Worzel Gummidge

Jan 2022

The original Wurzel Gummidge ran for 4 series in the early 80s and i remember liking them back then, i recently saw them again and wow, they have stood up brilliantly, very funny, laugh out loud funny at times, and suitable for the whole family.

I then discovered they had comeback a few years later with a new series called Worzel Gummidge down under and of course there has been a much newer remake, i will review these on their respective pages.

Anyway the original gets 9 out of 10.

No, its not, and it does seem quite old fashioned compared to todays television.

What it hasn't lost though is its very genuine innocent and gentle charm and humour. Worzel Gummidge was hugely popular with all ages, and Worzel's (Jon Pertwee) naive innocence was quite touching. Aunt Sally (Una Stubbs) was excellent, and so was Barbara Windsor in the episodes that she appeared in.

I don't know what Pertwee was like to work with in the series, as apparently when he was Dr Who he was allegedly very difficult. Ah well, its nice to see a perfectionist in whatever role he is playing.

When the series moved to New Zealand I personally felt that was not a good step as it became more darker - I believe a couple of episodes had zombies in them. Oh dear.

Watching this again recently, having been there for the original broadcasts, I was delighted to be reminded how truly wonderful this show is. Story, crew, actors, all come together to create a real gem that can be enjoyed again & again. Pertwee gives a tour de force performance, but my personal favourite is the fiendishly delicious malevolence of Una Stubbs' Aunt Sally, I always hope she's in every episode, not quite the same when she isn't, Stubbs should be regarded far higher than she is.

I did recently see 1 or 2 episodes of the new version with Macenzie Thorpe & my oh my how far we have fallen. It was a totally forgettable, unfunny exercise of how not to resurrect a great show. I genuinely felt sorry for children today, if this is what they're given as entertainment, do them a favour & buy them this instead.

As a child, I found scarecrows a little bit too creepy but by the time I was an adult and watched this show, I soon forgot about the creepy scarecrows you see in fields and enjoyed this show.

The late Jon Pertwee played scarecrow Worzel Gummidge who lived on Scatterbrook Farm (I think that was the name of the farm). Joining him were the likes of Una Stubbs as his girlfriend and Carry On... favourite Barbara Windsor.

The show itself was fun as Worzel got up to all sorts of adventures, scrapes and the like. Jon Pertwee did a great job with Worzel who is probably one of the funniest characters ever.

This is the perfect show for kids today. You can put on a video of this show for your kids and let them watch safe in the knowledge there will be no sex, bad language or violence. Worzel Gummidge didn't need to do it's best to be entertaining-it was just entertaining, period.

This is a fantastic children's TV programme. It's about the title character; a walking, talking, messy, clumsy scarecrow called Worzel who comes to life in Scatterbrook Farm. This programme includes a fine cast including Geoffrey Bayldon, Charlotte Coleman, Mike Berry and Una Stubbs as the ONE AND ONLY Aunt Sally (Worzel's INTENDED!) Fantastic show and a 10/10 job no question!!