 During its first series , Last of the Summer Wine did not receive a high ratings share . The second series proved to be a success , however , and two episodes made it to the top ten programmes of the week . The programme has since consistently been a favourite in the ratings , peaking at 18 @.@ 8 million viewers for an episode shown on 10 February 1985 . The premiere of the 28th series in 2007 brought in an 18 @.@ 6 percent share of viewers in the 6 : 20 time slot with an average of 3 @.@ 2 million viewers . Last of the Summer Wine 's audience grew from 2 @.@ 7 million to 3 @.@ 4 million over the 30 minutes . The show was beaten for the night only by Channel 4 's Big Brother with 3 @.@ 6 million viewers at 9 : 00 p.m. , although the reality show had a smaller share of viewers for its time slot . The 29th series finale , which was broadcast on 31 August 2008 , was watched by 4 @.@ 2 million people , giving the network a 22 @.@ 5 % share for the night . The 31st series continued to bring in over four million viewers , with the series opener pulling in 4 @.@ 77 million viewers for an overall 21 @.@ 6 % share of the ratings for the night . 
