Witches of England... you are a disgrace!

Robert Berg, writer and copy editorial director of Bona Books, a queer press specialising in fantasy, science fiction and horror, joins us to peel back the layers of weirdness with this unsettling adaptation.

The complicated legacy of Roald Dahl, loving a sad wash, the performance of gender, gay gasps at the long list of women who might have played the Grand High Witch, feminist filmmaking pioneer Mai Zetterling and her missing finger, feelings about the different endings of the book and film, the children's horror space, Jim Henson's mouse unit, bad ADR dubbing giving a giallo feel, Anne Hathaway saying "gooorlic" in the remake, British seaside hotels, being a grandma's boy, Chicken and Mushroom Pot Noodle, a girl being stuck in a painting, purple eyes, another snake, Creature Shop excellence, a monstrous striptease, distressing transformations, wet puppets, cock-a-leekie or cress soup preferences, and of course Anjelica Huston doing everything.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.

Who loved the mum's shawl and who hated it? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

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Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly:

• Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)
• Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)
• Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)

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