The New Worst Witch

Lore & Background

The series centers on Hettie Hubble, a student at Cackle's Academy who, like her older cousin Mildred, often finds herself in trouble due to her scheming. She is joined by her best friends Mona Hallow (Ethel's younger sister) and Crescentmoon 'Cressie' Winterchild, a Hedge Witch who is also a Time Witch. Their main antagonist is Belladonna Bindweed, whose grandmother Betty Bindweed once tried to take over the school, along with her sidekick Cynthia Horrocks. Other students include Dyllis Mustardseed and Roseanne Speedwell. Miss Cackle is played by Clare Coulter.

Reader's Guide

The New Worst Witch is significant as the second spin-off in the Worst Witch franchise, bridging the original series and its successor. It introduced a new generation of characters while retaining familiar figures like Miss Hardbroom and Miss Cackle, the latter played by Clare Coulter, the only full-time cast member to appear in both the original and this adaptation. The show was initially planned for a third season in 2007 but was canceled when lead actress Alice Connor and several other cast members chose not to renew their contracts. Its legacy includes being rebroadcast on CITV in November 2009, and it remains a notable entry in children's fantasy television of the mid-2000s.

Did You Know?

• The series is a spin-off from The Worst Witch TV series (1998–2001) and its first spin-off Weirdsister College.
• Miss Cackle is played by Clare Coulter in The New Worst Witch.
• Stephanie Lane (Miss Swoop) appeared in The Worst Witch and The New Worst Witch, but not in Weirdsister College.
• The series was canceled the same year after cast members decided not to sign on for a third season.