Wombles to return to screens with new YouTube channel - just in time for young viewers to be banned

The Wombles of Wimbledon Common are set to return to screens with a new reboot to be hosted on a YouTube channel.

A new iteration of Elizabeth Beresford's much-loved characters will be paired up with young hosts and social media influencers on their new online adventure.

Originally appearing in Beresford's children's books in 1968, they were later adapted to BBC television in 1973.

And a first-look image, shared with Variety, shows digitally-rendered new incarnations of Orinoco, Alderney, and Wellington, the Wombles' resident scientist.

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The new Wombles content will "aim to inspire creativity and environmental awareness".

But it has been announced just after the Government unveiled its plan to ban social media for those under-16.

Labour has said exemptions to the social media ban would be made for "educational services, e-commerce platforms or music streaming", which includes YouTube Kids.

Clips of the children's characters from the 1970s and 1990s are available on an official Wombles YouTube channel, but are not marked as being content for kids - meaning those under-16 would not be able to watch even classic episodes of the programme once the social media ban is implemented next year.

A spokesman for YouTube previously said it was a "vital resource for young people, educators and parents", and warned that a blanket ban would push kids towards to "anonymous, less safe services".

In 2020, the Wombles were reimagined in 2020 with an emphasis on diversity, including a darker-skinned Wellington and a social media push which had the characters celebrate International Women's Day and urged people to fight climate change.

At the time, Elizabeth Beresford's son Marcus Robertson described it as a "fight for the soul of the Wombles".

And hitting out at efforts to introduce new characcters, he previously said: "I don't believe in black or white Wombles and neither did my mother, because Wombles are Wombles.

MORE ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA BAN:

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• Left-wing social media network could be exempt from Keir Starmer's mass internet clampdown

"We believe in the diversity of humans, but Wombles are not ethnic humans."

The new iteration of the Wombles will be managed by the Blair Partnership, the entertainment and literary agency which has represented JK Rowling since 2011.

Plans are afoot for a new interactive digital game, audio productions, a new range of storybooks, and publishing formats.

The rights also cover television, film theatre, live events, apps and merchandise.

Neil Blair, founding partner and agent at the Blair Partnership, said: "The Wombles is an iconic British brand with strong cultural appeal, distinctive characters with core values that translate and resonate globally.

"It is a rich content opportunity and, with rights now aligned plus a clear development pipeline in place, the property is ideally positioned for expansion across multiple platforms and categories.

"We see significant potential to build The Wombles into a multiplatform international franchise for a new generation of audiences."

In addition to the new YouTube channel, the Blair Partnership is set to expand the Wombles Community Charity, which organises litter-picking, recycling and education initiatives.

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