‘The Wombles’ to return with modernised reboot

Iconic children’s show The Wombles is set to recieve a modern remake half century after the original series aired.

As reported by Deadline, the new reboot is being written by How to Train Your Dragon’s Will Davies and produced by Altitude TV, and will once again centre on Uncle Bulgaria and co. in their underground home in Wimbledon Common.

The outlet confirmed that the new version will modernise the series, although no further details have yet been revealed.

Based on the characters created by Elisabeth Beresford in her series of children’s novels that were published between 1968 and 1976, The Wombles originally aired between 1973 and 1975 on BBC1, with the late Bernard Cribbins narrating.

The Wombles has since returned on a couple of occasions — first in a reboot in the late ’90s and then a short-lived CGI version that was intended for release in 2015 but was ultimately cut short due to financial complications.

In addition to TV appearances, The Wombles also saw success with a number of popular novelty songs, including 1974’s ‘Remember You’re A Womble’. Altogether, the pointy-nosed  furry creatures claimed eight UK top 40 hits.

The show was also known for the sustainability message at is core, as the characters looked for creative ways to help the environment by recycling rubbish found on the streets of Wimbledon, using the motto “make good use of bad rubbish”.

In addition to the group’s leader Great Uncle Bulgaria, characters that featured in the original series included Tobermory, Madame Cholet, Orinoco and Wellington.

Alongside The Wombles, Altitude Television also announced the new police thriller Riot Squad as well as a TV adaptation of Chris Hadfield’s The Apollo Murders.

In other TV news, Jessica Smith, who played the sun baby in Teletubbies, recently announced she’s pregnant with her first child.

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