The Phoenix and the Carpet

THE PHOENIX AND THE CARPET is a 1976 Children's BBC of the novel of the same name by Edith Nesbit. The book was written as a sequel to FIVE CHILDREN AND IT and is similar in terms of storyline, involving a quartet of children who discover a magical carpet that has the ability to make a limited number of wishes come true every day.

This 8-part miniseries is admittedly episodic in nature and yet it happens to work very well too. There's at least one element of danger or excitement in each of the eight episodes and sometimes cliffhangers don't get resolved until the following episode. I liked that some of the characters are rather boisterous and end up arguing a lot which is a bit more realistic than the series where all the kids get on well together throughout with nary an argument. The bits with the islanders, the opera, and the burglar are all highlights here.

The production values are obviously low but the cheesy quality of the special effects is endearing at the same time. I'd previously seen and loved the 1990s adaptation of FIVE CHILDREN AND IT and I was delighted to discover that the narcissistic Phoenix is an even more lovable creation than the Psammead from that show. Certainly the final episode is oddly moving which shows how well the series works overall.