''Mirror, Mirror'' is a

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

co-produced by Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Presented as a single complete story given in a serial with 20 episodes, there are

cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

s between some of the episodes.

Posie Graeme-Evans Posie Graeme-Evans is an Australian novelist, television and film producer, editor, screenwriter and director. She is best known as the creator and showrunner of ''McLeod's Daughters'', the co-creator and co-producer of '' Hi-5'', producing and c ...

created the series, as well as being one of the executive producers. The other executive producers were Dorothee Pinfold and

Ian Fairweather Ian Fairweather (29 September 189120 May 1974) was a Scottish painter resident in Australia for much of his life. He combined western and Asian influences in his work. Life Ian Fairweather was born in Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire, Scotland in ...

John Banas John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, one of the directors of the series, is the father of

Michala Banas Michala Elizabeth Laurinda Banas (born 14 November 1978) is a New Zealand television actress and singer. Life and career Born in Wellington, New Zealand into a family of German descent, she starred in her first advert at only 18 months of age. ...

(who plays the role of "''Louisa''" in the series). The other director was Sophie Turkiewicz. Co-writers for the series were Ray Harding,

Greg Haddrick Gregory Bevan Haddrick (7 September 1960) is an Australian-born Logie Award winning screenwriter and film and television producer. Over the last decade he has won six AWGIE Awards as a writer, two AFI Awards as a producer, and an International ...

Tony Morphett Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

, Greg Millin, Katherine Thomson, Hilary Bell, Anthony Ellis,

. The theme song, which was co-written by Chris Harriott (music) and Dennis Watkins (lyrics), was sung by Nadine Weinberger.

Cast

Major cast members (in credits order)

* Petra Jared as Jo (Josephine) Tiegan *

as Louisa Iredale *

Nicholas Hooper Nicholas Hooper is a British film and television composer and guitarist. He has scored the award-winning BBC productions ''Land of the Tiger'' and ''Andes to Amazon'', as well as the TV movies ''The Girl in the Café'' and ''My Family and Other A ...

as Nicholas *

Peter Bensley Peter Bensley (born 6 February 1954, Warialda, New South Wales) is an Australian actor. Early roles One of Bensley's earliest roles was as Dennis Braithwaite on the Seven Network drama series '' Class Of '74''. He also appeared in ABC Televisi ...

as Andrew Tiegan * Judith McIntosh as Catherine Guthrie Tiegan *

Michele Amas Michele Louise Amas (8 October 1961 – 26 December 2016) was a New Zealand actress of stage, screen, television and radio, poet and playwright. She began writing poetry at age 10 and began her professional acting career in 1980. Amas wrote and d ...

as Primrose Iredale *

Gerald Bryan Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and Iri ...

as Joshua Iredale * James Ashcroft as Tama Williams * Jeffrey Walker as Royce Tiegan *

Jason Gascoigne Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek mythology, mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was marri ...

as Titus Iredale *

Nicholas Hammond Nicholas Hammond (born May 15, 1950) is an American-born Australian actor and writer who is best known for his roles as Friedrich von Trapp in the film ''The Sound of Music'' and as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 1970s television series ''The Am ...

as Sir Ivor Creevey-Thorne

Other cast members

* Bernard Kearns as The Old Man * Miriama Smith as Ani * Judy Douglass as Mrs. Whitelaw * Stephen Butterworth as Bellamy Frid * Liza Jones as Jade Coigley * Donna Akersten as Leonie Coigley * David McKenzie as Dennis Coigley *

Eddie Campbell Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Chicago. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of ''From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), Campbell is also the creator of the semi-au ...

as Campbell * Nicholas Leggett as Jesse * Carly Neemia as Mia

Plot

When fourteen-year-old Jo Tiegan is shopping with her father in 1995, she notices an antique shop which she feels a compulsion to go to. There she sees a beautiful oval mirror, which she is given as a gift by the elderly owner of the shop, who comments that the mirror is meant for her. Jo is delighted, and the mirror is placed in her bedroom. That night, Jo is stunned to see the image of another girl in the mirror, instead of her own reflection, and it is obvious that the other girl, Louisa Iredale (also fourteen years old), can see her just as clearly. Louisa is able to 'introduce' herself to Jo by writing her name on a book for Jo to read. However, when Jo tries to write her name on the mirror to introduce herself to Louisa, she is startled when the pen begins to disappear into the mirror. After Louisa is called away to dinner, Jo investigates the mystery and is accidentally pulled through the mirror into Louisa's bedroom in 1919. This leads to the discovery, by Jo and Louisa, that they can visit each other's times, through the mirror, any time they want to do so – provided that the mirror is situated in exactly the same place and that the mirror's alignment and orientation are identical within the mirror's frame, at corresponding moments in 1919 and 1995. In 1919, Louisa's father is a senior official in the New Zealand Government's Health Department, and their family house is a mansion with servants. Jo, who is the daughter of the Australian school principal at a New Zealand college, lives in a school residential building which happens to be the same house as Louisa's family home, and the girls even have the same bedroom. When Jo and Louisa meet, there is instant rapport between the two girls and they become firm friends, and life changes for them both as they become caught up in a web of intrigue. Following Jo's unexpected journey through the mirror, a hazardous situation occurs during an archaeological dig in a well at Jo's school, when a container they discover in the well is damaged and two of the students working nearby are accidentally sprayed with toxic waste. The affected students become extremely ill, and, when it is discovered that the container has the date 1919 on it, Jo is worried that her friends' sickness is her fault because of going through the mirror to 1919. Back in 1919, Jo asks Louisa to help her find the container so that they can move it, to prevent the later disastrous events happening in 1995. The well is located in the yard of a neighbouring house which is rented by a British visitor to the area, Sir Ivor Creevey-Thorne. Jo and Louisa enter the yard and look down the well, but are disturbed in their actions by Sir Ivor Creevey-Thorne. Their activities are watched by a teenage boy, Nicholas, whom Sir Ivor had brought from Russia to New Zealand, under the guise of caring for the boy until the dangerous situation in Russia abated. Although Nicholas is grateful to Sir Ivor for his help, he is extremely worried about his family, whom he has not heard about for a long time, and is worried about the lack of information he receives whenever he asks Sir Ivor about them. Nicholas is also upset that Sir Ivor refuses to allow him to leave the house, or to have any friends of his own age. When Nicholas manages to escape from the house, he goes to Louisa's home, where he finds Jo's encyclopedia (which Jo had brought through the mirror to show to Louisa and her brother Titus when they have to write an essay about the Roman Empire). Intrigued by colour photographs, Nicholas checks for information about the Russian Royal Family. To his horror, he reads that

Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...

, the

Tsar of Russia This is a list of all reigning monarchs in the history of Russia. It includes the princes of medieval Rus′ state (both centralised, known as Kievan Rus', Kievan Rus′ and feudal, when the political center moved northeast to Grand Duke of Vl ...

, and his family, had been executed. When Jo and Louisa come into the room, Nicholas asks Jo where she got the book and demands that she tell him if the information is correct. Jo says that the book was given to her by her Dad and that the information is correct. Nicholas reveals to Jo and Louisa that he is Alexei Nikolaevich, the son of the Tsar, and that it is his family who had been executed. Sir Ivor's treachery is finally revealed. Instead of caring for Nicholas, Sir Ivor had actually brought Nicholas to New Zealand so that he could 'sell' Nicholas to the highest bidder – Russian Bolsheviks, who want to take Nicholas back to Russia with them so that Nicholas, the last surviving member of the Russian Royal Family, can be publicly executed. Jo asks her school friend, Tama, a science student, to assist her and Louisa and Nicholas. When Louisa and Tama meet for the first time, they instantly fall for each other – with the romantic bond between them deepening as time passes. There is also a romantic bond between Jo and Nicholas. Sir Ivor, who had earlier taken Nicholas' family signet ring (saying it was for the ring's 'safekeeping'), calls for Nicholas to be brought to him and then takes the ring from a desk drawer. Sir Ivor drops the ring into a container of toxic waste – in front of the horrified Nicholas – and warns Nicholas not to attempt to retrieve his ring from the container. Later, Nicholas, who requires his family signet ring as proof of his identity, tells Jo that the container of toxic waste is safe, as he has hidden it in the well. Jo is horrified at this and now considers Nicholas to be the person responsible for the harm which had befallen her friends at the school. Nicholas promises her that everything would be okay. With the help of Tama, and the technology of 1995, a neutralising agent for the toxic waste is discovered, and a sufficient quantity is manufactured to render the waste in the container safe. Sir Ivor holds a ball, to which members of the New Zealand's high society has been invited (including Louisa's parents). While waiting at the fence for a chance for Nicholas to go to the yard to pour the neutralising agent in the container, music can be heard from Sir Ivor's ballroom and Nicholas teaches Jo to dance the old way. During the dance, Nicholas and Jo kiss each other, and Louisa and Tama shyly hold hands. Back in 1995, Jo's parents are very worried that Jo is back in 1919, and they decide to confront the elderly owner of the antique shop over the matter. They are surprised when the old man welcomes them and comments that they are expected. The elderly man tells them everything, and his true identity is revealed. He upsets Jo's parents when he states that he and Jo would marry (in 1919) and that Jo would not be returning to 1995. Meanwhile, back in 1919, Nicholas pours the neutralising agent into the container. Although he is successful in neutralising the toxic waste, it will still remain harmful for many years after 1919. However, it will be safe in 1995. Nicholas is able to travel through the mirror to 1995 and retrieve his ring. However, when he attempts to return to 1919 through the mirror with the ring, he discovers that he is unable to do so because the ring already exists in 1919. Nicholas is given two choices – he can return to 1919 without the ring (and, therefore, without him being able to prove his identity), or he can stay in 1995 with Jo. After he makes his choice the mirror begins to ripple and everyone must get to the time period they wish to remain in before the mirror vanishes from both periods.

Awards and nominations

Awards

* Best Children's Program award at the 1996

New Zealand Film and TV Awards New Zealand film and television awards have gone by many different names and have been organised by different industry groups. As of 2017, New Zealand has relaunched a standalone New Zealand Television Awards after a five-year hiatus. The film awar ...

Gibson Group official website
/ref> * Gold award at the World Television Festival in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States * Petra Jared – Best New Talent award at the 1996

Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsib ...

awards

Nominations

* Best Children's Program at the 1996

awards * Finalist at

Prix Jeunesse International Festival Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell (American ...

awards in Munich, Germany *

– Best Juvenile Performance at the 1996

Notes

Books

Louisa Iredale has a copy of

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

's book ''

Through the Looking-Glass ''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'' (also known as ''Alice Through the Looking-Glass'' or simply ''Through the Looking-Glass'') is a novel published on 27 December 1871 (though indicated as 1872) by Lewis Carroll and the ...

'' in her bedroom. This is in

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

to Lewis Carroll's book, which also involves a girl travelling through a mirror, albeit to another world. A novelised version of the ''Mirror, Mirror'' television story was written by Hilary Bell, one of the many co-writers of the television series, following the release of the series. However, although most of the book remained true to the series, there are some marked differences between the series and the novelised version of the story (e.g., the description of The Old Man's hair and the colour of the horse which was ridden by Nicholas). The book won the 1996

Aurealis Award for best young-adult novel The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers". To qualify, a work must have been fi ...

Filming locations

The house, home to the Iredale and Tiegan family, is actually Gear Homestead in

Porirua Porirua, ( mi, Pari-ā-Rua) a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide swee ...

. Sir Ivor's house was a former building named "Brendenwood" at the grounds of Sacred Heart College in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

. It was demolished several years ago. The train station in 1919 is Silverstream Railway Museum in Lower Hutt. The train station used in 1995, is the

Khandallah railway station Khandallah railway station is one of eight stations on the Johnsonville Line, a commuter branch railway north of Wellington in New Zealand’s North Island. The station was erected and operated by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (W ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. The park where Louisa, Titus and Nicholas have a picnic and Jo and her father go for a walk, is the Lady Norwood Rose Garden in

Wellington Botanic Garden The Wellington Botanic Garden in Wellington, New Zealand covers 25 hectares of land on the side of the hill between Thorndon and Kelburn, near central Wellington. The garden features 25 hectares of protected native forest, conifers, plant c ...

. Tama's house is filmed at Nairn Street (the flat across number 41), Wellington. The place where antique shop is in the series is located at 1, Riddiford Street in Wellington. The library where Tama goes with Louisa, is the

Wellington City Libraries Wellington City Libraries is the public library service for Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington Central Library From 1840 onwards various organisations attempted to establish a public library in Wellington. The first Council-operated public ...

Real world references

The series timeline (for the era in which Louisa and Nicholas live in 1919), was dated four years after the bodies of most of the Russian imperial family, the Tsar, Tsarina and three of their daughters, were discovered. This made the character Nicholas' survival and escape at least possible in real world terms. The remains of the Tsarevich and his fourth sister were not uncovered until 2007, twelve years after the series was broadcast.

Petra's short hair

Petra Jared auditioned for the part of "Louisa". She had long hair at the time. Feeling upset because she thought that she had missed out on the part, she had her hair cut short. Cutting her hair led to Petra appearing in the role of "Jo" instead of "Louisa" in the series.Interview with Petra
/ref>

Sequel

A second series of 26 episodes, featuring a completely new story and set of characters, followed in 1997. The series, which was completely separate from the ''Mirror, Mirror'' series, was titled ''

Mirror, Mirror II Mirror, Mirror II is a co-production between Australia and New Zealand that was released in 1997. Unlike the first series, '' Mirror, Mirror'', which was one story played out over a number of episodes, this series has individual adventures in ...

''. The only similarity between the two series is the presence of a time travelling mirror in New Zealand. Also the rules for the mirror's mystical properties are completely different between the two series. For instance, during ''Mirror, Mirror'', the mirror could only be travelled through by children, while in ''Mirror, Mirror II'', anybody could go through the mirror without any difficulty, including adults.

DVD releases

''Mirror, Mirror'' was released in Australia by Gryphon Entertainment on 28 July 2009 as a two-disc set, with 10 episodes on each disc. The series has also been released on DVD in New Zealand.