Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
There’s a brand new adaptation of The Worst Witch on Netflix and it stars one of Game of Thrones‘s most popular actresses. “The Little Bear” herself, Bella Ramsey, aka Lady Lyanna Mormont, stars as Mildred Hubble, the titular “worst witch” in this sweet family fantasy series.
The Worst Witch is based on a popular series of children’s fantasy books by Jill Murphy that came out in the 1970s. Murphy got the idea for the series when she was a teenager attending a posh all-girls school and bent her own experiences to build her fictional world. This is not the first onscreen adaptation of the series. In 1986, there was a made-for-TV film version starring The Craft‘s Fairuza Balk, Dame Diana Rigg, and Tim Curry. Curry famously sang a campy song called “Anything Can Happen On Halloween.” Another adaptation came in the late ’90s. This one featured a future star named Felicity Jones as Ethel Hallow. So even if you have absolutely no interest in children’s fantasy, The Worst Witch merits attention as a franchise for its ability to showcase future stars.
This new adaptation updates the series for a post-Harry Potter world. The Worst Witch could have always been seen as a kinder, quirkier antecedent for J.K. Rowling’s uber-successful series, but this version plays up the similarities. It amps up the drama between Miss Cackle and her evil twin sister and gives Miss Hardbroom a distinctly Snape-like sense of style. Most notably, this version gives Mildred a Harry Potter-esque backstory. In the original books, Mildred Hubble is just a bumbling witch. Here, she’s a girl who grew up among humans, completely unaware of her magical abilities.
Bella Ramsey plays Mildred with a sense of overwhelming insecurity. She doesn’t fit into “the real world” because she sees magical things that aren’t there, making her look a bit unhinged, and she doesn’t fit into the magical world because she’s grown up without any context for these newfound abilities. Ramsey herself seems a little adrift in a bright and chipper children’s show, but that could just be the fact that she’s playing a character so completely opposite to Lady Lyanna Mormont here. Lyanna has the confidence of a she-bear and Mildred is as cowed as a kitten. If nothing else, it’s impressive to see such range from such a young actress. But the real stand out is newcomer Meibh Campbell. She plays Mildred’s new BFF Maud Spellbody (aka Maud Moonshine in the books) with a winning combination of warmth and deft comic timing. She’s another name to watch in the decade or two ahead.
The series is sweet, fun, and a little bit goofy, which is rather what The Worst Witch franchise has always been. It’s not groundbreaking children’s entertainment, but it is a delightful escape for kids all ages. Meaning it’s probably a great thing for the fantasy-loving kid in your house to binge-watch in the A/C over the rest of the hot summer break. (Note: the first episode is an hour long, but episodes 2-12 are a half hour long.)
Season One of The Worst Witch is now streaming on Netflix.
