T-Bag
| T-Bag | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Lee Pressman |
| Directed by |
Leon Thau Glyn Edwards Neville Green |
| Starring |
Elizabeth Estensen Georgina Hale John Hasler Kellie Bright Diana Barrand Jennie Stallwood Evelyn Sweeney Natalie Wood Bea Julakasiun |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 9 plus 4 Christmas Specials |
| No. of episodes | 91 x 20 minutes, 3 x 25 minutes |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Charles Warren Leon Thau |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV Network (CITV) |
| Original release | 4 April 1985 – 17 November 1992 |
T-Bag was a British television series about an eponymous witch-like character and her assistant, T-Shirt. The series that ran from 1985 to 1992 on Children's ITV. Written by Grant Cathro and Lee Pressman, each season adopted a different title and features a single story told over several episodes.
The programme was first broadcast on 4 April 1985. The show was originally intended to be educational; however, this aspect was dropped after the first series in favour of simple adventure plots. From 1985 to 1989, Tallulah Bag was played by Elizabeth Estensen. In 1990, Estensen left the show and Tallulah Bag was replaced by her sister Tabatha Bag, played by Georgina Hale. She played the role until the series ended in 1992.
The sisters obtain magical powers by drinking tea made from the 'High T-Plant'. They are incapable of brewing it properly, requiring an assistant (T-Shirt) to do it for them. In return, T-Bag shares her magical powers with T-Shirt (Thomas Shirt), played by John Hasler. He started as a small child and grew until he towered above Hale by the series end in 1992. T-Shirt is presented as T-Bag's constant companion, part harassed surrogate son, part household servant. T-Bag and T-Shirt's magical powers mostly consist of conjuring objects out of thin air when needed, sending objects elsewhere and teleporting across time and space. T-Bag triggers her teleport ability by clicking her fingers. T-Shirt finds finger clicking too difficult and blinks instead. Although T-Shirt was T-Bag's assistant, he did not share in her evil ways, and though sometimes he appeared to be faithfully serving T-Bag, he was overall a hero, not a villain, and would ultimately side with the child heroine of the story.
Each season (apart from the last) followed a similar format, T-Bag (after reuniting with T-Shirt, either through grovelling or putting him under her power) would attempt to increase her power and there would only be one thing that could stop her. The components that made the item work would be scattered across time and space, and the girl of the series was required to travel and collect them all before T-Bag could get her hands on any of them. Debbie Carter, played by Jennie Stallwood, was the heroine of the first three seasons. Diana Barrand took over for the fourth as child television presenter Holly Anna Jones. Kellie Bright, who later appeared in The Upper Hand, The Archers and EastEnders, played Sally Simpkins in series five and six, plus a Christmas special.In T-Bag and the Rings of Olympus, the heroine is the Goddess Athena's handmaiden, Polyzena, or Polly, played by Natalie Wood. In T-Bag and the Sunstones of Montezuma, archaeologist's daughter, heroine Penny Hunt was played by Evelyn Sweeney. Typically, each episode also features two non-regular cast members to enliven the story.
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