The Return of the Psammead

The Return of the Psammead

Limited Series 1993 · 6 eps · ★ 7.0 · Action & Adventure, Drama, Family, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Ended

Four children—George, Ellie, Pip, and Lucy—discover a magical sand fairy known as 'The Psammead' that grants wishes, leading to meeting their future selves and their aunt as a child.

Created by Helen Cresswell

Network: BBC One

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Apple TV StoreAmazon Video

Cast

More from Helen CresswellSee all →

Lizzie DrippingLizzie Dripping · 1973
Lizzie Dripping
7.01973
SeriesSci-Fi & Fantasy
Lizzie Dripping was a British television children's programme produced by the BBC in 1973 and 1975. It was written by Helen Cresswell and set in the country village of Little Hemlock, where a young girl, Penelope, with a vivid imagination encounters a local witch whom only she can see and hear. This singular ability is further complicated by the fact that Penelope has established a reputation for being an imaginative liar, making it even more difficult for her to convince others that her witch is real.
The Demon HeadmasterThe Demon Headmaster · 1996
The Demon Headmaster
7.01996
SeriesDramaAction & Adventure
The Demon Headmaster is a British television series based on the children's books by Gillian Cross of the same name. Made for CBBC, the drama was first broadcast between 1996 and 1998. The first series contained six episodes, and aired twice weekly from 2 to 18 January 1996, the second series contained seven episodes, and aired once a week from 25 September to 6 November 1996, and the third series contained six episodes, and aired twice weekly from 6 to 22 January 1998. School location scenes in the first series were filmed at Hatch End High School, in Hatch End, Harrow, North West London and The Royal Masonic School for Girls in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. Other scenes were filmed around West London and the Vulcan Tower is in fact the Atrium building in Uxbridge. CGI was used to make this building appear on a traffic island close to Warwick Avenue tube station. Some scenes in the later series were filmed in the village of Sarratt, Hertfordshire and other locations in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
MoondialMoondial · 1988
Moondial
6.41988
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyFamily
Moondial is a British television serial made for children by the BBC and transmitted in 1988, with a repeat in 1990. It was written by Helen Cresswell, who also wrote the novel on which the series was based. The story deals with a young girl, Minty, staying with her aunt after her mother is injured in a car accident. Minty spends much of her time wandering around the grounds of a nearby mansion, and is drawn to a moondial that enables her to travel back in time, where she becomes involved with two children, Tom, who lives in the Victorian era, and Sarah, who seems to live in "the previous century" to that, and must save them from their own unhappy lives. Regarded as a nostalgic favourite by followers of 1980s BBC children's drama, Moondial employs extensive location filming and fantastical, dreamlike imagery. The series was produced by Paul Stone and directed by Colin Cant. Other cast members include Valerie Lush as Minty's aunt Mary, Arthur Hewlett as the elderly, mysterious Mr. World and Jacqueline Pearce in the dual role of the vicious Miss Vole and the present-day ghost hunter Miss Raven.
Five Children and ItFive Children and It · 1991
Five Children and It
5.91991
SeriesFamilyKids
The Psammead is an 'it', an ancient, ill-tempered sand-fairy with a spider-shaped body, bat-like ears, and snail-like eyes. It is grumpy but has the power to grant one wish a day, which must be made before sunset. Five siblings—Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and infant Hilary—encounter It and experience the highs and lows of frivolous wish-making.
The Sand FairyThe Sand Fairy · 1992
The Sand Fairy
1992
MovieAdventureFamily
The Psammead is an 'it', an ancient, ill-tempered sand-fairy with a spider-shaped body, bat-like ears, and snail-like eyes. It is grumpy but has the power to grant one wish a day, which must be made before sunset. Five siblings—Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and infant Hilary—encounter It and experience the highs and lows of frivolous wish-making. A feature-length edit of the BBC miniseries.
The Phoenix and the CarpetThe Phoenix and the Carpet · 1997
The Phoenix and the Carpet
1997
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyKids
The Phoenix and the Carpet is a six-part British miniseries based on E. Nesbit's 1904 fantasy novel of the same name. Produced by HIT Entertainment for BBC One, it aired from 16 November to 21 December 1997. Four Edwardian children find a strange egg in their newly-arrived Persian carpet. It hatches into a Phoenix bird that grants wishes and also transforms the rug into a magic carpet, which takes them on a series of adventures all over the world and at home.

More Like This

VortexVortex · 2023
Vortex
6.82023
SeriesCrimeSci-Fi & Fantasy
Two mysterious deaths. A rift in time. Sci-fi thriller about policeman Ludovic who risks everything when he tries to change the past.
Carol & the End of the WorldCarol & the End of the World · 2023
Carol & the End of the World
7.32023
SeriesAnimationComedy
As a planetary apocalypse looms, a woman struggling to embrace end-times chaos searches for meaning in her last months on Earth.
The Singing DetectiveThe Singing Detective · 1986
The Singing Detective
7.51986
SeriesDramaMystery
Tormented and bedridden by a debilitating disease, a mystery writer relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations.
JekyllJekyll · 2007
Jekyll
7.52007
SeriesDramaCrime
Tom Jackman is learning to cope with his alter ego, the dark and mysterious Hyde, who threatens his life and family. They also have to live in the same body while on the run from a mysterious organization that is hunting them.
Prehistoric ParkPrehistoric Park · 2006
Prehistoric Park
7.62006
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyAction & Adventure
Using his knowledge of today’s animal kingdom and the latest research, wildlife adventurer Nigel Marven uses a time portal to take him into the past, on a quest to rescue long lost prehistoric creatures.
The Secret of Crickley HallThe Secret of Crickley Hall · 2012
The Secret of Crickley Hall
7.22012
SeriesDrama
A year after the disappearance of their son, Gabe and Eve Caleigh and their two daughters attempt to start anew, they head to Crickley Hall - a seemingly perfect countryside house. But when cellar doors start to open on their own, phantom children's cries are heard through the night and a frenzied cane-wielding specter rears its head - the Caleigh's realize the house comes with a lot more than they bargained for. Just as they're ready to move out, Eve Caleigh hears Cam's cries and all bets are off.
The SpyThe Spy · 2019
The Spy
7.42019
SeriesDrama
In the 1960s, Israeli clerk-turned-secret agent Eli Cohen goes deep undercover inside Syria on a perilous, years-long mission to spy for Mossad.
Mona the VampireMona the Vampire · 1999
Mona the Vampire
7.61999
SeriesFamilyAnimation
Follows the adventures of Mona Parker ("Mona the Vampire"), as well as her two best friends, and her pet cat, Fang, as they imagine themselves confronting a new supernatural foe, or solving a supernatural mystery, in every episode.
Copenhagen CowboyCopenhagen Cowboy · 2023
Copenhagen Cowboy
6.82023
SeriesCrimeDrama
After a lifetime of being sold as a human good luck charm, a woman with mysterious supernatural abilities seeks revenge against those who wronged her.

How is it so far?

Your ratings make Midnight smarter