"Nuthing Wurks!" - Catweazle

I don't really remember watching Catweazle as a child, I would have been a teeny tiny toddler when it originally aired in 1970, I must have watched episodes as a kid with my Mum, not really getting the historical contexts or subtleties in the show, I thought he was a tramp that could do magic? I obviously wasn't paying attention but have been more aware of the time travelling sorcerer since, as he appears on the internet quite a lot and when he does with the trademark exclamation 'Nuthing wurks!' I always think, 'now there's a character I can relate to'.

Rewatching recently on YouTube in glorious 480p as an adult, the darker side of witchcraft and paganism are there in full view and make this ancient kids program an entertaining watch. Without doubt for me its the charismatically unhinged performance of the Leeds born actor Geoffrey Bayldon in the title role, and it was a video with him on YouTube that rekindled my interest in giving the show another watch. Geoffrey would also play The Crowman in the 1979 -81 Worzel Gummidge, more on that connection later.

The first season of 13 episodes sees Catweazle and his toad familiar Touchwood transported through time, while escaping Norman soldiers, to an idyllic country farm setting. Here he befriends young Carrot who through Arthur C. Clarkes Third Law ( Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic) believes him to be a fellow 'bruther' sorcerer.

Unlike modern kids tv (hello Stranger Things season 5) that treats all kids as fully fledged internet hacking, sassy proto adults Catweazle is kids doing kids things and the character of Catweazle is enthralled, as a child would be, by it all. The sinister story beat behind it being, Catweazle wants to learn this new magic to return to his own time and defeat those pesky Normans. It all plays out in imaginative ways and everything is in the right place right till the final sad farewell scene. 

Season 2 sees Catweazle return, not to the relatable play area of 'Jack in the woods' but to the austere environment of a stately home, where we will all be an entitled prince or princess... ah, you've lost me already. Season 2 has been described as an echo of the original and from what I've seen can only agree. The proposed season 3 'that never happened' would have gone back to Bennet's Farm from season 1. Like they did with with the utterly charming Mackenzie Crook Worzel Gummidge in 2019, maybe it is time for Catweazle to  cast his time travelling spell and make a welcome return?