For many Jon Pertwee will be best remembered for playing Timelord Doctor Who, but given that he handed over to Tom Baker when I was only one year old, I will forever remember him best as the scarecrow that came to life, Worzel Gummidge.
Worzel Gummidge was one of my favourite shows as a kid, and was one of those TV programmes that got the whole family together regardless of their age. Worzel was a scarecrow who was made by The Crowman, a strange old man played by Geoffrey Bayldon of Catweazle fame. The Crowman’s scarecrows were very special as they could come to life, although they were supposed to remain lifeless whenever a human was around.
Worzel’s head was made from a Mangelwurzel (a root vegetable, a bit like a large turnip), although more properly, I should say “heads”. Worzel had a number of different heads he could switch between. A sharp twist removed his normal head, and a different head could then be slotted onto his shoulds. Each of these heads looked slightly different, and gave Worzel different abilities. Most often used was his Thinking Head, which gave him an intelligence boost, but he also had a Counting Head and a Brave Head, amongst others.