The Magician's House

Overview

The Magician's House is a quartet of children's fantasy books by William Corlett. Two mini-series were produced in 1999 for British television, which were directed by Paul Lynch. The series featured Jennifer Saunders and Stephen Fry voicing some of the animal characters.

The books were published in the early 1990s, and named as follows:

⁕The Steps up the Chimney

⁕The Door in the Tree

⁕The Tunnel behind the Waterfall

⁕The Bridge in the Clouds

Although in a rural setting, this series' focus on subjects such as industrial development and the combining of present-day and past settings in the plotline gives it a feeling tending more towards urban fantasy than simply contemporary fantasy.

In addition, though there is no specific mention of Welsh myths and legends, the strong part nature plays in the stories and the settings bring to mind other British children's authors. Authors like Alan Garner, who is perhaps best known for The Owl Service and Elidor, and Susan Cooper, famous for The Dark Is Rising sequence of books, who allude more specifically to British myth and legend in their writings.

Community Rating

No ratings yet

Episodes

S01E01 ONE

October 31, 1999 30 min
Three children, Mary Green and her cousins William and Alice Constant, arrive with her Uncle Jack at Mary's father's home, Golden House, in the forests of Wales' Golden Valley, to spend their Christmas holidays. Once...

S01E02 TWO

November 7, 1999 30 min
The evil Morden, the magician's former apprentice, sends a talking rat from the year 1590 to the present. Not only does this upset the balance of time, but the rat persuades Mary that her pregnant...

S01E03 THREE

November 14, 1999 30 min
Still under Morden's rat's influence, Mary hides her stepmother Phoebe's protective talisman and arranges for her to have an accident. Alice suspects that Mary is subverting their efforts to find the rat. Meg Lewis worries...

S01E04 FOUR

November 21, 1999 30 min
Trapped in the cellar by Morden's rat, Phoebe goes into labor during a blinding snowstorm. Going for help, William receives assistance from the valley's magical animals.

S01E05 FIVE

November 28, 1999 30 min
Morden manages to project his consciousness from the year 1590 into the present, and Mary discovers the truth about her rat friend as Morden inhabits the creature and starts to assemble an army of rat...

S01E06 SIX

December 5, 1999 30 min
Alice seeks comfort from Spot the dog, unaware that he is now inhabited by Morden. The children race to an abandoned quarry, where Tyler the Magician has challenged his evil apprentice Morden to a final...

Cast

Katie Stuart
Katie Stuart
Mary Green
Ian Richardson
Ian Richardson
Stephen Tyler
Neil Pearson
Neil Pearson
Jack Green
Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Jasper the Owl (voice)
Steven Webb
Steven Webb
William Constant
Christopher Redman
Christopher Redman
Matthew Morden
Olivia Coles
Alice Constant
Kendall Cross
Kendall Cross
Phoebe Taylor
Robert Wisden
Robert Wisden
Charles Morden
Jesse Moss
Jesse Moss
Mark

You May Also Like

Endeavour

Endeavour

2013 8.1
Stranger Things

Stranger Things

2016 8.6
Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones

2011 8.5
Squid Game

Squid Game

2021 7.9
Loki

Loki

2021 8.2
S.W.A.T.

S.W.A.T.

2017 8.1