BBC One is staging a charming Christmas Day wedding and everyone’s invited…
Tune in on Christmas afternoon for a delightful animated film based on the hugely successful picture book The Scarecrows’ Wedding, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler – and available from our Shop in exclusive editions which have braille added to the text and colourful illustrations for inclusive, shared reading.
Described by Julia Donaldson as her “favourite of all the books I've created with Axel Scheffler”, The Scarecrows' Wedding is an enchanting story about two devoted scarecrows, Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay, who are planning a wedding to remember. When Harry insists on leaving the farm to collect one last thing for their big day, a smooth-talking scarecrow named Reginald Rake swoops in with plans of his own.
Chaos follows, and soon Betty’s in danger and everything’s at risk. Can Harry get back in time and save the day? Full of heart, humour and adventure, this is a joyful tale about loyalty, love, and learning that the most important thing isn’t a grand gesture – it’s simply being together.
Narrated by Sophie Okonedo, with the voice talents of Rob Brydon, Jessie Buckley and Domhnall Gleeson, The Scarecrows’ Wedding will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 3.10pm on Christmas Day.
Jessie Buckley, playing Betty O’Barley says: "I love this story. The film has so many beautiful little moments, but I love the scene where the first glimmers of love get expressed between Harry and Betty – the anxiety and the tentativeness around that. They’re both edging closer and closer to being in the relationship, realising that they want to be together… we’ve all been there. It’s all about young love, and recognising what’s important to you in life."
Producer Barney Goodland adds: "The Scarecrows’ Wedding is a beautiful story of ‘love conquers all’ and the joy of relationships. The voice talent have embodied these characters wonderfully and there’s great chemistry between Jessie Buckley and Domhnall Gleeson as Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay. The animation is looking absolutely stunning and we’re excited to share the film with families this Christmas.”
Millions of people have enjoyed animated adaptions of the beloved stories by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler since the BBC first aired The Gruffalo in 2009 – with a whopping 7.3 million people tuning in for Tiddler last Christmas.
These short films are audio described to ensure they’re accessible to blind and partially sighted people and if you pick up one of our braille and print books, braillists can read along too.
The Scarecrows' Wedding (contracted UEB)
The Scarecrows' Wedding (uncontracted UEB)
Our collection of print and braille books make it easier to read together. Our shared reading books have clear braille sheets added which allows the original printed text and images to be seen underneath and the book to be enjoyed by everyone. Available in both uncontracted (grade 1) and contracted (grade 2) braille, these books mean no one needs to miss out on the magic of story time. Not only do they improve braille literacy and reading fluency in young readers, print and braille books allow blind and partially sighted parents and grandparents to read to little ones in their care.
Stories like The Scarecrows’ Wedding, Unicorns don’t love sparkles and Lucas Twigg's truly terrible luck play an important part in helping all children enjoy reading in their own way.
We’re adding new titles to our range all the time and will be celebrating the National Year of Reading throughout 2026 – so watch this space for World Book Day (WBD) updates and other news.
Pick up a braille and print edition of The Scarecrows’ Wedding today, so you’re ready to follow along with the BBC adaptation on Christmas Day.
