Proud Of The BBC, proud of The Wombles

The Wombles is mentioned in I’m Proud Of The BBC, a tribute song by comedian Mitch Benn. The lyrics consist mainly of a rhyming string of BBC treasures to be proud of - decades of favourite programmes and personalities.

Mitch Benn wrote the song for his recent live tour, and it had such a good response that it’s been released as a single for download, complete with a video filmed outside the main BBC buildings in London and starring members of the public.

Mitch explained on his blog: "I’ve been doing work for the BBC for a decade or so, but I’ve been a staunch supporter and fan of the Corporation since long before I ever had any connection to it, and I get quite nervous - and more than a little angry - when the knives come out for the BBC, as they very much have been of late.

“It’s particularly annoying since the Beeb, as a public service broadcaster which is more or less publicly funded, is never in a position to defend itself, even against its most partisan critics. So I thought I’d write something which expresses how I feel, and how I believe a fair majority of the British public feel, not that you’d ever know it from reading the papers. The response the song’s been getting has taken me completely by surprise, and I’ve realised I may actually have started a bit of a ‘movement’ here, so we’ve decided the song has to come out as a single.”

You can download the audio single from iTunes, Amazon and other music download services.

To show everyone that you’re proud of the BBC, you can also buy T-shirts, hoodies, mugs and bags bearing the list of programmes, from the Proud Of The BBC Shop. Sadly they don’t feature The Wombles, as the artwork stops at ‘Douglas Adams John Peel’; The Wombles’ moment doesn’t come until the final section of the song.

You can watch the official video below, along with an equally entertaining alternative version by Andy Taylor. The Wombles is mentioned in the fourth minute, but do enjoy the whole song!