...the Wombles of Wimbledon Common are we.
If you aren't familiar with those lyrics, then you're probably not a Gen-X Brit. First aired in 1973, The Wombles was a stop motion cartoon based off of a series of books by Elizabeth Beresford. It ran for only two seasons (but 60 episodes because they were short)...but was re-run many times.
The cartoon featured a group of pointy-nosed, fluffy (vaguely hedgehog-like) creatures who lived beneath Wimbledon Common by collecting and recycling litter. It had a not at all subtle "Reuse and recycle" message, a catchy theme song, and a narrator.
The Wombles didn't even have voice actors. All of the characters were voiced by one man. Sadly, the show is not currently available to watch legally and appears to be out of print in DVD. Britbox, come on, you're falling down on the job. A couple of additional episodes were made in 2016 with actual voice actors, but it doesn't appear to have gone anywhere.
So, why am I dredging up this nostalgia-fest?
The one man who did all the voices for The Wombles was Bernard Cribbins. He started his career on the stage at the age of 14.
He ended it in the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary special where he was seen reprising Wilfred Mott in a wheelchair.
He was also well known for narration work in the long running series Jackanory (in which the wombles were first introduced) and played a role in several of the Carry On movies. He was even in a couple of episodes of The Avengers and played bit parts in the 1967 Bond parody Casino Royale. He was in one of the forgotten Doctor Who Dalek TV movies.
Bernard Cribbins did the 60th anniversary in a wheelchair and died today at the age of 93. I do believe that was a fine note to go out on for an actor who is not nearly as well known as he deserved.
Making good use of the things that we find
Things that the everyday folks leave behind
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