Compo costume from Last of the Summer Wine up for auction

Bill Owen appeared in nearly 200 episodes of the long running sitcom

An "endearing" tattered jacket, knitted pullover, rope belt and woollen hat from Last of the Summer Wine will soon be up for auction.

Compo, played by Bill Owen, was rarely seen out of the outfit in the hit BBC show which ran for 37 years.

Auctioneer Andrew Stowe said: "What people don't realise is each costume was custom-made by Savile Row tailors."

The lot is estimated to fetch £3,000 to £5,000 when it goes under the hammer at East Bristol Auctions on 8 December.

Last Of The Summer Wine is thought to be the longest-running sitcom in the world. Set and filmed in the West Yorkshire village of Holmfirth, it made its TV debut in 1973.

At its peak in the late 70s, up to 20 million viewers tuned in to watch the exploits of three elderly friends.

Compo's tailor-made scruffy costume is thought to have cost in the region of £2,000 to create

Bill Owen died in 1999 aged 85. Mr Stowe, said it was a "real honour" to handle items from the late actor's estate.

"There were several versions of Compo's costume over the show's run, and each time the costume wore out the production team would have to carefully source another," he said.

"The jackets ended up being purchased from a Savile Row tailor and were painstakingly 'weathered' by the production team in order to maintain continuity," he added.

The costume will be auctioned in December

Despite looking like "something destined for the bin" Mr Stowe said the costume represented "one of the most iconic and endearing outfit's in British comedy history".

"It's believed to have been worn by Owen in the series around the mid-to-late 1990s and is one of his 'final' costumes for the character," he added.

"It's one of the most sought-after items for fans of the series.

The only thing it doesn't include are his wellies. They were placed on his [Bill Owen's] grave and filled with flowers in Holmfirth where he was buried," Mr Stowe said.