The Queen's Nose (TV series)

Production

The BBC produced three television series based on the novel, airing on CBBC from 1995 to 1998. While the stories largely stuck to the book, a key difference is that the TV version grants ten wishes when the coin is rubbed, whereas the novel allows Harmony only seven. The first series, written by Steve Attridge, directed by Carol Wiseman, and edited by Sue Robinson, took home the Royal Television Society’s 1996 award for Best Children’s Drama. The third series, also written by Attridge, won the Indie Awards 1999 prize for Digital Cinematography. In a February 2021 interview, Victoria Shalet revealed that director Carol Wiseman cast her as Harmony Parker after being impressed by their work together on the 1993 series Goggle-Eyes. The BBC revived the show in 2000 with new stories but without Harmony, producing four more series until 2003. Many viewers felt the series suffered from straying from the novels and losing Shalet’s character. The later series did keep other Parker family members, including Harmony’s sister Melody, played by Heather-Jay Jones, who remained until the second-to-last series. By 2010, The Queen’s Nose had stopped being repeated on the CBBC Channel. The show also aired in Germany under the title Die Magische Münze (The Magic Coin).