Mike Berry doesn’t think the ‘Worzel Gummidge’ reboot can measure up to the original.
The 78-year-old actor – who played Mr. Peters on the BBC sitcom from 1979 to 1981 – has hit out at the planned remake with Mackenzie Crook taking on Jon Pertwee’s role from the classic kid’s show, and he admitted the performance could be "impossible" to even match.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre TV column, he said: "They don’t come much better than that for this sort of thing. I think the remake is going to be up against it.
"I’m wary of the Worzel remake for their own benefit because Jon Pertwee could be extremely hard, if not impossible, to match, let alone top."
And the star agreed that broadcasters could be struggling for original ideas because "everything has been done" already.
He added: "I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. Everything has been done. And these shows do run out of ideas."
Last year, it was reported that the much-loved talking scarecrow – who got into mischief on Scatterbrook Farm with interchangeable heads, with each one giving him a special skill – is being resurrected by ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star Crook.
The 46-year-old actor – who also played Gareth Keenan in ‘The Office’ from 2001 to 2003 – is set to take on the character, who last appeared on screens 23 years ago, as well as penning the script for the reboot of the popular children’s TV show, which will be an adaptation of the classic Puffin books by Barbara Euphan Todd, and broadcast by the BBC.
A source said at the time: "Mackenzie has been working on this for some time. He’s written most of the script and pitched it to the BBC who were keen and are now officially on-board.
"It is not a continuation of the old story. Worzel is a legendary kids TV character and Mackenzie is keen to make sure the series does it justice."
Worzel Gummidge star slams reboot plans
