The lowdown:  'Worzel Gummidge' was based on the series of children's books written by Barbara Euphan Todd and 
starred Jon Pertwee as the scarecrow who comes to life and gets into all sorts of adventures with two young children,
John and Sue Peters. Other regular cast members included Geoffrey Bayldon (Organon in The Creature from the Pit) 
as Worzel's maker, the Crowman, Una Stubbs as Worzel's girlfriend Aunt Sally (a life-sized wooden doll), and Jeremy
Austin and Charlotte Coleman as John and Sue. The series was broadcast on ITV1 between 29 February 1979 and 31
July 1981, with 30 episodes made over four seasons. Joan Sims (Katryca in The Mysterious Planet) made a number
of appearances as Mrs. Bloomsbury-Barton. Another 22 episodes were later filmed in New Zealand, and broadcast by
ITV1 as 'Worzel Gummidge Down Under', from 4 October 1987 to 16 April 1989.  Pertwee and Stubbs were the only
actors from the original series to appear in the show's brief revival.

The episode:  'Worzel's Washing Day' was the first episode of the series. The Peters family arrive at Scatterbrook Farm,
with the two young children meeting Worzel, who comes back to life after winter. Worzel has a robin nesting in his chest
and boasts a number of interchangeable turnips for a head, with each one giving him a different ability, such as singing,
dancing and thinking. Most of the episodes feature Worzel getting up to mischief some kind, with John and Sue having to
get him out of trouble without the adults of Scatterbrook village finding out about Worzel. The series is fondly remembered
for its family-friendly storylines and the superb acting of Pertwee, in a role that allowed him to use his comic skills to the
full. Despite the show's age, it is still highly enjoyable, especially for Gen-Xers who watched it in their youth. Would it work
today? Probably not, primarily because it would be hard to find an actor who could give justice to the role. Jon Pertwee was
so good that it would be hard to imagine anybody else stepping into his scarecrow shoes.

Trivia:  Jon Pertwee himself suggested to production company Southern Television that they make the 'Worzel Gummidge' 
series, having read the books when he was young. And the rest, as they say, is history...

Video Clips:   Worzel comes to life   4.2mb           Worzel and a policeman   4.1mb 
    
 
 
 
 
 

 
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