Fairuza Balk's Witchcraft Journey: 'The Worst Witch' and Beyond

Fairuza Balk, a talented actress, had the opportunity to assume the persona of the worst witch in the 1986 film adaptation of Jill Murphy's popular children's book. This was a significant role for Balk, as it allowed her to showcase her acting skills and explore the complexities of portraying a character who is often misunderstood and underestimated. Balk's portrayal of the worst witch was met with mixed reviews, with some critics praising her ability to bring a sense of vulnerability and heartfelt emotion to the character, while others felt that her performance lacked the energy and charisma needed to truly bring the character to life. However, despite the mixed reviews, Balk's performance in the worst witch ultimately left a lasting impression on audiences, cementing her status as a talented and versatile actress. The film itself also received a cult following in later years, further cementing Balk's place in cinematic history. In conclusion, Fairuza Balk's portrayal of the worst witch was a significant role for her career and allowed her to showcase her acting abilities.

Miss Hardbroom: Mildred Hubble. Who would have thought the scared little girl who could barely fly her broom in a straight line would enter these hallowed halls of the magical sciences. And you're going to throw it all away. Always rushing into things, never thinking of the consequences. It will be your downfall, Mildred.

There is a friendly bond between The Worst Witch fans and Little Witch Academia fans, due to the deep similarities between the two both star good-hearted girls who are Naive Newcomers and inept Mages, whose best friends consist of a dorkish and nice bookworm and and a mischievous troublemaker and who frequently gets into antics at a British all girls magic school while bullied by an Academic Alpha Bitch who has an agenda against the protagonist. This is doubly ironic considering the first book originally intended to end with the twist that Mildred was a fairy all along and would have transferred to a school for fairies, where she would have been happier, similar to Mirta from the latter show.

In conclusion, Fairuza Balk's portrayal of the worst witch was a significant role for her career and allowed her to showcase her acting abilities. While opinions on her performance may vary, it is undeniable that her portrayal left a lasting impact on audiences and solidified her reputation as a talented actress..

YMMV / The Worst Witch

Ethel: I know what you think of me. But I didn't expect Mildred to be expelled. Not for that.
Enid: She better not be, had she? For your sake.

Miss Hardbroom: Mildred Hubble. Who would have thought the scared little girl who could barely fly her broom in a straight line would enter these hallowed halls of the magical sciences. And you're going to throw it all away. Always rushing into things, never thinking of the consequences. It will be your downfall, Mildred.

Mildred: And I'll have no one to blame but myself, Miss Hardbroom. I'm old enough to make my own choices.

• Hobbes from Weirdsister College. Some give him the Draco in Leather Pants treatment due to his Freudian Excuse. Others find that it doesn't justify his awful behaviour and think he's unnecessarily dickish. And then there's the third group who are arguably a mix of both sides of the argument, thinking that while his past makes his motivations understandable, he does need to check his behaviour.
• Any replacement teacher (or actor) is more likely to become a subject of this trope. Especially when it comes to fan favourite, Miss Hardbroom.

• Miss Bat is the most popular of the teachers with fans. It's quite surprising given that she made one appearance in the books. Arguably it can be said that all the teachers would fit under this tropes, as this series is written largely from Mildred's point of view, and she does not often get on with her teachers even with the best of intentions.
• Drucilla made just one brief appearance in the fourth book. But her popularity due to an expanded role in the TV series led to Jill Murphy featuring her in more books.
• For non-book characters, Charlie Blossom as well - presumably for the Shipping potential. One episode character Deirdre Swoop also got upgraded to regular in both spin-offs.
• Clarice is also rather popular for someone who only made a brief appearance in the books and was in a supporting role for most of the TV series.
• Ruby Cherrytree seems to be fondly remembered from the 1998 series - thanks to having an entertaining technophile persona and being the most prominent woman of colour in the cast.
• The 1998 versions of Sybil, Grisela, and Fenella are all only semi-regulars who barely appear at all in the books but are better remembered than some of the show's main characters. This is due to Sybil's Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass moments and refusal to kowtow to her bullying sister and the other two girls being Cool Big SisGood Bad Girl characters who are good at ferreting out the school's secrets.

• Fans of the 2017 series also get along with the fandom of So Awkward really well, since both shows follow their plots at different schools in different timelines. In fact, So Awkward and The Worst Witch are both CBBC's best shows and both came to an end in 2020 where The Worst Witch ended in April and So Awkward ended in October.
• There is a friendly bond between The Worst Witch fans and Little Witch Academia fans, due to the deep similarities between the two (both star good-hearted girls who are Naive Newcomers and inept Mages, whose best friends consist of a dorkish and nice bookworm and and a mischievous troublemaker and who frequently gets into antics at a British all girls magic school while bullied by an Academic Alpha Bitch who has an agenda against the protagonist). The fact that both got TV shows on Netflix in 2017 within a couple of months of each other helps.

• Fairuza Balk playing the titular Worst Witch in the TV movie. She would go onto play an Ethel type in The Craft, and would even own an occult shop for a time (rumors dogged her that she was a practicing witch but she merely owned the shop while doing research for the film).
• Felicity Jones originally played Ethel Hallow in the 1998 series. Ethel is very much a stickler for the rules, and loathe to disobey authority. Fast-forward 18 years, and Ms Jones appeared in Rogue One, fighting against the Empire - very much the authority in the galaxy.
• The 2017 CBBC incarnation of the show casts Bella Ramsey as Mildred Hubble. Surely this means, if Cackle's faces any trouble, Mildred can simply call on her banners.

• Miss Drill if you think about it. She's one of the few non-witch members of staff (in the TV show anyway) and is constantly at odds with Miss Hardbroom. Although she experiences plenty of Fantastic Racism, she just keeps on with her job and trying to do her best.
• Mildred herself could also be considered as an example of this trope. Even though it seems as if the world is against her trying to become a witch, she constantly continues to push herself forward. In the television adaptations, she is also a victim of Fantastic Racism, being a magical person from a non-magical family. It's implied that this is rare, and Mildred is stated to be the first student of such background in Cackle's.

• For all of her faults, Ethel can be considered this in the 2017 series, the majority of her nasty acts were mainly to knock out the competition, so her mother —who Ethel's always the Un Favorite to— would finally acknowledge her talents.
• Miss Gullet in the 2017 series. Sure she's a total jerk (and sometimes a villain), but when you find out she gets no respect from the other teachers and is seen as boring by them and the students, you can't help but feel bad for her. Mr. Rowan-Webb stealing her thunder and proving to be a hit with the school is the only reason she A) hates Mr. Rowan-Webb, B) turned against the school, and C) is a villain at all. Also doubles as an Alas, Poor Villain.

• In The New Worst Witch, Dyllis Mustardseed seems to be crushing pretty hard on Belladonna Bindweed. Too bad Belladonna hates her.
• The bickering between Miss Drill and Miss Bat in Season 2 could slip into this at times.
• This is also seen to be the attitude between Miss Hardbroom and Miss Drill.
• Not to mention Miss Hardbroom and Miss Pentangle from the 2017 series, whose former friendship is presented more as a former romance, just without using that word. Of particular note should be the two or three-second long kiss on the cheek Miss Pentangle bestows on Miss Hardbroom during 2x10.

• Merlin trying to reseal the Dragon Lord back into the cave. He says "Back from whence you came" as if he couldn't care less.
• Miss Drill's evil persona as Hilary Hemlock. Evil Is Hammy to the last degree.
• While Sybil is an effective Woobie, any time she actually has to cry on screen, it's painfully forced.

• The series also has a few uncanny similarities with Winx Club. Cackle and Hardbroom are similar to Faragonda and Griselda, Ruby is a magical technophile like Tecna, both Mildred and Bloom leave their magic school after being publicly humiliated and gets exonerated when they save the school from evil witches, etc. This is doubly ironic considering the first book originally intended to end with the twist that Mildred was a fairy all along and would have transferred to a school for fairies, where she would have been happier, similar to Mirta from the latter show. The 2017 show seems slightly aware of this; the way Mildred learns about the school comes from helping Maud, who crashed her broomstick near her flat, similar to how Bloom met Stella. The two even share an actress: Carrie Finlay, the actress who voiced over Sybil in the North American dub would end up voicing Wicked Witch Darcy.

• Katy Allen took over for Felicity Jones as Ethel in Seasons 2 and 3, and wasn't as liked. Many fans rejoice that the latter returned to the role for Weirdsister College.
• Frank Blossom gets Put on a Bus in Season 3 and replaced with his brother Ted, who's a rather blatant Expy and not as memorable.
• In Weirdsister College, Mildred's best friend Maud weirdly does not attend, despite being elected Head Girl in the Season 3 finale and actually being the second-best student in the year after Ethel. She's not mentioned at all, and instead Mildred befriends a new witch called Cas Crowfeather. Cas isn't too well-liked, mainly for her actress's awkward performance and being much pushier and more self-centered than Maud.
• Caroline O'Neill replacing Kate Duchene as Miss Hardbroom in The New Worst Witch. It's very much a Tough Act to Follow situation, since that is the role Kate Duchene is best remembered for.

• A young Felicity Jones as Ethel Hallow in the first season of the '98 series.
• Enid's actress in the 1998 series is Jessica Fox, who is now best known as Nancy in Hollyoaks.
• Jay Baruchel plays Beanpole, one of the Canadian boy scouts in "The Great Outdoors".
• Sacha Dhawan is Azmat Madari in Weirdsister College.
• Wait a minute. that was Hilda/Ellie as Mildred Hubble?

• The music video made by Tim Curry aka the Grand Wizard. Really, see for yourself.
• The flying effects on the 1998 TV show zig zag between this, while being respectable enough for the era, especially on the small budget allocated to the children's TV show.

• Ruby zigzags through this. While she does get a couple of more focus episodes as the series goes, she's still very much an obvious Token Minority.
• Jadu meanwhile does not get A Day in the Limelight until the penultimate episode, making her feel like a more blatant Token Minority than Ruby.
• Weirdsister College has an episode detailing how Enid and Mildred have drifted apart since Cackle's, but Maud never even appears or gets name-checked in the series. She was Mildred's best friend from her very first day, and a very gifted witch in her own right, making it odd that she didn't attend the college too or at least visit.

• Show Spoilers

Ethel: I know what you think of me. But I didn't expect Mildred to be expelled. Not for that.
Enid: She better not be, had she? For your sake.

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Reviews for "The Magic Behind Fairuza Balk's Spellbinding Transformation in 'The Worst Witch"

- Emily - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Fairuza Balk Assumes the Persona of The Worst Witch". The storyline felt predictable and unoriginal, and Fairuza Balk's performance as the lead character fell flat. The dialogue was cheesy and the jokes often fell short. Overall, I found it to be a forgettable and unenjoyable watch.

- Mark - 1 star - I couldn't get through "Fairuza Balk Assumes the Persona of The Worst Witch". The acting was so bad that it was cringe-worthy. The special effects were poorly done and the plot was confusing and disjointed. I'm not sure why this film has positive reviews, as it was a complete waste of my time.

- Samantha - 2 stars - I had really high hopes for "Fairuza Balk Assumes the Persona of The Worst Witch", but it ended up being a disappointment. The story was weak and the character development was lacking. The pacing was off, and I found myself losing interest halfway through. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it to others.

Conjuring up Success: Fairuza Balk's Impact in 'The Worst Witch