''The Worst Witch'' is a 1986 British

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

based on the 1974 children's book of the same name by

Jill Murphy Jill Murphy (5 July 1949 – 18 August 2021) was a British author and illustrator of children's books. First published in 1974 at the age of 24, she was best known for the ''Worst Witch'' novels and ''Large Family'' picture books, with sales amo ...

Plot

The film follows the plot of the 1974 book. The story centres around Mildred Hubble, who is invariably the "Worst Witch" at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches. Mildred causes many mishaps, including being late for school, making all of her classmates fall down, Mildred and her friend unintentionally turning themselves invisible, and transforming the class bully Ethel into a pig. The climax surrounds Miss Cackle's notorious evil twin sister, Agatha, plotting to take over the Academy. Ultimately Agatha is foiled by Mildred, and Mildred establishes herself as the hero for the academy.

Cast

Fairuza Balk Fairuza Balk (born May 21, 1974) is an American actress, musician, and visual artist. Influential in popular culture, Balk is known for her portrayals of distinctive " goth-girl" characters, often with a dark edge. She has appeared in numerous in ...

as Mildred Hubble *

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 193810 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series '' The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in '' On H ...

as Miss Hardbroom *

Charlotte Rae Charlotte Rae Lubotsky (April 22, 1926 – August 5, 2018) was an American character actress and singer whose career spanned six decades. Rae was known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and its spin-off, '' ...

as Miss Cackle/Agatha *

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

as The Grand Wizard *

Sabina Franklyn Elizabeth Sabina Franklyn (born 15 September 1954) is an English actress, and the daughter of William Franklyn William Leo Franklyn (22 September 1925 – 31 October 2006) was a British actor, perhaps best known for voicing the "Schhh ...

as Miss Spellbinder *

Su Elliot Su Elliott (born 18 December 1950) is a British actress. She was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England. Her film roles include Alice in ''The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1984), a nurse in '' The Girl in a Swing'' (1988), Ma ...

as Delilah *Danielle Batchelor as Maud Warlock *Anna Kipling as Ethel Hallow *Kate Buckley as Donna *Leila Marr as Pixie Brown *Liz May Brice as Zoe Chant-Vestry *Katrina Heath as Sophie Hattrick *Tara Stevenson as Gloria Hobgoblin *Laura Heath as Misty Meadow *Sophie Cook as Natalie Sinister *Sophie Millett as Verity Sinister *Julia J. Nagle as Bubble Toil *Kathryn Lacey as Goodie Twocharm *Nevena Kaley as Dawn Undercover *Caroline Woolf as Julie Vanishing *Amy Shindler as Spinner Webb *

Pui Fan Lee Pui Fan Lee (born ) is a British-born Chinese actress and presenter. Along with Sue Monroe, Chris Jarvis, and Sidney Sloane she was one of the first presenters on CBeebies, the BBC television channel for younger children. She is known for portra ...

as Prefect

Production

The film was shot at St. Michael's College in

Tenbury Wells Tenbury Wells (locally Tenbury) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the northwestern extremity of the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. Its northern border adjoins Shropshire, and at the 2011 census it ...

Soundtrack

Its opening and closing song "Growing Up Isn't Easy" was performed by

Bonnie Langford Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford (born 22 July 1964) is an English actress, dancer and singer. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series ''Just William''. In the 1980s, she played c ...

and was composed by

Charles Strouse Charles Strouse (born June 7, 1928) is an American composer and lyricist best known for writing the music to such Broadway musicals as ''Bye Bye Birdie (musical), Bye Bye Birdie'', ''Applause (musical), Applause'', and ''Annie (musical), Annie''. ...

with lyrics by Don Black. The pair also wrote "Anything Can Happen on Halloween".

Denis King Denis Andrew King (born 25 July 1939) is an English composer and singer. He is best remembered as a member of a family ensemble, The King Brothers. Early career: the King Brothers King was born in Hornchurch, Essex, England. He began his musi ...

composed the movie’s score and wrote the song "My Little School".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Worst Witch The Worst Witch 1986 films 1986 television films British fantasy films British films about Halloween British television films Films about witchcraft Films about wizards Films based on British novels Films directed by Robert Young Films scored by Charles Strouse Halloween television specials 1980s British films