The Worst Witch (1998–2001) User Reviews

Why is there so little talk, if any, of the great similarities between Worst Witch and Harry Potter?

[sts-26 · 7/10 · 4 December 2008]

I enjoyed this show when first telecast in North America, even though I am male and was about 30 years old at the time. I still will watch an episode every now and then, if I stumble upon it while channel surfing.

I do not understand how so little has been said about the similarities between Harry Potter and Worst Witch. I would even have expected outright claims of plagiarism. Yet, I have never even hear the two series (of books) mentioned in the same breath (and I am quite the media addict, so few scandals or controversies escape my notice). In fact, all I ever seem to have heard was how marvelously inventive J.K. Rowling has been with the Potter series. Huh?

The Potter series seems to have greatly eclipses Worst Witch. And the fact that, while Worst Witch ended up a TV series, and Potter books ended up a series of mega-films has not helped. Too bad, as I think of Worst Witch as utterly charming, while the whole Potter phenomenon is simply OTT.

Childhood Memories

[Sakura-Sammy · 8/10 · 8 September 2006]

As an avid reader, I enjoyed this delightful TV adaption of The Worst Witch! I remember being all excited to get home just so I could watch it! Miss Cackle was one of my faves, as she reminded me of one of my own teachers! There has definitely been some 'modern additions' to it, but it still retains its essence of old British 'charm'! But people should remember that this is based on an old book, intended for young children with vivid imaginations! It does not in anyway portray or is associated with wicca - as some people assume! This book was written way before Wicca became a big concept in modern society! And the producers definitely did not have Wicca in mind while producing it! So don't think that they are wrongly type casting! They just made it to the criteria in this classic book!

The Worst Witch

[jboothmillard · 6/10 · 13 June 2005]

When I was younger I only watched this a little bit, I just liked the character of Mildred Hubble. Based on the popular children's books written by Jill Murphy this is the story of a clumsy member of Cackles Academy the school fro young witches. Cackles Academy was run by Miss Cackle and as far as she could see not a lot of trouble went on, until Mildred Hubble arrived. Mildred and her friends have many mini adventures making potions, spells and magic of all sorts. The teacher who suspicious of Mildred and her chums was Miss Hardbroom. Unfortunately they had to do a sequel show with a new worst witch, what's the point. Quite good, the kids will like it!

What I thought of the TV adaptation a decade after I read the books.....

[KarlSG · 28 June 1999]

10 years ago when I was a mere 8 years old I was a huge fan of "The Worst Witch" books by Jill Murphy. Then, a decade later I saw that a TV adaptation had been made and so I watched it with interest. And I was very impressed! As well as adapting the stories contained within the first 2 books ("The Worst Witch" and "The Worst Witch Strikes Again") the makers have also created some original stories which are just as good. The cast is excellent! Newcomer Georgina Sherrington was an ideal choice for Mildred Hubble, as were all of the actresses. The makers have also created characters that weren't in the books (such as Jadu Wali and Ruby Cherrytree), and developed characters that are only briefly mentioned in the books (such as Drucilla Paddock) which adds a little extra to the show. I did see the 1986 film starring Fairuza Balk and Tim Curry a long time ago (a decade or more) and from what I can remember it wasn't as good as this TV series. Overall, the cast and crew have done an excellent job and fans of the books both young and old will love it!

Part of my childhood this show was!

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 3 September 2009]

I love "The Worst Witch", although I am 17 now, but seeing it now still brings back all those great memories I had with my brother and sisters. I loved the books by Jill Murphy as well, and as far as I am concerned, the show stays true to the books. Cackles Academy is exactly as I imagined it, with tall turrets and what have you. The theme song is lovely, and in a good way, sticks in your head for a long while. The acting, considering it was a TV show, usually part of CITV's programming before they stopped showing it for a while, was great, Georgina Sherrington is a good actress and stays true to the character of Mildred. The other girls are fine too, and Felicity Jones is very nasty as Ethel Hallow. Katy Allen who replaced her isn't quite as good but still gets the essence of the character right. My favourite has to be Kate Duchene as Miss Hardbroom, her interpretation was quite frosty, exactly like Miss Hardbroom should be. The scripting, stories and special effects weren't at all bad either, the writing actually is very funny and well written especially with Miss Hardbroom. I was just wondering whether anybody saw the 1986 TV film version with Fairuza Balk, Diana Rigg and Tim Curry, it wasn't as good as this, and not really a childhood favourite, but I liked it, and I am just wondering if anybody here had seen it and liked it. I give this show 10/10. Bethany Cox

Agreeable

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 11 February 2021]

An ITV series adaptation of the famous Jill Murphy children's books of the 1970s, THE WORST WITCH is generally an agreeable watch with likeable characters and child performers doing their very best to inhabit their roles. It was filmed in a Welsh castle for authenticity and it's occasionally marred by that cheesy early computer FX you see in 1990s-era productions, but otherwise it's quite charming. The first two series of the show are by far the best as they're actually adapting the books, while the third goes off on a tangent and is randomly influenced by the Spice Girls, of all things, so you get lots of dancing but little plotting. Still better than HARRY POTTER, though!

A story about a nice innocent girl with all the odds against her....

[Angelus2 · 10/10 · 21 November 2009]

Mildred Hubble is a witch who isn't that great...She's constantly in trouble simply because of the nature of her heart. I'm 21 now and I am a male...and I'm totally secure with masculinity (I dunno why I wrote that...) But as a kid I truly loved this show, I found it sweet and charming. More importantly I was totally in love with Mildred. Now it seems that Hary Potter and Twilight are taking on the mantle of 'Supernatural' kids genre...or what have you...I honestly don't care about that I think Twilight is lame...

This show is definitely one that has gone unnoticed...However it's still one of the greats of my childhood.

I loved and love this

[texxas-1 · 10/10 · 7 September 2015]

I was 6 years old when this first aired on citv. I found all the teachers there really scary, especially Ms Hardbroom. Her serious face always put the fear of God into me. I used to look up to Mildred, Maud, Ethel and all the others and think they were really brave to be there! I only found out recently they replaced Ethel with a different actress, they did a really good job because I didn't even notice. The second actress Katy Allen has a chubbier face and a bit of a lisp. I enjoyed this so much as a child and was pleased when I got reunited with it thanks to YouTube. The stories are great, the girls are likable even the mean ones like Ethel. I can appreciate this a lot more now that I'm old enough to follow the stories, when I was young lets just say I had a short attention span. I love the scenery, its set in a cold, dark depressing castle but the girls make it seem anything but depressing. I only wish they'd release this on DVD.

This series has nothing to do with wicca

[crysalys · 8/10 · 26 September 2006]

okay i love this series just as much as i loved the books and Harry Potter for that matter. I am a practicing wiccan. Have been for a goodly number of years. i think it's silly to attribute the bad rep that wiccans get to a show intended for children. the creators, just as with j.k. rowling, do not pretend that the show has anything to do with real witches. it is a fictional work and was not intended to provide a survey of wicca as a religion and those who would confuse the two are likely the same type of people who think harry potter is akin to black magic, so i'm not too worried about their opinions.

mostly i think people have some idea that wiccans are in cahoots with satanists and that gets their knickers knotted and i don't think that's what this show is suggesting. LOL. it's a kiddie show meant for laughs and nothing more. i myself would probably be disconcerted to see the show being more realistic. as much as i like charmed, the fact is that it took plenty of aspects of wicca and distorted or exaggerated them (along with adding a whole mess of fiction) leaving behind a muggy picture of what witches do. i'd be more willing to point the finger at charmed than i would at the worst witch (or it's counterparts, see Harry Potter, Sabrina the Teenage Witch...)

Brilliant show

[riley453 · 7 February 2005]

"Onward ever striving onward, proudly on our brooms we fly...." People who think they are wiccans should realize that "The Worst Witch" is a comedy and yes it is actually quite witty and it's harmless fun. Miss Hardbroom gives you quick dry humour and she is every pupils nightmare. This is a brilliant wee show, good laughs and good story lines, OK abit far fetched but its all make believe about witches. It's not meant to be hardcore modern witches. Cackles Academy has no power and they are very traditional to witch craft.

It is a good show for kids to watch and to have fun with, a lovely wee slot for 30 minutes of the day. Well worth the watch! A+

nostalgia

[brandonhazell · 10/10 · 16 October 2023]

Absolutely amazing. A true British gem of British TV. Love castles Coch it's my local castle.

Obviously if you're a fan of Harry Potter and British nostalgia this is one for you, I would advise watching the British versions. As the voices change in season 2. Unless you have the British version. Obviously the CGI is abit dated. However if you have nostalgic head on, it really made me feel like a child.

Great sound effects and very Decent acting for the young actors

Does anyone know why there only is 3 seasons and not 5?

Why are we unable to see millie Graduate:(? Tried searching for a reason but no answers.

Maybe "The Worst Witch" but certainly the best show!

[SEAG · 25 March 2001]

The first time I saw "Worst Witch" was around halloween so I thought it would never be on again, you can just imagine my delight when I found out it was a series! I would HIGHLY suggest to everyone and anyone who might be wary about this children's show to watch it (at least once). You won't regret it (especially if you're like me and enjoy everything British and magical)!

Great show for children

[nicetry · 1 October 2002]

Worst witch is a great show for young people. It's not about "religion" for crazy people who think witchcraft is real, it's just fun. I liked it much and still like it being an adult now. You will see young people with young people's usual problems and solving them by some kind of "magic" which noone ever intended to be understood as real.

Great show

[LionessRampant · 28 December 2002]

I have been hooked on this show since I first saw it on HBO a few years ago. It is based on a children's book and turned out to be a pretty good adaptation. (There is also a movie starring Charlotte Rae) I do not agree with the other review of this show. It isn't about some religion, it is just about girls in an English boarding school. To make it fun and interesting, they made the girls witches. I think it is cool, and the adult actors do a great job (Hardbroom is my favorite of all the characters), there is some real talent in this show. The plots are interesting, and it shows the classic veiw of witches because that is all most people ever see. HBO does not produce this show, it isn't one of there original series. So if it doesn't seem on par with Sex and the City, that's because it isn't. I only have two problems, one is that HBO has dubbed the younger actresses voices, apparently they think Americans can't understand English accents. The second is that HBO only shows the first two seasons of the show. There are three seasons and a sequel show. But, all in all, it's a good time.

I liked it

[dlarsen-4 · 11 November 2005]

I don't really want to give my opinions on witches themselves, other than that it's ridiculous to form some sort of angry assumption that just because they're witches in a school that they're 'Wiccans'. It's a CHILDREN'S show. Not meant to be taken seriously, just for watching. I liked it when it was on, and think it did pretty well with the characters. If you're looking for a show that kids will enjoy watching (but hopefully won't take seriously and try to find a witch's school to join) then I think you should look into this one. It's funny, and even the girl who plays Mildred fits the part very well. Even though it's not on anymore, it was a pretty good show.

Witchy time

[Jusenkyo_no_Pikachu · 18 February 2002]

I first heard of The Worst Witch when I was 7 years old (my school librarian read part of it to the class). Then it faded almost to nothing in my mind. Then I saw Nickelodeon had a TV series, and I grew interested again. Thanks to the show, I have now read two of the books and I have also seen the TV movie with Tim Curry. It's an excellent series and I hear Mildred is now attending Weird Sister College.

Can be very okay in some ways, not so in others, v1.51

[annevejb · 21 April 2008]

This links with my other comments, etc, re the four ITV works inspired by Jill Murphy's Worst Witch novels. This TV series is the second and was my favourite.

Worst Witch v Harry Potter: I got to the point in the Harry Potter series where I had to accept that they were no longer about what had first attracted me to them. For a while I still found Harry Potter interesting, but it was about something other. By 2010 I still occasionally re-read the novels, but only re-watched the first two features and now I find that Blu-ray makes those even better.

Getting the DVD sets of the Worst Witch series and its sequels, they are nothing like early Harry Potter, but a lot of the fascination was not so different. I had to rate this as special. For my earliest versions of this review I used a heading: Tempting to rate this as 10 of 10 plus a spoiler hazard.

At 2012 it is Zoey 101 and iCarly that I rate as the ultimate. Characterisation is the real difficulty for me and the early episodes of iCarly have that difficulty, too. I find that a lot of stories from England have people with gritty personalities to an extent that gets in the way of the stories, for me. The Worse Witch novels by Jill Murphy are a pleasant exception to that, be they stories for seven year olds. I find the Harry Potter novels to be mild re that aspect. To access the elements of the Worse Witch TV series that I like, and I find that there is lots that I can like, I need to shrug off some aspects and I do have a lot of experience in shrugging off some aspects of fiction.

By 2012 I find some aspects of the New Worst Witch series to be even better than this 1998, just the characterisation aspect is an even bigger problem. On balance I still prefer this 1998.