The Wombles

If the episode title has put a certain Womble song into your head, Underground Overground, then welcome.

You aced Brit Culture 101.

This episode is not about Wimbledon Common.

If you want Golders Hill Park, the Heath Extension, or the northern part of Hampstead Heath, then Golders Green Underground on the Northern Line is your best starting point.

If you want West Hampstead, the actual neighborhood of West Hampstead, with its cafes, restaurants, shops, local life, and useful rail connections, then West Hampstead is exactly where you should go.

Underground, Overground, National Rail, Thameslink, Womble and Free.

But West Hampstead is not Hampstead Village.

That's the lesson.

They do one called Hey, Mr. Christmas.

There's The Wombles.

I have no idea if US listeners know who or what The Wombles are, but The Wombles were a children's programme.

They're a children's book with these little furry critters that lived on Wimbledon Common in London recycling litter, recycling trash.

And The guy who, a guy had been approached, a guy called Mike Leander, had been approached to write the music for this TV show.

He's a very talented songwriter.

And sort of took them very seriously.

So had a string of hits by pretending to be the Wombles.

How did it happen? By accident.

In fact, for the new site, I've been collecting Wombles as they come in and I've got a whole box of Wombles hidden away.

Lots of Womble memorabilia.

Intruder alarm, but don't

In fact, I'm sure it's Uncle Bulgaria.

There you go.

I'm not familiar with Wombles.

They used to live, or still live, on Wimbledon Common.

TIE Fighter pilot.

Now, he's called the Womble, isn't he? And the bigger action figure.

He really does look like a Womble with these.

He could be a Womble figure.

And then my favorite of all is the pop-up R2.

So it's not just R2-D2.

The atmosphere is never really that great.

And then you've got to play with that fucking Womble walking around the pitch.

It does my nothing.

It's not very nice.

Given where we're going, I'm not sure.

So let's get straight into the predictions.

Dan, how do we reckon it's going to go on Saturday against the Wombles?

It's going to be difficult, but I think it'll be a 2-1 win.

Bits of junk to build homes and things.

Like Womble.

Like the Wombles.

[laughs]

Yeah, [laughs] exactly.

It's Greenwich.

And isn't it, isn't Greenwich where The Wombles come from? Do, do you know The Wombles? Are you old enough to know The Wombles?

I remember The Wombles.

I know.

Okay.

They're...

I think they're Greenwich.

The Wombles of Wimbledon coming our way.