Roald Dahl's worst meanies are raging pedophobes. Headmistress Agatha Trunchbull, the hulking villain in Matilda, loathes children only less than the Grand High Witch does. Unlike the sorceress, however, Trunchbull has non-magical, very real tools to express her animus. (The magic is left to Matilda.) She keeps, for instance, a medieval torture chamber to punish wayward schoolchildren—and she can get really creative with what is 'wayward.' And as a professional hammer thrower, Trunchbull can take her villainy to new heights.  

Bertie Carvel transforms into Trunchbull for Matilda the Musical on West End and will reprise the role when the play transfers to Broadway on April 11. Pam Ferris got into the role in the 1996 movie.