The Borrowers

The 1992 BBC television adaptation of Mary Norton’s beloved children’s books remains a triumph of family storytelling and visual ingenuity. Told with warmth, imagination and remarkable attention to detail, it brings to life the charmingly perilous world of the tiny Clock family— “borrowers” who live in the nooks and crannies of our human world, subsisting by quietly "borrowing" items from the oblivious “human beans”.

At the heart of the tale is Arrietty Clock (Rebecca Callard), a spirited teenage borrower, whose natural curiosity and longing for the outdoors draws her away from the cautious traditions of her kind. Her parents, the pragmatic Pod (Ian Holm) and the fretful Homily (Penelope Wilton), live beneath the kitchen floorboards of an old English manor—filmed on location at Chawton House in Hampshire. Their peaceful (if precarious) existence is upended when Arrietty is spotted by George (Paul Cross), a lonely human boy spending the holidays at the house. Against all rules of borrower conduct, Arrietty befriends George, beginning a touching interspecies friendship that ultimately puts the Clock family in jeopardy.

The first serial, adapting The Borrowers and The Borrowers Afield, follows the Clocks as they are forced to flee the manor, finding an old boot to live in before being pursued by the nosy housekeeper Mrs Driver (Sian Phillips) and the unpleasant tinker Mildeye (Tony Haygarth). The Clocks brave the English countryside—a towering wilderness of fields and forests, full of oversized dangers. Along the way, they encounter Spiller (Daniel Newman), a wild, resourceful borrower with a talent for survival, who becomes their unlikely saviour. Eventually, the family is reunited with long-lost relatives who had also fled the manor years before and now reside in the caretaker’s cabin.

The second serial (The Return of the Borrowers), based on The Borrowers Afloat and The Borrowers Aloft, finds the Clocks once again on the move—this time in search of the fabled Little Fordham, a model village where borrowers might find safety. Their journey is filled with fresh hazards: raging rivers, scheming humans, and Arrietty’s selfish cousins Ditchley (Ben Chaplin) and Ilrick (Ross McCall). The adventure takes a darker turn when the Clocks are kidnapped by the devious Platters (Robert Lang and Judy Parfitt), who hope to exploit them for profit in a rival model village. However, with typical borrower ingenuity, the family engineers a daring escape via a hot air balloon powered by candlelight—an imaginative highlight of the series.

The Borrowers was written and adapted for the screen by the highly respected Richard Carpenter best known for creating and writing several acclaimed children's and family series, including Catweazle, Robin of Sherwood, and The Ghosts of Motley Hall.

Technically, the show is a marvel. Rather than over-relying on special effects, it achieves its illusion through beautifully scaled sets and props, clever overlay techniques, and consistently effective lighting. The result is a thoroughly convincing world in which six-inch high people can believably live among us. For its time, the effects are exceptional, yet they never distract from the emotional core of the story—its themes of family, survival, courage, and the delicate line between adventure and danger.

The series was rightly recognised with two BAFTAs and a Royal Television Society award, testament to its craftsmanship and enduring appeal. Its success later inspired a 1997 feature film adaptation directed by Peter Hewitt, with Jim Broadbent, Celia Imrie and Flora Newbigin as the Clock family, and John Goodman as their oversized adversary.

Ultimately, The Borrowers is a masterclass in imaginative television for children and adults alike. It captures the thrill of seeing the world from a very different perspective—full of peril and possibility—and reminds us that bravery can come in the smallest of packages.

Rating: ★★★★★
Enchanting, inventive, and beautifully made—an enduring classic of British children's television.

Laurence Marcus