 First edition | |
| Author | Spike Milligan |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Spike Milligan |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Hobbs & Michael Joseph |
Publication date | 1973 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | 0718111125 |
Badjelly the Witch is a brief handwritten, illustrated story by Spike Milligan, created for his children, then printed in 1973. It was made into an audio and a video version.
In 1975, in the planning for an audio version for the BBC "infant's programme" Let's Join In, Milligan objected to the planned removal of God from the story. The BBC wrote in a letter that the object was not to put God on the same level as goblins, to which Milligan replied that goblins, fairies and God all exist. However, he allowed God to be removed.[1]
In 1974, Ed Welch set Badjelly the Witch to music and the LP was released on Polydor Records. Milligan narrated it with a large orchestra, and the LP was a reasonable success. In New Zealand, where it was regularly played on morning radio, it was a huge success and has sold over 40000 recordings up to 2012.[citation needed]
- ^ Norma Farnes, The Compulsive Spike Milligan, Fourth Estate 2004