|
''Worzel Gummidge'' is a children's television series, produced by Southern Television for ITV, based on the books by Barbara Euphan Todd.〔("Worzel Gummidge (1979–81)" ) ''ScreenOnline.org.uk''〕 Starting in 1979, the programme starred Jon Pertwee in the title role and ran for four series in the UK until 1981. It was number 50 in the 50 Greatest Kids TV Shows which aired on Channel 5 on November 8, 2013. Channel 4 reprised the show in 1987 as ''Worzel Gummidge Down Under'', which was set in New Zealand. ==Outline== In 1979 a television adaptation of Worzel Gummidge was produced by Southern Television for ITV, written by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, and starred former ''Doctor Who'' actor Jon Pertwee as Worzel and Una Stubbs as Aunt Sally, a life-size fairground doll and Worzel's femme fatale.〔("I Love 1979: Worzel Gummidge" ) ''BBC.co.uk''〕 This is a significant change from the original books, where Aunt Sally is indeed Worzel's aunt. The Crowman, who made Worzel and some of his other scarecrow friends, is played by Geoffrey Bayldon better known for his starring role as the title character of ''Catweazle''. Occasional guest appearances were made by big TV stars of the time and appeal to a family audience – Barbara Windsor as Saucy Nancy, a ship's figurehead, Billy Connolly as a Scottish piper scarecrow, Bill Maynard as Sergeant Beetroot, Joan Sims as Mrs Bloomsbury-Barton, the local aristocrat, Lorraine Chase as Dolly Clothes-peg, a shop window mannequin and Connie Booth as Aunt Sally II, a kind hearted Aunt Sally, who falls in love with Worzel. Four series, totalling 30 episodes and one extended Christmas special, were made between 1979 and 1981, when Southern lost its franchise. The new franchise-holder, TVS, did not renew the show (despite a massive press campaign led by the ''Daily Star'') after a deal with HTV fell through. Pertwee and Stubbs also starred in the musical ''Worzel Gummidge'' in 1981 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre which also starred Lucy Benjamin (then Lucy Jane Baker) as Sue. Jon Pertwee's final TV appearance as Worzel was in 1995, to celebrate 40 years of ITV. "Worzel's Song", sung by Jon Pertwee, was released in 1980 reaching number 33 in the UK charts.〔 ("Television Heaven: Worzel Gummidge" ) ''TelevisionHeaven.co.uk''〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Worzel Gummidge (TV series)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|