WALLACE & GROMIT: FIRST LOOK, TRAILER, TITLE AND CAST REVEALED FOR SPECIAL ADVENTURE

One of the UK’s favourite duos, Wallace and Gromit, are back with a brand-new adventure, made by multi-award-winning and independent studio Aardman, which will premiere on BBC and BBC iPlayer this Christmas and will be available globally on Netflix this winter.

As announced tonight, the new film will be 70-minutes long and is titled Vengeance Most Fowl. It will feature the return of the iconic supervillain Feathers McGraw.

Vengeance Most Fowl sees Gromit’s growing concern as Wallace becomes over-dependent on his inventions - which proves justified when Wallace invents a ‘smart gnome’ that seems to develop an evil mind of its own.

But who or what could be the cause? As events begin to spiral out of control, it’s up to Gromit to put aside his qualms and battle sinister forces, or Wallace may never be able to invent again!

Feathers McGraw was last seen in 1993’s BAFTA® and Academy Award® winning short The Wrong Trousers, which saw the manipulative and calculating penguin - already a wanted criminal - rent out a room at Wallace and Gromit’s house where he sought to use Wallace’s techno trousers to steal the blue diamond. Rightfully behind bars ever since, he’s now back for revenge.

Ben Whitehead, who has worked with Aardman for many years - lending his voice in The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists and Early Man as well as numerous Wallace & Gromit franchise projects alongside Peter Sallis (the original voice of Wallace), stars as the eccentric, cheese-loving inventor from the North of England who lives with his best friend and loyal pooch, Gromit.

Announced today, the new film will also feature the return of Peter Kay as Chief Inspector (formerly PC) Mackintosh, alongside new cast members Lauren Patel (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Lloyd of the Flies), Reece Shearsmith (League of Gentleman, Inside No.9), with cameos from Diane Morgan (Afterlife, Motherland), Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton, Invictus) and Lenny Henry (Three Little Birds, The Lord of the Rings). Details of their roles will be revealed in due course.

Creator of Wallace and Gromit and Director of Vengeance Most Fowl, Nick Park, says: “I’d had the idea of a film about garden gnomes turning bad for more than a decade, but I could never work out what made them bad. It occurred to me that the single most asked question I get when I meet fans is, will the penguin Feathers McGraw, Wallace and Gromit’s original antagonist from The Wrong Trousers 30 years ago, ever return?

"We’ve had fun bringing him back in cameo capacities but now, three decades on, it felt like the right time. Then it hit me: What if Feathers was involved with these gnomes? We’re hoping that this film will appeal to fans of “Gnome Noir” everywhere and that people will be gratified when they see what Feathers has been up to since The Wrong Trousers.”

Merlin Crossingham, Creative Director of Wallace and Gromit and Director of Vengeance Most Fowl, says: “Whilst we love to revive enthusiasm across our existing fan base, we also want this film to reach people who have never come across Wallace and Gromit before. Hopefully Vengeance Most Fowl is full of everything people love about Wallace and Gromit while introducing new themes to their ongoing story.”

Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer at the BBC, says: “This new feature-length Wallace and Gromit film will captivate audiences of all ages this Christmas on the BBC, as the longed-for return of Feathers McGraw and some ingenious inventions including a “smart gnome” make for an unmissable adventure showcasing British creativity at its best.”

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (1x70’) will premiere on the BBC this Christmas and, outside of the UK, will be available globally (outside of the UK) on Netflix this winter.