Worzel Gummidge - Christmas Special - Cup O' Tea An' A Slice O' Cake (DVD)

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Jon Pertwee as Worzel Gummidge
Una Stubbs as Aunt Sally
Geoffrey Bayldon as The Crowman
Charlotte Coleman as Sue Peters
Jeremy Austin as John Peters

* Other characters….
Mike Berry as Mr Peters
Meg Jenkins as Mrs Braithwaite
Norman Bird as Mr Braithwaite
Thorley Walters as Colonel Bloodstock
Bill Maynard as Sergeant Beetroot
Norman Mitchell as PC Parsons
...BRIEF PLOT…

Worzel is excited about the forthcoming scarecrow ball and is thinking of inviting his beloved Aunt Sally as his guest… unfortunately, for the turnip head, his carefree actions force the crowman to ban him form the ball.
As Worzel wonders the fields around Scatterbrook farm, depressed at not going to the ball, he soon meet up with some old friends, like Saucy Nancy, (played by Barbara Windsor), who is on a pirate ... more

Writers: Keith Waterhouse and Wallis Hall
Producer and Director: James hall

** MAIN CHARACTERS…

Jon Pertwee as Worzel Gummidge
Una Stubbs as Aunt Sally
Geoffrey Bayldon as The Crowman
Charlotte Coleman as Sue Peters
Jeremy Austin as John Peters

* Other characters….
Mike Berry as Mr Peters
Meg Jenkins as Mrs Braithwaite
Norman Bird as Mr Braithwaite
Thorley Walters as Colonel Bloodstock
Bill Maynard as Sergeant Beetroot
Norman Mitchell as PC Parsons
Michael Ripper as Mr Shepherd
Bill Pertwee as Lorry Driver.

This Christmas special was first aired on the 27th December 1980 and stars the lovable scarecrow and his rather strange circle of friends… the theme to this special episode takes a slight turn from the norm as this show is a bit of a singing and dancing extravaganza, giving the straw man and his wooden love of his life a chance to air there vocal chords.
The DVD was released in 2002 and contains a single 56 minute long episode, given a U classification, with the cover giving away the fact that this is a festive episode with its bright red colour and images of ivy in the corners

* But sadly there are no extras on the Disc… (I do wish they would put more out-takes on comical shows like this, it would be some brilliant viewing).

** BRIEF PLOT…

Worzel is excited about the forthcoming scarecrow ball and is thinking of inviting his beloved Aunt Sally as his guest… unfortunately, for the turnip head, his carefree actions force the crowman to ban him form the ball.
As Worzel wonders the fields around Scatterbrook farm, depressed at not going to the ball, he soon meet up with some old friends, like Saucy Nancy, (played by Barbara Windsor), who is on a pirate ship heading for a pantomime… but also some rather strange looking scruff bags, like Bogle McNeep, (played by Billy Connelly) and his army of scarecrows, who are heading North due to the fact that they hate Christmas… leading to a confrontation between the two strawmen until they literally lose their heads..?

With Worzel in such a sulk for not being allowed into the ball, believing he is letting his beloved Aunt Sally down, he has to try and pursues the Crowman to change his mind…

** IN CONCLUSION…

A rather good festive episode with a vast array of singing and dancing… yes that's right, Worzel and Aunt Sally sing and dance more or less throughout this special Christmas edition… and believe me, Worzel is no Choir boy and Aunt Sally is no ballerina either..? In fact, the singing and dancing does seem to add to the humour of the show…

The usual characters who started up the Worzel series are in this one, including Sue and John, so you know what you're in for as the show opens… but I never really expected so much singing and dancing, ( I counted well over a dozen songs throughout the show).
Don't get me wrong, it is still a very entertaining hour long show…although if they had taken out the singing and jiving then this would probably be about ten minutes long…
The dancing is well choreographed, especially when there are several characters moving in unison, but it does look a little strange as most of them are scruffy looking scarecrows of all shapes and sizes… including Bill Maynard and the big Scotsman Billy Connolly…( and watch out for the brief scene with Bill Pertwee, who I think is a cousin or something to Jon..?)
The festive story is easy to follow, as you would expect from the writers, and is perfect for all ages.

Personally I thought this was a little too musical for my particular taste, basically because I am not partial to musicals, but I have to admit that I quite enjoyed this one a little more than I thought I would, even after hearing the first song… although when Barbara Windsor started to sing I felt a little like ripping my ear drums out and tossing them onto the fire…but I felt the songs were just the right length and the dancing had a fantastic touch of comedy which made the episode role along without becoming too tedious or silly.

In all, a fine piece of entertainment for everyone to sit and enjoy without fear of the dreaded swearing, fighting and abusive behaviour… the nearest it comes to being violent is the funny 'duel' between Worzel and Bogle McNeep, leading to a rather bizarre outcome.

If you think you would enjoy watching a grumpy scarecrow sing and dance his way through a festive episode then you can get a copy of this from www.amazon.co.uk for less than £6.00, which is a complete bargain for what you get…
Although, if you're not into musical, or can't stand listening to a scarecrow and a wooden mannequin as they prance around the screen then I don't recommend watching this… but if you like Worzel then you'll love this. 

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