The Magician's House

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.

Drama

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

The Magician's House

Drama

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Created By
First Aired on: Oct 31, 1999
Popularity: 10.6068: 4 votes
Networks: (GB)
Production: Kudos (GB)BBC Cymru Wales (GB)Forefront Entertainment
Status: Ended: Show Ended

Seasons & episodes

Total 2 seasons, 12 episodes

Season 1

Aired 26 years ago

6 Episodes

Episode 1ONE30 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 there they meet a 400-year-old magician who has been waiting for their help.
Episode 2TWO30 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 stepmother Phoebe is a witch who has cast a spell over her father. Meanwhile, William and Alice try to befriend Meg Lewis, an elderly animal activist, who warns the children about the valley's evil badger hunters.
Episode 3THREE30 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 that badger hunters plan to dig out and torture the valley's rare golden badgers.
Episode 4FOUR30 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.
Episode 5FIVE30 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 followers to attack Golden House.