Mr Majeika facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mr Majeika |
|
|---|---|
| Starring | Stanley Baxter |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 19 x 25 min eps, plus 1 hr special |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 min |
| Production company(s) | TVS |
| Distributor | Disney–ABC Domestic Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV Network |
| Original release | 13 March 1988 – 14 February 1990 |
Mr Majeika is a series of exciting children's books written by Humphrey Carpenter. These books were published between 1984 and 2006. The stories were so popular that they were turned into a children's TV show with the same name. This show was made by TVS for the ITV network and aired from 1988 to 1990. The famous actor Stanley Baxter played Mr Majeika. You might also have heard these fun stories on the radio!
The first book, also called Mr Majeika, came out in 1984. Other popular books in the series include Mr Majeika and the Music Teacher, Mr Majeika and the Haunted Hotel, and The TV Adventures of Mr Majeika.
Contents
Discover Mr Majeika's Magic
The stories of Mr Majeika are all about a very special teacher. He works at St Barty's Primary School, which seems like a normal English school. But Mr Majeika is not just any teacher. He is a wizard!
Imagine your teacher flying into class on a magic carpet. That's exactly what Mr Majeika does! He even turns his magic carpet into a bicycle, which really surprises the headmaster.
Mr Majeika uses his magic to make lessons exciting and fun. He might magically provide chips for everyone at dinner. Or he might turn the mean student, Hamish Bigmore, into a frog if he's being rude. With Mr Majeika around, Class Three is never bored!
A character named Wilhelmina Worlock often appears in the stories. She is a witch who first shows up as a music teacher. She then pops up in many different disguises throughout the series.
Mr Majeika's TV Adventures
In the TV show, Mr Majeika is a lively wizard. He is sent to "Britland" from a planet called Walpurgis. This happens because he failed his magic exam many times.
He lands in a quiet village called Much Barty. There, he becomes the new teacher for Class Three at St Barty's School. He quickly becomes friends with two students, Melanie Brace-Girdle and Thomas Grey.
Mr Majeika tries to be good on Earth. He is careful with his magic because the Worshipful Wizard of Walpurgis is watching him. But sometimes, magic is needed to solve problems. This leads Mr Majeika, Melanie, and Thomas into amazing adventures.
Their fun is often caused by Hamish Bigmore, a very spoiled student. Hamish is so difficult that he made the last teacher quit! But Mr Majeika knows how to handle him. A quick waggle of Mr Majeika's special grey hair is usually enough to put Hamish in his place.
Books in the Mr Majeika Series
There are many books in the Mr Majeika series. Each one tells a new magical story.
| Series numbering | Title | Publication date | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mr Majeika | May 17, 1984 | 96pp | The very first book in the series. |
| 7 | Mr Majeika and the Music Teacher | 29 October 1987 | 96pp | Wilhelmina Warlock appears for the first time. |
| 8 | Mr Majeika and the Haunted Hotel | 27 October 1988 | 80pp | |
| 5 | Mr Majeika and the Dinner Lady | 2 August 1990 | 96pp | |
| 13 | Mr Majeika and the School Play | 6 August 1992 | 96pp | |
| 11 | Mr Majeika and the School Inspector | 29 April 1993 | 96pp | |
| 9 | Mr Majeika and the School Book Week | 5 August 1993 | 96pp | |
| 15 | Mr Majeika's Postbag | 24 February 1994 | 128pp | A mix of stories and activities. |
| 4 | Mr Majeika and the Ghost Train | 5 October 1995 | 96pp | |
| 6 | Mr Majeika and the School Caretaker | 31 July 1997 | 96pp | |
| 14 | Mr Majeika Vanishes | 30 July 1998 | 96pp | |
| 2 | Mr Majeika and the School Trip | 29 April 1999 | 96pp | |
| 10 | Mr Majeika and the Internet | 7 June 2001 | 96pp | |
| 3 | Mr Majeika and the Lost Spell Book | 4 September 2003 | 96pp | |
| 12 | Mr Majeika Joins the Circus | 2 February 2006 | 96pp | |
| The TV Adventures of Mr Majeika | February 25, 1988 | 144pp | ||
| More Television Adventures of Mr.Majeika | 5 Jan 1989 | 176pp | Based on scripts by Jenny McDade. | |
| Further Television Adventures of Mr.Majeika | January 4, 1990 | 128pp | Based on scripts by Jenny McDade. |
The Mr Majeika TV Show
The TV series was written by Jenny McDade. Humphrey Carpenter even wrote the fourth book, The Television Adventures of Mr Majeika, based on her scripts. There were three series of the show, with twenty episodes in total. The school scenes for St. Barty's Primary School were filmed at Matfield House in Tonbridge, Kent.
TV Show Cast
Many talented actors brought the characters to life in the TV show:
- Stanley Baxter as Mr. Majeika
- Roland MacLeod as Dudley Potter
- Fidelis Morgan as Bunty Brace-Girdle
- Eve Ferret as Pam Bigmore
- Claire Sawyer as Melanie Brace-Girdle
- Miriam Margolyes as Wilhermina Warlock
- Simeon Pearl as Hamish Bigmore
- Richard Murdoch as Worshipful Wizard
- Andrew Read as Thomas Grey
- Adele Silva as Fenella Fudd
- Christopher Mitchell as Ron Bigmore
- Sanjiv Madan as Prince
- Pat Coombs as Miss Flavia Jelley
- Vernon Dobtcheff as Wizard Marks
- Robin Driscoll as Sgt. Sevenoaks
Where to Watch Mr Majeika
Sadly, the Mr Majeika TV show has not been released on DVD in the UK. This might be because of problems with who owns the rights to the show. The company that made it, TVS, left the ITV network in 1992. Since then, many of their old records and papers have been lost.
Because of this, it's hard to release many old TVS shows. Some episodes of Mr Majeika are not available in high quality anymore. However, most of them can still be found on YouTube.
