Worzel Gummidge Down Under [1987]

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. 'Worzel Gummidge Down Under' sees the story of the
mischevious scarecrow move to New Zealand (or 'Zew Nealand' as Worzel calls it) after his girlfriend Aunt Sally (Una
Stubbs) is bought by the curator of a folk museum and taken to the land of the long white cloud. First broadcast from
4 October 1987 to 16 April 1989, it ran for 22 episodes, with only Pertwee and Stubbs continuing their roles from the
original series. This series retains a lot of the humour of the British episodes, but it is also much darker in places and
features an ongoing plot with the evil Travelling Scarecrowmaker. While many people regard it as inferior to the original,
the enduring charm of Worzel Hedgerow Gummidge and the superb acting of Jon Pertwee makes this series just as
appealing, particularly for Generation Xers who remember it from their youth.

'As the Scarecrow Flies' picks up pretty much where the original series left off, with Worzel still pursuing Aunt Sally
with amorous intentions. Worzel follows Aunt Sally to New Zealand, stowing away in the cargo hold of a plane. Arriving
'down under', Worzel soon meets the New Zealand crowman (played by Bruce Phillips), who explains that there is a
crowman in every country, and Worzel's Crowman is the original. While Phillips is fine in the role, he is no match for
the wonderful Geoffrey Bayldon of the original. The episode ends with Worzel taking up his role as a scarecrow in a
New Zealand field. It is hard to imagine new episodes or a film version of Worzel Gummidge being made now, because
I doubt that any actor could match Pertwee's performance. There is only one Worzel Gummidge!

Trivia: 'Worzel Gummidge Down Under' was originally going to be set in Ireland, but contractual problems meant the
series was instead filmed in New Zealand.