1970 and 1972. That year he starred as a murderer in The Uninvited , an episode of the BBC's supernatural thriller series Out of
629-487: The Cafe, they would break out into a rendition of " We'll Keep a Welcome " much to Ivy's chagrin. "The joy of Bill Owen's Compo is not what he does with the words but where he takes the character beyond what's in the script. He did this in a physical manner. It was only when I saw Bill on screen that I realized what a wonderful physical clown he was." Roy Clarke on Bill Owen and Compo In his later life, Compo, Norman and
666-776: The Simmonites are his mother's family. He mentions that, according to his mother, his father was from Chesterfield. The Simmonite family was and is a large one. He had several encounters in his schooldays, which he remembers fondly – with the exception of one with Aggie Duckett who, he claims, "used to make his nose bleed ". This was due to the fact that she was always thumping him because he laughed at her boots, not knowing they were her father's. His school friends included Norman "Cleggy" Clegg ( Peter Sallis ), Cyril Blamire ( Michael Bates ), Walter "Foggy" Dewhurst ( Brian Wilde ), Seymour Utterthwaite ( Michael Aldridge ) and Herbert "Truly" Truelove ( Frank Thornton ) Compo married soon after
703-532: The Unknown . Also in 1971, in the television drama Elizabeth R , Wilde played the efficient, merciless ' rackmaster ' Richard Topcliffe , who was charged with the torture of prisoners in the Tower of London . He played a character in the 1970s British children's series The Ghosts of Motley Hall , by Richard Carpenter . In 1973, he starred as a different kind of gaoler in the second episode of Seven of One ,
740-491: The group's misadventures with military precision and a painstaking eye for detail. Wilde saw the long-running series gather momentum and continue its success; he stayed with the series for nine years, before leaving in 1985 to work on other projects. Foggy was written out of the series and was replaced by Michael Aldridge as Seymour Utterthwaite. When Aldridge left Last of the Summer Wine , Wilde returned as Foggy in 1990. He stayed until 1997, when he contracted shingles during
777-632: The horror film Night of the Demon (1957). His early television work included the series The Love of Mike (1960) and supporting Tony Hancock in episodes of his ATV series in 1963. Wilde also played Detective Superintendent Halcro in a series of two-part thrillers about undercover Scotland Yard officers, The Men from Room Thirteen ( BBC , 1959–61). He had minor roles in films such as Life for Ruth (1962), The Bargee (1964), The Jokers (1967) and Carry On Doctor (1967), and on television in Room at
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#1732786682765814-479: The phrase "he's on the compo", according to series writer Roy Clarke), was a character in the world's longest-running sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine . Compo was born into a poor, lower-class family in Holmfirth . He claims that his mother, a rag-and-bone woman , said that after he was born the sun began to shine and that a swallow began to sing. Mentions of his father suggest Compo was born illegitimate from
851-485: The preparations for series 19 and decided to leave. Frank Thornton was invited to join the cast to replace Wilde, making his debut in the 1997 Christmas special "There Goes The Groom!". Wilde never returned to the programme, despite several invitations to do so. He featured in "The Fear Merchants", an episode of ABC 's The Avengers , in January 1967. In this he played Jeremy Raven, a ceramics manufacturer caught up in
888-768: The rest of the night, reminiscing about his various exploits. When Nora and Ivy go to visit Compo before his funeral in the Chapel of Rest, Nora is horrified that he still has the smile on his face much to Ivy's amusement. Bill Owen said in an interview that Compo sees Nora as the Elizabeth Taylor of Holmfirth. Although his main aim in life was Nora, he also played his luck with the formidable owner of Sid's Café, Ivy ( Jane Freeman ). Although Ivy rejected his advances, her lumbering, coarse husband Sid ( John Comer ) does not try to stop him as he knows Compo does not mean anything by it. Whenever he tries to make advances to Ivy,
925-424: The result is that he and his companions are thrown out of the café or hit on the head with Ivy's metal tray. Said Compo in one episode, "I'm just goin' to get me 'ead bashed with a tray." Ivy sometimes appreciates Compo's advances and, when he is not in the room, smiles superiorly. In the early episodes, when it seemed like Compo and the other two members of the trio were not getting hospitality or being welcomed in
962-404: The series 15 episode "Stop That Bath". The trio were helping Howard transport a cast iron bath for Marina, by wheeling it on a cart through the streets . While trying to push the bath up a steep hill, Compo lost his balance and fell into the bath, causing the others to lose their grip on the cart which started speeding down the hill with Compo in the bath. The bath fell off the cart and crashed into
999-450: The show, this does not come close to the number of relatives mentioned lightly in conversation. By the time Compo’s son Tom appeared in the series it is said all of Compo’s family have died. Bill Owen died of pancreatic cancer in 1999. According to Truly and Clegg, Compo died from a heart attack after catching the sight of Nora Batty in chorus girl clothes. However, he died with a smile on his face (as claimed by Truly, Clegg and Nora). He
1036-400: The timid and eager-to-please Barrowclough. Porridge which ran until 1977, was a great success, with a film version being made in 1979. Wilde gained and established another role in 1976, when he took over from Michael Bates as the third member of a trio of old men in the BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine . The character, Walter "Foggy" Dewhurst, was a determined ex-army man who planned
1073-546: The title Compo . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Compo&oldid=1258182637 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Compo Simmonite William Simmonite , better known by his nickname of Compo (from unemployment compensation , as in
1110-560: The war, but the marriage did not last long and he does not remember her, as she "ran off with a chuffin' Pole !" in 1947. He had several flings in his youth, one of which went to the next level and resulted in the birth of his son, Tom. Tom tracked his father down and wrote to him (mentioning Compo's two grandchildren, who "went off in search of truth and wisdom with bits of metal through their nose"), but he arrives in Holmfirth just after his father's funeral. Out of loneliness, he once hired
1147-534: Was a staple of British television for forty years. Though born in Ashton-under-Lyne , Lancashire , Wilde was brought up in Devon and Hertfordshire and attended Hertford Grammar School . He trained as an actor at RADA . He had an early uncredited role as a small-time crook in the film Forbidden Cargo (1954), starring Jack Warner and Nigel Patrick , and a small but significant dramatic part in
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1184-444: Was always broke. He spent most of his life (presumably until he reached retirement age) in the unemployment queues , as the prospect of a job sent his skin white. He always relied on Clegg and whoever was completing the trio to supply him with cigarettes , ale and other such things. His lack of funds always surprises his friends , to the point when Compo is willing to get injured as it will end up with someone, usually Foggy, buying him
1221-533: Was buried alongside his signature wellington boots . Clegg is disappointed at not being able to say goodbye, and Truly ( Frank Thornton ) arranges for an abundance of white painter's overalls to be laid out in a formation saying 'See Ya, Compo' on the opposite hill. All the other main characters – Wesley, Edie ( Dame Thora Hird ), Glenda ( Sarah Thomas ), Barry ( Mike Grady ), Howard ( Robert Fyfe ), Pearl ( Juliette Kaplan ), Marina ( Jean Fergusson ), Nora and Ivy — go to view it, in their different transport modes. Compo
1258-591: Was buried, Truly remarks that he still owed him two quid and questioned Clegg if the money was in the letter he sent to him. Brian Wilde Brian George Wilde (13 June 1927 – 20 March 2008) was an English actor, best known for his roles in television comedy , most notably Mr Barrowclough in Porridge and Walter "Foggy" Dewhurst in Last of the Summer Wine . Although very tall at 6' 3" (1.91m), his gentle demeanor became his hallmark. His lugubrious world-weary face
1295-427: Was married, Compo persisted in his attempts to elope with Nora. However, he may only like Nora because he knows it will not progress further. When Nora's downtrodden husband Wally ( Joe Gladwin ) announced that he was leaving her to emigrate to New Zealand , Compo immediately tried to step into Wally's place with an apparently willing Nora. Wally had told Compo privately that he was actually only going to his mother's for
1332-422: Was very miserable about his departure. During Foggy's first stint Compo frequently argued with him in a similar manner. This was largely due to Foggy's military background and, like the previous third man, Foggy often made insults of disgust over Compo's attire. He frequently referred to him as "that man". As a part of his schemes, Foggy also made Compo volunteer for often dangerous and ridiculous situations and, as
1369-454: Was written by Miles Tredinnick and ran for one series of six episodes. Wilde suffered a fall in January 2008 from which he never recovered. He died in his sleep, aged 80, on the morning of 20 March 2008, at his home in Ware , Hertfordshire . His son, Andrew Wilde, had been film editor on Last of the Summer Wine from the mid-1990s until the final episode in 2010, working initially on many of
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