Latest news with #TheWombles
Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Mum invented the Wombles but devastating event was her inspiration'
A beloved children's TV show is getting a 2025 rebrand with a new interactive experience - and The Wombles creator's son says his mum would be thrilled Underground, overground, The Wombles are once again wombling free. The furry eco-conscious inhabitants of Wimbledon Common are staging a comeback with a brand-new interactive exhibition that brings their world to life for a new generation. WOMBLE MANIA opens his weekend in the Peak District and charts The Wombles' journey from book to screen. New episodes featuring the creatures who gather stuff 'every day folk leave behind' are also in the pipeline for later this year. According to her son, Wombles creator Elisabeth Beresford would have been thrilled that Great Uncle Bulgaria, Tobermory, Madame Cholet and the rest of the gang are once again back in the limelight. 'Mum would have loved the fact they are making a comeback. They hold a special place in British culture after all," says Marcus Robertson, who as a child was the inspiration behind the character of Orinoco. He believes that the message conveyed by the loveable rubbish collectors, who emerge from their burrows under Wimbledon Common to litter pick, is as crucial today as it was when his mum started to write the books back in the late 1960s. 'The Wombles were really ahead of their time in terms of ideas about caring for the environment, picking up litter and recycling - their motto is 'make good use of bad rubbish' and that says it all. 'But it's more than just about looking after your surroundings and nature. They have values of kindness, mutual respect, generosity, community; there's no violence. These are all the things we should be embracing here in 2025.' Marcus, 69, who lives in Surrey and has two grown up sons, is adamant his mum never set out to preach to her fans. 'For her, The Wombles were never 'being' green - they just were green. That's how they lived their lives. 'Remember, Mum was 13 when the war started and that's how she was brought up - to never waste a thing.' Elisabeth Beresford was born in 1926 into a literary household. Her Godparents included the poet Cecil Day-Lewis, while George Bernard Shaw and DH Lawrence were family friends. It was almost inevitable, then, that she would become a writer and journalist. She married the BBC tennis commentator and broadcaster Max Robertson in 1949 and penned her first children's book in 1957. But it was an afternoon stroll with her two children on Boxing Day in 1966 which changed the course of her life and gave the world The Wombles. 'She'd written lots of stuff for kids by this time and had been asked by her publisher to come up with an answer to Paddington Bear, which had been hugely successful,' remembers Marcus, who worked in sports marketing and now runs a luxury steam train business. 'As we walked along Wimbledon Common my sister Kate mispronounced 'Wimbledon' as 'Wombledon'. And that was it. By the time we got home Mum had the fundamentals of The Wombles in her head.' Initially imagined as 'tubby little bats' and later 'teddy bears with claws', many of the characters were based on members of Elisabeth's own family. Her mother - Marcus's grandmother - was Madame Cholet, her brother was Tobermory and Marcus's grandfather Great Uncle Bulgaria. Marcus himself remains hugely proud to have had the character Orinoco - famed for relishing both his food and naps - modelled on him. 'And yes, he and I do share some traits - my wife would say I haven't changed at all!' he laughs. 'Did I mind being the inspiration behind Orinoco? Not at all. Why should I? It's a lovely thing.' The first Wombles book appeared in 1968 and many more followed. But it was the arrival on our TV screen of the iconic stop-motion animated series - 35 five-minute episodes produced between 1973 and 1975 - which cemented their place in the childhood folklore of many. While Elizabeth wrote the scripts, Marcus would help, listening and making suggestions as she read them over the phone to him while he was away at boarding school. The show's success was cemented by a catchy theme tune written by Mike Batt, The Wombling Song, as well as the narration of Bernard Cribbins, who voiced all the characters. 'Having watched Bernard in The Railway Children, he was one of my heroes. When I met him he was exactly as you might imagine - great fun,' says Marcus. 'He captured my grandfather as Great Uncle Bulgaria to a tee. I see some episodes of the show now and look at how the character talks to Orinoco and I find it quite moving, because that's how my grandfather spoke to me; Bernard totally got him. 'My family members are intertwined with The Womble family and always will be.' The Wombles were a worldwide smash. Elisabeth penned more than 20 books, which were translated into 40 different languages. Musically, the band The Wombles, under the guidance of Mike Batt, had eight Top 40 singles including Remember You're a Womble and Wombling Merry Christmas. They appeared on Top of The Pops 17 times in the early 1970s and were even the interval entertainment at the Eurovision Song Contest in1974. There was a feature length live-action movie too, while further episodes were made in the late 1990s. In 2011 The Wombles performed at Glastonbury and in 2021, were the UK government mascots at Cop26 and supported its #OneStepGreener campaign. This year, as well as the new visitor attraction at the Heights of Abraham in Derbyshire, The Wombles will return to our screens with a suite of new shows on YouTube. Appearing in both live action and animated formats, the episodes will all have a sustainability message and explore solutions to environmental problems. They will also feature tips and tricks to reduce food waste and upcycle old clothes. The Wombles' ethos has also inspired a good cause, The Wombles Community Charity, which aims to harness their green message to encourage community-led environmental action. It was when Elisabeth received in 1998, however, that the author perhaps understood for herself how far her creations had travelled. 'My mum loved the Monarch and I went to Buckingham Palace with her when she was awarded her MBE," says Marcus. 'The Queen had briefing notes for all those she was receiving - but not for my mum; she just seemed to know a lot about her and The Wombles naturally. We like to think she was a fan.' Elisabeth and her family moved to the Channel Island of Alderney and lived there until she died in 2010, which now has a Womble trail in her honour. Her home also inspired the Womble called Alderney, based on Marcus's wife Marianne, who is perhaps the most green of The Wombles thanks to her love of gardening - mirroring Marianne's own passion. Now the family is preparing for a new generation of fans to meet Bungo, Tomsk and the rest of the crew. Marcus is certain his mum would have been thrilled to see how her beloved Wombles have evolved and, for him, having grown up with the characters, they remain a huge part of his life. 'It sounds odd but I do like to believe they really are out there somewhere, carrying on their work and cleaning up after us humans. 'I would not be remotely shocked if I met one." WOMBLE MANIA is now open at The Heights of Abraham Visitor Attraction in the Peak District. Did you know? By the end of the final book, Great Uncle Bulgaria was said to be more than 300 years old. The Wombles has been voted by the British public as one of the top 10 most popular BBC TV children's programmes of all time. Ivor Wood designed The Wombles for TV with pointed snouts and floppy ears, distinct from the teddy bear-like animals illustrated in the original book. Throughout her books, the author revealed there were several sub-species of Womble; the Loch Ness Monster is written as part o f a clean of water Wombles while the Yeti of the Himalayas are giant snow-white Wombles. The highest chart position for TheWombles was Number 2 for Wombling Merry Christmas on 4 January 1975. It was kept off the top spot by Mud's Lonely This Christmas. In the books, Wombles have a varied diet of plants, fungi, and tree products including moss pie, fir cone souffle and elm bark casserole. They are particularly fond of mushrooms.
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Place in the Sun Laura Hamilton's life - Womble dad, killer disease and tragedy
Laura Hamilton's one decision as a teen set her life on a completely different path (Image: @laurahamiltontv/instagram) Laura Hamilton has been on our screens for almost 20 years and is best known for fronting A Place in the Sun. Channel 4 star Laura, 43, started presenting the daytime classic back in February 2012, but her career path has been anything but predictable. Born and raised in Kent, her dad, Ian Hamilton, also had a flair for entertainment, and was part of a 70s iconic pop band The Wombles - the spin-off from the children's TV show. Laura also spent plenty of time in Scotland, where her grandad hailed from. "When I was a kid, my parents and I went up on a sleeper train to Fort William to a skiing range. The sleeper train up to Fort William was absolutely beautiful and that was my first skiing experience,' she told the Daily Record. Laura Hamilton's love of travel came from visiting Scotland as a kid, but she tragically couldn't attend her Scottish grandad's funeral due to Covid-19 restrictions (Image: PR SUPPLIED) She added: "As kids, we grew up camping and caravanning. I saw a lot of Scotland. It's beautiful up there. And when I was starting out in my career I worked for a company called Lion TV that is based in Glasgow.' Sadly, Laura's grandad - who had such an impact on her childhood - died in 2020 while the country was still under tight Covid-19 restrictions. The year after, she opened up about the tragedy. "My grandad passed away last August, aged 89, and I had to watch the funeral online. We had a strong bond so it was hard, but I wrote a poem that was read out. I like to think my grandad's watching over me." After studying her A-Levels, Laura set to sit law and psychology at university, but in a life-changing move, she turned down her uni offer and instead signed a one-year contract to work as a runner for Dermot O'Leary on Channel 4. TV was a natural fit and she soon became an Assistant Floor Manager for shows including Top of the Pops, The Buckingham Palace Jubilee Celebrations, and Big Brother. The star turned down her uni offer to work as a runner for Dermot O'Leary, and even worked on Harry Potter behind the camera before starting her presenting career (Image: Instagram/laurahamiltontv) Next, she was promoted to assistant director roles, and even helped behind the scenes on The Bill and the Harry Potter films franchise. After years behind the camera, things changed when she secured the role of Melody in the beloved CITV show Fun Song Factory, before becoming a key Nickelodeon presenter. Soon enough, Laura moved on from kids' TV to work on shows such as The Xtra Factor, and even competed on Dancing on Ice in 2011, with her career kicking off more than ever after A Place in the Sun with work as a guest presenter on This Morning. Alongside her TV work, Laura also has a podcast called The Mile Fly Club, and has some surprising hobbies and side hustles away from showbiz. In 2017, the village shop in her south London neighbourhood was closing down, which she quickly snapped up and saved. Laura then became a landlady, reopening the shop as a pub and restaurant called Lord Roberts on the Green, which she sold in 2021. And her latest venture? Taking to the skies independently. Alongside following her dad into showbiz, Laura's dad Ian also inspired her to learn how to fly planes. She explained: "I've always been interested in learning to fly because my dad has a private pilot's license he had when I was growing up. Running a business, you can never take your foot off the pedal and you're always having to keep an eye on the spend but this was something that has always been on my bucket list. "I'm being taught by a BA pilot out of Redhill, Surrey, which is not too far from where I live. I've had a few lessons in a Cessna 152 and I have to rack up 45 hours before I get my private pilot's license and there's lots of exams I have to pass." Laura opened a pub with her ex-husband Alex Goward, and is now becoming a pilot in her free time after selling the London eatery (Image: Getty Images) Laura added that selling the pub had made room for her ambition, admitting: 'Running a business, you can never take your foot off the pedal and you're always having to keep an eye on the spend but this was something that has always been on my bucket list.' Between working and training as a pilot, Laura is also a mum of two kids, Rocco and Tahlia, whom she shares with her former hubby Alex Goward. In January 2022, Laura announced the end of her nine-year marriage to Alex with a poignant Instagram post quoting Dr. Seuss: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Alongside the quote, she shared a personal message: "This isn't something I ever thought I'd be saying but, after 13 years of being together Alex and I have separated. Our children are and always will be our number one priority and we would respect privacy for our family at this time. Laura." She later revealed that their separation was amicable, explaining: "It was a decision we both came to. We have an enormous amount of respect for each other, but we are now on different paths. At the point it was announced, we'd already overcome a lot of difficult times. But I am lucky that we have the relationship and respect for each other that we have, and our children's happiness will always be our priority." She's now rumoured to be in a new relationship with CEO James Pettigrew, with Laura said to have started dating the businessman in January 2024. James was still legally married when they started seeing each other, with their romance reportedly taking his estranged wife Jackie by surprise. Meanwhile, Laura has also been open about her personal health struggles, particularly with Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), a condition that leads to a low platelet count and is prone to causing easy or excessive bruising and bleeding. In a candid chat with the Daily Star, Laura opened up about her health struggles. She shared: "I have something called ITP, Immune thrombocytopenia, which is low platelet count in my blood, it's quite an unknown disease. It sort of flares up and down depending on what's going on with my life, and stress often brings it out." One of the reasons for Laura's gorgeous floaty dresses is to hide her bruised legs - after she opened up about her struggle with Immune thrombocytopenia Recalling a recent encounter while filming, she said: "It was really mad a year ago I was filming A Place In The Sun with a lovely couple in France - Mark and Janine - and I just stood there and I had an insect bite on my leg and I started scratching it. I was like 'Oh I shouldn't have done that because I'm gonna have bruises on my leg from ITP.'" To her surprise, Mark responded intimately, knowing exactly what Laura was talking about, "Mark stopped and was like 'how do you know what ITP is?'" His personal connection to the illness brought further gravity to the conversation as he explained, "And he told me that really sadly his sister had died from ITP and he said it was really good how I was trying to raise awareness of it." "It's one of them times where you think they could have been paired with anybody as a presenter and nobody knew about the ITP link so it was just like 'wow'." The presenter continued: "But that's kind of under control at the moment I don't have bruising quite like that on my legs but it does happen it does flare up but I'm always trying to be positive about things and be a glass half-full." Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
Business Mayor
27-04-2025
- Business Mayor
English museum home to world-famous collection – as well as UK's oldest monorail
THE UK'S oldest monorail is based at a museum in the New Forest, between Southampton and Bournemouth. The historic monorail, located at Beaulieu, stretches for a mile and allows guests to explore the museum from above. 4 The monorail celebrated 50 years since opening, last year Credit: Alamy 4 A ride on the monorail stretches for a mile Credit: Alamy It even goes over the roof of the National Motor Museum. As guests travel on the monorail, commentary tells the stories behind the different things they see on their journey. Visitors can experience the monorail through regular services across the day. Over 240,000 visitors take a trip on the Monorail each year. Last year, the Monorail at Beaulieu celebrated 50 years since it opened in 1974. Over the decades, visitors have enjoyed the travelling on the monorail at the museum. Back in 1974, it was opened by The Wombles – the furry, secretive creatures created by Elizabeth Beresford. However, it was not the first monorail at Beaulieu. Before the 'Skytrain', there was a less permanent structure in place for the opening of the National Motor Museum in 1972. This monorail featured battery operated mechanics, from milk floats and soon after it was launched, it was realised that something more permanent was needed. Tiny English village named one of the most beautiful in the UK is home to huge motor museum Butlin's was actually the thing that inspired a permanent monorail at the museum, as the resort at Skegness was home to the first commercial monorail system in the UK. An agreement was made, whereby Beaulieu purchased the same mechanism to use for its 'Skytrain'. The trains were recently named 'Monty' and 'Mary' and for the 50th anniversary, the monorail station underwent a refresh, with a new design on both the inside and outside of the carriages paying homage to the history of the ride. Visitors can enjoy unlimited rides of the monorail during their visit to Beaulieu, as this is included in a general admission ticket. There is even Beaulieu Monorail-themed merchandise in the museum's gift shop. Beaulieu is also home to many other attractions for visitors to explore. The National Motor Museum features some of the earliest motor carriages, as well as classic family saloons and Formula 1 cars. 4 Nearby is also Palace House, a medieval abbey that was renovated into a Victorian country house Credit: Alamy Visitors can also head to the Palace House, which was once the gatehouse of the medieval Beaulieu Abbey and has been home to the Montagu's since 1538. The palace was extensively remodelled in the 19th century, making it into a Victorian country house, with Gothic features. A number of rooms in the Palace have recently been refurbished and will open to the public over Easter. Tickets to the full attraction, including the above and more such as the gardens, is £27 per adult or £15.50 per child, when booked in advance. The closest train station is Brockenhurst, where trains from London regularly stop. A new tour of three historic UK train stations was recently announced. Plus, the 150-year-old British train station named one of Europe's best.
The Sun
27-04-2025
- The Sun
English museum home to world-famous collection – as well as UK's oldest monorail
THE UK'S oldest monorail is based at a museum in the New Forest, between Southampton and Bournemouth. The historic monorail, located at Beaulieu, stretches for a mile and allows guests to explore the museum from above. 4 4 It even goes over the roof of the National Motor Museum. As guests travel on the monorail, commentary tells the stories behind the different things they see on their journey. Visitors can experience the monorail through regular services across the day. Over 240,000 visitors take a trip on the Monorail each year. Last year, the Monorail at Beaulieu celebrated 50 years since it opened in 1974. Over the decades, visitors have enjoyed the travelling on the monorail at the museum. Back in 1974, it was opened by The Wombles - the furry, secretive creatures created by Elizabeth Beresford. However, it was not the first monorail at Beaulieu. Before the 'Skytrain', there was a less permanent structure in place for the opening of the National Motor Museum in 1972. This monorail featured battery operated mechanics, from milk floats and soon after it was launched, it was realised that something more permanent was needed. Tiny English village named one of the most beautiful in the UK is home to huge motor museum Butlin's was actually the thing that inspired a permanent monorail at the museum, as the resort at Skegness was home to the first commercial monorail system in the UK. An agreement was made, whereby Beaulieu purchased the same mechanism to use for its 'Skytrain'. The trains were recently named 'Monty' and 'Mary' and for the 50th anniversary, the monorail station underwent a refresh, with a new design on both the inside and outside of the carriages paying homage to the history of the ride. Visitors can enjoy unlimited rides of the monorail during their visit to Beaulieu, as this is included in a general admission ticket. There is even Beaulieu Monorail-themed merchandise in the museum's gift shop. Beaulieu is also home to many other attractions for visitors to explore. The National Motor Museum features some of the earliest motor carriages, as well as classic family saloons and Formula 1 cars. 4 Visitors can also head to the Palace House, which was once the gatehouse of the medieval Beaulieu Abbey and has been home to the Montagu's since 1538. The palace was extensively remodelled in the 19th century, making it into a Victorian country house, with Gothic features. A number of rooms in the Palace have recently been refurbished and will open to the public over Easter. Tickets to the full attraction, including the above and more such as the gardens, is £27 per adult or £15.50 per child, when booked in advance. The closest train station is Brockenhurst, where trains from London regularly stop. A new tour of three historic UK train stations was recently announced. Plus, the 150-year-old British train station named one of Europe's best.
BBC News
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Abbey House Museum showcases 200-year-old children's books
Children's books dating back more than 200 years have gone on display in Story Time exhibition at Abbey House Museum in Kirkstall features tales from the early 1800s, including The Mice And Their Picnic: A Moral Tale, published by Mary Belson Elliott in based on TV characters including Pinky and Perky, Bugs Bunny and The Wombles are also on display, alongside vintage games and jigsaws made by the Leeds firm Kitty Ross said the exhibition would "hopefully bring back some special memories for visitors". She said: "Storytelling, play and reading are truly timeless elements of our childhoods which span every generation and are such an integral part of our early years."What is fascinating is how our approach to these subjects has changed and evolved over time and how our enduring love of stories has been a driving force behind the creation of so many different genres of books, games, toys and entertainment." Among the Waddingtons collection is original artwork for the firm's circular jigsaws from the 1960s, which were rescued from a bin by a former company firm was responsible for devising Monopoly and Cluedo, among other family board City Council announced plans to close Abbey House Museum, which stands opposite the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey, at the end of last year. Shutting the museum, which is around 100 years old, was proposed to save the cash-strapped council money, though the authority insisted no final decision had been to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
