1998 page announcing the first season of worst witch by gala -- Archives

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Date Posted: June 20, 07:49:pm GMT-5
Author: Len
Subject:

1998 page announcing the first season of worst witch by gala
In reply to: Len 's message, "Old Gala Film Newswire release" on June 20, 06:23:pm GMT-5

this has some intersting and nostalgic stuff in it
=)

September 7, 1998
Film and Television Production

Quebec Scene
YTV, ITV and TFO license Galafilm/U.K. series Worst Witch

by Leo Rice-Barker
page 22

Montreal: Based on the popular British children's book series by Jill Murphy, The Adventures of the Worst Witch is one of the more promising Canada/u.k. coproductions of the new season. Arnie Gelbart of Galafilm and two u.k. partners, htv (United) and indie producer Global Arts, are producing 13 half-hour episodes on Digital Betacam on a budget of $6.5 million.

The show is a comedy-drama about a 12-year-old girl sent to study at the Cackle Academy. Unfortunately, she's inept as a witch, can't fly a broom to save her life, can't go through walls, and can't even cast a spell.

Two episodes are being taped in Montreal later this month. Canadian content includes lead Clare Coulter, director Stefan Plescynski (La Courte Echelle), who's helming five episodes, screenwriter and the series' script editor Don Ariolo, and editors Helene Girard and Myriam Poirier. ytv, tfo (the French version is called Amandine Malabul) and Radio-Canada are the Canadian broadcasters.

"This is like the lead series for itv [in the u.k.] next season," says Gelbart. "It has very high production values and lots of special effects."

Telefilm Canada is keen on the property and thinks it should sell quite nicely, says Quebec operations director Joelle Levie.

Gelbart says he'd liked to see more high-impact British-style miniseries commissioned in Canada. "Look at what's happening in the States," he says. "Most of the networks have magazine programs on every night in primetime. When television is done well it can have an incredible impact. It's the kind of thing the cbc should be doing to be different from everybody else."

Gelbart (Lilies, L'Histoire de l'Oie/The Tale of Teeka) sees the policy push for more Canadian content as strictly bad news.

"We need some balance here because this is really idiotic. It's the wrong way to do more Canadian. It'll just ghettoize it and prove the skeptics right because the programs will become provincial and boring. Canadians won't want to watch them and then the private broadcasters will say, `You see. Why should we invest in Canadian programming if nobody watches?' "

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Replies:

Arnie Gelbart :the guy who produced the show -- Len, June 20, 09:00:pm GMT-5