Line #4 YMMV/TheWorstWitch


1	* AdaptationDisplacement: While the books are very popular, the 1998 series tends to be a little better known. A lot of details from the show - like Miss Bat and Miss Drill's AdaptationPersonalityChange, Maud's surname being Moonshine, Ethel being a RichBitch - are mistaken as book canon. Jill Murphy even ran with it, notably expanding Drusilla's role in books written after the TV series, and Miss Drill is clearly written as being a CoolTeacher in later books, too. The TV movie is mostly forgotten, except for a few nostalgic fans.
2	* {{Adorkable}}:
3	** Miss Drill dancing at the end of the season 3 premiere.
4	** Deidre Swoop can be a little awkward at times, but post-CharacterDevelopment she's very sweet, even if she retains some UpperClassTwit tendencies. Especially in ''The New Worst Witch'' Just having been made a teacher, she's overeager and anxious to make a good impression on everyone, though she suffers quite a bit from [[OpenMouthInsertFoot foot-in-mouth syndrome]].
5	** Maud in the 2017 series. Her nerdiness and giddy awkwardness is played up slightly, and she has a lot of adorably awkward moments, particularly when she's nervous about something.
6	** Dyllis Not the most socially-adjusted of witches, but she has moments where she's absolutely adorable in her ignorance.
7	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
8	** Mildred's status as the Worst Witch in the school is up for debate. On the one hand, she is quite bad at a few things. But on the other, she seems to be mainly bad in the school environment. The main problems that her teachers have is that she's accident prone, occasionally lazy and quick to break the rules. Once she's got the proper theory down, she doesn't seem to have any problem casting magic in the field. She also notably gets over her fear of heights through consistent broomstick flying - suggesting she might be BrilliantButLazy and fully capable of getting high marks if she applies herself. This is also shown in the 2017 series within the first episode, wherein Mildred is quite capable of creating a Levitation Potion correctly the first time she does so, simply because she is applying her fully to working on said potion.
9	** Miss Hardbroom's attitude towards Mildred is also up for debate. There's reason to believe she just has a vendetta against the girl - as there are a lot of incidents where she shows blatant favouritism to Ethel and is quick to punish Mildred without giving the latter the benefit of the doubt. One has to wonder how much of Mildred's ineptitude stems from Hardbroom's treatment of her. On the other hand, Miss Hardbroom is always happy whenever Mildred does well in class - and she'll always sincerely thank Mildred whenever she saves the day. So it might be that Hardbroom thinks Millie is BrilliantButLazy too - and her dislike could be that she thinks Mildred is wasting her potential. It can be argued that the 1998 series' Miss Hardbroom is portrayed with this attitude in mind. Also a case of FridgeBrilliance: of course Mildred would see her {{stern teacher}} as unnecessarily harsh, she's the one who's often in trouble. As the audience we are allowed to see that there is more to HB than her strict attitude, and high standards.
10	** With regards to Ethel and Drusilla, how much does Ethel care for her? There are times when Ethel seems to view her as a servant rather than a friend. Other episodes show that she does seem to care for her to some extent. Given that Ethel has no other friends, and appears to be a bit of a DaddysGirl, it's possible she wants a friend but doesn't know how to behave towards one. The books seem to regard them as allies only, as the other girls find Ethel's attitude too much. The 2017 also suggests in it's first episode that Ethel may have an inferiority complex (and later episodes all but state it outright), due to living in the shadow of her equally brilliant older sister. However, it can be said that Ethel's sister seems a little wary of Ethel, so whether or not this is the case remans to be see.
11	** Miss Hardbroom also seems to have a very black and white view of thinking. She favours tradition only, and it's implied she's extreme for even elite witches (Miss Cackle and the Grand Wizard aren't as traditional as she is). She picks on Ruby Cherrytree, who isn't a particularly bad student, and it seems to be purely because Ruby is such a technofile. She also looks down on Miss Drill, the only {{Muggle}} member of staff, which has some parallels with tokenism (Miss Drill being the token non-magical teacher). Could it be that HB's dislike comes from fear that they're threats to the traditional ways? Her not wanting Charlie Blossom to attend Cackle's is quite similar - as mixed sex education is a rather modern concept.
12	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments:
13	** In the first book, Mildred manages to turn all of Agatha's army into snails with one spell. She single-handedly saved the entire school in a matter of seconds.
14	** In the first episode of the 1998 series, Maud (who has been at the school all of one week) stands up to the teachers, demanding that they let Mildred finish the broomstick test. Miss Bat likewise immediately supports Mildred, assuring her that her broken broom doesn't mean she's lesser than everyone else.
15	---> "You stick to your banana; it has character. Talk to it. [[NotSoDifferentRemark I talk to mine]].
16	** In the HalloweenEpisode, characters from the books get several. There's Miss Drill coming to the rescue to save Mildred from being trapped in the ground, Maud distracting Bindweed and Coldstone to give Mildred enough time to make the potion, and of course Millie shrinking the witches by brewing up the intentionally wrong potion. Miss Cackle shows she's no slouch by immobilizing Agatha and her cronies without even needing an incantation.
17	** Even though it made things worse for Mildred, Enid giving Ethel a good comeuppance by making the entire background fall on her.
18	** Mildred saving Sybil in "Alarms and Diversions". Remembering what happens when too much Finger Spark potion is applied, she pours enough onto her hands to completely zap the tornado into oblivion with only minimal damage to Sybil's door. She basically turned her earlier screw-up into the only thing that could save the day.
19	** "A Bolt From The Blue", Season 1 finale of the 1998 series, gives a few to several characters.
20	*** Everyone in Mildred's class finally having enough of Ethel's crap in the Season 1 finale after her prank leads to Mildred being locked in her room and expelled. Maud and Enid block her and Drucilla from going up the stairs, and all she gives is a half-assed "sorry". Cue every single girl in the class surrounding her to let her know she's the one who needs to be worried.
21	----> '''Ethel:''' I know what you think of me. But I didn't expect Mildred to be expelled. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Not for that]].\
22	'''Enid:''' She better not be, had she? For ''your'' sake.
23	*** Mildred shows she's far from the IneptMage everyone makes her out to be - by being the only one to realise that Agatha Cackle has pulled a TwinSwitch. She notices the strange behaviour change (that the other teachers assumed was the potion she took), the short-sightedness brought on from wearing different glasses and of course has enough wisdom and maturity to know that her headmistress would not be that cruel.
24	*** Ethel redeems herself by supplying vital information for how Agatha Cackle could strike back and not be affected by the Witches Code. The girls also have a handy lookout system, with Jadu warning them in enough time for them to sneak back into their rooms before Agatha even notices they're gone.
25	*** Enid and Mildred realise that Miss Cackle is being held prisoner in the storage room they'd ended up trapped in for the latter's birthday. [[CallBack Calling back to that time]], the two ride a broomstick through the window in the Great Hall to rescue her.
26	*** Mildred vanishes all three wicked witches with the puffification spell Agatha had taught them earlier - marking the second time she saved the school from Agatha singlehandedly. Miss Cackle is so impressed that she changes Mildred's final grade to an A+.
27	** Miss Hardbroom fighting off the Uninvited in the Season 3 finale. Even though she's only able to match her magic, she holds her off long enough for Mildred to return her to the book.
28	--->'''Uninvited:''' [[WrongGenreSavvy One of her good fairy friends]].\
29	'''HB:''' [[PreAssKickingOneLiner If you like]].
30	** "The All-Seeing Eye" from ''Weirdsister College'' has Mildred come face to face with an apparition of Miss Hardbroom as her test of character to ensure she is suited to attend. The way she deals with her is pretty awesome. Even HB seems impressed.
31	--->'''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.
32	--->'''Mildred:''' And I'll have no one to blame but myself, Miss Hardbroom. I'm old enough to make my own choices.
33	--->'''Miss Hardbroom:''' And you will have to live with them. I wish you luck, Mildred.
34	** When Agatha's destruction spell is wrecking havoc on Cackle's, Mildred decides enough is enough and starts chanting a AllYourPowersCombined spell. Now you'd expect Enid and Maud to join her since they're her best friends; heck, you'd even expect the rest of her coven to join in since they have firsthand experience with at least some of Mildred's HiddenDepths. What most viewers would ''not'' expect is for every single pupil (including several upperclassmen) present to start chanting along with Mildred, ultimately leading to the school being saved.
35	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
36	** Hobbes from ''Weirdsister College''. Some give him the DracoInLeatherPants treatment due to his FreudianExcuse. 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.
37	** Any replacement teacher (or actor) is more likely to become a subject of this trope. Especially when it comes to fan favourite, Miss Hardbroom.
38	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
39	** 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.
40	** 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.
41	** 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.
42	** 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.
43	** 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.
44	** 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 CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass moments and refusal to kowtow to her bullying sister and the other two girls being CoolBigSis GoodBadGirl characters who are good at ferreting out the school's secrets.
45	* EvilIsCool: The Uninvited from the finale of the 1998 series. The witch from the ''Literature/SleepingBeauty'' fairy tale is accidentally released and puts the whole school to sleep within minutes. Even when Miss Hardbroom is revived, she can only match and not overpower her magic.
46	* FandomEnragingMisconception: Accusing the series of being a "rip-off" of ''Literature/HarryPotter'' is not wise unless you want to anger fans. Especially since it is factually incorrect, as the series [[OlderThanTheyThink predates]] ''Harry Potter'' by 24 years (with the first book being released in 1974).
47	* FoeYayShipping: There are a subsection of fans who ship Mildred and Ethel together, despite the fact that Ethel hates Mildred.
48	* FriendlyFandoms:
49	** Fans of the 2017 series also get along with the fandom of ''Series/{{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.
50	** There is a friendly bond between ''The Worst Witch'' fans and ''Franchise/LittleWitchAcademia'' fans, due to the deep similarities between the two (both star good-hearted girls who are {{Naive Newcomer}}s and {{inept Mage}}s, 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 AcademicAlphaBitch who has an agenda against the protagonist). The fact that both got TV shows on Creator/{{Netflix}} in 2017 within a [[DuelingWorks couple of months]] of each other helps.
51	* GirlShowGhetto: Averted. Both the books and the 1998 TV series are loved by fans of both genders despite the almost all-female cast (though the series added a couple more male characters). However that hasn't stopped some people dubbing the 2017 series as "''Literature/HarryPotter'' for girls".
52	* HarsherInHindsight: The last two episodes of the 2017 series and the last five episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{Hilda}}'' through their respective first seasons dealt with Creator/BellaRamsey's character (Mildred and Hilda) having a falling out with their best friends (Maud and Frida) after having failed to accomplish the tasks given by them. As an indication, Mildred/Hilda met with a DeathGlare from Maud/Frida when she tries to apologize to her for failing in the task. Though this happened before [=WW2017=]'s first season finale, Maud befriending Ethel is not different from Frida befriending Kelly. Surely in their respective finales of the first season, Hilda reconciles with Frida, and so does Mildred for Maud. The difference is that while Hilda and Frida become friends again without an apology from the other, Mildred and Maud have to apologize to each other so they can become friends again.
53	* HilariousInHindsight:
54	** Creator/FairuzaBalk playing the titular Worst Witch in the TV movie. She would go onto play an Ethel type in ''Film/TheCraft'', 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).
55	** Creator/FelicityJones 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 ''Film/RogueOne'', fighting against the Empire - very much the authority in the galaxy.
56	* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Both Billie Boullet and Kitty Slack were unaware that "The Witching Hour Pt 2" was the final episode of the 2017 series as a whole, until they filmed the final scene with Mildred making a speech and being applauded by her peers. Both girls got emotional and cried TearsOfJoy as they watch Mildred's classmates gathering around Mildred congratulating her.
57	* HoYay: Mildred and Maud in the 1998 and 2017 versions have their moments.
58	* IronWoobie:
59	** 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 FantasticRacism, she just keeps on with her job and trying to do her best.
60	** 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 FantasticRacism, 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.
61	* JerkassWoobie:
62	** 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 UnFavorite to-- would finally acknowledge her talents.
63	** 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 AlasPoorVillain.
64	* JustHereForGodzilla: Many who watch the 1986 film do so just for the mere fact that Creator/TimCurry is the Chief Wizard.
65	* LesYay:
66	** In ''The New Worst Witch'', Dyllis Mustardseed seems to be crushing pretty hard on Belladonna Bindweed. Too bad Belladonna hates her.
67	** The bickering between Miss Drill and Miss Bat in Season 2 could slip into this at times.
68	** This is also seen to be the attitude between Miss Hardbroom and Miss Drill.
69	** 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.
70	* MagnificentBitch: (2017 series): [[EvilTwin Agatha Cackle]] is Ada's evil twin sister who desires control over Cackle's Academy. In the series premiere, she puts an obedience spell on the soup being served at the school celebration. When her scheme is discovered, Agatha challenges Ada to a Witches' Deal which she manages to win. After getting her powers removed, she spends the rest of the year occasionally masquerading as her twin sister in an attempt to restore her powers, eventually regaining her magic and teaming up with a vengeful ex-teacher to sow discord across the school. When the students rebel against her and take back the school, Agatha is sealed away inside a painting. She manipulates Ethel Hallow into freeing her, then impersonates Miss Cackle and secretly changes the rulebook, tricking most of the students into transporting themselves into a place called Vanishment where they would all be killed, and ultimately [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled decides to kill herself when she is defeated]].
71	* MemeticMutation: No wonder [[Series/TheLastOfUs2023 Ellie hated FEDRA School]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]Some tie-in music videos of Creator/BellaRamsey's Mildred singing about [[https://youtu.be/Bvc7ikAKCoo?si=DLYAEwJnybTHuYZb percentages]] and [[https://youtu.be/qDByuLs4jVo?si=Y6_2uvATfBD89JwF reading with feeling]] became memetic when fans of the ''Last of Us'' TV show began referring to them as looks at the school that sheltered Ellie (also portrayed by Ramsey) describes as "really shitty".[[/labelnote]]
72	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: The way Miss Hardbroom pronounces "Ruby Cherrytree" in the CITV series. Despite it usually involving a FullNameUltimatum, she sounds as if she enjoys saying it.
73	* {{Narm}}:
74	** 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.
75	** Miss Drill's evil persona as Hilary Hemlock. EvilIsHammy to the last degree.
76	** While Sybil is an effective Woobie, any time she actually has to cry on screen, it's painfully forced.
77	* NarmCharm: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUhuPn8_d0Q Tim Curry's song]]. Awful effects? Check. Cramming in every single word that may or may not rhyme with Halloween (up to tamporine)? Check. Having Creator/TimCurry sing a hammy and catchy song? Check. Also, "In My Little School", sang by Charlotte Rae as Agatha, with very silly lyrics, but the energy is brilliant.
78	* OlderThanTheyThink: An isolated medieval castle containing a magic school, with a forest nearby? A protagonist who has no prior knowledge of the magical world? A rival who comes from a leading magical family? A hook-nosed Potions teacher who favours the rival and despises the protagonist? A kindly, grey-haired Head who befriends and helps the protagonist? Classes in Charms and broomstick riding? And that's not all by a long shot. While both ''The Worst Witch'' and ''Literature/HarryPotter'' clearly have very similar elements, Jill Murphy's series predates the latter by 23 years, with the first book being published in 1974.
79	** The series also has a few uncanny similarities with ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub.'' 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 [[spoiler: 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 WickedWitch Darcy.
80	* ReplacementScrappy:
81	** Katy Allen took over for Creator/FelicityJones 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''.
82	** Frank Blossom gets PutOnABus in Season 3 and replaced with his brother Ted, who's a rather blatant {{Expy}} and not as memorable.
83	** 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.
84	** Caroline O'Neill replacing Kate Duchene as Miss Hardbroom in ''The New Worst Witch''. It's very much a ToughActToFollow situation, since that is the role Kate Duchene is best remembered for.
85	* RetroactiveRecognition:
86	** A young Creator/FelicityJones as Ethel Hallow in the first season of the '98 series.
87	** Enid's actress in the 1998 series is Jessica Fox, who is now best known as Nancy in ''{{Series/Hollyoaks}}''.
88	** Creator/JayBaruchel plays Beanpole, one of the Canadian boy scouts in "The Great Outdoors".
89	** Creator/SachaDhawan is Azmat Madari in ''Weirdsister College''.
90	** Wait a minute...that was [[WesternAnimation/{{Hilda}} Hilda]]/[[Series/TheLastOfUs2023 Ellie]] as Mildred Hubble?
91	* TheScrappy: Jadu has very few fans in comparison to the rest of the main cast - mainly due to her role as TheGenericGuy and her actress's wooden delivery, as well as lack of focus until the very end of the series.
92	* SpecialEffectsFailure:
93	** The music video made by Tim Curry aka the Grand Wizard. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUhuPn8_d0Q Really, see for yourself.]]
94	** 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.
95	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
96	** 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 TokenMinority.
97	** Jadu meanwhile does not get ADayInTheLimelight until the penultimate episode, making her feel like a more blatant TokenMinority than Ruby.
98	** ''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.
99	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: As noted below ''Weirdsister College'' was short-lived, and the idea of expanding on magical education beyond the high school level was one that could have been tapped into.
100	* ToughActToFollow: The 1998 series is usually what most fans think of when hearing ''The Worst Witch'', even when more books were published after it ended its run. The 2017 series found itself being compared more to that than the original books - thanks to 90s nostalgia and AdaptationDisplacement.
101	* UncertainAudience: The spin-off ''Weirdsister College''. It's DarkerAndEdgier, Georgina Sherrington claiming it was aimed at a slightly older crowd. But the acting and effects are still quite similar to the parent show, alienating a lot of potential older viewers. Meanwhile the show was a bit too dark and serious for the crowd who had grown up with ''The Worst Witch''. Though that's not to say that it does not have its own fans, and the idea of magical education beyond the high school level being shown is one that was happily received.
102	* TheWoobie:
103	** Sybill Hallow. It's clear she has high standards to live up to, and she finds Cackle's terrifying at first. The fact that her sister is so embarrassed by her that she changes her appearance in the hopes no one will know they were related just adds to it. This line sums up Sybil perfectly.
104	--->"All I want is a sister. A real sister. Not a bossy-boots like Ethel."
105	** The 2017 production emphasizes this as well, showing both Hallow parents as being (at ''least'' borderline) emotionally abusive to Ethel and Sybill.
106	** Mildred herself also has some aspects of this, since some of the staff seem to want her to fail. In the Season 1 finale of the 1998 series when Miss Cackle appears to have gotten sick of her, Millie looks like she needs a hug. Ditto for the HalloweenEpisode where the whole school turns on her for her pratfall at the display. This also continues in the 2017 series, where Mildred seems heartbroken when she is faced with the knowledge - in the first episode - that while she can see this magical world, she cannot be part of it due to failing the entry exams for Cackle's.
107	** Dyllis Mustardseed in ''The New Worst Witch''. It's very hard not to feel sympathy for Dyllis. She's a nervous flyer in a school that insists on broomstick flying as a mandatory exercise, seems to fade into the background a lot, and doesn't seem to be especially brilliant in any of her subjects. The poor girl willingly spends time with Belladonna even though she knows the girl treats her as a servant simply because she has no other friends. She ends up taking a powerful potions book from the library as it contains the recipe for a popularity potion. When Hettie is in danger of being expelled, she comes forward with the truth and, thankfully, from that moment on she seems to be included as a sometimes fourth to that group of friends. When the writers remember.

Context YMMV / TheWorstWitch