Set in a land of myth and a time of magic when Uther Pendragon is king and has banned magic on pain of death. Uther and his Knights of Camelot hunt down sorcerers, druids and creatures of magic.
The young warlock Merlin is sent to Camelot by his mother to learn to find a purpose for his 'special gift' and gain help from her friend Gaius, the court physician. Merlin soon learns that the reason for his gift is to protect Arthur and, after saving Prince Arthur’s life, Merlin becomes Arthur’s manservant. Over the years and after several adventures together, Merlin and Arthur become trusted friends and companions, with the Merlin doing his best to make Arthur the king he is destined to be.
Characters[]
Main Characters
- Merlin: Merlin is the main protagonist of the show. He is a young contemporary of prince Arthur. Merlin is the greatest sorcerer to walk the earth but has to hide his magic and, to avoid being caught, he plays a somewhat clumsy fool as Arthur's manservant.
- Arthur Pendragon: Prince, and later King of Camelot. The Once and Future King of Albion. Arthur is under a lot of pressure from his father to be seen as strong and can sometimes come across as a bit of a bully, but underneath he has a good heart.
- Morgana: Arthur's half-sister, and later main villain of the show. Morgana has the gift of prophecy visions that she keeps secret and quickly comes to fear. As her powers grow, so does her hatred of her father, Uther.
- Guinevere: Also known as Gwen, she is initially Morgana's maidservant and friend. She grows to love Arthur and eventually becomes his wife and Queen of Camelot.
- Uther Pendragon: Arthur's father and predecessor as King of Camelot.
- Gaius: Merlin's friends and mentor. In many ways, he is similar to the older Merlin seen in other Arthurian Stories.
- Kilgharrah: A dragon who tells Merlin prophecies.
Villains: Nimueh; Morgause; Saxons
Knights of Camelot: Lancelot, Leon, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan
Other Characters: Druids; Fisher King; Tristan; Isolde
Locations, Creatures and Objects[]
Locations: Camelot, The Lake of Avalon, The Isle of the Blessed, The Spirit World (Otherworld)
Creatures: Dragons, Wyverns, Afancs, Unicorns, Questing Beast, Sidhe (Fairy), Boars, Deer, Dogs, Horses.
Objects: Cup of Life, Excalibur, The Round Table.
Tropes and Themes[]
- The Boy who would by king
- Knights of the Round Table
- The Sword in the Stone
- The Once and Future King / King Arthur's messianic return
- Tristan and Isolde Romance (briefly)
Behind the Scenes[]
The Adventures of Merlin premiered on BBC One on 20 September 2008 and finished 24 December 2012. The programme starred Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson, Anthony Head, and John Hurt.
The show was produced by Shine Limited, the show was aired on BBC One in the UK and NBC (Season 1)/SyFy Channel(Season 2) in America. It consists of 13 episodes per series with a running time of 45 minutes. There were a total of five series.
Merlin was nominated for several awards, winning the 2011 British Academy Television Award for best visual effects. Broadcasting rights were sold to over 180 countries.
Production Stats and Credits
- Series: 5
- Episodes: 65
- Created by: Julian Jones; Jake Michie; Johnny Capps; Julian Murphy
- Produced by: Shine Limited
- Starring: Colin Morgan (Merlin); Angel Coulby (Guinevere); Bradley James (Arthur); Katie McGrath (Morgana); Anthony Head (Uther); Richard Wilson (Gaius); John Hurt (voice of the Dragon, Kilgharrah).
- Music by: Rob Lane
- Network: BBC one
Adaptations[]
Several of the episodes were written into books for younger readers and older readers by a variety of authors. Several games for mobile and Nintendo were also released alongside the show.
Trailer[]
See Also[]
External Links
- Merlin Fandom: Merlin Wiki
- IMDB: Merlin (TV Series)