Worzel Gummidge: The Combined Harvest Edition is a bumper pre-Christmas release celebrating everyone’s favourite scarecrow: Worzel Gummidge.
Walking, talking scarecrow Worzel Gummidge (Jon Pertwee) lives on Scatterbrook Farm, where he stands in Ten Acre field. When children John and Sue move to the countryside, they learn that life is never dull with Worzel around. The restless scarecrow dreams of a life away from his post in Ten Acre Field and often wanders off into mischief. Whether he is getting his heart broken by the creaking fairground doll Aunt Sally (Una Stubbs) or disobeying his maker, the eccentric old Crowman (Geoffrey Bayldon), Worzel is lucky to have his young friends on hand to help rescue him from trouble.
This classic TV series was aired on ITV between 1979-1981 and immediately became a cult classic, thanks to its surreal, quirky, and occasionally very dark subject matter.
The show is said to have been a favourite of its star, Doctor Who actor Jon Pertwee, and ran to four seasons, as well as the two-season series of Worzel Gummidge Down Under, which was shot on location in New Zealand, and aired in the UK between 1987-1989.
As with many classic shows of this era, the guest list is a veritable smorgasboard of old school British talent, including Billy Connolly, Bill Maynard, Barbara Windsor, Connie Booth, Mike Reid, Joan Sims and Lorraine Chase. Jon Pertwee’s son, Sean played an uncredited role in series four episode The Jumbly Sale. There’s even an early credit in Worzel Gummidge Down Under for Peter Jackson, Oscar-winning director of the Lord of the Rings movies, who met his partner Frances Walsh on set.
Fabulous Film’s Combined Harvest box set brings both series together for the first time fully restored from the original negatives and packed full with 312 mins (approx.) of incredible bonus material, plus a bonus CD containing the soundtrack from the Original Series and the later Down Under Series.
Worzel Gummidge Seasons 1-4 extras include:
- All New Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew.
- Photo Galleries.
- Outtakes.
- Audio Outtakes.
- Original TV Interviews.
- All New Featurettes.
- Audiobook of a Cancelled Script.
- Isolated Tracks.
- Series Guide Booklet.
- Double-Sided Poster of the Artwork by Graham Humphreys and more …
Worzel Gummidge – Down Under Series 1 & 2 extras include:
- Three all New Audio Commentaries with Shane Radford, Olivia Ihimaera-Smiler and Bruce Phillips.
- Titles Rushes.
- UK Launch Trailer.
- UK VHS Introduction.
- Jon Pertwee Student TV Interview 1982.
- Jon Pertwee 1996 Audio Interview.
- Jon Pertwee on Two Counties Radio 1982.
- Series 2 Rushes.
- Aunt Sally’s Affair- 15 Minute Claymation Pilot.
- Restoration Examples.
- All New Producer / Director Grahame McLean Interview.
- Photo Gallery.
- Jon Pertwee 1986 NZ Radio Interview.
- Behind the Scenes Feature.
- James Hill Interview.
- Jonathan and Olivia interview.