Spellbinder (TV series)

Spellbinder is a science fantasy children's television series co-produced by Film Australia and Telewizja Polska. It was first broadcast in 1995. The series follows a group of Australian teenagers on a school trip to Poland, where one of them, Paul Reynolds, is accidentally transported to a parallel world. This world is inhabited by the Spellbinders, an advanced society who harness static electricity through generators and use it to power their elaborate levitating towers and airships. The Spellbinders are ruled by an authoritarian Council.

Paul finds himself stranded and struggling to adapt to this new reality. He befriends Riana, a young girl from a nomadic group called the Gypsies, who are viewed with suspicion by the Spellbinders. Together, they navigate the dangers of the Spellbinder world, including the machinations of the ambitious and power-hungry Spellbinder, Ashka, who is secretly plotting to overthrow the Council.

The series explores themes of environmentalism, social justice, and the dangers of unchecked power and technology. It also examines the importance of friendship and cross-cultural understanding.

Spellbinder was popular in both Australia and Poland, and was sold to many other countries. It spawned a sequel series, Spellbinder 2: Land of the Dragon Lord, which featured a new cast and a different storyline, although some characters from the original series made appearances.