Mackenzie Crook

Mackenzie Crook hadn’t watched Worzel Gummidge before he took on the reboot

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The writer-director-star of the reboot was unaware of the passing for the animated scarecrow.

By Patrick McLennan

Mackenzie Crook says he didn’t watch Worzel Gummidge when he was young and was unaware of the passion that people of his generation had for the living scarecrow when he agreed to make last year’s two-part series.

Crook is back with another Worzel Gummidge special, Saucy Nancy, this Christmas after the success of 2019’s rebooted family drama based on the books of Barbara Euphon Todd.

He told The One Show: “There’s a whole generation of people, my age I guess, that held the ’80s version, the Jon Pertwee version so dearly to their hearts… And I didn’t actually watch that, perhaps I was unaware when I got involved and as the thing went on I realised what a thing this was on my shoulders, what a weight of responsibility.”

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First look at Mackenzie Crook in Worzel Gummidge adaptation

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The Detectorists actor will star as the scarecrow formerly portrayed by Doctor Who’s Jon Pertwee

Mackenzie Crook is a turnip-headed scarecrow in a first look at his new BBC1 adaptation of the classic children’s Worzel Gummidge books.

The Detectorists star has written two hour-long films based around the talking scarecrow, who was originally portrayed by Doctor Who actor Jon Pertwee in an ITV series that aired between 1979-81 (and was later revived for a New Zealand spin-off in 1987-89).

Source: First look at Mackenzie Crook in Worzel Gummidge adaptation

The Beautiful Simplicity of Detectorists

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Towards the end of Detectorists, the president of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club (DMDC) digs up a small artifact. He waves to his wife who is sitting and reading nearby, and calls out proudly that it is a button from the Welsh guard. Though it is a small find, he tears up a little, perhaps both from happiness (he is a button collector), but also out of a grateful acknowledgement towards his understanding wife. That balance of sweetness and sly humor is what makes the quiet loveliness of Detectorists such a Peak TV treasure.

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Detectorists series 3 finale review: “one of the most satisfying conclusions ever”

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Mark Braxton pays tribute to a departing sitcom that is simply outstanding in its field

There is so much love for Detectorists. On any day of the week, just type in its hashtag and you’ll find posts like “one of the finest shows ever written”, “the antidote to Trump, Brexit and reality TV” and “please don’t let it be the last series”. Sherlock actor Amanda Abbington is among its famous fans, calling it “glorious television comedy at its best”.

 In three short seasons plus a Christmas special, Mackenzie Crook’s sylvan sitcom has created a buzz among viewers wanting a remedy to hateful times. Ostensibly it’s about two nerdy, 40-something men indulging their metal-detecting hobby while real life is passing them by.

And yes, this Poundland Time Team is searching for gold, but dig below the surface and it’s about so much more: history, conservation, love, family, friendship, the quiet achievements of ordinary people… these are the treasures of life, not material things

It’s a breath of invigorating, unpolluted air and one that makes a sunny virtue of its rural settings (Framlingham in Suffolk masquerading as the fields of Essex). It’s naturalistic, quirkily funny and sometimes memorably sad.

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