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Mirror, Mirror (TV series)

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Mirror, Mirror
Company typeTelevision series
IndustryTelevision
Founded1995
FounderPosie Graeme-Evans
Area served
Australia, New Zealand
Key people
Posie Graeme-Evans (creator and executive producer), Dorothee Pinfold (executive producer), Ian Fairweather (executive producer), John Banas (director), Sophie Turkiewicz (director)
ProductsTelevision series (20 episodes)

Mirror, Mirror is a television series from 1995, jointly produced by Australia and New Zealand, formatted as a 20-episode serial featuring cliffhanger endings. The series was created and executive produced by Posie Graeme-Evans, with additional executive producers Dorothee Pinfold and Ian Fairweather.

The direction was handled by John Banas, who is the father of cast member Michala Banas (portraying Louisa), alongside Sophie Turkiewicz. The writing team included contributors such as Ray Harding, Greg Haddrick, Tony Morphett, and Hilary Bell. The theme music was a collaboration between Chris Harriott (composer) and lyricist Dennis Watkins, performed by Nadine Weinberger.

Principal cast members (in order of credits)

Supporting cast

Plot

Set in 1995, the story follows fourteen-year-old Jo Tiegan, who acquires an antique oval mirror from an elderly shopkeeper. That evening, she observes another girl named Louisa Iredale—also fourteen but living in 1919—within the mirror’s reflection. They soon realize they can communicate and traverse between their respective time periods through the mirror, provided it remains positioned identically in both eras.

Louisa’s family enjoys considerable wealth; her father holds a senior position within New Zealand’s Health Department. Meanwhile, Jo’s father serves as principal at a New Zealand college where Jo resides in a boarding house that is actually the same building as Louisa’s childhood home, including sharing the same bedroom. The two girls quickly form a close friendship.

Following Jo’s accidental journey to 1919, a dangerous event unfolds at an archaeological excavation at Jo’s school: toxic waste from a container dated 1919 sprays nearby students, causing illness. Concerned she might have triggered this by traveling through the mirror, Jo seeks Louisa’s assistance to find and relocate the container before further harm occurs.

The container is discovered in a well on property owned by Sir Ivor Creevey-Thorne, a British visitor renting a neighboring residence. His ward, Nicholas—a Russian boy brought to New Zealand under suspicious circumstances—is closely monitored and isolated. Nicholas escapes to Louisa’s home where he finds Jo’s encyclopedia containing details about the executed Russian royal family. He reveals his true identity as Alexei Nikolaevich, son of Tsar Nicholas II. Sir Ivor’s real intention surfaces: he plans to hand Nicholas over to Russian Bolsheviks for public execution.

Jo enlists her scientifically minded friend Tama to help safeguard Nicholas and neutralize the hazardous waste. Romantic feelings develop between Louisa and Tama, as well as between Jo and Nicholas. Sir Ivor intensifies his threats by destroying Nicholas’ family signet ring in toxic waste but warns him not to retrieve it.

Nicholas hides the toxic waste container within the well, unintentionally causing Jo to suspect him of putting her friends at risk. With Tama’s assistance and utilizing 1995 technology, they create an agent that safely neutralizes the waste.

Sir Ivor hosts an upscale ball attended by Louisa’s parents. While preparing for Nicholas to neutralize the waste, he teaches Jo an old-fashioned dance; during this moment, they share a kiss while Louisa and Tama hold hands.

Concerned about Jo’s disappearance, her parents confront the antique shop owner who reveals his true identity and claims that he and Jo are destined to marry in 1919—suggesting she may not return to 1995.

In 1919, Nicholas successfully neutralizes the toxic waste but cannot return with his ring because it already exists there. Presented with a choice—to go back without proof of identity or remain in 1995 with Jo—Nicholas opts to stay. As the mirror begins to ripple and vanish from both time periods, all characters face decisions about which era they will choose to live in.

Awards

Nominations

Books

A copy of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass is displayed in Louisa Iredale's bedroom, symbolizing the show's tribute to Carroll’s concept of entering another realm through a mirror.

Following the series, co-writer Hilary Bell authored a novelization of Mirror, Mirror. While closely aligned with the television narrative, it introduces variations such as detailed portrayals of The Old Man's hair and Nicholas' horse. This novel earned the 1996 Aurealis Award for best young-adult novel.

Filming locations

Principal settings include Gear Homestead in Porirua, serving as the Iredale and Tiegan family residence; the former "Brendenwood" building at Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt, which represented Sir Ivor's house; Silverstream Railway Museum (the 1919 train station); and Khandallah railway station in Wellington (depicting the 1995 train station). Additional locations feature Lady Norwood Rose Garden within Wellington Botanic Garden (used as a picnic park), Nairn Street in Wellington (Tama's residence), 1 Riddiford Street in Wellington (antique shop), and scenes filmed at Wellington City Libraries.

Real world references

The series is set in 1919, a period that coincides with historical events involving the Russian imperial family, lending credibility to Nicholas' survival storyline. The remains of Tsarevich Nicholas and his sister were only uncovered in 2007, several years after the show was broadcast.

Petra's short hair

Originally auditioning for "Louisa" with long hair, Petra Jared cut her hair short after feeling disappointed about missing out on that role; subsequently, she was cast as "Jo".

Sequel

In 1997, a follow-up series titled Mirror, Mirror II was produced, comprising 26 episodes with new characters and storyline. Both installments feature a time-traveling mirror set in New Zealand; however, unlike the original which limited travel through it to children, the sequel permits anyone to pass through.

DVD releases

On 28 July 2009, Gryphon Entertainment issued Mirror, Mirror on DVD in Australia as a two-disc collection containing all 20 episodes. The series has also been made available on DVD in New Zealand.

External links

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