Five Children and It is a 1991 TV series directed by Marilyn Fox and starring Simon Godwin, Charles Richards, Nicole Mowat, Tamzen Audas and Francis Wright, and is based on the novel Five Children and It by E. Nesbit. The six-part series first aired its first episode on BBC1 on 9 January and its last on 13 February 1991. It follows a family of Edwardian children and a wish-granting fairy. The novel has also been adapted as a titular 2004 feature film starring Kenneth Branagh, Zoë Wanamaker and Eddie Izzard and directed by John Stephenson.
Contents
Plot
Five siblings, Robert, Anthea, Cyril, Jane, and their younger brother, known as the Lamb, spend the summer at their uncle's country house. While exploring a nearby gravel pit, they discover a Psammead, or Sand Fairy, which can grant one wish each day. The effects of each wish last only until sunset, and the children soon discover that their wishes often have unintended consequences.
Their wishes include becoming wealthy, growing wings and travelling to other times and places. adventures, or even trips to far-off times and places. Attempts to improve their circumstances repeatedly lead to trouble, such as receiving old gold coins that cannot easily be spent and becoming so beautiful that strangers no longer recognize them. Over the course of the series, the children become more cautious about using the Psammead’s magic and eventually part with the creature after their adventures come to an end.
Cast
Simon Godwin as Cyril
Nicole Mowat as Anthea
Charles Richards as Robert
Tamzen Audas as Jane
Francis Wright as The Psammead
Lewis Wilson as The Lamb
Alexander Wilson as The Lamb
Laura Brattan as Martha
Paul Shearer as Andrew
Penny Morrell as Lady Chittenden
David Garlick as Groom
Mary Conlon as Mother
Philip Rham as Sir Wulfric
Desmond McNamara as Mr. Peasmarsh
Angela Sims as Vicar's Wife
Tim Matthews as Cyril When Beautiful
Leslie Mills as Police Constable
Anthony Wilcox as Robert When Beautiful
Andy Nyman as Baker's Boy