Diana Rigg is best known for her role as Emma Peel in the 1960s television show The Avengers. However, she also had a successful career on stage and screen, including a memorable turn as a "bad witch" in the 1974 film The Great Muppet Caper. Rigg's portrayal of the witch in The Great Muppet Caper was a departure from her usual glamorous and sophisticated characters. In the film, Rigg played a villainous character named Lady Holiday, who was plotting to steal the fabulous Baseball Diamond from the Muppets. She wore outlandish costumes, spoke in a wickedly over-the-top manner, and even had her own musical number. Rigg's performance as Lady Holiday was pitch-perfect, with just the right amount of campiness and mischief.
Travelling on the sea tractor across to Burgh Island for dinner.
The setting, however, for this David Suchet version, is one of my favourites and one I have spoken about before in this column Burgh Island, the Devon Island that inspired Agatha Christie. David Suchet is a far more nuanced Poirot and has had the advantage of an enormous number of years to carry this character forward and really embody the role.
Rigg's performance as Lady Holiday was pitch-perfect, with just the right amount of campiness and mischief. Her ability to fully embrace the role of the "bad witch" was a testament to her versatility as an actress. She brought a level of excitement and energy to the character that made her memorable long after the film was released.
The Worst Witch (1986, dir. Robert Young)
Pretty sure everybody who grew up in the 90s and 00s remembers watching Worst Witch/forgetting to turn the channel over whilst an episode was on. Heck, I even ended up at uni with one of the girls from the reboot (sadly not Rogue One star Felicity Jones though- shame). What you may not be so familiar with is the 80s feature length film about the hapless hex-caster.
Except you DO know this film because it gave us THIS:
This masterpiece has everything you could want:
- The best special effects the 80s had to offer
- Shout-out to the VHS for being a piece of modern technology
- The prop heart they shoved at Tim Curry
- That fancy cape work
- Tim Curry’s face appearing in a cat’s eye
- The line “has anyone seen my tambourine”
- Everything about the video bloody hell I love it
The question that follows is of course: is the rest of the film at all worth watching after this beauty has come and gone?
I think in our hearts we know it peaks here
In short, not really. I mean, it’s completely baffling that they’ve roped in both Tim Curry (who to be fair is treated with the utmost reverence as a Halloween king) *and* Diana Rigg? Not to mention Mildred’s cat, whose human mewing dub make him a standout performer.
It’s all fairly run of the mill high school adaptation until we stumble across the sideplot: Miss Cackle’s sister (who’s American for some reason) wants to take over the school with her coven. If you like the incredibly niche movie subgenre of “Colonel Sanders and an overenthusiastic teaching assistant bob around on a hill” then it’s one for you. For me, it could not be more cringeworthy. And then she started singing.
We’re also treated to an atrocious belter of a Matilda rip-off about how school is tricky. It includes the infuriatingly non-sequitur of a line, “20 seems so far away”. Is that what 12 year olds aspire to, being 20? You’re a witch, Mildred, way to dream big.
Spoopy Rating: 2/3 but 4/3 for Tim Curry because ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN ON HALLOWEEN, YOUR TONGUE COULD TURN RED AND YOUR HAIR TURN GREEN YOUR TEACHER COULD BECOME A SARDINE YOUR DENTIST COULD BECOME A QUEEN
In the 1980s, after reading stinging reviews of a stage performance she had given, Rigg was inspired to compile the worst theatrical reviews she could find into a tongue-in-cheek (and best-selling) compilation, entitled No Turn Unstoned.
Rigg's portrayal of Lady Holiday in The Great Muppet Caper stands as a testament to her ability to bring depth and nuance to any role she takes on. While she may be best known for her iconic role as Emma Peel, her performance as a "bad witch" in The Great Muppet Caper is a testament to her range and talent as an actress..
Reviews for "The Exquisite Talent of Diana Rigg: A Bad Witch Extraordinaire"
1. John - 2 stars - I found "Diana Rigg the bad witch" to be extremely disappointing and underwhelming. The story lacked depth and coherence, and the character development was practically nonexistent. As a fan of Diana Rigg's previous work, I expected a lot more from her performance, but it felt forced and lacking conviction. The special effects were also quite underwhelming, with cheesy and outdated visuals. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied by this film and would not recommend it.
2. Sarah - 1 star - "Diana Rigg the bad witch" was an absolute disaster in my opinion. The plot was convoluted and confusing, making it hard to stay engaged throughout the film. Diana Rigg's portrayal of the bad witch was overacted and unbelievable, which ultimately detracted from the story. Furthermore, the supporting cast felt wooden and lacked chemistry, making the interactions between characters feel forced and unnatural. The production quality also left much to be desired, with poor editing and lackluster special effects. Overall, this film was a major letdown and I would advise avoiding it.
3. Robert - 2.5 stars - I had high hopes for "Diana Rigg the bad witch," but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. While Diana Rigg's performance was commendable, the overall storyline felt disjointed and lacked coherence. The pacing was off, with abrupt transitions that left me confused at times. Additionally, the film relied heavily on worn-out clichés and predictable plot twists, making it quite predictable and uninspiring. The visual effects were unimpressive and failed to create a truly captivating mystical world. Overall, it had its moments, but I was ultimately let down by this film.
4. Emma - 1.5 stars - "Diana Rigg the bad witch" was a complete waste of time in my opinion. The writing was weak, with a lack of depth in the characters and a predictable and unoriginal plot. The dialogue felt forced and unrealistic, further detracting from the overall experience. Diana Rigg's acting was one-dimensional and lacked the subtlety and nuance that I've come to expect from her. The film also suffered from poor cinematography and uninspiring visuals. Overall, I was highly disappointed and would not recommend this film to anyone.