For the third Christmas on the trot, Mackenzie Crook will return to our screen as sentient scarecrow Worzel Gummidge for two brand new specials – and RadioTimes.com can exclusively preview two clips from the first episode.
In the first clip, Worzel can be seen showing off his scarecrow handbook to Susan (India Brown) and John (Thierry Wickens), as he attempts to identify an interesting feather that John has discovered.
“This is my scarecrow handbook – all scarecrows are given one when they graduate,” he says. “The trick is to add to it things that you learn as you go. So quick lesson in crows: you’ve got your common crows, your rooks, your ravens. You got your jackie-ds, your maggie-ps, and your jaybirds.
“But the rarest crow of all, seaside birds, hardly never seen inland,” he continues. “The chough – glossy black plumeys, bright red legs and beak… they are utterly ludicrous.”
“I think they look amazing,” John interjects, but Worzel swiftly corrects him.
“Stupid, more like,” he says, “Look at him, he looks like he’s wearing tights. But that’s what that’s from, I’d stake my stake on it!”
Meanwhile, the second clip sees Worzel try to surreptitiously communicate with John and Susan through a closed window, while Mrs Braithwaite (Rosie Cavaliero) rants about slugs overrunning her home.
John initially struggles to understand what he’s trying to say, but when Worzel uses a pair of empty milk bottles as binoculars, he appears to catch on.
The first episode is titled Twitchers, with an official synopsis reading: “After a raging thunderstorm, a flock of rare choughs turns up at Scatterbrook Farm. Keen to seize the opportunity of scaring such a rarely sighted bird, Worzel enlists the help of Susan and John, but their plans are soon scuppered once word of the choughs gets around and a group of avid twitchers moves in before he has even had his chance.
“To make matters worse, their arrival forces Mr. Braithwaite to come face to face with his old birdwatching rival, Lee Dangerman. With the twitchers refusing to leave, can the children come up with a plan to help scare the choughs and save Worzel and Mr. B from embarrassment?”
Worzel Gummidge airs on BBC One at 7:15pm on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th December. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide or visit our Drama hub for all the latest news and features.
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