# Worzel Gummidge (1979)

> A vain, temperamental scarecrow animated by magic becomes an unlikely companion to the children of a English village farm.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/17690

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 31
- Episode runtime: 25 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: family, comedy, fantasy
- Created by: Barbara Euphan Todd, Willis Hall, Keith Waterhouse
- Network: ITV1
- Cast: Una Stubbs, Geoffrey Bayldon, Charlotte Coleman, Barbara Windsor, Bill Maynard, Lorraine Chase, Mike Berry, Thorley Walters
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078713/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: whimsical, cozy, playful, gentle, comforting

## What critics say

Reception is unknown in the provided data, so the series is remembered mainly as a gentle, whimsical British children's comedy anchored by Jon Pertwee's performance in the title role.

## Synopsis

Worzel Gummidge (1979-1981) is a British children's fantasy comedy series produced by Southern Television for ITV, created by Barbara Euphan Todd, Willis Hall and Keith Waterhouse and based on Todd's books. Jon Pertwee plays the title character, a vain, grumbling scarecrow who comes to life on Scatterbrook Farm in rural England. Una Stubbs appears as Aunt Sally, and Geoffrey Bayldon as the Crowman, while Charlotte Coleman and Jeremy Austin play the Peters children who befriend him. The engine of the show is simple and episodic: Worzel stumbles through village mishaps, boasting and sulking, while the children and eccentric locals try to keep the farm running. Its four seasons across thirty-one episodes follow a light, storybook rhythm, with each episode built around small comic misadventures rather than a continuing plot. The series has a cozy, whimsical tone, with pantomime-style humour and a gentle sense of English folk magic. Fans of Bagpuss, Mary Poppins and The Wind in the Willows will find the same warmth, playful charm and rural fantasy comfort in this family series.

## Shows like Worzel Gummidge

- [Mr. Benn (1971)](https://ember.film/tv/32097)
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- [The Raccoons (1985)](https://ember.film/tv/4566)
- [The Worst Witch (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/60940)
- [Worzel Gummidge (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/81179)
- [The Box of Delights (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/19692)
- [Nanny and the Professor (1970)](https://ember.film/tv/9063)
- [Arabela (1980)](https://ember.film/tv/16489)
- [Clangers (1969)](https://ember.film/tv/245)
- [Ghosts (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/15946)

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