Wombling on Wimbledon Common again
The Wombles are set to make a TV return to Wimbledon Common, in a new Channel 5 series.
Computer-generated animation will be used to re-create the traditional characters who famously keep our local Common clear of litter.
Channel 5 is to make 52 11-minute short films which it will screen on their pre-school Milkshake segment in 2015.
The original series, created by Elizabeth Beresford after she took her grandchildren for a walk on Wimbledon Common, was first screened in 1973.
The characters of Bungo, Wellington, Alderney, Madame Cholet, Great Uncle Bulgaria, Tobermory, Tomsk and Orinco were a big hit and they even went onto have chart music success.
Mike Batt, who created The Wombles pop act, said: "There are audiences of new children and international audiences who missed The Wombles first time around."
Genevieve Dexter, whose Serious Lunch company is co-producing the new series, added: "What sets The Wombles apart is that they were ahead of their time, as the first recycling enthusiasts.
"The relevance of the original themes holds strong and the messages therein are perhaps even more widely accepted today."
August 30, 2013