Julia's Elixir

"Julia's Elixir" is the opening episode of the first series of the British children's television programme Julia Jekyll and Harriet Hyde. The episode was directed by Jim Eldridge and written by Jeremy Swan, who was also the show's producer. It was first broadcast in the UK on BBC One on 29 September 1995. "Julia's Elixir" was the first-ever Julia Jekyll and Harriet Hyde episode to be broadcast.

In the episode, Julia Jekyll (Olivia Hallinan) - a talented pupil of the Rocket Academy - concocts a refreshing elixir as part of a school science project. However, her creation is sabotaged by two bullies - Sharon and Nicola Blister (Karen Salt and Tiffany Griffiths respectively) - after they add hair growth formula to the elixir. As a result, when Julia tests the elixir, she is transformed into a monstrous creature, identifying herself as Harriet Hyde.

Plot
Julia Jekyll, a highly-intelligent pupil of the Rocket Academy, brings her parents Moira and Jerry a cup of tea in bed, having already been awake for three hours carrying out various domestic chores, including mending the gutter, washing the kitchen floor, setting the dinner table and polishing Jerry's shoes - all of her own volition. Moira and Jerry praise their daughter, calling her a 'little treasure'.

Julia arrives at school whilst explaining a mathematical equation to fellow pupil Roger, when she and the rest of her classmates are threatened by the bully duo 'The Blister Sisters' - Sharon and Nicola Blister. The pair attempt to extort 66 pence from each student, grabbing Julia by her rucksack and throwing another pupil - Sarah Slocombe - over a wall. As Sarah is about to inform the headteacher, Memphis Rocket, he appears in the courtyard with the Blister Sisters lying about Sarah's injury. Mr. Rocket calls for all the pupils to go to assembly as he has an important announcement to make.

In the assembly, Mr. Rocket explains that, due to an injury to a fellow teacher, his mother - Stella Rocket - will supervise basketball training later in the day. Furthermore, Mr. Rocket introduces the school's new science teacher: Lester Blister - the uncle of Sharon and Nicola. The assembly is dismissed.

Mr. Blister begins assigning science projects to the pupils in his class, deliberately providing his nieces with comparatively easy tasks relative to the rest of the class. When Sarah questions this unfairness, Mr. Blister assigns her with constructing a wind machine. Julia raises similar concerns, and explains that she is already working on a scientific experiment at home - a refreshing elixir. Mr. Blister orders Julia to provide a sample of her elixir the following day, before telling Sharon and Nicola that their assignments are cancelled.

At home, Julia's experimentation causes the kitchen door to be blown off its hinges by an explosion. However, her elixir is ready and she provides Moira and Jerry with a taste. Both call the drink delicious as Julia refits the door on its hinges.

The following day in science class, Sarah's wind machine goes awry blowing papers all over the classroom as it won't turn off. Mr. Rocket enters the room and his wig is blown off by the strong wind. Embarrassed, he orders all the pupils out into the playground and angrily confronts Mr. Blister. Lester explains about the school projects and tells Memphis about Julia's elixir. Mr. Rocket praises Julia as the Rocket Academy's best student and criticises the attitude of Mr. Blister's nieces, while Mr. Blister laments Julia's impertinence. The Blister Sisters, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, enter and begin planning a takeover of the school alongside their uncle. When Mr. Blister leaves, Sharon and Nicola discover a bottle of hair growth tonic on the desk as they formulate their plan.

During basketball training, Mrs. Rocket highlights the importance of being able to get the ball in the net, citing height as vital and saying anyone short is of no use. Roger condemns this as discrimination, but Mrs. Rocket claims her 76 years of age allow her to say what she likes. Mr. Rocket comes to the courtyard calling all the students back inside for Mr. Blister to finish his science class. Meanwhile, Sharon and Nicola discover the box in which Julia is storing her elixir.

The Blister Sisters guard the door to the science lab, now wanting 70p from each student as a result of inflation. Memphis relieves his mother of her basketball coaching duties out of concern for what the authorities would make of him appointing his 76-year-old mother. Mrs. Rocket calls it discrimination.

Julia begins presenting her elixir to the class, describing it as completely balanced and warning of the dangers of adding anything new to the concoction at this stage. The Blister Sisters eye the now-empty bottle of hair tonic in the rubbish bin. Julia pours a glass and asks if anyone would like a taste, but Sharon and Nicola request that Julia drink it. Mr. Blister agrees and Julia drinks the elixir, but she collapses behind the desk. When she re-emerges, she has transformed into an enormous hairy monster, grabbing Sharon and Nicola and throwing them to the floor. When Mr. Blister orders her to stop, she throws him out of the window. Memphis and Mrs. Rocket enter the science lab and are shocked by who they assume is a new girl. Asking who she is, Julia provides the alias 'Harriet Hyde'. She runs out of the room, before returning having transformed back into her natural self. A noticeably scruffier Mr. Blister returns to the lab demanding to know the whereabouts of 'Harriet'. Mrs. Rocket asks Julia to wait for her in the corridor.

Mrs. Rocket leaves the lab to speak with Julia about the 'new girl', only for Julia to have changed into Harriet Hyde. Mrs. Rocket screams in fright and faints, with Harriet catching her as the credits roll.

Cast

 * Julia Jekyll - Olivia Hallinan
 * Moira Jekyll (credited as 'Mum') - Victoria Williams
 * Jerry Jekyll (credited as 'Dad') - Bill Fellows
 * Memphis Rocket - Simon Green
 * Mrs Rocket - Ann Emery
 * Lester Blister - Robert Portal
 * Nicola Blister - Tiffany Griffiths
 * Sharon Blister - Karen Salt
 * Roger - Anthony Tobias
 * Sarah Slocombe - Emma Barnett
 * Mrs Smith - Christine Lohr
 * Mr Slime - Philip Philmar
 * Harriet Hyde - John Asquith

Crew
Executives:


 * Director - Jim Eldridge
 * Writer - Jeremy Swan
 * Producer - Jeremy Swan
 * Executive Producer - Anna Home
 * Musical Director - Jonathan Cohen
 * Casting Directors:
 * Jane Deitch
 * Angela Grosvenor
 * Makeup Designer - Elaine Smith
 * Costume Designer - Rosemary Cheshire
 * Production Designer - George Kyriakides

General production staff:


 * Production Assistant - Lesley Taylor
 * Assistant Floor Manager - Michael Towner
 * Production Manager - Claire Gerschwiler
 * Studio Resource Manager - David Massen

General post-production staff:


 * Videotape Editor - Andy Quested
 * Vision Mixer - Carol Abbott

Script department:


 * Script Editor - Marilyn Fox

Camera and lighting department:


 * Camera Supervisor - Nigel Saunders
 * Lighting Director - Alan Jeffery

Art department:


 * Production Buyer - Sue Templar
 * Graphic Designer - Pete Wane
 * Art Director - Nick Harding

Special and visual effects:


 * Visual Effects Designer - Roger Turner
 * Video Effects - Dave Chapman

Sound:


 * Sound Effects - Keith Eldridge
 * Sound Supervisor - Richard Partridge

Trivia

 * Mannequins were used whenever a character was being thrown around. This 'ragdolling' continued throughout the entirety of the series, mostly by Harriet Hyde, but the first case of ragdolling was actually by Sharon Blister - throwing Sarah Slocombe over a wall in the courtyard.
 * As the debut episode of the series, 'Julia's Elixir' provides the first instances of a number of recurring gags throughout the series. These include:
 * The aforementioned ragdolling of characters.
 * Julia's parents repeating one another.
 * Julia's experiments blowing the kitchen door off its hinges.
 * Jokes related to Mr. Rocket wearing a wig.

Quotes
- 'Hang onto your hats, groovy cats!' (Memphis Rocket)

- 'You can't say that, Mrs Rocket! That's discrimination!' 'I can say what I like! I'm 76 years old!' (Roger / Mrs Rocket)