Worzel Gummidge
Worzel Gummidge was a scarecrow that could walk and talk.
Biography
After the Third Doctor's two companions gave him their resignation letters, the Doctor decided to move on and combine his two greatest characters: Doctor Who and Worzel Gummidge. He called it Doctor Gummidge. He claimed he would fly around the space-time continuum scaring away birds. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart featured in the series, as did the Master who on one occasion exhausted the supply of barley on Gallifrey just by eating it. (AUDIO: The Skivers: Series 2, Episode 4 [+]Loading...["The Skivers: Series 2, Episode 4 (audio story)"])
Legacy
Panda said that Iris was doing one of her impressions of Worzel Gummidge's sister on the cover of the "stupendous tome" he had edited, which he hoped would distract readers from his own nudity on it. (PROSE: Letter from the Editor [+]Loading...["Letter from the Editor (short story)"])
The Fourth Doctor owned a yo-yo with Worzel Gummidge's face on it, which he bought from Blackpool Winter Gardens. (AUDIO: Blood of the Time Lords [+]Loading...["Blood of the Time Lords (audio story)"])
Other realities
Earth-33⅓
In Earth-33⅓, Worzel was a lookalike of the Third Doctor, specifically he had modelled himself on him because that incarnation of the Doctor was his favourite. He could be contracted for work as the Doctor through the Lordsalookalikes Agency. He could usually be found in fields scaring away Daleks and Navy larks. It was well-documented that he changed heads a lot at this time. (PROSE: The Doctor Who 'Almost' Lookalikes [+]Loading...["The Doctor Who 'Almost' Lookalikes (short story)"])
At some point Worzel acquired friends in high places. He was once in the running for becoming the Sixth Doctor but the Fifth Doctor was disgusted at this idea and booted him out of the TARDIS without hesitation. (COMIC: Doctor Who? 65 [+]Loading...["Doctor Who? (DWM 65 comic story)","''Doctor Who?'' 65"])
At his audition for the Third Doctor in 1969, Jon Pertwee's costume was criticised for resembling Worzel Gummidge too much. (COMIC: Ever Wondered What Happened At.. The Auditions For The Seven Doctors? [+]Loading...["Ever Wondered What Happened At.. The Auditions For The Seven Doctors? (comic story)"])
Behind the scenes
In non-valid sources
In Sydney Newman's pitch of Doctor Who to the BBC's Mr. Borusa, Sydney told him that he had arranged with Jon Pertwee's agent to cast the actor in 1970, but had to "release him" in 1974 so he could play Worzel Gummidge. (TV: The Pitch of Fear [+]Loading...["The Pitch of Fear (TV story)"])
Worzel Gummidge once asked John Smith "who was that terrible woman?" when he read Doctor Who Yearbook 1995 and remembered once dreaming about pointlessly running around Albert Square. (COMIC: Doctor Whoah! 384 [+]Loading...["Doctor Whoah! (DWM 384 comic story)","''Doctor Whoah!'' 384"])
Jon Pertwee was once abducted by a man claiming to be the President of the Worzel Gummidge fan club. (COMIC: Gemini Plan [+]Loading...["Gemini Plan (Whoah! comic story)"])
Other matters
- Worzel Gummidge is the eponymous character from the children's television series, Worzel Gummidge. There, he was portrayed on-screen by Third Doctor actor Jon Pertwee; given Pertwee's connection, most DWU stories featuring Gummidge riff on his similarity in appearance to the Doctor.
- Worzel Gummidge appeared in The Story of Worzel of Scatterbrook Farm and how he came to make the Golden Journey to Royston Vasey in Obverse Books' charity anthology The Curse of Fanfic!, an unofficial crossover with The League of Gentlemen.
