THE INITIAL RELEASE (1998)
The Worst Witch was a British ITV show about young witches at an academy called Cackles and, with breakout success, it was directed at pre-pubescent girls who needed a bit of magic in their lives. Bear in mind that this was a world where J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter didn’t exist yet, so children everywhere had yet to discover their love of all things magical. And for those whose imaginations were awakened early, The Worst Witch was the ideal TV show.
Based on The Worst Witch books by Jill Murphy, the series aired for 40 episodes between 1998 and 2001 and was then followed on by Weirdsister College. Due to the success of both shows, they were even followed up with The New Worst Witch and, although not a particularly inspiring title, it did just as well as the original and revitalised the show for a younger generation.
The series follows Mildred Hubble (Georgina Sherrington), an incredibly relatable and likeable character who’s a tad clumsy and awkward (as many of us were as we exited the 90s), and her exploits and education at Cackle’s Academy for Witches.
MY EXPERIENCE
As I was used to watching shows like Pokemon and Digimon, which both seemed so targeted towards boys, I was immediately drawn to The Worst Witch. I loved the magic, the special effects and, in particular, the protagonist Mildred Hubble and her clumsy but well-meaning tendencies. 
The colourful cast of characters hooked me and I found myself yearning to be best friends with the inseparable trio that was Mildred, Maud and Enid. The infamous (and leather-clad) Ms Hardbroom was my first foray into loving to hate a character, which was a parallel to the poisonous Ethel Hallow (played by Oscar winner Felicity Jones believe it or not), as I just outright hated her. Though I can’t deny she had great chemistry with Mildred, and the girls’ first meeting was positively iconic (Draco and Harry, eat your heart out).
I was so impressed with the special effects and, looking back now, there really wasn’t anything else on TV to rival it. They did a very good job of utilising practical effects and props to create a realistic academy and atmosphere at the school. Let’s remember that this was the 90s, so things could’ve been embarrassing.
Watching the show made me want to break out my halloween gear for every episode and I was always envious of the girls’ neat, themed witchy outfits (which they occasionally complained about having to wear while I was stuck in my green plaid with yellow shirt and red tie. Some perspective, ladies).
I never realised before, as I was a wide-eyed innocent back when I watched this fantastic show for the first time, but Ms Hardbroom wore a lot of faux snake skin leather-look clothes. Now that I’ve started re-watching the episodes (which I fully intend on continuing to do), she comes across as a real dominatrix. Nobody could deny for a moment that the woman is hard as nails, but now that I’m older I can see that she grows fond of Mildred and cares about her interests.
Mildred’s first time on a broom now makes me think of my driving lessons, back when I didn’t know the clutch from the hand brake, and to be fair, she does manage to get herself into an inordinate amount of awkward situations. Perhaps the girl was born on an ancient burial ground or something and she’s just straight up cursed.
I was also always super jealous of her long braids (partly because of the witchy look, but mostly because my mother decided I should get a bowl cut), and she keeps that style even up to the first episode of Weirdsister College, where she cuts it off after transitioning from childish and naive Mildred into pre-adult Mildred. It was symbolic.
The show boasted a cast of fun and talented actors, from Miss Bat, played by Una Stubbs (Sherlock) to Algernon Rowan-Webb, played by Paul Copley (Downton Abbey) and Miss Drill, played by Claire Porter (Doctors).
I never read the books because I had no interest in reading until Harry Potter and, let’s be honest, why settle for sausages when you can have steak? However, from what I’ve heard they’re pretty good. Even though I’ve really enjoyed re-watching this series, it wouldn’t prompt me to run out and buy the books, so I don’t think I’ll ever end up flicking through their pages. 
However, the show itself is just as charming as I remember, and even more funny as I now understand some of the more subtle jokes which were usually hissed out by a sassy Ms Hardbroom, and I lament at the lack of such a show for young girls on TV now. Instead of the Mildreds of the world to grow with and look up to, young girls have people like Kylie Kardashian and her vacuous, vanity-flaunting personality. Thankfully the show is pretty much timeless, and will be watched by many girls (and boys) in years to come, even if only because older sisters and brothers plonk them down in front of a screen and make them binge-watch until they’re diehard Cackle fans.
