Bill Bailey joins the cast of Worzel Gummidge this Christmas. The rebooted scarecrow played by Mackenzie Crook stars in two one hour specials. Bailey plays Mr Peregrine and Nneka Okoye plays Calliope Jane.
The two brand new one-hour films are directed, created and star Mackenzie Crook: Twitchers and Calliope Jane - inspired by the classic books by Barbara Euphan Todd.
Twitchers
After a raging thunderstorm, a flock of rare choughs turn 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 move in before he’s even had his chance. To make matters worse, the twitchers’ arrival forces Mr B to come to 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?
Calliope Jane
Susan and John are excited when they learn that F R Peregrine’s Travelling Fair is coming to Scatterbrook for one night only. But as much as he’d love to join his friends, Worzel can’t be seen wandering around by humans. He recalls the legend of a fairground with an enchanted organ. It’s believed that, with the right music, the organ has the power to send humans to sleep so that scarecrows can enjoy the rides without the fear of being seen. At the museum, Aunt Sally finds herself agreeing to go on an adventure with another ex-fairground attraction, Calliope Jane, and it turns out Worzel isn’t the only scarecrow who wants to attend the fair... As the scarecrows descend the risk of being seen intensifies, but will the legend of the enchanted organ turn out to be true?
Written and directed by Mackenzie Crook, Worzel Gummidge is co-produced by Leopard Pictures and Treasure Trove Productions for BBC One and iPlayer. The films are executive produced by Kristian Smith for Leopard Pictures, together with Mackenzie Crook and Lisa Thomas for Treasure Trove Productions and rights holder Patrick D. Pidgeon for Pidgeon Entertainment, Inc. The producer is Matt Carver. International distribution of Worzel Gummidge is handled by ITV Studios.
