Folk favourites The Unthanks are providing the musical soundtrack to the new production of children's TV favourite Worzel Gummidge which will screen this Christmas.

The award-winning Northumberland band, spearheaded by sisters Becky and Rachel Unthank, have created a song specially for the re-imagining of the story about the talking scarecrow which originally entertained viewers 40 years ago.

The Office and Detectorists actor Mackenzie Crook will star in the two-parter which is set to be a highlight of the BBC schedules over Christmas .

The Unthanks, who are playing at the Home Gathering Festival
The Unthanks

The Unthanks, credited with attracting new audiences to folk with their take on traditional Northumbrian music, tweeted about having composed a song called The Scarecrow Knows for the soundtrack and their local fans won't fail to notice their distinctive sound when the drama airs, with the first episode coming out on Boxing Day.

The drama, whose celebrity cast also stars Zoe Wanamaker, Michel Palin and Steve Pemberton, will introduce the the scarecrow to a whole new generation.

Older viewers will remember former Dr Who actor John Pertwee playing the turnip-head character in the original 1979 to 1981 TV series based on the book series by Barbara Euphan.

And they may well have mixed opinions of whether the walking, talking scarecrow was charming or scary at the time as he had the ability to swap heads - using turnips and swedes - as he brought mischief to the setting of Scatterbrook Farm.

Crook also will be joined by Vicki Pepperdine as Aunt Sally as well as India Brown and Thierry Wickens as children Susan and John who are shocked when they arrive on the farm to find the scarecrow in the adjacent field comes alive.

And the scarecrow is pretty surprised too to encounter humans.

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Worzel Gummidge will air in two one-hour episodes, with the first making its debut at 6.20pm on Boxing Day and then the second episode following at 7pm on Friday, December 27.

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