Product Details

• Actors: Kate Duchêne, Emma Brown, Clare Coulter, Claire Porter, Harshna Brahmbhatt
• Writers: Clive Endersby, David Finley
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: German (Unknown), English (Dolby Digital 2.0), French (Unknown), Spanish (Unknown)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Bfs Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: February 8, 2002
• Run Time: 30 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005N5R8
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #204,740 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Worst Witch Collection - Set 1" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Worst Witch set contains seven episodes of the popular TV series. Based on the internationally bestselling books of Jill Murphy that are said to have been an inspiration to J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter books, the 25-minute episodes chronicle the hilarious adventures of would-be witch Mildred Hubble. Aimed at 5- to 11-year-olds, the set starts with Mildred's first day at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, a secondary boarding school that emphasizes discipline and traditional values but that also teaches young girls how to ride broomsticks, chant, and cast spells. Mildred gets off to a flying start when arriving late on her broomstick: she crashes into the school bins. The strong storylines focus mainly on whether Mildred will make the grade as a bona fide witch and her continuing rivalry with snooty Ethel Hallow. Whether Mildred is turning Ethel into a pig or being transformed into a frog, pre-teenagers will relate to the heroine, learning from her the importance of determination, imagination, and friends. There are admirable performances from Georgina Sherrington as Mildred, Kate Duchène as the stern Miss Hardbroom, Clare Coulter as the kindly Headmistress, and the renowned Una Stubbs as the eccentric Miss Bat, who spends school holidays in the cupboard. The stories are not scary, and the special effects are used sparingly but with good results. Particularly spectacular is the image at the start of each episode of students arriving for school on broomsticks. Entertaining, amusing, and captivating, pre-teenagers are in for a real treat! --Tracey Hogan, Amazon.com.uk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Very Best Witch, November 20, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Worst Witch Collection - Set 1 (DVD)

This is one of the cutest shows for young girls in a long time. I'm just sorry it got canceled. All the preteen girls (and teens, mind you)in my family are just crazy about it. It runs on a continual loop on HBO/family at 6:00 every night but it only shows the first two seasons. Mildred and her friends are not the most popular or the most athletic but they manage to be the best of friend and always come out on top. It teaches girls lessons that american tv doesn't show anymore. I just wish they would put the 3rd and 4th season on tv or sell them on disk. They're out there somewhere. Amazon.com help us find them.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE WORST WITCH WILL CHARM YOU!, September 23, 2003

By 

"valeska_" (The Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Worst Witch Collection - Set 1 (DVD)

I love this adorable cable series. This isn't the Fairuza Balk film version. Stars Georgina Sherrington as the cute bumbling witch-in-training Mildred Hubble (Always in trouble!)Georgina is wonderful as Mildred, & Emma Brown as her ever loyal friend Maud Moonshine. Based on the books by Jill Murphy, which came out before Harry Potter (I might add).

Heart-warming, great cast & excellent acting. All of them embody the characters so well. There are a few new faces, Jadu Wali and Ruby Cherrytree as Mildreds friends.

I also love the sets, very authentic. The castle is really brilliant, It makes me want to live there.

Kate Duchene is wonderful as the dreaded Miss Hardbroom. I think she has great comic timing and really embodies, and perhaps brings even more to the part. She seems to enjoy the role too. And Una Stubbs is so endearing and charmingly quirky as the eccentric Miss Bat.

Felicity Jones is the PERFECT match for Ethel Hallow! She is absolutely mean. Poor Mildred runs afoul of her on her first day. I also like Holly Rivers as Ethel's sidekick and partner in crime, Drusilla Paddock.

I wanted to point out that if you play the dvd on number four (British English) in the audio section, you hear a lot more than the "American English" audio track. In episode 4 (A Mean Halloween) for example, when Mildred creates a voice changing potion, in the American English version you really can't hear much of a difference, but in the British English version her voice is REALLY high-pitched and squeaky (it's a lot funnier), plus I'm POSITIVE they've removed lines on the American audio track, because it was filmed originally British English. Anyways...

THIS IS A FANTASTIC SERIES! Much, MUCH better than the Fairuza Balk film version! It gives me warm fuzzies...:-)Goes great with cocoa. ;-)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A converted fan!, November 21, 2004

By 

Luscha St Louis (Trinidad, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Worst Witch Collection - Set 1 (DVD)

I saw the original movie as a child and bought the dvd along with this series. I'd never seen the HBO series but I read most of the books. I wasn't sure what to expect but I loved it! It filled out a lot of the gaps in the movie version and I love this new Ms. Hardbroom. I've recently bought set 3 and 4 and I know I'll just love that too. I'm impressed that the audio tracks are multi-lingual...I'll get a kick out of watching it in Spanish and German! It's a great family show and the chemistry among the cast is great....I almost wish I was a kid again and in Ms. Cackles Academy!