Mackenzie Crook to star in 'dazzling' new BBC adaptation of Worzel Gummidge

Mackenzie Crook stars as much loved scarecrow who brings trouble to Scatterbrook Farm
BBC

Mackenzie Crook will star as the much loved character Worzel Gummidge in a new BBC adaptation based on the classic books of Barbara Euphan Todd.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star will bring the scarecrow back to life as he makes trouble on the fictional Scatterbrook Farm - made famous by the 1970s TV show.

The stories will be retold in two hour-long films for BBC One and will reportedly air around Christmas time, with further casting announcements yet to be made.

The first 60 minute episode, ‘The Scarecrow of Scatterbrook’, sees two young strangers arrive in the village of Scatterbrook, whose world is sent spinning when they realise that the scarecrow Gummidge comes to life.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor will write, direct and star in the new adaptation.
Getty Images

However, the scarecrow is equally shocked to fine that the children are not fellow scarecrows but humans.

The second episode, ‘The Green Man’, welcomes another arrival – The Green Man, who is the creator of scarecrows and keeper of scarecrow lore.

Mackenzie Crook, 47, who also wrote and directed the adaptation, said: “I’m thrilled to be back working with the BBC and many members of the Detectorists team to bring Worzel Gummidge to a new generation of viewers and reintroduce him to old friends.

“Adapting Barbara Euphan Todd’s books into these two films has been a joy and I’ve completely fallen for her charming, irreverent scarecrow.

“Fingers crossed for a glorious English summer as we head out to Scatterbrook Farm and Worzel’s Ten Acre Field.”

Shane Allen, a BBC commissioning editor called the reinterpretation “visionary and fundamental.”

The series had begun filming at Highfield Park allotment in St Albans on Tuesday, according to the Herts Adverstiser.

The two specials are produced by Leopard Pictures, Treasure Trove Productions and Lola Entertainment.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in