Meet Obki the Alien: Sky TV’s Little Yellow Man Who Aims to Turn Your Children Green

Neo-Womble preachy green agitprop

The Wombles are making a comeback. But will they be a success? Not necessarily. According to a recent interview with the son of the original 1970s series’ creator, Elisabeth Beresford, although the Wombles themselves spent their entire lives recycling rubbish on Wimbledon Common, his mother “never set out to preach” to childhood viewers of the show, aiming to turn them all into mini-Wombles themselves. Instead, said her son, “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.”

In other words, the idea for the show came first, inspired by wartime ‘Make Do and Mend’ attitude, followed subsequently by the pro-recycling message, which flowed naturally from the original premise. If it had been the other way around, it would have just been crude propaganda: which is what the new series sounds like, to be honest. The neo-Wombles show was described in the same interview with Beresford’s son as follows: “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.”