Worzel Gummidge
Worzel Gummidge is a scarecrow in British children's fiction, who originally appeared in a series of books by the English novelist Barbara Euphan Todd.[1] It was the first story book published by Puffin Books.[2]
This article is about the character. For the 1970s television series, see Worzel Gummidge (TV series). For the 2019 television series, see Worzel Gummidge (2019 TV series).Worzel Gummidge
Worzel Gummidge, or The Scarecrow of Scatterbrook (1936)
Worzel Gummidge: Caliope Jane (2021)
Scarecrow
Male
Earthy Mangold, Chloe Raggett, Pickles Bramble
The books have been adapted for radio and television a number of times. Frank Atkinson was the first person to play the role in the 1953 BBC children's television series Worzel Gummidge Turns Detective. Former Doctor Who actor Jon Pertwee took the lead role from 1979 to 1981 in Worzel Gummidge, produced by Southern Television for ITV in the UK. Pertwee reprised the role later in a New Zealand version (1987–1989). For the Pertwee series, the character had a set of interchangeable turnip, mangelwurzel and swede heads, each of which suited a particular occasion or endowed him with a specific skill.
In 2019 the character returned to the screen in the BBC series Worzel Gummidge starring Mackenzie Crook in the title role.[3]
Outline[edit]
Worzel Gummidge is a scarecrow that can come to life on Scatterbrook Farm. He stands in a ten-acre field, and befriends John and Susan who came to stay during the school holidays on the Braithwaites' farm. Worzel normally lands John and Susan in trouble when he is being mischievous, as he goes into a sulk and becomes a normal lifeless scarecrow. This leads others to blame the two children for the trouble he causes.
The Worzel Gummidge books differ from the television adaption, one difference being that in the books Worzel is married to Earthy Mangold. In the first book, Aunt Sally (his femme fatale in the TV series) is only mentioned in one chapter and the character is an antagonistic bully to Worzel. For the television adaptation, Worzel has a collection of interchangeable heads. In the books, the maker of Worzel Gummidge and other scarecrows is not named the Crowman, but is described as a mysterious figure.
The first paperback version of the first book, released in 1941, has the distinction of being the first story book published by the famous children's imprint Puffin.
Adaptations[edit]
Children's Hour[edit]
The first broadcast with Worzel was before World War II on the BBC's Children's Hour. By 1946, Worzel was played by veteran radio actor Philip Wade, John by John Clark, Susan by Rosamund Barnes, and Earthy Mangold by Mabel Constanduros. Later, Worzel was played by Denis Folwell, who went on to play Jack Archer in the long-running BBC radio 4 soap opera The Archers.[1]