New Worzel Audiobooks

I was delighted to recently work on a new series of Worzel Gummidge audiobooks for Naxos Publishing. For many years, the majority of Barbara Euphan Todd's stories have been out of print and hard to find.

Naxos have picked up the first five titles, presented with new readings by Jessica Martin, and they approached me, off the back of my work on The Worzel Book, to come up with a set of cover images. When not writing about scarecrows, I work as a graphic designer and illustrator, and having doodled Worzel since my formative years, it was quite daunting to come up with my own take on the character.

I looked back through the old illustrations of past editions, many of which are delightfully weird and wonderful. I'm particularly fond of Diana Stanley's slightly sinister line art for the 1960s Puffin edition of the first book, and I also love the work of Will Nickless, who drew Worzel across several titles, imbuing his scarecrows with a wonderful lolloping body language that makes the figures seem ready to stagger off the page.

My approach was a more contemporary, but I used a restricted colour palette for a retro feel, and anchored each cover around a shining moon to reflect the strange, twilight world that many of the early stories seem rooted in. I settled on a slightly papercut style, with graduations of colour to create simple, childlike landscapes.

Initially, it was difficult to capture the character of Worzel himself, who is a rather gnarly, unwelcoming figure in many of Todd's descriptions. Then, by chance, I came across a photo of Richard E. Grant from Withnail and I, wearing a long billowing coat, with his arms outstretched. Something about that image clicked – that Worzel should be joyful and animated.

My other influences were more disparate. I remembered one story from a Worzel Book interviewee, who recalled director James Hill declaring, "There are no straight lines in Worzel." A good note, which I took to heart. I had fun adding some Easter eggs for fans, such as the stile in Ten-Acre Field, taken from the TV episodes, and the clock on the church set to 5.15pm, the time of most of Worzel's Children's Hour broadcasts.

I hope that fans will enjoy these new versions of Worzel's earliest adventures, presented in a more accessible format. Characters like Hannah Harrow and Upsidaisy were written to heard more than read, and Jessica Martin's enthusiastic readings restore life to their sawdust and stuffing. The CDs can be ordered via the links below:

Worzel Gummidge
Worzel Gummidge Again
More About Worzel Gummidge
Worzel Gummidge and Saucy Nancy
Worzel Gummidge Takes a Holiday

Wolfgang Suschitzky: 1912-2016

I'm sad to report that Worzel cinematographer Wolf Suschitzky has passed away at the incredible age of 104. Wolf was incredibly supportive during work on The Worzel Book and I visited him a couple of times at his flat in London's Little Venice, overlooking the water.

An accomplished stills photographer, Wolf had documented his time on Worzel with many beautiful portraits of the cast and crew, several dozen of which are in the book. His black and white pictures captured the show's curious blend of the whimsical and the macabre perfectly and were shot with an artist's eye.

My favourites are a wonderful ambiguous still of Connie Booth caught unawares, shot through a car window, and a picture of Sean Pertwee as a scarecrow, seemingly taken straight from a German Expressionist silent. If you have the book, look them up – they're wonderful.

Worzel was but a small part of a career that included exhibitions right up until this year, documentary films and big budget movies like Get Carter. During my research for the book, Wolf's Worzel colleagues singled him out for his craftmanship, professionalism and generosity of spirit. Known affectionately on set by the nickname 'Su', quite simply, he was adored and respected.

When it came to interviewing Wolf, although his memories were sharp, he was difficult to tease quotes from, with his tendency to modestly downplay his work as part of "a team effort." In later years, his photography was much in demand for syndication, and in truth, our small press budget couldn't have stretched to licensing pictures at the rate his work commanded. He generously agreed to the most nominal of fees, happy for the pictures to be seen and enjoyed.

For his years, Wolf's health and stamina were remarkable. He was spry, if a little stooped, but on one visit stood unassisted and unwavering for 20 minutes straight while deep in conversation. During one of our meetings, I asked what the secret to a long life was. No doubt having been asked this a great many times, he had a well-rehearsed answer:

"Have good genes from your parents, do some physical exercise in younger life, and, most importantly… have a lot of sex."

Wolf Suschitzky. A gentleman, an artist, and a life well lived.

The Worzel Book is out now!

It's finally happened. After years of mooting the idea and nearly as long researching and writing, The Worzel Book has at last been released, offering a definitive guide to the making of Worzel Gummidge. Weighing in at nearly 350 pages, with a 16-page colour centre section, the book is a labour of love, telling the story of Worzel's conception through in-depth interviews with cast and crew and over 400 photographs, many never-before-published.

Growing up watching Worzel, for years I'd wanted to read about its creation, and I ended up writing the book for the simple reason that I wanted to read it. I began researching the show as a hobby and soon found myself on a roll, piecing together the production through press clippings and contemporary reports. As I discovered more, I knew there was enough material to fill a book, and so off I went, with a vague plan to eventually self-publish it.

The project quickly grew in scale. As I began conducting interviews, the story developed and many of the dozens of interviewees generously scoured their attics and albums, uncovering a haul of photographs. Before long, I'd decided that the material had outgrown my ability to edit it and that a proper publisher was required. My friend Matt West had established Miwk Publishing a few years ago and I'd been impressed by their output. They have an eye for quality and I trusted their taste. Matt took a look at my part-completed manuscript and, within a few short hours, Miwk were on board. That turned out to be one of the best things I could have done. Miwk saw the potential in a Worzel book and came to it with enthusiasm and ambition. They invested in top-notch production, colour printing, and were determined to make this something special.

Throughout the project, I've been amazed by the generosity and enthusiasm of the show's cast and crew. Production designer Hazel Peiser searched high and low and turned up her original photo files from the show, containing hundreds of set pictures and polaroids, along with the original sketches for Worzel and Aunt Sally's costumes. Director of photography Wolf Suschitzky, still going strong at 104 years old, shared many beautiful atmospheric portraits, while New Zealand make-up artist Shayne Radford found a carrier bag with dozens of precious snapshots culled from the show's make-up room wall, complete with tell-tale pinholes and splatter.

I wanted to write a book that explained the strange and unique appeal of Worzel Gummidge – the show's undiluted mixture of slapstick, sentimentality and occasional tinges of folk horror. Speaking to the cast and crew, what shone through was their pride for the work. Hardly anyone gave the impression of Worzel being 'just another job.' Much of the credit for that rests with James Hill, Worzel's tenacious and talented producer/director. James was an elusive figure to capture on the page, having evaded interviews throughout his career, but his clarity of vision for the series cannot be underestimated. By all accounts, James could be charming, demanding, exasperating, formidable and generous. He was a taskmaster and a craftsman. I'd have liked to have met him.

Sherlock creator Mark Gatiss contributed a splendid foreword, drawing on his experiences of working with Jon Pertwee and Una Stubbs, which goes some way to unravelling the macabre, freewheeling appeal of Worzel Gummidge, a character who seems to have enchanted and terrified a generation of children in equal measure. The show's success defies full explanation, but I put much of it down to the alchemy of an incredible pooling of talents, working in harmony and treating a silly idea with absolute sincerity. The Worzel Book is a tribute to them all, and for those of us first charmed by Worzel during our formative years, I hope the book rekindles many happy memories.

The Worzel Book can be ordered from Miwk at a discount price by clicking here.

The Worzel Book is out this November

I'm pleased to announce that The Worzel Book: The Making of the Children's TV Classic Worzel Gummidge will finally be published this November as an illustrated hardback from Miwk Publishing. Here's the cover, featuring a great shot by original unit photographer Tony Nutley. The book will also feature hundreds of rare and unseen pictures, along with a 16-page colour centre section. Here's the promotional blurb:

When a former Time Lord swapped time and space for the mystery of the countryside, one of children's television's most unusual personalities was born. Jon Pertwee's portrayal of the anarchic scarecrow Worzel Gummidge won him a new generation of viewers and would become his most enduring character.

The Worzel Book traces the journey of Scatterbrook's scarecrow, from the days of early radio and the novels of Barbara Euphan Todd, through to the hit ITV television series and its eventual resurrection in New Zealand for Worzel Gummidge Down Under.

This is the untold behind-the-scenes story of a much-loved TV classic, featuring over 40 new interviews with cast and crew, including Geoffrey Bayldon, Jeremy Austin, Bernard Cribbins, Barbara Windsor and Lorraine Chase, illustrated throughout with over 200 photographs in black and white and colour, many previously unseen.

So far, the roster of interviewees has grown to over 40. From the original Southern Television series: Jeremy Austin (John Peters), Geoffrey Bayldon (Crowman), Mike Berry (Mr Peters), Barbara Windsor (Saucy Nancy), Lorraine Chase (Dolly Clothes-Peg), Bernard Cribbins (Jolly Jack Tar), Arnold Gutbucket (Scarecrow Extra), Lewis Rudd (Executive Producer), Hazel Peiser (Production Designer), Christine Ruscoe (Production Designer), David Pick (Associate Producer and Director), Nigel Pickard (Assistant Director), Wolfgang Suschitzky (Lighting Camerman), Ken Brinsley (Cameraman), Gaynor Brinsley (Make-up Artist), Christopher Marlowe (Production Assistant/Stand-in) and Denis King (Composer), plus from the Worzel Gummidge Musical, Lucy Benjamin (Sue Peters) and Mike Finesilver (Scarecrow Dancer).

From Worzel Gummidge Down Under, Bruce Phillips (Crowman) Jonathan Marks (Mickey), Olivia Ihimaera-Smiler (Manu), Danny Mulheron (Blighty Tater), David Weatherley (Bulbous Cauliflower), Laurence Wilson (1st Assistant Director), Costa Botes (3rd Assistant Director), Kirsten Shouler (Production Designer), Mick Coote (Production Designer), Nick Dryden (Production Designer), Kim Sinclair (Art Director), Jill Cormack (Art Director), Shayne Radford (Make-up Artist), Barbara Darragh (Costume Designer), Lynn Dunphy (Costume Designer) and Lorae Parry (Chaperone).

Rounding off the list is Jon Pertwee's widow Ingeborg Pertwee, along with Look-in artists Mike Noble and Arthur Ranson and, from the unmade Irish Worzel series, James Mitchell (producer) and Barry Blackmore (production manager). I've also spoken to David Coote, who acted in the 1953 television serial Worzel Gummidge Turns Detective and John Clark, who appeared in some of the early BBC Children's Hour broadcasts, and there may yet be some late additions and surprises.

For more information about The Worzel Book please visit Miwk's website by clicking here.

Speaking of Scarecrows…

I've had a busy start to the year, as work on my Worzel Gummidge book continues. Having made some significant headway, I'm now hoping to have the book out in June this year.

Over the last few weeks, I've been deep into work on cast and crew interviews. Recent interviewees include Mike Berry (Mr Peters), Barbara Windsor (Saucy Nancy), Bernard Cribbins (Jolly Jack Tar), Lewis Rudd (executive producer), David Pick (associate producer), Hazel Peiser (production designer), Ken Brinsley (cameraman), Christine Ruscoe (production designer), Denis King (composer), Arnold Gutbucket (scarecrow extra), Lucy Benjamin (Sue Peters, the Worzel Gummidge musical), Mike Finesilver (scarecrow dancer, the Worzel Gummidge musical), Mike Noble and Arthur Ranson (Look-In artists), Andrew Skilleter (book illustrator) and from Worzel Gummidge Down Under, Bruce Phillips (New Zealand Crowman), Jonathan Marks (Mickey Peacock), Danny Mulheron (Blighty Tater), Costa Botes (assistant director), Nick Dryden (production designer), Kirsten Shouler (production designer), Lynne Dunphy (costume designer), Jill Cormack (art director) and Lorae Parry (dialogue coach), with more in the pipeline.

I also had the pleasure of recently speaking with James Mitchell, who was instrumental in Worzel's resurrection after Southern Television's collapse. James is a very accomplished film producer who, in wry fashion, revealed the remarkable untold story behind the unproduced Irish Worzel Gummidge series, and just how close it came to making it on screen. It's an amazing tale of near-misses, wheeler-dealer entrepreneurism and shady ITV network politics that I think will make for fascinating reading.

To receive advance notification about the book's publication, please join the mailing list by emailing webmaster@worzel-gummidge.co.uk with "list" in the subject header.

Early Broadcasts

A new year and work continues on my Worzel book project. I recently had the pleasure of speaking to David Coote-Prime, who as a 14-year-old actor appeared in Worzel Gummidge Turns Detective, the first time the scarecrow appeared on-screen.

More than 60 years on and living in Canada, David was able to share a wealth of first-hand information and insight, which really helps to bring that lost production back to life. The broadcasts were performed live and never recorded, so I'm really excited to be able to share David's recollections with a wider audience.

I'm now working hard gathering remaining interviews and material for the book, with the manuscript currently standing at 150 pages and growing fast. I hope to finally be ready to publish later in 2015 and please keep visiting for updates in the meantime.

Val Biro: 1921-2014

It was recently reported that veteran artist Val Biro died back in July at the grand old age of 92. To many children he will be best remembered as the writer and illustrator of the long-running Gumdrop series of stories.

During the 1980s, he worked on a number of illustrated storybook editions of the Worzel Gummidge TV stories for Purnell and St Michael, capturing the likenesses of the show's actors. He was a prolific figure in children's publishing and will be much missed. Here's a charming piece of his work from The King of the Scarecrows book, showcasing Val's distinctive caricatures of Scatterbrook's regulars.