The Navy Lark. Image shows left to right: CPO Pertwee (Jon Pertwee), Sub-Lieutenant Phillips (Leslie Phillips), Lt Cdr Murray (Number One) (Stephen Murray). Credit: BBC The Navy Lark. Image shows left to right: CPO Pertwee (Jon Pertwee), Sub-Lieutenant Phillips (Leslie Phillips), Lt Cdr Murray (Number One) (Stephen Murray). Credit: BBC If you are in Australia or New Zealand (DVD Region 4), note that almost all DVDs distributed in the UK by the BBC and 2entertain are encoded for both Region 2 and Region 4. The UK and Australasia are in the same Blu-ray region (B). A lot of the credit for the show's success must go to director James Hill. At the time of the series' conception, Hill was working with Pertwee's Doctor Who successor, Tom Baker, to get a feature film, Doctor Who Meets Scratchman (a story that, coincidentally, also featured scarecrows), off the ground. He and Pertwee got on famously and became lifelong friends. His stoic demeanour and strong work ethic guided the crew through an often gruelling production schedule, but he also established the aesthetic look of the series, with Worzel's grimy, believably earthy appearance contrasting with the bucolic beauty surrounding him. Eager to take on the role, Pertwee encouraged Waterhouse and Hall to rewrite the script as a television series. They pitched the series to Head of Drama at the BBC, Shaun Sutton, and to Philip Jones at Thames Television, without success. All hope appeared to be lost, until Lewis Rudd at ITV regional broadcaster for the south east of England, Southern Television, heard about the show and enthusiastically commissioned it.

Siblings Susan and John arrive at Scatterbrook Farm, home of the Braithwaites, to little fanfare. It's been a poor harvest and their hosts aren't thrilled to have two amateur farmhands around the place during such lean times. No-one on Scatterbrook Farm is more troubled by the late harvest than walking, talking scarecrow Worzel Gummidge. Worzel is strictly forbidden from talking to humans, but after mistaking John and Susan for fellow scarecrows, his game is up. Aunt Sally was a role originally offered to actress and Carry On star Amanda Barrie, who turned it down. Pertwee asked Una Stubbs to take on the role: they had worked together in a 1975 production of Aladdin at the Richmond Theatre, and it was her dance and performance skills on that stage that caught his imagination. Like Pertwee, she was already a household name, having starred as Rita Rawlins in the hugely popular sitcom Till Death Us Do Part (and its various sequels) since 1965. Last year's Christmas episode, Saucy Nancy, garnered even more critical acclaim, with the Radio Times again awarding five stars, declaring the episode is "like taking a bath in pure kindness". Whilst the Daily Telegraph and The i gave four stars, with the latter labelling the film as "gorgeous" and "affectionate". Worzel Gummidge. Image shows left to right: Aunt Sally (Una Stubbs), Worzel Gummidge (Jon Pertwee), Saucy Nancy (Barbara Windsor) Worzel Gummidge. Image shows left to right: Aunt Sally (Una Stubbs), Worzel Gummidge (Jon Pertwee), Saucy Nancy (Barbara Windsor)

Leopard Pictures, part of Argonon Group, are again partnering with Treasure Trove Productions to bring these glorious stories to life for an audience of all ages. The films have been commissioned by Tanya Qureshi, Head of Comedy for the BBC, and Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer for the BBC. Overall, Worzel Gummidge is first-rate children’s television and great family entertainment. It may well leave youngsters of today cold, but for those of us with fond memories of the show, it doesn’t disappoint all these years later. You’ll find yourself saying, “Well, I’ll be bum-swizzled!” Worzel Gummidge offers a comforting, daft, and endlessly entertaining world, with enough moments of creepiness to keep you on your toes. If you get your thinking head on, you may well work out it’s a great festive gift. Susan and John are excited when they learn that F R Peregrine’s Travelling Fair is coming to Scatterbrook for one night only. But as much as he’d love to join his friends, Worzel can’t be seen wandering around by humans. He recalls the legend of a fairground with an enchanted organ. It’s believed that, with the right music, the organ has the power to send humans to sleep so that scarecrows can enjoy the rides without the fear of being seen. If you are in the North America, look out for US/Canadian flag icons on popular product listings for direct links.

According to Pertwee's memoir, his version of Worzel Gummidge was originally pitched as a feature film, which would have told the story of "the scarecrow equivalent of the Peasant's Revolt". Willis and Hall adapted the role of Worzel specifically for and around him, inspired by a postman character he played more than thirty years earlier in 1948's BBC radio comedy Waterlogged Spa, due to the actor's performance imbuing the character with a strong Devonshire accent. The production was obviously high enough in calibre to attract some of the greatest actors of the era in guest parts. We especially enjoyed Beryl Reid, who pops up to play Worzel’s old mother (even though she was only a few weeks older than Pertwee). Connie Booth (Fawlty Towers) turns up as a rival to Worzel’s affections as another Aunt Sally, though this one is much kinder to him. There are recurring guest roles for Carry On stars Barbara Windsor (Saucy Nancy) and Joan Sims (Mrs Bloomsbury-Barton). Hall and Waterhouse, meanwhile, continued their careers as hugely successful writers, the latter penning Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell, a play that served as a magnificent showcase for Peter O'Toole. The show's popularity was such that for Christmas 1980, Waterhouse and Hall penned a stage musical, which premiered at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before transferring to the Cambridge Theatre in London the following year. Pertwee, Stubbs and Bayldon all reprised their roles, with music by television composer Denis King, who is perhaps best known for performing in the BBC radio, later television, show Hello, Cheeky! (alongside Barry Cryer, John Junkin and Tim Brooke-Taylor). This resulted in the release of a full cast album, which remains in circulation to this day. Jon Pertwee and Una Stubbs star in a childrens' sitcom about a scarecrow who comes to life. Also features Mike Berry, Jeremy Austin, Charlotte Coleman, Geoffrey Bayldon, Megs Jenkins and more.Worzel Gummidge. Image shows left to right: Worzel Gummidge (Jon Pertwee), Crowman (Geoffrey Bayldon). Credit: Southern Television Worzel Gummidge. Image shows left to right: Worzel Gummidge (Jon Pertwee), Crowman (Geoffrey Bayldon). Credit: Southern Television