Worzel Gummidge Down Under


Worzel Gummidge Down Under is a New Zealand-British television series that aired from 1987 to 1989. Adapted from the books written by Barbara Euphan Todd, it is a sequel/continuation of the 1979-81 British television series Worzel Gummidge, starring Jon Pertwee. The story continues in New Zealand when Worzel's beloved Aunt Sally is sold to a museum owner in New Zealand and Worzel follows her there. The first seven episodes were from scripts written in 1983 for a spin-off series called Worzel Gummidge in Ireland. The series was abandoned, so the scripts - plus three new episodes, were rewritten for a New Zealand setting.
Though the original Worzel Gummidge series was made by Southern Television for the ITV network, the Down Under series was co-produced by Television New Zealand and the UK's Channel 4, which screened the series. Pertwee and Stubbs were the only actors to reprise their roles from the original.
Worzel Gummidge Down Under ran for two series between 1987 and 1989, before being cancelled.

Cast

  • Jon Pertwee as Worzel Gummidge
  • Bruce Phillips as The Crowman
  • Jonny Marks as Mickey
  • Olivia Ihimaera-Smiler as Manu
  • Una Stubbs as Aunt Sally
  • Wi Kuki Kaa as Travelling Scarecrow Maker
  • Maria James as Eloise

Episodes

Series 1

  1. "As the Scarecrow Flies"
  2. "The Sleeping Beauty"
  3. "Full Employment"
  4. "Worzel's Handicap"
  5. "King of the Scarecrows"
  6. "Ten Heads Are Better Than One "
  7. "Worzel to the Rescue"
  8. "Slave Scarecrow"
  9. "The Traveller Unmasked"
  10. "A Friend in Need"

Series 2

  1. "The Runaway Train"
  2. "A Red Sky in T'Morning"
  3. "Them Thar Hills"
  4. "The Beauty Contest"
  5. "Balbous Cauliflower"
  6. "Weevily Swede"
  7. "Elementary My Dear Worty"
  8. "Dreams of Avarish"
  9. "Stage Stuck"
  10. "Aunt Sally, R.A."
  11. "Wattle Hearthbrush"
  12. "The Bestest Scarecrow"

DVD release

Worzel Gummidge UltimateSeries 1–4, Christmas Special, and Down UnderRegion 2