Iconic children's show The Wombles is set to make a return to TV screens half a century after it originally aired.

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A new reboot is being written by How to Train Your Dragon’s Will Davies and produced by Altitude TV and will once again find Uncle Bulgaria and co wombling free from their home underground Wimbledon Common.

Based on the characters created by Elisabeth Beresford in her series of children’s novels that were published between 1968 and 1976, The Wombles originally aired between 1973 and 1975 with the late Bernard Cribbins providing voiceover.

It has since returned on a couple of occasions – first a reboot in the late '90s and then a short-lived CGI version that was intended for release in 2015 but was eventually cut short due to financial problems.

Now Deadline has reported that the new version is set to modernise the series, although precise details have not yet been made available.

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During its heyday, The Wombles was known both for the variety of popular novelty songs it produced which made a splash in the UK charts – with the furry creatures scoring eight UK top 40 hits – and for the sustainable message at the show's core.

A group portrait of childrens' TV show spin-off band The Wombles, opening christmas presents
The Wombles Michael Putland/Getty Images

It followed the Wombles as they looked for creative ways to help the environment by recycling rubbish found on the streets of Wimbledon with the motto "make good use of bad rubbish", and so its message undoubtedly remains relevant in 2023.

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In addition to the group's leader Great Uncle Bulgaria, characters that featured in the original series included Tobermory, Madame Cholet, Orinoco and Wellington.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.

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