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Egbert Hellibore

Magical Status

Chief/ Grand/ Great Wizard

Gender

Male

Hair Colour

Grey

Eye Colour

No information

Family

  • Oliver (Grandson, 2017 TV Series)

Occupation

Grand Wizard, Headmaster of Camelot College

Actor

Grand Wizard Egbert Hellibore is a wizard and the Headmaster of Camelot College. He is also known as the Great Wizard or Grand Wizard.

Hellibore attends the Halloween celebrations at Cackle’s every year. In Mildred’s first year, she crashes into the Grand Wizard during the broomstick display, though this is later revealed to be Ethel Hallow’s fault.[1] In Mildred’s second year, he bans Mildred and Ethel from attending the celebrations for causing the havoc the previous year. However, Mildred sneaks in to get Algernon Rowan-Webb changed back from a frog; It is revealed that Hellibore and Algernon are old friends and fellow magicians from the days when Cackle's Academy was used as a meeting place for wizards.[2]

In Mildred’s Fourth year, Hellibore is one of the Judges for the Talent Competition held between the Witch and Wizard schools, with the prize being a new swimming pool.[3]

1986 Film[]

In the film, Hellibore is depicted as being much younger and good looking, and all the witches are in love with him, even Miss Hardbroom.

1998 TV Series[]

Hellibore attends the Halloween celebrations at Cackle’s every year. In Mildred’s first year, she crashes into the Grand Wizard during the broomstick display, though this is later revealed to be Ethel Hallow’s fault.[4] In Mildred’s second year, he bans Mildred and Ethel from attending the celebrations for causing the havoc the previous year. However, Mildred sneaks in to get Algernon Rowan-Webb changed back from a frog; It is revealed that Hellibore and Algernon are old friends and fellow magicians from the days when Cackle's Academy was used as a meeting place for wizards.[5]

15

Hellibore with the Cackle's staff at Halloween

Aside from the Halloween celebrations, Hellibore also visits Cackle’s to give lectures, and for other events such as debates and school plays. In Mildred’s first year he comes for a lecture, accompanied by three trainee wizards, Merlin Longstaff, Barry Dragonsbane, and Gary Grailquest . Hellibore then gets the bright idea to have a debate between the boys and girls on whether wizards are better than witches - though he makes it clear he thinks wizards are far superior to witches.[6]

In Mildred’s Second year, Chief Wizard Hellibore, Algernon Rowan-Webb and three wizard apprentices Barry, Gary and Merlin turn up during a snowstorm, seeking shelter from the weather. Hellibore is a bit put out that Rowan-Webb started a snowball fight with him; Algernon is in a particularly mischievous mood and in order to cheer everybody up, pronounces the day to be an upside-down day. Everything is turned on its head; teachers and pupils change places and there are games instead of lessons.[7]

The following term Hellibore goes to Cosie’s Café for demands a traditional English cream tea, but Mildred and Ethel are on work experience at the Café, and Ethel tries to give him some foreign, chocolaty pastry.[8] Hellibore also attends Cackle’s pantomime of Cinderella at the end of the term, where Barry and Gary are playing the ugly stepsisters.[9]

In the Summer term, Camelot College host a visit from Cackle’s Academy, to see how they would benefit from being taught in mixed-sex classes. It comes up in conversation that Grand Wizard Hellibore and Miss Cackle are planning to merge Cackle's with Camelot into a single, co-educational school for witches and wizards. The girls don't like idea and plan to stop it from happening. Enid asks what the teachers are afraid of. "That we won't get on with the boys?" "No. I think deep down, they're really afraid that we'll get on with the boys too well." The girls sneak into the boys' party, drawing the teachers attention, and Miss Cackle agrees that the merger is not such a good idea after all.[10]

The New Worst Witch[]

In Henrietta Hubble’s first year, the Grand Wizard is ill, so his place at the Celebrations is taken by his new 'Master of Magical Artifacts', wizard author Richard Avalon.[11]

2017 TV Series[]

The Great Wizard visits Cackle's in The Great Wizard's Visit, when he is dropped of by a confused taxi driver, who is then magicked back to where he came from. The students bow and greet the Wizard, but Mildred messes up her greeting when her hat falls of and she calls him 'Your Highness' instead of 'Your Greatness'. The Great Wizard tells her that magic is a serious business and self-control is essential for a witch.

The Great Wizard shows Miss Cackle a letter he received about incidents at the Academy, including pupils being turned into frogs and pigs. Miss Hardbroom says that those incidents were all linked to one student: Mildred Hubble. The Great Wizard is shocked to hear that Mildred is not from a witching family. It is decided that Mildred will perform magic for the Great Wizard, to prove she is worthy to be at the school. However, Mildred's musical potion display gets out of control and The Great Wizard, Miss Drill and Mr Rowan-Webb are splashed with potion, causing them to sing the tune loudly and uncontrollably until Miss Hardbroom, seeing that Miss Cackle is not doing anything, stops the spell.

The Great Wizard announces that he will be removing Miss Cackle as headmistress, and the school will go to the next Cackle in line - Agatha. However, Miss Hardbroom is able to talk him out of it with a speech in support of Miss Cackle. Miss Cackle then announces that the first years will perform a broomstick display, led by Mildred Hubble, and the teachers are left in shock.

Ethel goes to Miss Cackle thinking there's been a mistake as Mildred been given her spot on the broomstick team. Miss Cackle tells Ethel she wants Mildred to mess up so that the Great Wizard will see that it is not her fault and will let her stay as headmistress.

However, Mildred realises that Miss Cackle is really Agatha and tells Maud and Enid. Maud pretends to be sick so she can skip the broomstick display and go and find Miss Cackle. As the display gets underway, Maud finds Miss Cackle in an enchanted sleep and reverses the spell. Outside, Mildred's broomstick goes out of control. Miss Cackle arrives, and both her and Agatha claim they are Ada. However, Ada saves Mildred from her aerial predicament, revealing that she is the real headmistress as Agatha no longer has magical powers and so cannot perform magic. It is revealed that Agatha used a mirror to bounce Ada's own spell back at her, and that Ethel put a spell on Mildred's broom, but everything is forgiven, and Agatha is banished. The Great Wizard tells Mildred that he thinks she does indeed deserve her place at Cackle's.

Miss Cackle contacts the Great Wizard in Out of Bounds to let him know that Agatha has escaped banishment. He arrives in The Worst Headmistress to find that Agatha has taken over. Agatha has learnt that she is the elder daughter and says she is the rightful headmistress. The Great Wizard burns the birth scroll and implies that he will rewrite the code to reinstate Ada Cackle. Upon hearing this, Agatha summons Miss Gullet and Miss Hardbroom. Together, their magic captures the Great Wizard. The Great Wizard can't understand why Miss Hardbroom would turn on him and she tells him it is because otherwise Agatha will destroy the school. The three witches then turn the great wizard into a blue balloon with his face drawn on in marker pen. When Mildred and the others save the school, the Great Wizard is turned back to himself. He forgives Miss Hardbroom and traps Agatha and her accomplice Miss Gullet in a painting.The Great Wizard also makes an appearance at the start of Mildred's third year at the academy. There is a special "wishing Star competition", where the Great Wizard comes to be the judge, along with the staff. He awards the Wishing star to Mildred and then decides to give it to Ethel, after finding Mildred had a dog in her rucksack.

Physical Appearance[]

In the novel series, Hellibore was described as an imposing man with a long beard, and he wore a purple robe embroidered with moons and stars, along with a tall, pointed wizard's hat.

In the 2017 series, the Great Wizard has a short beard during the first season, but a long white one in the second season (which was truer to his description in the novels). His hat and robes are in shades of blue, trimmed with silver.

Personality and Traits[]

Hellibore was a "pompous, old windbag" whose status in the magical community had automatically earned him the revere of almost all who surround him, including the intimidating Miss Hardbroom. Though the staff of Cackle's Academy always went out of their way to please him whenever he visited, they are not too fond of him and his chauvinist attitude about differences between witches and wizards (according to him, wizards are better in any respect). In fact, due to his habit of droning on and his belief that wizards were superior to witches, he was nicknamed "Helli-boring" by the majority of the students and staff at Cackle's Academy.

Despite his flaws, it must still be noted that the Great Wizard did have some positive characteristics - though he initially did not have a good opinion of Mildred, he warmed towards her considerably after seeing the lengths that she would go to for her friends, as well as her dedication in becoming an accomplished witch, which proves him to be a man who gave credit where it was due. Another instance would be where, upon the exposure of how two of his students (Barry and Gary) magically cheated during a competition against Cackle's students, he sincerely apologised to Miss Cackle for their deceit, which demonstrates his capacity of owning up his mistakes to others whom he initially deemed as inferiors.

Last but not least, Hellibore was a big fan of crumpets, scones, and cream tea.

Ishot-1927

Hellibore in the Telemovie

Trivia[]

  • Hellibore is known as the Grand Wizard in the TV series , and the Chief Magician or Chief Wizard in the Books.
  • In the Telemovie, Hellibore is depicted as being much younger and good looking, and all the witches are in love with him, even Miss Hardbroom:

Mildred: Miss Hardbroom hates me.
Maud: Miss Hardbroom hates everyone.
Mildred: I heard that she was once madly in love with the chief wizard.
Maud: Yeah, but a prettier witch cast a spell over him, and every time he looked at HB he thought she was a slimy frog.
Mildred: Imagine kissing that.
Maud: Imagine kissing HB.
(Hardbroom appears suddenly)
Hardbroom: Is that so?

  • Egbert Helibore’s name in other languages:

German: Egbert Helibore (stays the same)
Dutch: Egbert Hellerook– Hellsmoke

  • The Great Wizard is said to have turned himself into a chameleon for six weeks to win a simple game of hide and seek.[12]
  • According to Maud, you have to bow and call him "Your Greatness" and you're not allowed to speak to him unless he speaks to you. And don't shake his hand unless it's a full moon.[13]

Appearances[]

References[]

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