title: Graeme Souness

text: Souness has appeared as a television analyst in the UK and Ireland regularly since his managerial career ended. He is currently one of the main analysts on Sky Sports coverage of the Premier League, regularly appearing on the "Super Sunday" programme featuring the biggest head-to-head matches, and was one of the main pundits used on their UEFA Champions League coverage until they lost the rights in 2015. Souness now also works for TV3 in Ireland and beIN Sports in Qatar, mainly during international summer tournaments and Champions League game weeks. He also appears on Sky Sports coverage of the League Cup and Scotland internationals.


title: Graeme Souness

text: Souness previously featured on RTÉ's live coverage of the UEFA Champions League and on their highlights show "Premier Soccer Saturday", covering the Premier League. He was also regularly seen covering RTÉ's coverage of Republic of Ireland football internationals. Souness contributed to RTÉ Sport's coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, alongside Johnny Giles, Eamon Dunphy, Liam Brady, Ronnie Whelan, Denis Irwin, Ossie Ardiles and Dietmar Hamann for the duration of the group stage.


title: Graeme Souness

text: During analysis of the World Cup match between Ghana and Serbia on 13 June 2010, Souness made a controversial comment involving Nemanja Vidić and Fernando Torres live on air, commenting, "Vidic got raped... sorry, taken apart by Torres at Liverpool", which forced RTÉ to censure Souness and publicly apologise after a commercial break.


title: Graeme Souness

text: In 2021, Souness was accused of "lazy punditry" by fellow Sky Sports pundit and fellow ex-Liverpool player Jamie Carragher during coverage of the Anti-Glazers protests by Manchester United fans at Old Trafford on 2 May. This came after Souness suggested that the reason for the protests was anger arising from a relative lack of success on the pitch since 2013 and not any anger towards the owners. Carragher hit back at this citing the formation of FC United and the protests in 2010 as reasons against Souness' comments.


title: Graeme Souness

text: As a pundit, Souness is also known for his frequent criticism of Manchester United's Paul Pogba. Pogba himself is unaware what he has done to warrant such abuse. Instead, he affirms he has no idea of Souness' existence.


title: Graeme Souness

text: In June 2006, the chairman of Crystal Palace, Simon Jordan, claimed he wished to discuss with Souness a role in managing the club following the departure of Iain Dowie. However, no contract materialized.


title: Graeme Souness

text: Souness looked to be the front-runner for the Bolton Wanderers manager's job following the departure of his former Liverpool teammate Sammy Lee in October 2007, but later pulled out of the running when it became apparent the job was set to be given to Gary Megson. At around the same time, Souness was linked with taking over the Republic of Ireland national team.


title: Graeme Souness

text: In January 2008, Souness announced he would be willing to return to Newcastle United as manager, following the departure of Sam Allardyce and the arrival of the club's new ownership and board. However, United only interviewed Harry Redknapp and Kevin Keegan for the position, with Keegan soon after being appointed with the job; Souness's interest has never been publicly acknowledged by the club.


title: Graeme Souness

text: Following the sacking of Blackburn Rovers manager Paul Ince on 16 December 2008, Souness was linked with a return to the club as manager. However, Sam Allardyce was appointed as the new manager on 17 December, after Souness claimed to have had no contact at all from Blackburn about the position.


title: Graeme Souness

text: Following the sacking of Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate on 21 October 2009, Souness was one of the names linked with the vacant manager's position. Gordon Strachan became the new manager.


title: Graeme Souness

text: Having been linked with the Scotland national team in November 2009, Souness stated he has no desire to return to management at any level.


title: Graeme Souness

text: In January 2007, it was reported by the "Daily Mirror" that Souness was heading a £20 million consortium to take over Football League Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers. He attended a Wolves game as a VIP guest and made a formal offer for the club, asking to see the club's finances. The bid was rejected by the Wolves board, which felt it undervalued the club. Souness did not make a repeat offer for the club and it was later sold to another investor.


title: Graeme Souness

text: In 1985, Souness wrote an autobiography called "No Half Measures". In 1999, he wrote another book chronicling his post-playing career up to and including his spell at Southampton, entitled "Souness: The Management Years".


title: Graeme Souness

text: Souness' first wife was Danielle Wilson; they met in 1982 and married in 1984. He adopted her young daughter, and they had three more children together. They separated in 1989 and later divorced.


title: Graeme Souness

text: Souness has been married to Karen Souness, his second wife, since 1994. Together, the couple have a son and Souness has two stepchildren from Karen's previous relationship. His stepdaughter Lauren works at al-Jazeera as a sports presenter.


title: Graeme Souness

text: In 2010, Souness sold the family home in Colinton in Edinburgh to Fred Goodwin, and moved to a newly developed property in Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset.


title: Graeme Souness

text: During a discussion about climate change on Sky Sports "Super Sunday" in 2021, Souness announced that he had been following a vegan diet for the previous three years.


title: Graeme Souness

text: In 1982, Souness and teammate Sammy Lee made cameo appearances, as themselves, in an episode of the BBC's Liverpudlian drama series "Boys from the Blackstuff". Written by Alan Bleasdale, the series offered a critique of Thatcherism – and in particular the large-scale unemployment then evident in urban Britain – apparently at odds with Souness's own Conservative politics.


title: Graeme Souness

text: In 2007, in the lead-up to elections to the Scottish Parliament, Souness was one of 15 prominent current and former footballers named in a newspaper advertisement urging "every patriotic Scot to help maintain Scotland's place in the United Kingdom which has served Scotland well."


title: Graeme Souness

text: His Liverpool team-mate Michael Robinson said of Souness in 2016: "I found him a very personal, cuddly chap who was actually quite vulnerable about being a human being with emotions. To this day, he still tries very hard not to be this lovely cuddly person, when really he is."


title: Graeme Souness

text: Inducted into the Scotland national football team roll of honour in 1985, when he gained his 50th international cap. In 1998, Souness was included in the Football League 100 Legends list. A poll of 110,000 Liverpool supporters – "100 Players Who Shook The Kop", saw Souness placed the ninth most popular player in the club's history. Souness has been inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame (in 2007), the Scottish Football Hall of Fame (in 2004) and the Rangers F.C. Hall of Fame.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of "Comedy Playhouse" on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. From 1983 to 2010, Alan J. W. Bell produced and directed all episodes of the show. The BBC confirmed on 2 June 2010 that "Last of the Summer Wine" would no longer be produced and the 31st series would be its last. Subsequently, the final episode was broadcast on 29 August 2010. Since its original release, all 295 episodes, comprising thirty-one series—including the pilot and all films and specials—have been released on DVD. Repeats of the show are broadcast in the UK on BBC One (until 18 July 2010 when the 31st and final series started on 25 July of that year), Gold, Yesterday, and Drama. It is also seen in more than 25 countries, including various PBS stations in the United States and on VisionTV in Canada. "Last of the Summer Wine" is the longest-running comedy programme in Britain and the longest-running sitcom in the world.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: "Last of the Summer Wine" was set and filmed in and around Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England, and centred on a trio of old men and their youthful misadventures; the membership of the trio changed several times over the years. The original trio consisted of Bill Owen as the mischievous and impulsive Compo Simmonite, Peter Sallis as easy-going everyman Norman Clegg, and Michael Bates as uptight and arrogant Cyril Blamire. When Bates dropped out due to illness in 1976 after two series, the role of the third man of the trio was filled in various years up to the 30th series by the quirky war veteran Walter C "Foggy" Dewhurst (Brian Wilde), who had two lengthy stints in the series, the eccentric inventor Seymour Utterthwaite (Michael Aldridge), and former police officer Herbert "Truly of The Yard" Truelove (Frank Thornton). The men never seem to grow up, and they develop a unique perspective on their equally eccentric fellow townspeople through their stunts. Although in its early years the series generally revolved around the exploits of the main trio, with occasional interaction with a few recurring characters, over time the cast grew to include a variety of supporting characters and by later years the series was very much an ensemble piece. Each of these recurring characters contributed their own running jokes and subplots to the show, often becoming reluctantly involved in the schemes of the trio, or on occasion having their own, separate storylines.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: After the death of Owen in 1999, Compo was replaced at various times by his real-life son, Tom Owen, as Tom Simmonite, Keith Clifford as Billy Hardcastle, a man who thought of himself as a direct descendant of Robin Hood, and Brian Murphy as the cheeky-chappy Alvin Smedley. Due to the age of the main cast, a new trio was formed during the 30th series, featuring somewhat younger actors. This format was used for the final two instalments of the show. This group consisted of Russ Abbot as a former milkman who fancied himself as a secret agent, Luther "Hobbo" Hobdyke, Burt Kwouk as the electrical repairman, "Electrical" Entwistle, and Murphy as Alvin Smedley. Sallis and Thornton, both past members of the trio, continued in supporting roles alongside the new actors.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Although many felt that the show's quality had declined over the years, "Last of the Summer Wine" continued to receive large audiences for the BBC and was praised for its positive portrayal of older people and family-friendly humour. Many members of the Royal Family enjoyed the show. The programme was nominated for numerous awards and won the National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Programme in 1999. There were twenty-one Christmas specials, three television films and a documentary film about the series. "Last of the Summer Wine" inspired other adaptations, including a television prequel, several novelisations, and stage adaptations.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In 1972, Duncan Wood, the BBC's Head of Comedy, watched a comedy on television called "The Misfit". Impressed by writer Roy Clarke's ability to inject both comedy and drama into the sitcom, Wood offered Clarke the opportunity to write a sitcom. Clarke nearly turned the job down as he felt that the BBC's idea for a programme about three old men was a dull concept for a half-hour sitcom. Instead, Clarke proposed that the men should all be unmarried, widowed, or divorced and either unemployed or retired, leaving them free to roam around like adolescents in the prime of their lives, unfettered and uninhibited.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Clarke chose the original title, "The Last of the Summer Wine", to convey the idea that the characters are not in the autumn of their lives but the summer, even though it may be "the last of the summer". BBC producers hated this at first and insisted that it remain a temporary working title, while the cast worried that viewers would forget the name of the show. The working title was changed later to "The Library Mob", a reference to one of the trio's regular haunts early in the show. Clarke switched back to his original preference shortly before production began, a title that was shortened to "Last of the Summer Wine" after the pilot show.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: "The Last of the Summer Wine" premiered as an episode of BBC's "Comedy Playhouse" on 4 January 1973. The pilot, "Of Funerals and Fish", received enough positive response that a full series was commissioned to be broadcast before the end of the year. Although the initial series did not do well in the ratings, the BBC ordered a second series in 1975.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: The site for the exterior shots of "Last of the Summer Wine" was, in part, suggested by television producer Barry Took, who was familiar with the area. Took had, in the 1950s, toured as a stand-up comic, often appearing at working men's clubs. One such appearance was at Burnlee Working Men's Club, a club in the small West Yorkshire town of Holmfirth, and Took saw Holmfirth's potential as the backdrop of a television show. Twenty years later, he returned to Holmfirth, where he filmed an episode of the BBC documentary series "Having a Lovely Time", which turned out to be the highest rated episode of the show. When Took heard that James Gilbert and Roy Clarke were looking for a place with a centre surrounded by hills for their new television programme, he suggested the idea to Duncan Wood, who was at that time filming "Comedy Playhouse". Gilbert and Clarke then travelled to Holmfirth and decided to use it as the setting for the pilot episode.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Though the exterior shots were always filmed on location in Holmfirth and the surrounding countryside, the interior shots were, until the early 1990s, filmed in front of a live studio audience at BBC Television Centre in London. The amount of location work increased, however, as studio work became a drain on time and money. Under Alan J. W. Bell, "Last of the Summer Wine" became the first comedy series to do away with the live studio audience, moving all of the filming to Holmfirth. The episodes were filmed and then shown to preview audiences, whose laughter was recorded and then mixed into each episode's soundtrack to provide a laugh track and avoid the use of canned laughter.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: The show used actual businesses and homes in and around Holmfirth, and Nora Batty's house, which is actually a Summer Wine themed holiday cottage where members of the public can stay in a replica of Nora Batty's home. Although this has helped the Holmfirth economy and made it a tourist destination, tensions have occasionally surfaced between Holmfirth residents and the crew. One such incident, regarding compensation to local residents, prompted producer Alan J. W. Bell to consider not filming in Holmfirth any more. The situation escalated to the point that Bell filmed a scene in which Nora Batty put her house up for sale.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Every episode of "Last of the Summer Wine" was written by Roy Clarke. The "Comedy Playhouse" pilot and all episodes of the first series were produced and directed by James Gilbert. Bernard Thompson produced and directed the second series of episodes in 1975. In 1976, Sydney Lotterby took over as producer and director. He directed all but two episodes of the third series – Ray Butt directed "The Great Boarding House Bathroom Caper" and "Cheering up Gordon". Lotterby directed two further series before departing the show in 1979. In 1981, Alan J. W. Bell took over as producer and director. Bell, in an effort to get each scene exactly right, was known for his use of more film and more takes than his predecessors and for using wider angles that feature more of the local Holmfirth landscape.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In 1983, Lotterby returned to the show at the insistence of Brian Wilde, who preferred Lotterby's use of tight shots focused on the trio as they talked rather than Bell's wide-angle scenes. Lotterby produced and directed one additional series before departing again the same year. Bell then returned to the show beginning with the 1983 Christmas special and produced and directed all episodes of the show to the end of the 31st series.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In 2008, Bell announced that he had quit as producer of "Last of the Summer Wine". Citing differences with the BBC and his dislike of their indifference towards the series, Bell said, "I have now decided I will not do it again. I have had enough of the BBC's attitude." The announcement came following rumours initiated by Bell that the corporation would not commission another series of episodes following the 30th series and their indecision regarding a possible one-off special. However, on 26 June 2009, the BBC announced that it had recommissioned the show for a 31st series with Bell continuing as producer and director.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Composer and conductor Ronnie Hazlehurst, who also produced themes for such series as "Are You Being Served?", "Yes Minister", and "Only Fools and Horses", created the theme for the show. The BBC initially disliked Hazlehurst's theme, feeling it was not proper for a comedy programme to have such mellow music. He was asked to play the music faster for more comedic effect but eventually his original slower version was accepted. A jauntier, upbeat version was played by a brass band in the episode "Full Steam Behind".


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: The theme, an instrumental work, featured lyrics three times. The 1981 Christmas special, "Whoops", had two verses of lyrics written by Roy Clarke that were performed over the closing credits. The 1983 film, "Getting Sam Home", used those two verses, with an additional two and played them over the opening credits. Another altered version was sung during Compo's funeral in the 2000 episode "Just a Small Funeral". Bill Owen also wrote a different version of the lyrics but this version was never used during an episode of the show.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Composing the score for each episode until his death in 2007, Hazlehurst spent an average of ten hours per episode watching scenes and making notes for music synchronisation. Hazlehurst then recorded the music using an orchestra consisting of a guitar, harmonica, two violins, a viola, cello, accordion, horn, bass, flute, and percussion. The distinctive harmonica was played by Harry Pitch, who had featured in the 1970 one-hit-wonder "Groovin With Mr Bloe".


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Despite numerous cast and production changes over the years, "Last of the Summer Wine" continued to be popular with viewers and was renewed year after year despite reports to the contrary. Rumours circulated as early as the 1980s that the BBC wanted to end the show and replace it with a new programme aimed at a younger audience. Its popularity made this decision hard to justify, however, since even repeats sometimes received ratings of as many as five million viewers per episode.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In December 2008, Alan J. W. Bell stated in an interview with "The Daily Telegraph" that the BBC had not yet commissioned a new series and that bosses at the network told him one would not be produced. Bell criticised this decision, stating that "millions still enjoy the series and the actors love being involved" and that it would be a terrible blow to the shops and businesses in Holmfirth who have come to depend on tourist revenue. The BBC denied these claims, saying that a decision had not yet been reached whether to commission another series or not.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: It was confirmed on 26 June 2009 that a 31st series of 6 episodes had been commissioned for transmission in 2010. In June 2010 the BBC announced that it would not renew "Last of the Summer Wine" after its thirty-first series was broadcast during the summer of 2010. Tom Owen criticised the BBC for not permitting a special final episode. Roy Clarke, however, stated that he was fully aware this was the last series, and preferred the show to have a quiet ending. The final episode of the show, "How Not to Cry at Weddings", was subsequently broadcast on 29 August 2010. The final line was said by Peter Sallis, the longest-serving actor.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Initially, the only certain cast member for the show was Peter Sallis. Clarke had already collaborated on a few scripts with him and knew he wanted Sallis on the show. The character of Norman Clegg was created especially for Sallis, who liked the character and agreed to play him. He was soon joined by an actor he had previously worked with, Michael Bates as Cyril Blamire. James Gilbert wanted Bates as Blamire because of his reputation as a comedy actor, and Bates loved the role.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Compo Simmonite was the last role to be cast in the original trio. Gilbert had seen film actor Bill Owen playing northern characters in the Royal Court Theatre and proposed to cast him as Compo. Clarke, who initially saw Owen as an archetypal cockney who could not play as solid a northern character as Compo was meant to be, recognised Owen's potential only after going to London for a read-through with him.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: On-screen chemistry with existing players determined the later changes to the cast. Brian Wilde, Michael Aldridge and Frank Thornton each brought a sense of completion to the trio after the departure of the preceding third man. Tom Owen provided a direct link between his father and himself after the death of Bill Owen. Keith Clifford was added following three popular guest appearances on the show. Brian Murphy was chosen as Nora Batty's neighbour because of his work on "George and Mildred", where he played the hen-pecked husband to a strong-willed woman.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In 2008, the BBC announced that Russ Abbot would join the cast in series 30 as a relatively youthful actor. Abbot was cast to allow Sallis and Thornton to reduce their role on the show to indoor scenes only. Abbot portrayed Luther "Hobbo" Hobdyke, who formed a new trio with Entwistle and Alvin. Entwistle, played by Burt Kwouk, had been a supporting character brought in to replace Wesley Pegden after the death of actor Gordon Wharmby, but his role on the show steadily increased in the previous two series.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: The original cast of "Last of the Summer Wine" also included a handful of characters with whom the trio regularly interacted. Kathy Staff was chosen to play Compo's neighbour, Nora Batty. Gilbert was initially sceptical about casting Staff but changed his mind after she padded herself to look bigger and read from a scene between her character and Owen's. This group was rounded out by characters at two locations frequented by the trio: John Comer and Jane Freeman as Sid and Ivy, the quarrelling husband-and-wife owners of the local café; and Blake Butler and Rosemary Martin as Mr Wainwright and Mrs Partridge, the librarians having a not-so-secret affair. Butler and Martin, however, were dropped as major characters after the first series. According to Peter Sallis, Roy Clarke felt there was little more he could do with them.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Although the show initially focused on the trio and four to five supporting characters, the cast expanded over the years to include an ensemble of eccentric characters who rounded out the show. The biggest expansion came in 1985 when four characters from the stage adaptation of the show were brought over to the series proper: Howard (Robert Fyfe), Pearl (Juliette Kaplan), Marina (Jean Fergusson), and Ivy's nephew, "Crusher" Milburn (Jonathan Linsley). Further additions came the following year when the film "Uncle of the Bride" introduced Seymour's sister, Edie, played by veteran actress Thora Hird, and her family, who were brought over to the programme the following series. The only addition with no professional acting experience was the Holmfirth resident Gordon Wharmby, who performed so well during his audition as mechanic Wesley Pegden, that Alan J. W. Bell cast him in one episode. Pegden would make two more appearances before being retconned as Edie's husband and Seymour's brother-in-law after positive audience reception, becoming a regular character starting in "Uncle of the Bride". The increasingly large cast ensured a sense of continuity with the changing configuration of the trio, especially following the death of Bill Owen.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: When Alan J. W. Bell took over as producer, the plots of "Last of the Summer Wine" moved away from the original dialogue-packed scenes in the pub and the library; guest actors were brought in to interact with the trio in new situations. Although many of these guest appearances lasted for only one episode, some led to a permanent role on the show, as in the cases of Gordon Wharmby, Thora Hird, Jean Alexander, Stephen Lewis, Dora Bryan, Keith Clifford, Brian Murphy, Josephine Tewson, June Whitfield, Barbara Young, and Trevor Bannister. Other noted guests on the programme included John Cleese, Ron Moody, Sir Norman Wisdom, Eric Sykes, Liz Fraser, Stanley Lebor, and Philip Jackson.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: "Last of the Summer Wine" focused on a trio of older men and their youthful antics. The original trio consisted of Compo Simmonite, Norman Clegg, and Cyril Blamire. Blamire left in 1976, when Michael Bates fell ill shortly before filming of the third series, requiring Clarke to hastily rewrite the series with a new third man. The third member of the trio would be recast four times over the next three decades: Foggy Dewhurst in 1976, Seymour Utterthwaite in 1986, Foggy again in 1990, and Truly Truelove in 1997. After Compo died in 1999, his son, Tom Simmonite, filled the gap for the rest of that series, and Billy Hardcastle joined the cast as the third lead character in 2001. The trio became a quartet between 2003 and 2006 when Alvin Smedley moved in next door to Nora Batty, but returned to the usual threesome in 2006 when Billy Hardcastle left the show. The role of supporting character Entwistle steadily grew until the beginning of the 30th series, when he and Alvin were recruited by Hobbo Hobdyke, a former milkman with ties to MI5, to form a new trio of volunteers who respond to any emergency.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: The trio explored the world around them, experiencing a second childhood with no wives, jobs, or responsibilities. They passed the time by speculating about their fellow townspeople and testing inventions. Regular subplots in the first decade of the show included: Sid and Ivy bickering over the management of the café, Mr Wainwright and Mrs Partridge having a secret love affair that everyone knows about, Wally trying to get away from Nora's watchful eye, Foggy's exaggerated war stories, and Compo's schemes to win the affections of Nora Batty.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: The number of subplots on the show grew as more cast members were added. Regular subplots since the 1980s included: Howard and Marina trying to have an affair without Howard's wife finding out (a variation of the Wainwright-Partridge subplot of the 1970s), the older women meeting for tea and discussing their theories about men and life, the police officers trying not to work, Auntie Wainwright trying to sell unwanted merchandise to unsuspecting customers, Smiler trying to find a woman, Barry trying to better himself (at the insistence of Glenda), and Tom trying to stay one step ahead of the repo man.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: "Last of the Summer Wine" is the longest-running comedy programme in Britain, and the longest running situation comedy in the world. Each series has between six and twelve episodes; most were thirty minutes in length, with some specials running longer. There were 295 episodes and 31 series between 1973 and 2010, counting the pilot, all episodes of the series, specials, and two films.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In 1978, the BBC commissioned a "Last of the Summer Wine" Christmas special instead of a new series. Titled "Small Tune on a Penny Wassail", it was broadcast on 26 December 1978. Other Christmas programmes followed in 1979 and 1981. The 1981 special, "Whoops", gained 17 million viewers and was beaten only by "Coronation Street" for the number one spot. Christmas shows were produced infrequently thereafter and sometimes were the only new episodes in years without an order for a new series. This happened often during the 1980s when Roy Clarke's commitment to "Open All Hours" prevented the production of a full series every year. The specials often included well-known guest stars such as John Cleese and June Whitfield.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: The first New Year special, "The Man who Nearly Knew Pavarotti", was commissioned in 1994. The hour-long show was broadcast on 1 January 1995 and featured Norman Wisdom as a piano player who had lost the confidence to play. A second New Year programme was produced and broadcast in 2000 to celebrate the new millennium. It featured the second guest appearance by Keith Clifford and a guest appearance by Dora Bryan. Titled "Last Post and Pigeon", the show ran for sixty minutes and dealt with the trio's pilgrimage to visit World War II graves in France. Part of this special was shot on location in France. A third New Year show, titled "I Was a Hitman for Primrose Dairies", was broadcast on 31 December 2008 and introduced Hobbo and the new trio he formed with Entwistle and Alvin.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In 1983, Bill Owen suggested to a newly returned producer Alan J. W. Bell that Roy Clarke's novelisation of the show should be made into a feature-length special. Other British sitcoms such as "Steptoe and Son" and "Dad's Army" had previously produced films made for the cinema, but the BBC were initially sceptical as they had never before commissioned a film based on a comedy programme for original broadcast on television. They nevertheless commissioned a ninety-minute film named "Getting Sam Home", which was broadcast on 27 December 1983, and started a trend which would continue with other British sitcoms, including "Only Fools and Horses".


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Following the success of "Getting Sam Home", a second film was made during 1985, and broadcast on 1 January 1986. Titled "Uncle of the Bride", the film featured the introduction of Michael Aldridge as Seymour Utterthwaite, the new third man of the trio. The plot centred on the marriage of Seymour's niece, Glenda (Sarah Thomas), to Barry (Mike Grady). Also making her first appearance in the film was Thora Hird as Seymour's sister and Glenda's mother, Edie, as well as re-introducing Gordon Wharmby as Edie's husband Wesley, previously seen in three popular one-off appearances. The second film proved a success and all four new characters were carried over to the show beginning with the ninth series in 1986.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: A documentary film was commissioned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "Last of the Summer Wine". Produced and directed by Alan J. W. Bell, it featured interviews with the majority of cast and crew members, outtakes from the show, and a behind-the-scenes look at production. Segments with Duncan Wood and Barry Took explained the origins of the show and how it came to be filmed in Holmfirth. The documentary was broadcast on 30 March 1997.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: An updated version of the documentary was commissioned for the 30th anniversary of the series. Broadcast on 13 April 2003, this version featured an expanded interview with Brian Wilde and new interviews with Brian Murphy and Burt Kwouk.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In September 2002, Universal Playback (licensed by the BBC) began releasing boxed sets of episodes on DVD for region two. Each set contains two consecutive full series of episodes. The entire series is now available on home video, both in box sets with two series of episodes each, and in a complete collection which features every episode of "Last of the Summer Wine" plus the pilot, all films, and specials. The entire series is also available for region four from ABC. Like the region two releases, each box set contains two series.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Three "best of" collections as well as sets devoted to individual series have been released for region one. The first, simply titled "Last of the Summer Wine", was released in 2003 and includes early episodes from the 1970s and 1980s. The second collection, titled "Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1995", followed in 2004 and includes episodes from series seventeen and the 30th anniversary documentary. A 2008 release named "Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1976" focuses on the third series of the show and includes bonus interviews with Peter Sallis, Brian Wilde, and Frank Thornton. Subsequently, every episode from the third to the twenty-seventh series has been released on DVD in "Vintage" collections, many including special features and interviews.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: A spin-off prequel show, "First of the Summer Wine", premiered on BBC1 in 1988. The new programme was written by Roy Clarke and used different actors to follow the activities of the principal characters from "Last of the Summer Wine" in the months leading up to World War II. Unlike its mother show, "First of the Summer Wine" was not filmed in Holmfirth. Period music was used instead of Ronnie Hazlehurst's score to create a more World War II era atmosphere. New supporting characters were added to those from "Last of the Summer Wine". Peter Sallis and Jonathan Linsley were the only actors from the original series to appear in the spin-off: Sallis played the father of his own character from the original show and Linsley appeared during the second series as a different character.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: The spin-off show could not build on its early success and was cancelled after two series of thirteen episodes in 1989. Although the BBC has never rerun the show, it has been broadcast on Gold and internationally.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In 2014, it was announced that long-time supporting actors Ken Kitson and Louis Emerick had returned to Holmfirth to reprise their roles as Police Constables Cooper and Walsh in the pilot for a new proposed spin-off, "Cooper and Walsh". Alan J.W. Bell as well as crew from "Last of the Summer Wine" were involved in the creation of two short films while Kitson and Emerick appealed for funding through crowd-sourcing sites in the hopes of gaining enough support to produce a feature film featuring the duo or even a television series. Associate Producer Terry Bartlam believed there was enough of a scope with Cooper and Walsh that they could carry their own series and that this spin-off could be the answer to those who believed "Last of the Summer Wine" should have been given a proper ending.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: A live production of "Last of the Summer Wine", known informally as the "summer season", was produced in Bournemouth in 1984. While Bill Owen and Peter Sallis reprised their roles as Compo and Clegg, Brian Wilde chose not to take part because of personal differences with Owen. The show focused on the men's interaction with Clegg's new neighbour, Howard (Kenneth Waller), and his wife, Pearl, played by a local actress. The first act built up to the appearance of Marina (Jean Fergusson), who was in correspondence with Howard. At the end of the first act, Marina was revealed to be a blonde sexpot. Howard and Marina's story line was partly based on an early subplot of the television show. In the first series, the librarian, Mr. Wainwright, was having a love affair with his married assistant, Mrs. Partridge. Despite their efforts to keep the plot a secret, especially from Mrs. Partridge's husband, the trio of old men were well aware of the affair. The summer season reversed the roles: Howard became the married partner, and the challenge was to keep the affair secret from his wife.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: The summer season proved to be a success and frequently played to packed houses. In 1985, the show was once again produced, first as a two-week tour of Britain, and then as another summer season in Bournemouth. Fergusson returned for the second summer season, once again playing Marina. Robert Fyfe replaced Waller in the role of Howard, and Juliette Kaplan took the role of Pearl for this season. Although the new characters were not originally intended to be carried over to the television programme, Roy Clarke included them in four of the following six episodes of the 1985 series, beginning with the episode "Catching Digby's Donkey". All three characters remained until the end of the sitcom.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: An amended version of the show toured across Britain in 1987. Sallis was reluctant to appear in the new production, and his role in the show was rewritten and played by Derek Fowlds. Because Owen was the only member of the television show's trio to appear in the production, it was retitled "Compo Plays Cupid". Once again, the summer season was a success.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: A new stage adaptation of the show debuted in 2003. Based on Clarke's novel "The Moonbather", the play was first performed by the Scunthorpe Little Theatre Club from 7 to 11 October 2003. Using new actors to perform the roles of Compo, Clegg, and Foggy, the play featured the trio as they attempted to get to the bottom of the disturbance created by a near-naked man in the town. The play was later performed in Eastbourne by Eastbourne Theatres from 15 July 2009 to 8 August 2009 before touring the country through November 2009.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In 2010, it was announced that long-time supporting cast members Ken Kitson and Louis Emerick would spin their characters off into their own stage adaptation, titled "An Arresting Night". Kitson and Emerick, who appeared together on "Last of the Summer Wine" as Police Constables Cooper and Walsh from 2003 to 2010, reprised their roles in an improvised stage play. While some elements of the series will be used, the majority of the play was improvised, with Kitson and Emerick each deriving their cues of what to do from the audience. The play was successfully performed in Holmfirth, after which dates were announced in Emerick's hometown on the Wirral Peninsula.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Coronet Books released a novelisation of "Last of the Summer Wine" in 1974. Written by Roy Clarke as an unbroadcast original story, the novel featured Compo, Clegg and Blamire helping their friend, Sam, enjoy one last night with a glam girl. The book became the basis for the "Last of the Summer Wine" film, "Getting Sam Home", with Blamire being replaced by Foggy. In 1983, Granada Books published a slightly different version of the first novel with Foggy in it instead of Blamire. In the late 1980s, Roy Clarke wrote two novels featuring Compo, Clegg, and Seymour. The books were published by Penguin Books under the series heading "Summer Wine Chronicles", and were titled "Gala Week" and "The Moonbather". Clarke later adapted "The Moonbather" into a stage play.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In the early 1980s, a daily comic strip based on the show was drawn by Roger Mahoney and appeared in the "Daily Star". A compilation of these strips, published by Express Books, was released in 1983.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In 1993, the Summer Wine Appreciation Society asked their members for their favourite musical themes from "Last of the Summer Wine". Ronnie Hazlehurst used the resulting list for an independently released CD collection titled "Last of the Summer Wine: Original Music from the TV Series". BBC Radio released audio-only versions of episodes starting in 1995. Peter Sallis provided narration to compensate for the loss of the televised visual elements. All twelve audio episodes were released in CD format.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: In 1976, a selection of early scripts from the series was published as "Last of the Summer Wine Scripts". A companion guide to the show, "Last of the Summer Wine: The Finest Vintage", was released in 2000. The book was written by Morris Bright and Robert Ross and chronicled the show from its inception through the end of the 2000 series. Included were interviews with cast and crew, a character guide, and an episode guide. Both the companion guide and its updated 30th anniversary version are now out of print. A release by journalist Andrew Vine titled "Last of the Summer Wine: The Inside Story of the World's Longest-running Comedy Programme" covered the entire series, including the story of the final words of the series. It was released on 16 August 2010.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: On 5 November 2012, a new book titled "Last of the Summer Wine - From the Directors Chair" was released and written by producer and director Alan J.W. Bell.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: 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.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: Several members of the royal family were viewers of "Last of the Summer Wine". While presenting an OBE to Roy Clarke in 2002, Prince Charles said that his grandmother, the Queen Mother, had introduced him to the show. The Queen told Dame Thora Hird during a 2001 meeting that "Last of the Summer Wine" was her favourite television programme.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: A 2003 survey by "Radio Times" found that "Last of the Summer Wine" was the programme readers most wanted to see cancelled. With nearly 12,000 votes in the survey, the show received one-third of the total vote, and twice as many votes as the runner up in the poll, "Heartbeat". Alan J. W. Bell responded that "Radio Times" has always been anti-"Last of the Summer Wine", and Roy Clarke remarked that people who dislike the show "shouldn't switch it on" if they are "too idle to turn it off". A 2008 survey by "County Life" magazine, which named the show the worst thing about Yorkshire, was disputed by members of the Holme Valley Business Association, who said the show was good for business. The BBC wanted to cancel "Last of the Summer Wine" for years in favour of a new programme aimed at a younger audience, but the show remained too popular for cancellation; even repeats received ratings of as much as five million viewers per episode. The show came 14th in a high-profile 2004 BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom, and was praised for portraying older people in a non-stereotypical, positive, and active manner. It was also praised for its clever and at times philosophical writing, and for being a family-friendly show.


title: Last of the Summer Wine

text: "Last of the Summer Wine" was nominated numerous times for two British television industry awards. The show was proposed five times between 1973 and 1985 for the British Academy Film Awards, twice for the Best Situation Comedy Series award (in 1973 and 1979) and three times for the Best Comedy Series award (in 1982, 1983, and 1985). The show was also considered for the National Television Awards four times since 1999 (in 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2004), each time in the Most Popular Comedy Programme category. In 1999 the show won the National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Programme.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Waitress is a musical with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles and a book by Jessie Nelson. The musical is based on the 2007 film of the same name, written by Adrienne Shelly. It tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a baker and waitress in an abusive relationship with her husband, Earl. After Jenna unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she begins an affair with her doctor, Dr. James (Jim) Pomatter. Looking for ways out of her troubles, she sees a pie baking contest and its grand prize as her chance.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: After a tryout at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in August 2015, "Waitress" premiered at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway in April 2016 with direction by Diane Paulus and starring Jessie Mueller as Jenna. A U.S. national tour ran from 2017 to 2019. From 2019 to 2020, the musical played at the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End. In September 2021, it returned to Broadway for a limited engagement at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre starring Sara Bareilles as Jenna, mainly to produce a live stage recording of the show for a future public release.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: The musical is based on the 2007 indie film "Waitress". The film was produced on a budget of just $1.5 million, earning over $23 million in global box office receipts. The film starred Keri Russell and was written and directed by Adrienne Shelly. The film follows Jenna, a waitress and pie chef living in the American South, who unexpectedly becomes pregnant and feels trapped in an unhappy marriage. Looking for a way out, she sees a pie contest and its grand prize as her chance.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Following the 2013 Tony Awards, producers Barry and Fran Weissler announced that a musical version of the film was in the works, with Paula Vogel writing the book, Sara Bareilles writing the music and lyrics, and direction by Diane Paulus. The Weisslers purchased the stage rights to the film shortly after its release in 2007. Paula Vogel withdrew from the project in January 2014. On December 11, 2014, the musical was officially confirmed, and it was announced that the show would receive its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as part of their 2015–2016 season, with Jessie Nelson now writing the book. A workshop was held the same month in New York City, with Jessie Mueller, Keala Settle, Barrett Wilbert Weed, Christopher Fitzgerald, Bryce Pinkham, and Andy Karl, among others, taking part. Nelson, with the blessing of the late Adrienne Shelly's husband, used some of Shelly's unfinished scripts to help bring "her voice" to the project.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: "Waitress" has a rare all-women production team, with Diane Paulus as director, Sara Bareilles as composer and lyricist, Jessie Nelson as book adaptor and Lorin Latarro as choreographer. The Clinton Foundation honored the show's all female team by launching the #CeilingBreaker campaign and distributing free tickets.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: "Waitress" began previews at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on August 2, 2015, before the official opening on August 19, 2015, for a limited run to September 27, 2015. Tickets for the production sold out. The show was directed by Diane Paulus, with choreography by Chase Brock, set design by Scott Pask, costume design by Suttirat Anne Larlarb, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, musical direction by Nadia DiGiallonardo, and sound by Jonathan Deans. The cast featured Jessie Mueller as Jenna, Drew Gehling as Jim, Joe Tippett as Earl, Jeanna de Waal as Dawn, Keala Settle as Becky, Dakin Matthews as Joe, Jeremy Morse as Ogie, and Eric Anderson as Cal.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Broadway previews began on March 25, 2016, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, with the official opening on April 24, just in time for the April 28 Tony Awards cut-off date. Lorin Latarro replaced Brock as choreographer and Christopher Akerlind replaced Posner as lighting designer. For the Broadway production, elements of the book were rewritten, new choreography developed, and a new song written by Bareilles. Manhattan baker Stacy Donnelly and Small Business Owner Dawn Mayo of Everythingdawn were hired to ensure that the baking scenes were realistic. Donnelly taught the cast how to work and roll pie dough, as the role of Jenna required Mueller to crack eggs, sift flour, and roll out dough on stage. Mayo created all of the prop pies used in the show. Al Roker played the role of Joe twice since 2018.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: To help immerse audiences, real pies are warming as they enter the theater, creating the aroma of a pie shop; slices of pie are for sale. Cast changes included Nick Cordero taking over the role of Earl, Kimiko Glenn as Dawn, and Christopher Fitzgerald, who took part in the New York workshop, as Ogie. During previews, the production set a new box-office record for a single performance at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, taking in $145,532. The production had required an initial investment of $12 million. During a technical halt at a preview performance, composer and lyricist Sara Bareilles performed two songs, including "Down at the Diner", previously cut from the production.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: "Waitress" made history on Broadway with the four top creative spots in a show being filled by women (Bareilles, Nelson, Latarro, and Paulus). In addition, the costume designer and musical director were women. Bareilles said she was proud to be part of an all-female team: "It's really fun to be an example of the way it can look. We're a bunch of women who are deeply committed to finding a way to build a unified vision." Only the 1978 Broadway musical "Runaways" had a similar history, with book, music, lyrics, choreography and direction all by Elizabeth Swados.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: The production closed on January 5, 2020, after 33 previews and 1,544 regular performances. On May 5, 2021, Barry Weissler announced that a remount of the original production, once again starring Bareilles, would open following the reopening of Broadway theatres.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: The show returned in a limited engagement on September 2, 2021 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, making it the first musical on Broadway to begin performances following the COVID-19 shutdown. The primary reason for its return was to record the production for a future public release, with STEAM Motion + Sound producing the film. Several returning cast members star in the production, including Bareilles as Jenna, Gehling as Dr. Pomatter, Tippett as Earl, Dawson as Becky, Houlahan as Dawn, Matthews as Joe, Fitzgerald as Ogie, and Anderson as Cal. The run concluded on December 22, 2021, two weeks earlier than planned due to a spike of COVID-19.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: The first U.S. national tour, with Desi Oakley as Jenna, Lenne Klingaman as Dawn, Charity Angel Dawson as Becky, and Bryan Fenkart as Dr. Pomatter, began at Playhouse Square in Cleveland on October 20, 2017, and closed on August 18, 2019. The second non-Equity national tour, starring Bailey McCall as Jenna, Kennedy Salters as Becky, Gabriella Marzetta as Dawn, and David Socolar as Dr. Pomatter, opened on November 12, 2019, and was scheduled to continue through June 28, 2020. Because of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, many performances have been cancelled or rescheduled through July, 2021.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: The production opened in London's West End on March 7, 2019, following previews which began on February 8, at the Adelphi Theatre and featured Katharine McPhee, who had previously played the role on Broadway, as Jenna and Jack McBrayer as Ogie. Lucie Jones took over the role of Jenna on June 17, 2019.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Desi Oakley made a return to the show in London as Jenna after playing the role on the U.S. tour for a two-week period beginning January 13. This was when Jones as well as her understudies, Sarah O’Connor and Olivia Moore, were ill and therefore unable to perform. Bareilles and Gavin Creel reunited in London on January 28, 2020. Though set to have an eight-week engagement, they left London after their performance on 14 March due to travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: The production was scheduled to end on July 4, 2020, but it closed on March 14, when West End theatres shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the producers later announced the show would not re-open. Jones was due to return following Bareilles's run.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Following the West End run, the production was scheduled to tour the UK and Ireland beginning in November 2020, however due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the tour will now begin on 4 September 2021 at the New Wimbledon Theatre with dates scheduled until 20 August 2022 at the Theatre Royal, Norwich. Lucie Jones, Sandra Marvin and Evelyn Hoskins will reprise the roles of Jenna, Becky and Dawn from the West End production. Also Matt Willis will star as Dr Pomatter. Cal will be played by Christopher D Hunt. During 2022 the Role of Jenna will be played by Chelsea Halfpenny.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: The first international production, produced by Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group, debuted in November 2018 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in Manila, Philippines, featuring Joanna Ampil as Jenna. It was the show's first non-replica production.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: A Spanish language production (locally translated as ) debuted in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the Metropolitan Sura Theatre on April 17, 2019, and featured Josefina Scaglione, Tony Awards nominee for the 2009 "West Side Story" Broadway revival, as Jenna (locally translated to Gina). The Spanish translation was done by Lily Ann Martin and Pablo del Campo. The production closed on August 4, 2019.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: The Gordon Frost Organisation is planning a production to open in 2020 at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney. Casting and dates are to be announced.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Another production is planned to play in the Netherlands featuring Willemijn Verkaik as Jenna and Jonathan Demoor as Dr. Pomatter. It was planned to open in 2020, however due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed to a not-yet-decided date. Refunds have been issued to ticket holders. The production is then planned to tour across the country.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Sponsored and produced by Toho, Fuji Television and Kyodo Tokyo, a Japanese production of Waitress the Musical premiered in Tokyo, Japan on 9 March 2021 at the Nissay Theatre. It is the first production to open since the global lockdown of COVID-19 pandemic. The show stars Mitsuki Takahata as Jenna and Mamoru Miyano as Dr. Pomatter and plans on touring in 3 other Japanese cities until May 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, part of the show's creative team travelled to Japan and quarantined before the start of the rehearsal process, while others worked remotely.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: A Danish-language production was set to open at the Det Ny Teater in Copenhagen in March 2021, starring Maria Lucia Rosenberg as Jenna and Lars Mølsted as Dr. Pomatter. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the show has been delayed to April 2021 and is set to close in May 2021. The show was translated to Danish by renowned translator Kenneth ThordalIt. The Danish production will be the third non-replica production.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: On July 3, 2020, Teatr Muzyczny Roma in Warsaw, Poland, announced the Polish production in 2020/2021 season. It will be the fourth non-replica production worldwide, and Polish is the third language into which the show will be translated. Translated by Michał Wojnarowski, the production was scheduled to open in April 2021 but was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic. The opening night was on May 30, 2021.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Jenna is a waitress and expert pie baker at Joe's Diner in the American South who imagines tough situations as pie ingredients ("What's Inside"). She begins another day at the diner with her boss Cal and waitresses Becky and Dawn ("Opening Up"). After she almost throws up, Becky and Dawn convince her to take a pregnancy test which, to Jenna's dismay, comes back positive due to a drunken night with her abusive husband, Earl ("The Negative"). Earl comes to the diner and suggests he may make Jenna quit and give up her passion for baking. He takes the tips she's earned from working so far that day. She decides not to tell him about the pregnancy and recalls her late mother, who also found solace from an unhappy marriage in baking ("What Baking Can Do").


title: Waitress (musical)

text: At her OB/GYN's office, Jenna is taunted by other pregnant women ("Club Knocked Up") and meets Dr. Jim Pomatter, a new doctor from Connecticut. Jenna explains she does not want her baby but is going to keep it, and leaves Dr. Pomatter with a Mermaid Marshmallow pie, which, despite the fact that he is off sugar, he eats and loves ("Pomatter Pie").


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Word of Jenna's pregnancy reaches Joe, the diner's curmudgeonly owner, who suggests she enter a local pie-baking contest with a large reward which would allow her to leave her husband. Dawn has turned to online dating but is terrified of the possibilities ("When He Sees Me").


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Jenna runs into Dr. Pomatter at the bus stop. He compliments her pie, saying it could "win contests and ribbons and things". ("It Only Takes a Taste"). Jenna arrives home to learn Earl has been fired. He berates her, and his anger almost turns physical until she confesses she is pregnant. Earl makes her promise not to love the baby more than she loves him ("You Will Still Be Mine"). Jenna tells Dawn and Becky her plan to enter the pie contest and use the winnings to leave Earl for a new life with the baby. The three waitresses see their dreams of a better life within reach ("A Soft Place to Land"). Jenna begins to give Earl only half her earnings, hiding the other half around the house in order to save up for entering the pie contest.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Dawn's date Ogie visits the diner and insists he get to know Dawn better ("Never Ever Getting Rid of Me"). Dawn and Ogie realize they both enjoy American Revolution reenactments and how much they have in common. Jenna makes an appointment with Dr. Pomatter, where she impulsively kisses him. Though both are married, they decide to escape their frustrating lives, and have sex in his office ("Bad Idea").


title: Waitress (musical)

text: After her tryst, Jenna discovers Becky and Cal making out at the diner. The married Becky is unashamed of giving in to passion ("I Didn't Plan It"). Jenna and Dr. Pomatter continue their affair, as do Becky and Cal, and Dawn and Ogie ("Bad Idea (Reprise)"). Jenna wonders if their affair is a mistake, but Dr. Pomatter reassures her. She begins writing a mental note to her baby ("You Matter to Me").


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Several months pass and Dawn and Ogie marry ("I Love You Like a Table"). At the reception, Jenna asks if Cal, despite his affair, is truly happy; he responds that he is "happy enough." Joe tells Jenna his sincere hopes for her ("Take It from an Old Man"). Earl drags Jenna home and uncovers the money she has been hiding. She meekly tells him she has been saving for the baby, but Earl leaves with the money ("Dear Baby"). Jenna breaks down, lamenting her long-lost control over her life ("She Used to Be Mine").


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Jenna goes into labor ("Contraction Ballet"). She sees Joe at the hospital on his way to surgery; knowing he is dying, he gives her an envelope to open later. Earl, Becky and Dawn, and even Dr. Pomatter's wife, who is a resident at the hospital, crowd the delivery room, and Jenna cries out in distress, giving birth in darkness. She names her daughter Lulu. Earl reminds her of her promise not to love Lulu more than him, and Jenna finally tells him she wants a divorce. He reacts poorly, and she vows to flatten him if she ever sees him again. Dr. Pomatter visits Jenna alone in her room, but Jenna refuses his kiss. Saying she doesn't want to remain "happy enough", she ends the affair. As thanks for his positive impact on her life, she gives him a moon pie. Jenna remarks on her change in outlook with Lulu in her life ("Everything Changes").


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Jenna opens Joe's note to discover he has left her the diner, asking her to name a pie after him. A few years later, the diner has been rechristened "Lulu's Pies" and Jenna, the owner and head chef, is content that her life has finally turned around ("Opening Up (Finale)").


title: Waitress (musical)

text: "Waitress" features an original score, with music and lyrics by American singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles. Nadia DiGiallonardo orchestrated the show and conducted the original Broadway orchestra. The musical uses a six-member orchestra consisting of keyboard, piano, cello, guitar, bass, and drums. In addition to the show's musical numbers, Bareilles also recorded the "turn off your cellphone" message, rewriting part of her original song "Cassiopeia".


title: Waitress (musical)

text: ‡ When June Squibb entered the cast of Waitress on Broadway in 2018, she was announced to be playing "Josie" (the gender-modified character name of "Joe"). In return, the song title and all frequent uses of the word "Man" was changed to "Ma'am" for her performance run.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: Bareilles recorded her fifth studio album, "", featuring songs from the musical. It was released through Epic Records on November 6, 2015. The album debuted at number ten on the U.S. "Billboard" 200 chart with 30,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, giving Barellies her fifth top-ten album. The lead single from the album, "She Used to Be Mine", was released digitally on September 25, 2015. Speaking about the release of the album, Bareilles stated that her decision to record an album of the songs came because it "proved impossible for me to imagine handing over the songs to the show before selfishly finding a way to sing them myself."


title: Waitress (musical)

text: The original Broadway cast recording was released as a digital download on June 3, and the physical release followed on July 1, 2016. The album was produced by Bareilles with Neal Avron and recorded by DMI Soundtracks.


title: Waitress (musical)

text: The show garnered generally mixed-to-positive reviews in both runs. Frank Rizzo, reviewing the Boston production for "Variety", wrote: "...making Earl so relentlessly horrible makes Jenna's inability to leave him not just indecisive but something more worrisome... Meanwhile, there's little evidence for the good doctor being Jenna's lost soulmate, despite his loving bedside manner... Mueller's performance transcends the show's imperfections. She's funny, frisky and likable. She sings Bareilles' songs beautifully... director Diane Paulus fills the production with clever touches – a scalloped pie-crust proscenium, a fluid and easygoing flow and a natural truthfulness in the performances."


title: Waitress (musical)

text: For the Broadway production, many critics found Bareilles' score and Mueller's performance to be the highlights of the show. Charles Isherwood of "The New York Times" gave a mixed review of the show, but called Mueller's performance "a high point of the Broadway season". "Time Out New York" gave the production four stars and said, ""Waitress" has an excellent ratio of sweet to tart; supporting characters who provide crustiness (Dakin Matthews's grumbly store owner) and flakiness (Christopher Fitzgerald's loony admirer of another waitress); and cooked-to-perfection staging by Diane Paulus. The whole dish is—please forgive me—love at first bite." David Rooney of "The Hollywood Reporter" said, "...the material is anchored at every step by Bareilles' melodious pop score and Mueller's supremely natural performance as Jenna. While the stock characters that surround her may be familiar, they're a winsome bunch played by sterling performers".


title: PhonePe

text: PhonePe is an Indian digital payments and financial technology company headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. PhonePe was founded in December 2015, by Sameer Nigam, Rahul Chari and Burzin Engineer. The PhonePe app, based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), went live in August 2016. It is owned by Flipkart, a subsidiary of Walmart.


title: PhonePe

text: The PhonePe app is available in 11 Indian languages. Using PhonePe, users can send and receive money, recharge mobile, DTH, data cards, make utility payments, pay at shops, invest in tax saving funds, liquid funds, buy insurance, mutual funds, gold and silver. PhonePe also allows users to book their Ola rides, pay for Redbus tickets, book flights and hotels on Goibibo through its Switch platform.


title: PhonePe

text: PhonePe is accepted as a payment option by over 2.5 crore offline and online merchant outlets across 15,700 towns and villages. The app served more than 10 crore users as of June 2018, and processed 500 crore transactions by December 2019. It currently has over 35 crore registered users with over 15 crore monthly active users.


title: PhonePe

text: PhonePe is licensed by the Reserve Bank of India for issuance and operation of a Semi Closed Prepaid Payment system with Authorisation Number: 75/2014 dated 22 August 2014.


title: PhonePe

text: PhonePe was incorporated in December 2015. In April 2016, the company was acquired by Flipkart and as part of the acquisition, the FxMart license was transferred to PhonePe and rebranded as the PhonePe wallet. PhonePe's founder Sameer Nigam was appointed as the CEO of the company.


title: PhonePe

text: In August 2016, the company partnered with Yes Bank to launch a UPI-based mobile payment app, based on the government-backed UPI platform.


title: PhonePe

text: Within three months of launch, the app was downloaded by over one crore users. In 2018, PhonePe became the fastest Indian payment app to get a five crore badge on the Google Play Store. The PhonePe app overtook BHIM to become the market leader in UPI transactions in August 2017.


title: PhonePe

text: PhonePe helps merchants to accept payments through all UPI-based apps, debit and credit cards, as well as wallet (Including third party wallets) on the app.


title: PhonePe

text: In October, PhonePe launched a low-cost POS device built in India. The Bluetooth enabled POS device looks like a calculator and works with AA batteries. The hardware uses Bluetooth connectivity and enables payments through all the mobile devices that can access the PhonePe app.


title: PhonePe

text: PhonePe partnered with Freecharge in January 2018. This partnership enabled PhonePe users to link their existing Freecharge wallets to the PhonePe app. PhonePe has also entered similar partnerships with Jio Money and Airtel Money.


title: PhonePe

text: PhonePe has partnered with RedBus, Ola, eat.fit, Goibibo, Swiggy along with over 300 consumer brands for integrating their existing PWAs (progressive web apps) or mobile sites to its Switch platform. These partnerships enable businesses of all sizes to build and deploy apps on PhonePe Switch with a unified login and payments experience for users.


title: PhonePe

text: PhonePe launched tax-saving funds to help customers minimise their tax burden by investing in equity-linked saving schemes. In the same year, PhonePe also became the first payment app to allow customers to make bids for initial public offerings through the UPI platform.


title: PhonePe

text: In January, PhonePe became the first digital payment platform in India to launch international travel insurance. PhonePe also launched Liquid Fund in association with Aditya Birla Mutual Fund to provide the combined benefits of a fixed deposit and a mutual fund.


title: PhonePe

text: In February, PhonePe launched the chat feature on its app to enable its users to have conversations with each other within the app while requesting money or confirming the receipt of payment.


title: PhonePe

text: In May, PhonePe partnered with general insurers Bajaj Allianz and ICICI Lombard to launch two separate coronavirus-specific insurance products for covering hospitalisation costs during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also launched Super Funds in the same month to aid long-term wealth creation by helping customers invest in equity, debt, and gold funds of mutual fund companies.


title: PhonePe

text: In June, the company launched domestic multi-trip insurance to cover all risks associated with all modes of travel within India at an affordable annual premium.


title: PhonePe

text: In July, the company formed a partnership with ICICI Lombard to launch Hospital Daily Cash insurance that covers expenses incurred during hospitalisation due to injury or illnesses.


title: PhonePe

text: In September, PhonePe became one of the largest insurance tech distributors in the country with over 5 lakh insurance policies sold on its platform. The company also expanded its Mutual Funds lineup in the same month by launching 7 new categories.


title: PhonePe

text: In October, the company ventured into motor insurance with the launch of car and bike insurance policies. PhonePe emerged as the fastest-growing insurtech company in India.


title: PhonePe

text: In December, Flipkart partially hived off PhonePe into a separate entity in order to access dedicated capital. As a part of this hive-off, PhonePe secured US$700 million in primary capital at a post-money valuation of US$5.5 billion from existing investors of Flipkart led by Walmart.


title: PhonePe

text: In September, PhonePe partnered with Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters FC as their official payments partner for the 2021–22 Indian Super League season.


title: PhonePe

text: In March, PhonePe became the first digital payments platform to cross 100 crore monthly transactions on UPI, clocking almost 130 crore transactions across all of its payment offerings, including third-party debit and credit cards and its own digital wallet.


title: PhonePe

text: PhonePe also emerged as the leader in terms of transactions processed on Bharat Bill Payment System. It reportedly registered over 10 lakh UPI-enabled AutoPay mandates since the launch of the AutoPay functionality feature. It had also processed over 200 crore monthly transactions on its platform by October.


title: PhonePe

text: In May 2022, PhonePe announced the acquisition of India-based Wealth Management fund WealthDesk for $50 million and Smart Beta Wealth Management Platform, OpenQ for $25 million. The deals were worth $75 million and done with the aim of widening PhonePe's offerings in the payments market.


title: PhonePe

text: On 14 January 2017, ICICI bank blocked PhonePe transactions, citing the reasons that it did not meet the NPCI guidelines. Initially, on 19 January 2017, NPCI instructed ICICI to allow UPI transactions via PhonePe. During this period, Airtel too blocked PhonePe transactions on its platforms. A day later, on 20 January 2017, NPCI renounced the previous instructions citing the reason that PhonePe indeed violated the UPI norms.


title: PhonePe

text: After this, PhonePe closed its operations on Flipkart's website, to align itself with the terms stated in the updated verdict from NPCI. By February, 2017, PhonePe resolved the issues with ICICI and Airtel.


title: PhonePe

text: During COVID-19 pandemic in India, PhonePe decided to contribute for every single user who pays to the PM CARES fund via their app with a aim to donate crore.


title: PhonePe

text: PhonePe allots employee stock options (ESOPs) to its full time employees. In November 2021, PhonePe was reported to have conducted a buyback of ESOPs worth ₹135 crore, covering 75% of its current workforce who have completed at least a year of service.


title: Information system

text: An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, store, and distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, information systems are composed by four components: task, people, structure (or roles), and technology. Information systems can be defined as an integration of components for collection, storage and processing of data of which the data is used to provide information, contribute to knowledge as well as digital products that facilitate decision making.


title: Information system

text: A computer information system is a system that is composed of people and computers that processes or interprets information. The term is also sometimes used to simply refer to a computer system with software installed.


title: Information system

text: "Information systems" is also an academic field study about systems with a specific reference to information and the complementary networks of computer hardware and software that people and organizations use to collect, filter, process, create and also distribute data. An emphasis is placed on an information system having a definitive boundary, users, processors, storage, inputs, outputs and the aforementioned communication networks.


title: Information system

text: In many organizations, the department or unit responsible for information systems and data processing is known as "information services".


title: Information system

text: Any specific information system aims to support operations, management and decision-making. An information system is the information and communication technology (ICT) that an organization uses, and also the way in which people interact with this technology in support of business processes.


title: Information system

text: Some authors make a clear distinction between information systems, computer systems, and business processes. Information systems typically include an ICT component but are not purely concerned with ICT, focusing instead on the end-use of information technology. Information systems are also different from business processes. Information systems help to control the performance of business processes.


title: Information system

text: Alter argues for advantages of viewing an information system as a special type of work system. A work system is a system in which humans or machines perform processes and activities using resources to produce specific products or services for customers. An information system is a work system whose activities are devoted to capturing, transmitting, storing, retrieving, manipulating and displaying information.


title: Information system

text: As such, information systems inter-relate with data systems on the one hand and activity systems on the other. An information system is a form of communication system in which data represent and are processed as a form of social memory. An information system can also be considered a semi-formal language which supports human decision making and action.


title: Information system

text: Silver et al. (1995) provided two views on IS that includes software, hardware, data, people, and procedures.


title: Information system

text: The Association for Computing Machinery defines "Information systems specialists [as] focus[ing] on integrating information technology solutions and business processes to meet the information needs of businesses and other enterprises."


title: Information system

text: There are various types of information systems, for example: transaction processing systems, decision support systems, knowledge management systems, learning management systems, database management systems, and office information systems. Critical to most information systems are information technologies, which are typically designed to enable humans to perform tasks for which the human brain is not well suited, such as: handling large amounts of information, performing complex calculations, and controlling many simultaneous processes.


title: Information system

text: Information technologies are a very important and malleable resource available to executives. Many companies have created a position of chief information officer (CIO) that sits on the executive board with the chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO), chief operating officer (COO), and chief technical officer (CTO). The CTO may also serve as CIO, and vice versa. The chief information security officer (CISO) focuses on information security management.


title: Information system

text: Data is the bridge between hardware and people. This means that the data we collect is only data until we involve people. At that point, data is now information.


title: Information system

text: The "classic" view of Information systems found in textbooks in the 1980s was a pyramid of systems that reflected the hierarchy of the organization, usually transaction processing systems at the bottom of the pyramid, followed by management information systems, decision support systems, and ending with executive information systems at the top. Although the pyramid model remains useful since it was first formulated, a number of new technologies have been developed and new categories of information systems have emerged, some of which no longer fit easily into the original pyramid model.


title: Information system

text: A computer(-based) information system is essentially an IS using computer technology to carry out some or all of its planned tasks. The basic components of computer-based information systems are:


title: Information system

text: The first four components (hardware, software, database, and network) make up what is known as the information technology platform.


title: Information system

text: Information technology workers could then use these components to create information systems that watch over safety measures, risk and the management of data. These actions are known as information technology services.


title: Information system

text: Certain information systems support parts of organizations, others support entire organizations, and still others, support groups of organizations. Each department or functional area within an organization has its own collection of application programs or information systems. These functional area information systems (FAIS) are supporting pillars for more general IS namely, business intelligence systems and dashboards. As the name suggests, each FAIS supports a particular function within the organization, e.g.: accounting IS, finance IS, production-operation management (POM) IS, marketing IS, and human resources IS. In finance and accounting, managers use IT systems to forecast revenues and business activity, to determine the best sources and uses of funds, and to perform audits to ensure that the organization is fundamentally sound and that all financial reports and documents are accurate.


title: Information system

text: Other types of organizational information systems are FAIS, transaction processing systems, enterprise resource planning, office automation system, management information system, decision support system, expert system, executive dashboard, supply chain management system, and electronic commerce system. Dashboards are a special form of IS that support all managers of the organization. They provide rapid access to timely information and direct access to structured information in the form of reports. Expert systems attempt to duplicate the work of human experts by applying reasoning capabilities, knowledge, and expertise within a specific domain.


title: Information system

text: Information technology departments in larger organizations tend to strongly influence the development, use, and application of information technology in the business.


title: Information system

text: A series of methodologies and processes can be used to develop and use an information system. Many developers use a systems engineering approach such as the system development life cycle (SDLC), to systematically develop an information system in stages. The stages of the system development lifecycle are planning, system analysis, and requirements, system design, development, integration and testing, implementation and operations, and maintenance.


title: Information system

text: Recent research aims at enabling and measuring the ongoing, collective development of such systems within an organization by the entirety of human actors themselves.


title: Information system

text: An information system can be developed in house (within the organization) or outsourced. This can be accomplished by outsourcing certain components or the entire system. A specific case is the geographical distribution of the development team (offshoring, global information system).


title: Information system

text: A computer-based information system, following a definition of Langefors, is a technologically implemented medium for recording, storing, and disseminating linguistic expressions, as well as for drawing conclusions from such expressions.


title: Information system

text: Geographic information systems, land information systems, and disaster information systems are examples of emerging information systems, but they can be broadly considered as spatial information systems.


title: Information system

text: The field of study called "information systems" encompasses a variety of topics including systems analysis and design, computer networking, information security, database management, and decision support systems. "Information management" deals with the practical and theoretical problems of collecting and analyzing information in a business function area including business productivity tools, applications programming and implementation, electronic commerce, digital media production, data mining, and decision support. "Communications and networking" deals with telecommunication technologies.


title: Information system

text: Information systems bridges business and computer science using the theoretical foundations of information and computation to study various business models and related algorithmic processes on building the IT systems within a computer science discipline. "Computer information systems" (CIS) is a field studying computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles, their software and hardware designs, their applications, and their impact on society, whereas IS emphasizes functionality over design.


title: Information system

text: Several IS scholars have debated the nature and foundations of information systems which have its roots in other reference disciplines such as computer science, engineering, mathematics, management science, cybernetics, and others. Information systems also can be defined as a collection of hardware, software, data, people, and procedures that work together to produce quality information.


title: Information system

text: Similar to computer science, other disciplines can be seen as both related and foundation disciplines of IS. The domain of study of IS involves the study of theories and practices related to the social and technological phenomena, which determine the development, use, and effects of information systems in organizations and society. But, while there may be considerable overlap of the disciplines at the boundaries, the disciplines are still differentiated by the focus, purpose, and orientation of their activities.


title: Information system

text: In a broad scope, "information systems" is a scientific field of study that addresses the range of strategic, managerial, and operational activities involved in the gathering, processing, storing, distributing, and use of information and its associated technologies in society and organizations. The term "information systems" is also used to describe an organizational function that applies IS knowledge in the industry, government agencies, and not-for-profit organizations.


title: Information system

text: "Information systems" often refers to the interaction between algorithmic processes and technology. This interaction can occur within or across organizational boundaries. An information system is a technology an organization uses and also the way in which the organizations interact with the technology and the way in which the technology works with the organization's business processes. Information systems are distinct from information technology (IT) in that an information system has an information technology component that interacts with the processes' components.


title: Information system

text: One problem with that approach is that it prevents the IS field from being interested in non-organizational use of ICT, such as in social networking, computer gaming, mobile personal usage, etc. A different way of differentiating the IS field from its neighbours is to ask, "Which aspects of reality are most meaningful in the IS field and other fields?" This approach, based on philosophy, helps to define not just the focus, purpose, and orientation, but also the dignity, destiny and, responsibility of the field among other fields.


title: Information system

text: There is a wide variety of career paths in the information systems discipline. "Workers with specialized technical knowledge and strong communications skills will have the best prospects. Workers with management skills and an understanding of business practices and principles will have excellent opportunities, as companies are increasingly looking to technology to drive their revenue."


title: Information system

text: Information technology is important to the operation of contemporary businesses, it offers many employment opportunities. The information systems field includes the people in organizations who design and build information systems, the people who use those systems, and the people responsible for managing those systems.


title: Information system

text: The demand for traditional IT staff such as programmers, business analysts, systems analysts, and designer is significant. Many well-paid jobs exist in areas of Information technology. At the top of the list is the chief information officer (CIO).


title: Information system

text: The CIO is the executive who is in charge of the IS function. In most organizations, the CIO works with the chief executive officer (CEO), the chief financial officer (CFO), and other senior executives. Therefore, he or she actively participates in the organization's strategic planning process.


title: Information system

text: Information systems research is generally interdisciplinary concerned with the study of the effects of information systems on the behaviour of individuals, groups, and organizations. Hevner et al. (2004) categorized research in IS into two scientific paradigms including "behavioural science" which is to develop and verify theories that explain or predict human or organizational behavior and" design science" which extends the boundaries of human and organizational capabilities by creating new and innovative artifacts.


title: Information system

text: Salvatore March and Gerald Smith proposed a framework for researching different aspects of information technology including outputs of the research (research outputs) and activities to carry out this research (research activities). They identified research outputs as follows:


title: Information system

text: Although Information Systems as a discipline has been evolving for over 30 years now, the core focus or identity of IS research is still subject to debate among scholars. There are two main views around this debate: a narrow view focusing on the IT artifact as the core subject matter of IS research, and a broad view that focuses on the interplay between social and technical aspects of IT that is embedded into a dynamic evolving context. A third view calls on IS scholars to pay balanced attention to both the IT artifact and its context.


title: Information system

text: Since the study of information systems is an applied field, industry practitioners expect information systems research to generate findings that are immediately applicable in practice. This is not always the case however, as information systems researchers often explore behavioral issues in much more depth than practitioners would expect them to do. This may render information systems research results difficult to understand, and has led to criticism.


title: Information system

text: In the last ten years, the business trend is represented by the considerable increase of Information Systems Function (ISF) role, especially with regard to the enterprise strategies and operations supporting. It became a key factor to increase productivity and to support value creation. To study an information system itself, rather than its effects, information systems models are used, such as EATPUT.


title: Information system

text: The international body of Information Systems researchers, the Association for Information Systems (AIS), and its Senior Scholars Forum Subcommittee on Journals (23 April 2007), proposed a 'basket' of journals that the AIS deems as 'excellent', and nominated: "Management Information Systems Quarterly" (MISQ), "Information Systems Research" (ISR), "Journal of the Association for Information Systems" (JAIS), "Journal of Management Information Systems" (JMIS), "European Journal of Information Systems" (EJIS), and "Information Systems Journal" (ISJ).


title: Information system

text: A number of annual are run in various parts of the world, the majority of which are peer reviewed. The AIS directly runs the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) and the Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), while AIS affiliated conferences include the Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS), European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS), the Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (MCIS), the International Conference on Information Resources Management (Conf-IRM) and the Wuhan International Conference on E-Business (WHICEB). AIS chapter conferences include Australasian Conference on Information Systems (ACIS), Information Systems Research Conference in Scandinavia (IRIS), Information Systems International Conference (ISICO), Conference of the Italian Chapter of AIS (itAIS), Annual Mid-Western AIS Conference (MWAIS) and Annual Conference of the Southern AIS (SAIS). EDSIG, which is the special interest group on education of the AITP, organizes the Conference on Information Systems and Computing Education and the Conference on Information Systems Applied Research which are both held annually in November.


title: Allied (film)

text: Allied is a 2016 romantic war drama thriller film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Steven Knight. It stars Brad Pitt as a Canadian intelligence officer and Marion Cotillard as a French Resistance fighter who fall in love while posing as a married couple during a mission in Casablanca in 1942. Jared Harris, Simon McBurney and Lizzy Caplan also star.


title: Allied (film)

text: Knight developed the script from a story told to him when he was 21. Principal photography began in February 2016 in London and continued in May 2016 in the Canary Islands, used to stand in for Morocco. Joanna Johnston designed the film's costumes, matching them to the characters' mindsets and situations.


title: Allied (film)

text: The film premiered in Los Angeles on November 9, 2016, and was released in the United States on November 23, 2016, by Paramount Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its costume design, cinematography, and musical score, but saw criticism for its screenplay and the lack of chemistry between the actors. It grossed $40.1 million domestic and $119 million worldwide against an approximate $85–113 million budget, becoming regarded as a box office flop. At the 89th Academy Awards it was nominated for Best Costume Design.


title: Allied (film)

text: In 1942 during World War II, Wing Commander Max Vatan, a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot with intelligence duties, travels to Casablanca in Morocco to assassinate a German ambassador. He is partnered with a French Resistance fighter, Marianne Beauséjour, who escaped from France after her resistance group was compromised and killed.


title: Allied (film)

text: They pose as a married couple and grow close, despite agreeing that in their line of work feelings can get people killed. Marianne, who is trusted by the Germans, secures Max an invitation to the party where they plan to conduct the assassination. On the day itself, they have sex inside a car in the middle of a desert sandstorm, knowing they might not survive. However, the mission is successful and they escape. Max asks Marianne to come with him to London and be his wife. They marry, settle down in Hampstead, and have a baby girl, Anna, who is born during a bombing raid.


title: Allied (film)

text: A year later in 1944, Max learns from the Special Operations Executive that Marianne is suspected of being a German spy, having adopted her identity after the real Marianne was killed in France, and that the German ambassador they assassinated was a dissident Hitler wanted dead. To test their suspicions, SOE run a "blue dye" operation: Max is ordered to write down a piece of false intelligence at home, where Marianne can find it. If the information is picked up from intercepted German transmissions, Max must personally execute her, and if he is found to be an accomplice he will be hanged for high treason. He is told to otherwise act normally and not conduct his own investigation.


title: Allied (film)

text: Defiant, Max visits Guy Sangster, a former colleague who knew Marianne; however, Sangster, blinded in the war, cannot confirm her identity. He reveals that resistance fighter Paul Delamare, who worked with Marianne in France, is still alive in Dieppe and could identify her. Max finds a young pilot, Adam Hunter, gives him a photograph with a "classified" note—asking if the woman in the photo is Marianne Beauséjour—and instructs him to obtain a "yes" or "no" answer from Delamare.


title: Allied (film)

text: Max and Marianne host a house party. His commanding officer, Frank Heslop, comes and tells him that Hunter was killed while waiting on the ground for the answer from Delamare and berates him for his insubordination. Max wonders if what he was told about Marianne is a test of his loyalty as part of a promotion to V-Section.


title: Allied (film)

text: The next evening, Max takes the place of a Lysander pilot and flies to France to meet Delamare, who is being held at the local police station. Max and the local resistance break into the town's jail, but Delamare is drunk and unconvincingly verifies the picture. The delay gives the French police officer room to alert the Germans, whom Max and the resistance manage to defeat. Prior to leaving, Delamare tells Max that Marianne was a talented pianist who had once played "La Marseillaise" in defiance of the occupying Germans in the early stages of the war.


title: Allied (film)

text: Back in England, Max takes Marianne to a local pub and demands she play the piano. She cannot. She admits she is a spy and forwarded the "blue dye" message, which Max left in plain view. She claims her feelings for Max are genuine, and that she was forced back into being a spy because German agents were threatening Anna.


title: Allied (film)

text: Max, unwilling to kill her, tells her they must flee the country. He kills Marianne's German handlers, a nanny and a jeweller. They drive to a local airbase, but Max cannot get the plane to start before Heslop and the military police arrive. He tries to plead his case before the officers, but Marianne tells him that she loves him, asks him to take care of Anna, then shoots herself. Heslop orders the soldiers present to report that Max executed Marianne as per his orders, so that Max will not be punished. After the war, Max moves to a ranch in Alberta to raise Anna.


title: Allied (film)

text: In February 2015, it was announced that Robert Zemeckis was to direct the film, then only known as an untitled World War II romantic thriller, in which Brad Pitt would star. Steven Knight wrote the original screenplay. It had been a story he had first heard when he was 21 and had travelled with his girlfriend to Texas to visit her family. Her aunt told him the story of how her brother had fallen for a French woman who would become pregnant with his child and how he brought her to the United States where she gave birth. It was discovered she was a German spy, and, on orders from his superiors, the brother killed her. Knight had desired to make it into a film since that point. While researching for the film, he was never able to find any reference to the story, but did not rule out its accuracy. He shared the story with Pitt, and from there the production began developing. In June 2015, Marion Cotillard was cast to play a spy along with Pitt, who fall in love during a mission to kill a German official. Alan Silvestri, who has served frequently as composer for Zemeckis's films, was hired in October. In January 2016, Jared Harris joined the film, with Lizzy Caplan cast in March.