The Wombles 1990s TV episodes

A brand new Wombles series came to the ITV channel in March 1998, with a new look, more characters and different voices. Each episode lasts ten minutes, twice the length of the 1970s episodes.

Here is a list of all the modern episodes, with the writers’ names and a brief summary, courtesy of The Official Wombles Website.

Series 1

1. The Ghost Of Wimbledon Common (Kath Yelland, John Ellis, Joseph Malozzi)

Wellington is at his most inventive and the other young Wombles notice some strange happenings in the old tree on the Common. Tomsk and Bungo are convinced there’s a ghost haunting them, so Wellington fine-tunes his latest invention into a ghost-catcher. As you would suspect, the Wombles don’t catch the ghost they’re after, but - on a dark and stormy night - they do find a new neighbour and friend, Alderney!

2. Orinoco The Magnificent (Alastair Swinnerton)

While out wandering the Common, Orinoco finds an old conjuring set and fancies himself ‘magically’ able to fill his tidy bag, without moving a muscle! Turns out, though, that really Stepney is the cause of this as he arrives from the Thames Burrow with grandiose ideas about the best way to collect rubbish. Alderney is greatly put out by this new arrival’s arrogance, so a healthy competition ensues. Good sports-Wombleship prevails and Stepney is welcomed by the Wimbledon Wombles with open arms.

3. Tomsk To The Rescue (Andy Ellis)

There’s a storm coming and Wellington and Alderney are working on a weather-detector. Tomsk is more active than usual with more energy than the other Wombles can handle. Tomsk is dismissed to the Common - fortunately for the young Shansi, who finds herself airbourne and treebound after a strong wind sweeps through. It’s Tomsk to the rescue.

4. Madame Cholet’s Day Off (Alistair Swinnerton)

“Oooh-la-la! What a day!” The Wom-fax is malfunctioning, spewing out miles of paper and joggers on the Common have turned the kitchen into a state of chaos. Madame Cholet, at her wits’ end, storms off announcing she will not return until her kitchen is restored to order. It’s up to the Wombles to right things. Are they able to restore order so that Madame Cholet will come home?

5. Beautiful Boating Weather (Jennifer Lupinacci)

Great Uncle Bulgaria announces that as the young Wombles have kept the Common so very tidy they must have the day off. After a few thoughts as to how to spend their free day, it’s decided it will be with a picnic in a boat on Queen’s Mere. Ahh, bliss! To everyone, that is, but Stepney who doesn’t find the idea of water at all appealing. Things take a turn for the worse with our boating Wombles when they get stranded on the lake … Do they manage to return to safety before supper?

6. MacWomble Is Coming (Julie Middleton)

“Rrrring-rrrring” goes the Wellicom before, to all the Wombles horror, Cairngorm MacWomble’s image appears on the screen. He announces he’s on his way for a visit. Oh, dear! The Wombles flee to the various corners of the Common to avoid the bombastic old Womble from the North. Fortunately for all, this time Wellington’s latest invention saves the day!

7. Shansi’s Surprise (Andy Ellis)

There is a particular flurry of activity at the Wimbledon Burrow and everyone is very busy. Too busy, it turns out, for little Shansi: no Womble has any time for her today, it seems. Shansi thinks that perhaps she should find another burrow in which to live! Away she goes, with her little strawberry plant for company - how they are both in for quite a surprise when they find out that actually, the Wimbledon Wombles were concocting a special party of welcome for their newest and youngest Womble.

8. Any Womble For Tennis? (Alistair Swinnerton)

It’s that time of year again - the time in early summer when the Common is more crowded than ever and for some odd reason there are tennis balls all over the place! The Wombles have to work overtime to clean up the rubbish. Meantime, Wellington is convinced there are aliens about and Orinoco gets hijacked in a picnic basket. Alderney and Stepney save Orinoco and, in the process, learn more about the sport of tennis than they’d been expecting! Does Wellington find his aliens?

9. Out Of This Earth (Julie Middleton)

The Wombles find an old treasure map out on tidy-up duty. Great Uncle Bulgaria confirms that it belonged to old Jamaica, the famous Womble pirate who traveled those parts long, long ago burying his treasures. When Stepney learns that there’s one bit of bounty Jamaica never did find, he gets a bad case of gold fever and leads the others on a treasure hunt.

10. Camping And Cloudberries (Andy Ellis)

The Cloudberry Bush is in season! Great Uncle Bulgaria encourages the young Wombles to take advantage of the opportunity to witness this very rare event. In order to do so, the Wombles must camp out of doors as the blooming of this special bush happens only at dawn every once in a long, long while. A marvelous idea! The Wombles set off for their first camping expedition. Do they manage to make it til dawn , or does Bungo’s prediction of a Womble-eating dragon come true?!

11. Spring Into Action (Kath Yelland)

It’s springtime on the Common. The trees are in bloom, the flowers in bud and the Wombles and their burrow rather the worse after a long, lazy winter. Tobermory organises a thorough spring cleaning. Meantime, Tomsk is determined to get the Wombles - particularly Orinoco - to take some much-needed exercise.

12. Hola Obidos (Alistair Swinnerton)

All of the Wombles are excited to have their friend Obidos visiting from the Brazil Burrow. When Great Uncle Bulgaria and Tobermory are called away, Obidos offers to help look after things at the Wimbledon Burrow til they return. Wellington’s attempts at modifying the Speaking Tube system backfire with disastrous effects on the Burrow and Bungo’s jealousy of their visitor gets the better of him. What will Great Uncle Bulgaria and Tobermory find on their return?

13. Welcome Back Bungo (Alistair Swinnerton)

The other Wombles do not seem to appreciate Bungo’s repeated practical jokes. Go away, Bungo! they say in frustration. So he decides he’ll do just that, he will go away, far away - or so he thinks! Meantime, Tobermory ahs found cracks in the Burrow walls and an old drawing shows a secret chamber beneath them in need of shoring up. Tobermory leads an expedition to strengthen the chamber’s foundation. It’s an interesting journey … until the Wombles get trapped in the chamber just as it seems the foundation is about to give way completely! Oh, dear! They are fortunately saved in the nick of time, by Bungo whose journey didn’t take him quite as far as he’d hoped. He is happy to be returned to his friends, and they are very happy to see him.

Series 2

14. Car Trouble (Peter Hynes)

Oh dear! The Burrow Buggy is out of control on Wimbledon Common and who is at the wheel but Great Uncle Bulgaria! Tobermory and Wellington do their best to save old Bulgaria from the speeding vehicle, but we find it is Madame Cholet and Alderney who save the day - in a rather unique way!

15. Deep Space Wombles (Peter Hynes)

Wellington has just finished his latest invention - a magnificent Womble space craft! The first Womble moon mission doesn’t quite go as planned when a mischievous Tomsk and Bungo accidentally launch themselves into deepest space! From command central at the Wimbledon Burrow, Wellington guides the two Wombles on their exciting, and frightening, mission! Join us to find out if the two silly Wombles return home safely - or if they are stuck in outer space forever!

16. Orinoco’s Sick Day (Julie Middleton)

Orinoco thinks he’s clever when he decides to play sick to stay in bed all day. He’ll have all the rest he wants and Madame Cholet at his beck and call, or so he thinks! Our loveable-but-lazy Womble soon realises that playing sick is not all it’s “snacked” up to be, and that too much of a good thing is, well, not so good!

17. Wild News Chase (Andy Ellis)

Wild and windy weather has left a mess on Wimbledon Common and Tobermory leaves Tomsk in charge of the tidying up. “Oh dear!” you could say but our Tomsk takes his responsibility very seriously. Join us and you might be surprised to see how he comes through in the end.

18. Macwomble The Charming (Julie Middleton)

The Wimbledon Wombles get a surprise visit from Cairngorm MacWomble the Terrible, who is intent on taking their Madame Cholet away to the Loch Ness Burrow. MacWomble doesn’t get what he’s after, but he does get an important lesson from Shansi and Alderney. Join the Wombles and you will see that MacWomble the Terrible is really rather charming.

19. Rainy Daze (Peter Hynes)

It’s a rainy day on Wimbledon Common and the weather threatens to flood the Burrow. Things go from wet to worse when Tobermory gets a bump on the head and starts behaving very strangely. Join us to find out whether the young Wombles manage to pull together to keep the Burrow dry!

20. Great Cake Mystery (Mark Torrender)

Madame Cholet’s cakes have gone missing, and who is the most likely suspect? Why, Orinoco, of course. But this time, Orinoco insists he is innocent. To clear his name, Shansi takes Orinoco’s case and together they try to find the real cake culprit. The results of their detective work, you will see, are quite “plant-tastic”!

21. Bigfoot Womble (John Ellis)

Bungo is convinced there is a Bigfoot Womble lurking around the Common and with the help of Tomsk and Stepney he sets out to capture the first photograph of the elusive creature. He’ll be famous, he says! His name will go down in the Womble history books, he says! Join the young Wombles on their brave and exciting adventure and see if Bungo actually captures his Bigfoot.

22. Chaos On The Common (Peter Hynes)

Wellington and Stepney make good use of bad rubbish and create the great Wellivac Common Sweeper Mark 1! The best invention ever, it can do the job of tidying the common all by itself! No more tidying up duty ever! Join in the excitement as the Wombles learn that shortcuts can lead to disaster and that the best way to tidy is the old-fashioned way!

23. Weather Or Not (Mark Torrender)

There’s a hot, dry spell on Wimbledon Common and the level of Queens Mere is getting very low. Why, without rain soon the Wombles might have to leave their burrow, Tobermory says! Great Uncle Bulgaria’s nose knows rain is on the way, but Bungo and his friends have a thing or two to learn about Womble weather habits.

24. Trouble At The Thames (Jennifer Lupinacci)

R-R-RING! R-R-RING! goes the Wellicom and in comes an urgent message from Stepney: a pipe has burst at the Thames Burrow and they are aflood! If the pipe is not repaired soon, all of London could be out of water! Tobermory races to their rescue, taking young Wellington as his assistant. The Wimbledon Wombles save the day and Wellington gets his first visit to town in the process!

25. Great Womble Explorer (Andy Ellis)

To ease the fears of the young Wombles on a dark and stormy night, Great Uncle Bulgaria recounts a tale from his youth of an exciting adventure with Livingstone, the great Womble Explorer, on a journey around the world. Join us as we go back in time and relive the exciting story!

26. Womble Winterland (Kath Yelland)

The Wombles awake to the first snow of the season on Wimbledon Common. Undeterred, they manage to Womble free - with a great deal of winter fun!

Series 3

27. New Year! New You! (Julie Middleton)

It’s countdown time to the New Womble Year and the Wimbledon Burrow is abuzz with activity as they prepare for the grandest celebration ever! Great Uncle Bulgaria is more excited than anybody, for New Year’s is his favourite time of year. But as the midnight hour arrives, Great Uncle Bulgaria is nowhere to be found. There can’t be a New Year without him but just as the Wombles are about to cancel New Year’s, Great Uncle Bulgaria returns with some special surprises. Join the Wimbledon Wombles for this special celebration and find out which Wombles keep their New Year’s resolution.

28. Alderney’s Big Break (Peter Hynes)

Alderney has injured her back paw on, of all days, Spring-Cleaning Day. Madame Cholet tells her she must rest and mend, which means she must miss out on all the fun. To cheer her up, the Wombles each give her a present. Wellington’s gift - a remote controlled mobile armchair - is a particular treat as it means Alderney can participate after all! But Alderney’s enthusiasm gets the better of her, and so does her mobile armchair. Spring-Cleaning Day takes a turn for the worse.

29. The Thingummawotsit (Brian Jordan)

The young Wombles are on a mission to find a truly special bit of rubbish to make Great Uncle Bulgaria’s day. They search high and low and can’t find anything, but what each pair of Wombles do find is an odd Thingummawotsit, which is just perfect for their needs. No one is quite able to hold onto the unidentified object and it passes from one Womble to the next. In the end, Great Uncle Bulgaria reveals that the Thingummawotsit is an old yo-yo! It’s just the thing to make his day.

30. The Sleep Wombler (John Ellis)

There’s a Phantom Wombler on the common - rubbish is clearing itself away magically and unexplainably. Bungo and the others are determined to catch this mystery creature and set a series of cleverly masterminded traps. And what do they catch? Only a sleep Wombling Orinoco - who is greatly shocked to find, when he wakes up, that he has been tidying up in his sleep!

31. A Life In The Day Of Madame Cholet (Paul Brophy)

The young Wombles find an old trunk in the kitchen with some fascinating old objects. It turns out to belong to Madame Cholet and to their delight she takes them on a guided tour, via her mementos, of her very exciting life before coming to the Wimbledon Burrow. But she says she wouldn’t be happier any place else than the Wimbledon Burrow.

32. Wom-TV (Peter Hynes)

When Orinoco loses the last three tickets to the Thames Burrow Pantomime, which Great Uncle Bulgaria, Madame Cholet and Tobermory were so looking forward to seeing, the young Wombles come up with an idea for some substitute entertainment for the older Wombles. They present WOM-TV, with magic tricks, mayhem and much more. It proves to be a hilarious event - and a huge hit.

33. Star Struck (Julie Middleton)

As Tomsk is performing his night-watch duty he realises Shansi is missing and organises an emergency search party. Poor Shansi alone on the Common at nighttime! The search party bravely soldiers on into nighttime with Tomsk and Wellington proving to Bungo and Orinoco that staying sensible in a situation like this is much better than being silly. They manage to rescue Shansi only to find that she wasn’t lost at all, but was out enjoying a special appearance of the rare Womble constellation. Tomsk is very relieved to find her - and to hear that she’ll be able to lead them home.

34. Practically Joking (Brian Jordan)

Bungo launches a series of practical jokes which leads to a Burrow full of mischief and mayhem on the very day when Great Uncle Bulgaria has a very special visitor coming - his former nanny. And Nanny Alexandria is a stickler for tidiness - nothing can be clean or tidy enough for her.

35. Tomsk’s Pen Pal (Peter Hynes)

Tomsk is thrilled to receive a letter from his new pen pal, Moosonee Womble, until he realises he must write back. What can he write about, his life is boring, nothing exciting ever happens so Bungo tells him he must spice up his letter. That turns out to be a big mistake as it’s always better to be oneself. With Shansi’s help, Tomsk realises he does have lots to say and it turns out Moosonee likes him just the way he is. Meantime, Orinoco has a secret correspondent of his very own.

36. What’s A Womble? (Julie Middleton)

The young Wombles are playing when Bungo gets a knock to the head and seems to forget who he is. Alderney takes charge as “nurse” and she and the other young Wombles tend to Bungo and try to help him remember who he is. Turns out, though, it’s more mischief on Bungo’s part when they find out he was faking.

37. Queen For A Day (Jeanne Willis)

There’s a great deal of excitement on the Common with horses and carriages and a very important lady. Great Uncle Bulgaria explains that it is Her Royal Highness the Queen who is there to plant a tree. Alderney’s head starts spinning with notions of pomp and circumstance and exclaims that she would like to be queen and so it is done. Great Uncle Bulgaria crowns Alderney Queen for the Day. But Alderney soon finds out that being Queen is too much responsibility and she finds she’d rather just be plain Alderney in the end.

38. The Womble Races (Peter Hynes)

Stepney’s come up with a Womble vehicle to rival the Wimbledon Wombles Wombuggy, which provokes a disagreement with Wellington. MacWomble suggests settling the disagreement with a race between the two vehicles. Wellington accepts and with Tobermory’s help, prepares for a race against Stepney, who is being assisted by MacWomble. Orinoco joins the race at the last minute, lured by thoughts of the grand prize - one of Madame Cholet’s cakes. Find out who wins this Womble Race.

39. The Womble Times (Kath Yelland)

It’s the Wimbledon Wombles’ turn to produce the copy of the Womble Times, which goes out to all the burrows everywhere. With Great Uncle Bulgaria as editor, everyone has an important role on the paper, but, as ace reporter, Bungo thinks his is the most important. Well, Bungo’s story does make headlines in the end.

Series 4

40. Fancy! Fancy Dress (Brian Jordan)

Great Uncle Bulgaria declares it time for a special celebration and the Wombles decide to have a fancy dress and fancy food party. Everyone goes off to prepare their favourite costume - and favourite recipe - for a very festive gathering. A good time is had by all, though there are a few surprises when Bungo and Stepney come dressed alike. Aided by a rather sticky mishap, Orinoco wins the prize for best costume.

41. Time Travelling Tomsk (Stan Cullimore)

Tomsk finds an old box which he decides would make a splendid time machine. With a lot of imagination and ingenuity he visits days of Wombles gone by while Bungo and Stepney try to have some fun at Tomsk’s expense. Tomsk gets the better of the mischievous twosome and turns out in the end, joke’s on them.

42. Bungo Bingo (Brian Jordan)

Bungo finds some curious cards on the Common and everyone has a guess at what they might be. Fortunately Great Uncle Bulgaria is there to explain that what they actually are, are old bingo cards. The Wombles decide to have a grand Womble bingo game with Bungo serving as compere. There are, as you would guess, some rather funny results.

43. The Thames Burrow Adventure (Stan Cullimore)

Bungo, Orinoco and Wellington get into trouble at the Wimbledon Burrow and after being scolded in turn by Great Uncle Bulgaria, Madame Cholet and Tobermory, they decide the grass is greener at another burrow and go to visit Stepney at the Thames Burrow. They travel into town for a weekend visit and are delighted to find there are no grown-ups to tell them what to do, what to eat or when to go to bed! But the trio return home surprisingly early after realising it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

44. The Wombles Of Our Discontent (Brian Jordan)

The Wimbledon Wombles are out of sorts and Tobermory sends them outdoors to tidy up till their good humour is restored. Their harmony is restored when they realise the rubbish they’d found, if compiled together, would make a fantastic go-kart. The process of restoring their friendship brings them back together as they learn that the whole of a group is greater than the sum of its parts.

45. Riddle Me This (Peter Hynes)

Great Uncle Bulgaria shares some old riddles with the young Wombles, which entertain everyone, especially Bungo. Bungo is so taken with solving the mind puzzles he lets the other young Wombles down by not keeping his promise to help them. When he finds himself left out, Bungo not only figures out Great Uncle Bulgaria’s riddle - he also realises the value of keeping his word.

46. Unlucky Me (Jeanne Willis)

Wellington is struck with a case of bad luck and, afraid his misfortune might injure the other Wombles, decides to leave the Wimbledon Burrow. The others won’t allow this and are determined to help him change his luck. Showing how much they care, the other young Wombles come up with different ways of changing Wellington’s luck - which they do in the end.

47. Nanny Alexandria Comes To Stay (Julie Middleton)

Great Uncle Bulgaria, Tobermory and Madame Cholet have planned a special trip away. Bungo and Orinoco eagerly expect a lovely holiday with the grown-ups gone, but their hopes are dashed when Great Uncle Bulgaria reveals his old nanny, Nanny Alexandria, is coming to stay to look after the young Wombles. It turns out not to be the holiday any Womble expected.

48. The Unwelcome Womble (Peter Hynes)

When cousin Hoboken Womble from the United States arrives for a visit, Bungo is put out at having to befriend the loud and rather opinionated visitor. But Bungo realises that, once he’s given Hoboken a chance, he’s made a good friend.

49. Shansi’s Spider (Adrian Besley)

Tomsk is delighted when Shansi asks him to look after her pet spider, Lucky. He’ll be very careful, he promises, but no sooner has he said that than Lucky goes missing. Tomsk and the others turn the burrow upside down trying to find Lucky before Shansi realises her pet is gone and before Madame Cholet learns there is a spider loose in her burrow.

50. Anchors Aweigh (Peter Hynes)

Great Uncle Bulgaria’s old friend and rival, the great explorer, Livingstone Womble, comes to visit. The older Wombles take Wellington and Orinoco on a grand exploring expedition, however their rivalry gets in the way of the journey, but Wellington saves the day.

51. Womble Inventor Of The Year (Jennifer Lupinacci)

When Wellington learns of the upcoming “Womble Inventor of the Year” award, he dreams of submitting one of his inventions and winning the grand prize. With encouragement from the other young Wombles, the dream becomes nearly real as Wellington tries to decide which of his inventions is good enough to submit. When our humble wom’s confidence fails and he thinks his work not good enough, his friends submit an entry for him. It’s a surprise for all when Wellington is named Womble Inventor of the Year after all.

52. A Visit To The Highland Burrow (Adrian Besley)

Old Cairngorm MacWomble the Terrible is feeling rather lonely and, when he sees what a happy group the Wimbledon Wombles are, pretends to be ill to get some company from his kind cousins. The young Wombles go to care for their older relative, rather reluctantly, but come away having had a much better time than they expected, while MacWomble realises he didn’t have to pretend to be ill to earn their company, all he had to do was ask.

Interstitials

These short clips were created as extra minutes to add between the other episodes when they are put on television in countries other than the UK. Some have also been seen on videos from the TV series. They weren’t shown on television in the UK.

1. Bungo’s Itch - Bungo has an itch he can’t scratch.
2. Snores - Orinoco’s snores keep his fellow Wombles awake.
3. Golf - Bungo tries to give Tomsk golf lessons.
4. Alderney’s Tea Party - Alderney invites Shansi & Wellington for tea.
5. Mirror - Orinoco comes across an old mirror on the common.
6. Snap - Bungo, Tomsk and Wellington play a game of Snap with some old sweet wrappers, but Orinoco has most of the fun emptying the wrappers.
7. Ants - Orinoco thinks he’s got ants in his bed.
8. Dragon Trap - Bungo tries to catch a dragon.
9. Sleepy Pie-Pies - Wellington uses Orinoco to test a theory on whether a sleepy Womble likes his pies.
10. Set & Match - Group tennis match.
11. Shansi’s Imaginary Friend - Shansi introduces Stepney to her imaginary friend Minsk
12. Stilts - Wellington has fun with some homemade stilts.
13. Stepney & The Lake - Tomsk, Stepney and Bungo have a little rubbish collecting competition.
14. Tomsk The Ballerina - Tomsk and Shansi dance ballet.
15. The Tidy Cycle - Wellington invents a tidy-cycle, Tomsk is his hapless assistant.
16. The Multi-Gym - Tomsk & Bungo try to build a multi-gym from a diagram.
17. The Tree - The Wombles celebrate the Tree.
18. At The Skip - Stepney and Alderney explore the Skip.
19. Windmagic 2000 - Tomsk, again as Wellington’s hapless assistant, demonstrates another new invention.
20. A Friend In Need - Tomsk and Shansi celebrate their friendship.
21. Autumn Leaves - Fun and games in the autumn leaves… but who’s going to clear them up afterwards.
22. Stepney’s Stall - Stepney’s barrow is a resource for everyone’s needs.
23. Pass The Parcel - Wellington receives a secret parcel, the others find the secret curious.
24. Chain Reaction - Orinoco sets off a series of chain reactions.
25. Wombles In The Dark - The Wombles explore the dark common.
26. Fizz Fizz Plop - Another Wellington invention - with foamy results.
27. Womble Olympics - The Acorn and the Spoon race - Bungo loses despite his rather devious efforts.
28. Rain, Rain Go Away - Bungo tries to read despite some rather pesky raindrops.
29. The Mulberry Tree - Orinoco finds some juicy mulberries on a tree out of his reach.
30. Super-Bungo - Bungo dreams of being a super-hero.
31. Shansi’s Decorating - Shansi spruces up the burrow, and anything that’s not a moving object gets decorated.
32. Tomsk Foolery - Tomsk starts some messing about in the dormitory.
33. Alderney’s Express - Alderney comes to Shansi’s rescue with the Chintz-covered armchair attached to the scootboard.
34. Alderney’s Knits - Alderney’s knitting and Shansi’s noodles get mixed up.
35. Hat - Bungo and Tomsk find Wellington’s recycling and have a hat game.
36. Milk Bottle Orchestra - Some old milk bottles make a good Womble orchestra.
37. Tomsk Snowball - Tomsk trips in the snow and rolls down a hill forming an enormous Womble snowball.
38. Womble Ice Hockey - Alderney and Stepney on the ice.
39. Snowbound - Tired Wombles trudge home in the snow.