please empty your brain below
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I think Hector's House and Magic Roundabout were made in French and rerecorded in English. DG did not mention Sir Prancelot with the jester playing a flute that sounded like an electric guitar or Arthur King of Camelot.
Half a physicist | 26.04.24 - 7:28 a.m. | #
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I didn’t mention Sir Prancealot because it wasn’t shown before the news in 1974 (it’s a 1972 programme).
Back to the Wombles…
diamond geezer | Homepage | 26.04.24 - 7:38 a.m. | #
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The television series memorably narrated, ad libbed grunts and all, by the much missed Bernard Cribbings.
Rod | 26.04.24 - 7:52 a.m. | #
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This brought back lots of fond memories of my childhood! My auntie knew I was a big Wombles fan and she bought me the 'Mike Sammes Singers Sing Hits of the Wombles' album. She meant well but, as you can imagine, I was more than a tad disappointed. But I did later get Superwombling and I did have the Minuetto Allegretto single (I still know all the lyrics by heart!).
JP | 26.04.24 - 7:52 a.m. | #
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Half a physicist - Not only that but it was not merely a synopsis of the original story in French. It was a story invented afresh to tie in with the video. So could be a totally different story from the French version. (Apologies for not being Wombles related.)
Pedantic of Purley | 26.04.24 - 7:55 a.m. | #
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Loved the Wombles tv output, but can't forgive Mike Batt for creating the musical spinoff which inexorably led to later musical horrors such as Kermit the Frog, Mr Blobby, Postman Pat, The Tweenies, Bob the Builder, etc.
Frank F | 26.04.24 - 8:04 a.m. | #
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There is a dubbed german version of the Wombles. Luckily I saw the original first and it made me realise that a lot of the success was down to Bernard Cribbens absolutely nailing the characters with his voices. My favorite was Tomsk although in real life I turned out to be more Tobermorey.
If I remember rightly a melody of the Wombling song and Remember you´re a Womble was played in the interval before voting to a background of pictures of Brighton during the 1974 ESC. Creates a nice link and indeed confirmation of your first sentence.
dg writes: hence why it was my first sentence.
keith the Kraut | 26.04.24 - 8:20 a.m. | #
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Important to have an auntie who bothers to make something that 'looks right' rather than an approximation.
I always found it odd that they'd be a short cheerful kids show just before news about the latest IRA bombing, strikes, Nixon, oil crisis, some stuff about Vietnam, but that was the 70's.
Still Anon | 26.04.24 - 8:30 a.m. | #
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'Wombles' very quickly established itself as the name given by bus crews to seniors travelling free on London's buses. Something that was also introduced around that time.
They were unpopular among the majority of busmen (1974 Term) at that time. I don't know how long the usage endured. It was certainly still in use in April 1984 when I left LT.
Steve | Homepage | 26.04.24 - 8:44 a.m. | #
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I think I succumbed to nothing more than a T shirt and a lampshade. But my brother may have had some of the annuals (I always got the Blue Peter one).
Man of Kent | 26.04.24 - 8:44 a.m. | #
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Remember You’re A Womble was actually a cracking glam-rock single with a fine instrumental middle eight. The rest of their stuff? I was too old, I’m afraid.
Philip | 26.04.24 - 9:18 a.m. | #
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A graph showing the rise and fall of shared culture in the UK presumably follows the meteoric rise in TV ownership, suddenly flattening out at just under 100 per cent in the mid ‘70s. Which means the Wombles, FilmFair, and the peerless Bernard, are the absolute peak of British culture - for now and all time. And I’m more than happy with that. An elegant whimsy, for a more civilised age. Pity the youth of today. Skibidi Toilet, indeed.
jpmac | 26.04.24 - 9:19 a.m. | #
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That theme tune is going to be in my head all day now! Such a lovely earworm.
Happy times.
Cornish Cockney | 26.04.24 - 9:35 a.m. | #
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Tobermory(pop: 1000) has a second connection to children's entertainment. It was also the setting of the eponymous Balamory in the popular CBBC TV series.
Jonathan | 26.04.24 - 9:56 a.m. | #
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I remember going to watch Scotland play at Hampden Park in Glasgow, and part of the pre-match entertainment was bringing onto the pitch The Wombles to sing and play their latest hit. However, I could not hear said tune as they were drowned out by continuous booing from the crowd.
The Wombles of course were from England, and were not wanted....
Doug Robinson | 26.04.24 - 9:58 a.m. | #
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That brings back the memories. Thank you. But having Japanese connections the reference to Bungo as a province, and not recognising the term, prompted a quick trip to Google. The province appears to have been a feudal domain that, with other neighbouring provinces on the south western island of Kyushu, were merged in 1871 to form Ōita Prefecture. However, there is a Bungo district to be found in the greater Osaka area, and Google Maps reveals Bungo is a Regency (administrative district) in Indonesia. Clearly Elisabeth Beresford had a connection to one of these. Intriguing stuff.
Stuart R | 26.04.24 - 10:08 a.m. | #
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Whereas one occasionally meets a Womble-esque human being, I consider Hector's House to be the most true-to-life. I have come across numerous people who are dead ringers for Hector, Kiki and... the other one...
cau1khead | 26.04.24 - 10:17 a.m. | #
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Pleased to see Uncle Bulgaria still looking good.
Aunt | 26.04.24 - 10:32 a.m. | #
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Love that list of the pre-news children's programmes, happy memories.
Much as I loved watching The Wombles, the music passed me by, so my parents can be thankful for that!
Mikey C | 26.04.24 - 10:39 a.m. | #
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How closely did the TV series keep to the books? Adaptations have a tendency to play fast and loose with the originals and annoy people who have come to the TV after reading them.
Martin | 26.04.24 - 11:19 a.m. | #
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I really liked the wombles, and so read the books where I was surprised to discover that they had moved to Hyde Park (in a Silver Rolls Royce). Years later I worked on Wimbledon Common and discovered the development that had turfed them out was real! (I never read The Wombles to the Rescue, so didn't know they later returned).
David Scott | 26.04.24 - 11:43 a.m. | #
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I had some of the Wombles albums. And I have them to thank for introducing me to classical music. One of the albums had an instrumental called "Hall of the Mountain Womble" based on the music from Peer Gynt. But I've never found an orchestral version that ends with someone saying "Get that orchestra off my mountain" :-)
Dave Cross | Homepage | 26.04.24 - 11:51 a.m. | #
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Three of the books have recently been narrated on BBC Sounds by Richard E Grant, and they’re very well done but full of “blimey I never remembered that was part of the story” moments.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 26.04.24 - 11:52 a.m. | #
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I've often wondered if the Wombles and their activity had the opposite effect to the one intended: it's perfectly OK to drop litter in an open space, because a Womble will come along to pick it up.
Jonathan Wadman | 26.04.24 - 12:17 p.m. | #
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I remember enjoying the Wombles on Children's BBC in the mid-1980s and had no idea they were originally from 1974! That programme aged well!
Dan | 26.04.24 - 12:36 p.m. | #
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At age 13 when the Wombles were at their prime I should probably have been too old, but I loved the music as it was to my mind so clever. The brief reference to Remember You're a Womble in Wombling Merry Christmas still gets me every time.
Andrew S | 26.04.24 - 1:09 p.m. | #
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Steeleye Span once appeared as the Wombles band on Top of the Pops
source: here (24 July 1975)
fred | 26.04.24 - 1:41 p.m. | #
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Triggered memory: back in the early 80s many small towns had a summer carnival day and local and national employers had floats. It was Saturday overtime so lots of volunteers, and there were two dressing up suits: Busby, and a Womble. That suit reeked, and it took 3 days to stop itching.
Frank F | 26.04.24 - 3:24 p.m. | #
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Wombling Merry Christmas is on my MP3 Christmas playlist which, on shuffle, is the backdrop to our family Christmas Day.
I'm, mostly uncomplainingly, indulged in my 1 day of festive broadcasting!
Cornish Cockney | 26.04.24 - 3:58 p.m. | #
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Jonathan Wadman - It was indeed a problem, at leastb on Wimbledon Common. I recall hearing that "Remember YOU'RE a Womble" was written specifically to discourage such activity.
Timbo | 26.04.24 - 4:45 p.m. | #
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We had joy, we had fun, we had Man U on the run
M | 26.04.24 - 8:41 p.m. | #
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Still have a Womble poster that was sold as wrapping paper.
ap | 26.04.24 - 10:01 p.m. | #
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Wombling In The Rain is an absolute banger.
Andrew Adams | 26.04.24 - 11:06 p.m. | #
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I have the 1975 wombles Annual in my stack of books for some reason. I think it was a gift from someone who thought i was actually older than I am
Yours if you want it.
alistair twin | 27.04.24 - 10:38 a.m. | #
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Perhaps this is the year to mount a "Wombling Merry Christmas for No.1" campaign then?!
It's such an ear worm, together with most of those Mike Batt tracks. If my "The W Factor" 'best of' album pops up on the random play, I know they'll be going around my head for days...
Ellis | 02.05.24 - 9:27 p.m. | #
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The Wombles live on in the guise of AFC Wimbledon's official mascot Haydon, entertaining fans for almost 20 years, with the blessing of Elizabeth Beresford herself. Naturally he has a social media presence.
dg writes: and a bench.
Wayne | 03.05.24 - 9:13 p.m. | #
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