Mackenzie Crook drops biggest hint yet Worzel Gummidge will return – three years after last series
STAR of The Office Mackenzie Crook has given fans a hint about the future of one of his beloved characters.
He may be one of our most recognisable actors but, for some younger fans, Mackenzie is best known for his work as the straw faced scarecrow, Worzel Gummidge.
Viewers haven’t seen the festive farm helper since 2021, with many assuming that Mackenzie wouldn’t be donning the famous hat again on our screens.
But now the actor has given fans hope that we may not have seen the last of magical Worzel, who is based on the character from the original Barbara Euphan Todd books.
Speaking to Times Radio he said: “Worzel Gummidge, I would like to do more with. I don’t feel like I’ve finished with that.”
“I had such a great time making those shows and I really became really fond of the old Scarecrow.
“And I think there possibly are more stories to tell. So, yeah, one day I would like to go back to that.”
The story of Worzel has had a long life and many faces, with the original author releasing the books in the 1940s.
Since then it has been adapted into a radio play in the 1950s then it was brought to TV screens on ITV in the late 70s with Jon Pertwee famously taking on the lead role.
There was even a version made in the 1980s for Channel 4, still starring Pertwee and Una Stubbs, where the whole family relocated to New Zealand for Worzel Gummidge Down Under.
Mackenzie then brought back the eco-friendly farm worker in 2019, acting in the lead role himself as well as directing and writing the series himself.
It became something of a Christmas hit, returning each December between 2019 and 2021.
Although there was good news for Worzel fans, the Game of Thrones actor did seem to put to bed another of his best known series.
He went on to tell Times Radio: “Detectorists, I’m very pleased that I’ve done the right amount and I don’t want to spoil that.
This seems to back up and interview Mackenzie recently did with The Guardian about his love of filming the metal detecting hit saying: “The sun was always shining, the sky was always blue, everyone had a laugh and I was never grumpy.”
Mackenzie's Crook's career so far.
Mackenzie is one of our most recognisable actors, let's look at some of his career highlights...
Barking, 1998 – Featured in late night Channel 4 sketch show with the likes of Peter Kay and Catherine Tate
The Office, 2001 – Played the iconic ‘Gareth’ alongside Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, 2003 – Mackenzie’s big Hollywood break playing the pirate Ragetti. He returned for further films in the franchise in 2006 and 2007.
Merchant of Venice, 2004 – Crook appeared as Launcelot Gobbo .
Skins, 2009 – Played the roll of Bristolian gangster Johnny White.
Game of Thrones, 2013 – Appeared as the mystic ‘wilding’ Orell.
The Detectorists, 2014 – Wrote and directed the fan favourite, staring with Toby Jones in the series which ran until 2022.
Watership Down, 2018 – Mackenzie voiced the loveable rabbit Hawkbit in this BBC and Netflix version of the book.
Worzel Gummidge, 2021 – Wrote and directed the remake of the beloved children’s classic.
His co-star Toby Jones added: “Those three summers we spent shooting felt like a holiday.”
But it seems that they will both be hanging up their metal detectors as Mackenzie said: “I won’t be making any more Detectorists, but nobody should be sad. We made just the right amount.”
Worzel Gummidge is available on BBC iPlayer.