Miss Softbroom

This article is written from a real world point of view and so is not considered part of The Worst Witch universe.

Miss Softbroom
Season 2, Episode 9
Air date	5 March 2018
Episode guide
Previous Miss Cackle's Birthday	Next A New Dawn

Miss Softbroom is the ninth episode of the second series of The Worst Witch (2017 TV Series). It was broadcast on CBBC and CBBC HD on 5 March 2018. It is preceded by Miss Cackle's Birthday and will be followed by A New Dawn.

Synopsis

Miss Cackle goes to meet her fate at the Magic Council and Mildred is determined to help her. The first years are unimpressed with Miss Hardbroom as acting head teacher and decide to amend the situation. A formidable inspector comes to the school and is unimpressed to find everything in disarray and Miss Hardbroom under the influence of a personality-changing potion.

Plot

Miss Cackle has gone to meet with the magic council, and Miss Hardbroom is in charge of the school. She has the students up at crack of dawn, and sends them on a run before breakfast. Miss Hardbroom calls an emergency staff meeting, and Mildred listens at the door to find out what is going on. Miss Hardbroom tells the other staff where Miss Cackle has gone, and says that the magic council is sending an inspector, the formidable Miss Doomstone.

Mildred’s class have potions first thing, and Miss Hardbroom leaves Miss Bat to supervise the lesson, but she promptly falls asleep. Mildred drags Maud and Enid out of class, to go and help Miss Cackle at the magic council.

When Miss Hardbroom returns to the potion lab for the first years’ lesson, Miss Bat is nowhere to be seen. This, combined with the stress of the inspection and Miss Cackle’s hearing, puts Miss Hardbroom in an especially bad mood. Beatrice suggests that instead of the colour-change potion they’re meant to be making, Miss Hardbroom needs a personality change potion, and Clarice finds one in the book.

They make the potion, and Beatrice tells Miss Hardbroom that it’s her colour-changing potion, and the potions mistress tries it. Beatrice then suggests that potion class could be fun, and Miss Hardbroom laughs, and agrees. She then starts taking her hair out of its bun. Ethel comes to tell her that Mildred, Maud and Enid have disappeared, but Miss Hardbroom just says that it’s three less to teach, and then turns potions class into a singalong, before dissmissing the class early. 

Miss Drill is in the hallway when the fist years run past, followed by Miss Hardbroom, with her long hair loose and waving a rose around. Miss Drill asks what the first years have done to Miss Hardbroom, only to be informed by Miss Bat that the inspector has arrived. Miss Drill sends Ethel to stall Miss Doomstone while she deals with Miss Hardbroom and the first years.

At the Magic council, Mrs Hallow presents Miss Cackle with a petition calling for her to be removed from the school. Mildred, Maud and Enid then stand up for their Headmistress. Back at the Academy, Miss Hardbroom is appearing and disappearing all over the school, while Ethel and Miss Drill try to keep her away from Miss Doomstone. They finally get her to the potion lab, and Miss Drill and the first years mix up the antidote to the personality potion, but Miss Hardbroom won’t take it, resulting in Clarice, Beatrice and Sybil chasing her around the room.

Miss Doomstone then comes in, and slips on the frog gloop Sybil spilt. She lands face first in the bucket of gloop, and spits up a frog. Miss Hardbroom gives her the personality potion to drink, and then takes the antidote herself. The result is that Miss Doomstone praises the school and it passes the inspection, while Miss Hardbroom returns to normal, and doesn’t remember anything while under the influence of the potion.

Miss Cackle returns, along with Mildred, Maud and Enid, and unfortunately the council has removed her as Headmistress, and Miss Hardbroom will continue as acting head until a replacement is found.

Quotes

Clarice: I hate early mornings. Technically speaking, it isn't morning yet. The sun rises in one minute precisely.
Beatrice: Point is, why are we awake before the sun?
Miss Hardbroom: Because I am in charge of the school today, Beatrice Bunch. That's why.

Miss Hardbroom: Miss Bat will be covering my potions class this morning. Do not, however, use this as an excuse to mess around. Do not take any nonsense from the girls, Miss Bat.
Miss Bat: (SNORING)
Miss Hardbroom: Miss Bat? (wakes her up) It's important to keep awake, Miss Bat. Today of all days. OK girls, Potions class. (Miss Hardbroom Leaves, Miss Bat fall back asleep)

Beatrice: Tell you what, Miss Hardbroom. Why don't we forget about potion class for today and do something fun instead?
Miss Hardbroom: What did you say?!
Beatrice: I said... Erm...
Miss Hardbroom: Fun?! (LAUGHS) Yes! Lessons should be fun. Why not?

Ethel: Miss Drill said you wanted to see me.
Miss Hardbroom: Did she?
Ethel: Is it to do with Mildred, Maud and Enid? They've disappeared.
Miss Hardbroom: Did they make an invisibility potion?
Ethel: No. They've left the school premises.
Miss Hardbroom: For good? That's... three less to teach, then.

Students Singing: Five little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs...
Miss Hardbroom: Yum, yum!

Miss Bat: Are you sure you haven't been drinking witches' brew, Miss Hardbroom?
Miss Drill: Miss Hardbroom, you have to come with me to the potions lab - immediately.
Miss Hardbroom: Why?
Miss Drill: Because the inspector has arrived and she can't see you like this.
Miss Bat: Doomstone the Destroyer is here?
Miss Hardbroom: The inspection visit. Of course. I wonder if she likes roses.

Inspector: I smell a big fat rat, Miss Hallow.
Ethel: That's probably the manure that Mr Rowan Webb puts on his roses.

Mildred: Everything Miss Cackle ever does is based on what is best for the school and the girls. She doesn't tick boxes and suck up to committees and Magic Councils. She gets on with the job and teaches us girls how to fly. And I don't mean on a broomstick, either. Miss Cackle takes risks. But not on health and safety, as suggested today. On people. She took a risk on me, and I will always be grateful for that. Please don't take her from us. She's our role model, and we love her.

Doomstone: What an absolutely charming school. Such well-mannered, responsible girls and a most dedicated teaching staff. I've had a wonderful time. Well, apart from almost choking to death on a frog, that is.

Beatrice: Miss Drill, shouldn't we have given Miss Doomstone the antidote?
Miss Drill: Don't worry. The potion will wear off eventually. Over the next six months or so.

Beatrice: I think some of the Softbroom potion must have worn off on HB.
Miss Drill: She almost smiled just then.
Beatrice: Or maybe, compared to someone like Miss Doomstone, she's really not that bad after all.

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