HAVE A CHRISTMAS HAY TREAT

FROM an adventurous fish, an ambitious dragon and a dastardly rat to a cunning mouse, lovestruck aliens or a lost stick, the arrival of the latest animated adaptation of a book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler has become synonymous with Christmas for children around the country.

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L-R: Terry Thomas inspired the voice of Reginald Rake, provided by Rob Brydon

(Terry Thomas Rob Brydon)

The Gruffalo, Zog, Stick Man and last year's Tiddler have all brought warmth and cosy magic to the festive season and the short films are now a staple of Christmas Day.

This year The Scarecrows' Wedding joins the canon and tells the story of two devoted scarecrows, Betty O’Barley and Harry O'Hay, voiced by Irish stars Jessie Buckley and Domhnall Gleeson, who we meet as they are gathering together everything they need for a wedding to remember.

When Harry insists on leaving the farm to collect one last thing for their big day, a smooth-talking and caddish scarecrow named Reginald Rake, voiced by Gavin & Stacey actor Rob Brydon, swoops in and sparks chaos.

The story holds a special place in the heart of author and former children’s laureate Julia, who is also responsible for books including Room On The Broom, The Smeds And The Smoos, The Snail And The Whale and The Highway Rat, which are as beloved by parents as they are by children.

"It’s probably the only one in which the main characters are sort of human," she explains. "They're not, they're scarecrows, but they're people, they’re not animals.

“But also I played Betty when we did it at the Edinburgh Fringe, it was my role, and I enjoyed doing that.”

The author starred in a stage production opposite her late husband Malcolm, who died in 2024, and the story brings back happy memories.