Lead writer on , Emma Reeves, explains how you take a series of beloved books and transform them into a brand new TV series for a contemporary audience whilst at the same time retaining the heart of them and managing to keep original fans - and the author - happy.
Adapting classic books is a challenge and an immense privilege, especially when the books in question are as close to your own heart as are to mine. As a child, I read the first three books again and again. And in 2014, when I was asked to adapt Mildred Hubble鈥檚 adventures into a , there was an additional thrill in discovering that four new books had been published since I had grown up!
I decided against watching the (which, again, I had missed by being that little bit too old). I didn鈥檛 want to risk subconscious plagiarism. I鈥檓 sure there will be many similarities and differences between the two versions, and maybe one day I鈥檒l enjoy comparing them. But my job was to create a brand new series for C大象传媒, based on Jill Murphy鈥檚 books and one more magical ingredient 鈥� Jill Murphy herself.
Having worked on a lot of adaptations, I always do all I can to get inside the mind of the author. Sometimes, all you have to go on is the writer鈥檚 published works, maybe some letters and articles and perhaps a biography or two if you鈥檙e lucky. You work your way through the writer鈥檚 life, looking for inspiration and answers to your questions. What does this mean? Why does this character behave in that way? Why did you make that decision? The joy of working with a contemporary author, of course, is that you can just ask them鈥�
Jill has written and illustrated seven The Worst Witch novels, and is working on number eight. She began writing the first while she was still at school over 40 years ago. Talking to Jill gave me invaluable insights into the world of the books and the characters, how they related to the 鈥渞eal鈥� world, and why they鈥檝e captured the hearts and imaginations of generations of readers.
As Jill vividly described her experiences at a strict Catholic grammar school, I realised how deeply the books were rooted in Jill鈥檚 own early life. The nuns - stern women in flowing black, whose mysterious rituals both fascinated and terrified the young Jill, became Miss Hardbroom and her coven of teacher-witches. And Jill, as she describes herself - a bright, well-intentioned but accident-prone working class girl with a tendency to daydream 鈥� became Mildred Hubble.
It seemed clear that the heart of the series lay in the deep connection between Jill and her material. In order to explore this, Jill generously invited the development team to her home where we spent three days developing the series in collaboration with Jill.
I was keen to know more about Mildred. Why was she at Miss Cackle鈥檚 Academy despite her seeming lack of aptitude for witchcraft 鈥� and what did her family think about it? We began to discuss Mildred鈥檚 background and home life 鈥� elements which aren鈥檛 addressed in the books, which take place almost exclusively at the school.
After much debate about the relationship between magic and the real world, we decided that we wanted to set our series in a recognizable contemporary reality 鈥� suggesting that the magical world can exist, if you鈥檙e lucky enough to see it!