8. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
I feel like this is a lesser-known one, but it was one of my favourites. It’s the reason I asked for a magic set for my 10th birthday. Initially hosted by Barney Harwood, the show saw a group of children enrol in a boarding school for two weeks to take lessons in different areas of magic.
Each week, the contestants were taught a new magic skill and tested on it — if their performance was weak, they faced elimination. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice also saw the contestants receive lessons in stagecraft, like mime and dance. According to UKGameShows.com, the show first aired two weeks before the seventh Harry Potter book was released, and the final show broadcast immediately after an interview with author J. K. Rowling.
