With Peter Kay, Reece Shearsmith and Diane Morgan among the cast

The BBC has unveiled details of the new Wallace and Gromit film – including its title, Vengeance Most Fowl, and a teaser trailer.

To air at Christmas, the adventure will be 70 minutes long and will feature the return of the supervillain Feathers McGraw – as last seen in the 1993 short The Wrong Trousers.

The plot of Vengeance Most Fowl revolves around Wallace inventing a ‘smart gnome’ that seems to develop an evil mind of its own.

The characters’ creator Nick Park – who is also co-directing the new film – said: ‘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.’

Vengeance Most Fowl is the first Wallace and Gromit adventure since A Matter of Loaf and Death in 2008, and will see Ben Whitehead replacing the late Peter Sallis as the voice of Wallace.

He previously voiced the eccentric, cheese-loving inventor  int he video game Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures and in a Wallace & Gromit’s themed show as part of the 2012 BBC Proms

The new film will also feature the return of Peter Kay as Chief Inspector (formerly PC) Mackintosh, it has also been announced today. Inside No 9’s Reece Shearsmith and Lauren Patel from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie are also joining the cast with cameos from Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh and Lenny Henry. Details of their roles have not yet been revealed.

Co-director Merlin Crossingham, pictured above with Park, said of the new project:  ‘While we’d love to revive the 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 added: ‘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.’

The  script for Vengeance Most Fowl – which will premiere on Netflix outside of the UK – was written by Nick Park and Mark Burton and produced by Richard Beek.

Wallace and Gromit’s previous adventures are available on BBC iPlayer.

Published: 6 Jun 2024