Worzel Gummidge is returning to the Beeb. BBC One has ordered a further episode of the Mackenzie Crook fronted series to air later this year. It follows on from last year’s the two-part series that aired as part of BBC One’s Christmas schedule.
Worzel Gummidge follows the titular character, who is the Scarecrow of Ten Acre Field. The series, which is based on the books by Barbara Euphan Todd, is produced by Leopard Pictures, Treasure Trove Productions and Lola Entertainment and stars Mackenzie Crook, India Brown and Thierry Wickens,
In the new episode, titled Saucy Nancy, When Worzel Gummidge, Susan and John visit a scrapyard, Worzel overhears the grumbling of a foul-mouthed old friend – the carved ship’s figurehead, Saucy Nancy. She has been languishing, unsold in the yard for years and longs to return to the sea. Worzel and the kids promise to get her there, but will her ship be waiting? Worzel doubts it, but Nancy is convinced. She can feel it in her carvings. Adventure unfurls, as the strange foursome navigate their way to the coast on foot, by bus, wheelbarrow, motorbike and sidecar.
It was never going to be straightforward. In a rare trip out of Scatterbrook, Worzel gets to see a wild moorland and the spectacular white cliffs of Seashell that provide the backdrop to this story of friendship and belonging. Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter) will star as Saucy Nancy, while Vanessa Redgrave (The Thirteenth Tales) will play Peg. The BBC said the further casting would be announced at a later date. Mackenzie Crook penned the script and will direct. Gill Isles is the producer. The executive producers are Kristian Smith, Lisa Thomas, Mackenzie Crook and Patrick D. Pidgeon.
“What is it with Mackenzie and shows set in a field? Following on from last year’s bucolic eco-fables we find Worzel in mischievous form dispensing his sun-baked wit and wisdom in another heartwarming tale”, said the BBC’s Controller of Comedy Commissioning Shane Allen, who re-commissioned Worzel Gummidge alongside the BBC’s Director of Content Charlotte Moore. “This cements BBC One’s unique reputation as the home of UK family comedy drama.”
