| Badjelly the Witch | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Spike Milligan |
| Illustrator | Spike Milligan |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Hobbs |
| Publication date | 1973 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 071811125 (hardback), ISBN 0140378464 (Penguin paperback) |
Badjelly the Witch is a brief handwritten, illustrated story by Spike Milligan, created for his children, then printed in 1973. It was made into an audio and a video version.
In the story, two children, looking for their lost cow, meet magical enchanted forest characters. They are captured by Badjelly the witch, then rescued by an eagle. God intervenes as they escape, and the witch is destroyed when she attempts to "scratch God's eye out". The characters enchanted by Badjelly are rescued.
In 1975, in the planning for an audio version for the BBC "infant's programme" Let's Join In, Milligan objected to the planned removal of God from the story. The BBC wrote in a letter that the object is not to put God on the same level as goblins, to which Milligan replied that goblins, fairies and God all exist. However, he allowed God to be removed.[1]
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CBBC and Ragdoll Productions had collaborated on a film based on this novel in December 2000. Spike Milligan, the book's writer, narrated the movie.
In 2010/11, there was a production created by the Chickenshed Theatre Company called "Badjelly's Bad Christmas", with Badjelly the Witch, along with many other characters created by Milligan such as Sir Nobonk and King Twytt, as the main characters.