Bella Ramsey’s five best movie and TV roles, ranked
By Dan Selcke
4. Bella Ramsey as…Mildred Hubble in The Worst Witch
The Worst Witch is based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Jill Murphy. It stars Bella Ramsey as Mildred Hubble, a young girl who discovers she’s a witch before heading off to a magical academy where she gets into all kinds of misadventures with her friends. Yes, it sounds a lot like Harry Potter, although we remind you that it came first. (There have been several other adaptations, including a trippy 1986 movie version starring Tim Curry.)
Harry Potter started as a series for children and grew up along with its characters. The Worst Witch is aimed more squarely at kids. Ramsey is charming as the precocious Mildrid, and would never do or say half the things that Ellie does. You can watch this show with your children, no problem.
Mildred was an important role for Ramsey because it was the first time she’d held down a TV series on her own. She ended up leaving the show ahead of its fourth and final season (where she was replaced with Lydia Page), but you can still enjoy the show on Netflix.
3. Bella Ramsey as…Birdy in Catherine Called Birdy
Written and directed by Lena Dunham and based on the 1994 book of the same name by Karen Cushman, Catherine Called Birdy is about a young woman living in 13th century England with her family. In order to shore up her family’s finances, her father arranges to have her married to a wealthy man, but the rambunctious Birdy devises ways to drive potential suitors away, determined to hang on to her freedom.
Once again (and not for the last time), we find Ramsey in a medieval milieu; that’s just kind of what happens when your breakout role is on Game of Thrones. But this movie is a good deal more gentle than HBO’s show, which isn’t to say that Birdy doesn’t go through trials and tribulations. Yes, some of Birdy’s antics are played for laughs, but she also learns lessons about family and responsibility. If The Worst Witch was for kids, then Catherine Called Birdy is a great watch for adolescents. You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video now.
Also, once again Ramsey proved that she could hold down a whole production herself. That would be great practice for another big role to come…