Wallace & Gromit's Christmas 2024 return adds Peter Kay, Reece Shearsmith

In exciting news, the film will also feature the return of iconic supervillain Feathers McGraw, who previously wreaked havoc in 1993's The Wrong Trousers.

The synopsis for the new film says: "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!"

You can watch a quick teaser for the return of Feathers McGraw right here now.

The cast of Vengeance Most Fowl will be led by Ben Whitehead, the actor who took over as the voice of Wallace following the late Peter Sallis's retirement.

Meanwhile, Peter Kay will be returning as his Curse of the Were-Rabbit character Chief Inspector (formerly PC) Mackintosh, alongside new cast members Lauren Patel (The Effects of Lying) and Reece Shearsmith (Inside No. 9).

Diane Morgan (Motherland), Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton) and Sir Lenny Henry (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) will all make cameos, although their roles are yet to be revealed.

Creator of Wallace and Gromit and director of Vengeance Most Fowl Nick Park 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."

Feathers McGraw was most recently seen in the background of a shot in Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, with director Sam Fell telling RadioTimes.com that "all of the characters are the family of Aardman".

Read more:

• Chicken Run sequel director on why some roles were recast and not others
• Baby Reindeer's Jessica Gunning and more join Magic Faraway Tree adaptation

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas.

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