Five Children and It is a 1991 TV series directed by Marilyn Fox and starring Simon Godwin, Charles Richards, Nicole Mowat and Tamzen Audas. The TV series was based on the novel Five Children and It by E. Nesbit The six-part series aired on BBC1 from 9 January to 13 February 1991.
Five Children and It is a six-part TV mini-series that follows the wild summer adventures of five siblingsâÂÂRobert, Anthea, Cyril, Jane, and their little brother, nicknamed "the Lamb." They're staying at their uncle's countryside house for the holidays when they stumble across something odd while poking around a nearby gravel pit: a Psammead, or Sand Fairy. Psammead can grant wishes, though it's not exactly thrilled about it. The deal? One wish a day, but each one fades by sunset and tends to backfire in the funniest, most unexpected ways. The kids, buzzing with excitement, dive right in, wishing for all sorts of things: piles of gold, wings sprouting from their backs, epic adventures, or even trips to far-off times and places. But their big ideas, combined with the Psammead's habit of taking their words way too literally, quickly turn into a mess of hilarious misadventures. For instance, wishing for gold gets them a heap of old coins no shop will take, and asking to be "beautiful" lands them in hot water when strangers won't leave them alone. As the series rolls on, the siblings start figuring things outâÂÂabout responsibility, the tricky limits of magic, and how a little forethought goes a long way. With the Psammead's quirks becoming clearer, they muddle through funny scrapes and the occasional close call, growing tighter as a family along the way. By the end, they've had enough of the chaos and realize the best joys don't need magic. So, they say goodbye to the grumpy old Sand Fairy and its unpredictable tricks, happy to settle for the simpler stuff in life.