# The Borrowers (1992)

> Three tiny Borrowers, led by young Arriety, must leave their home and find a new one with the help of a human boy named George.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/36957

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: family, fantasy
- Network: BBC Two
- Cast: Rebecca Callard, Penelope Wilton, Ian Holm, David Ryall, Paul Cross, Siân Phillips, Daniel Newman, Pamela Cundell
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105957/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: wistful, gentle, whimsical, warm, tense

## Synopsis

The Borrowers (1992-1993) is a British family fantasy series created for BBC Two, adapted from the children's book by Mary Norton. Set in the English countryside of the early 1990s, it follows Arriety (Rebecca Callard), a young girl only about fifteen centimetres tall, and her parents Pod (Ian Holm) and Homily (Penelope Wilton), a family of tiny humans who survive by quietly borrowing what they need from the larger people who live in the houses they inhabit. Their engine is simple and urgent: they have been displaced from their home and must find a new one, relying on the help of a human boy named George (Paul Cross). Each episode is built from small domestic dangers and resourceful improvisation, with the tiny family slipping through skirting boards, kitchens and attics while avoiding discovery. The two-season, twelve-episode run is a short, gentle miniseries with a warm, wistful tone, a sense of wonder about the hidden world beneath ordinary furniture, and an earnest moral about belonging. Viewers who enjoy The Secret World of Arrietty and classic British children's fantasy will find the same charm and quiet resourcefulness here.

## Shows like The Borrowers

- [Worzel Gummidge (1979)](https://ember.film/tv/17690)
- [Worzel Gummidge (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/81179)
- [Watership Down (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/10882)
- [The Animals of Farthing Wood (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/172)
- [My Parents Are Aliens (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/13619)
- [The World of David the Gnome (1985)](https://ember.film/tv/2708)
- [The Box of Delights (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/19692)
- [George Shrinks (2000)](https://ember.film/tv/10356)
- [The Littles (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/16127)
- [Moomin (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/59423)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt