Merlin, episode 1

I wanted to write this before I found out what anyone else thinks. I've been excited about the first episode of Merlin and I wanted to write down an uninfluenced response.

Episode one seems rather like Robin Hood, which I found unwatchable due to the casting of the least Robin Hood-like Robin Hood. But this has the same historical, based on legend (and thus freeing accuracy of detail) feel to it. Merlin has much more scope as a story, as well as not having been umpteen TV series and films before, so there is potential for something new. Maybe.

It's hard to gauge something like this from the first episode, the majority of the episode was scene setting and introducing the characters. But so far it seems good, the cast is strong and I'm anticipating following this through to the end. I had a momentary glimpse into the future of a nostalgic look back to this first episode.

I like Colin Morgan as Merlin. Victor Meldrew, sorry, my mistake, Richard Wilson is likable enough as ???? - I have no idea what his character is called. Anthony Head is ace, I'm still waiting for him to borrow a cup of coffee, except for the excruciating conversation where I have to explain why I don't actually buy Nescafe, gold or otherwise. Hmm? Oh yes, I liked him as Uther. The dragon bizarrely looks a bit like John Hurt. According to the Radio Times, he had detectors all over his face as he spoke so as to accurately portray the speech of the dragon, so maybe that's why. Or maybe I imagined it. I don't know the other actors' names, but Arthur fits what is said about him, Guinevere's nice enough, but you can't not see her as a gold digger, you know what happens. Morgana said two words so you can't really tell much about her (but she's baaaad).

I now need to brush up on my Arthur knowledge because I'm SURE I'm meant to know things. I'm confused as to things like, what about Excalibur? He knows who he is, so surely he'd say "Well, I'll have a shot, saying as how I'm the King's son and all". And was Arthur not quite young when Merlin was really old?

Unfortunately, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and my Horrible Histories: Arthur are both in storage, so I'm going to have to activate sleeping synapses, resort to Wiki, or get a reliable source.

I can't decide whether this will be heralded or slated. I like it, I have appalling taste.

The inevitable comparisons make me wonder how Harry Potter would have been received had it been a TV series. Would it have been so popular, would it have been less mocked (by those that haven't read it, no less), would it have gone to seven series? Would it have been better than the films if each had a 13 episode (a total of nearly ten hours) run? Hmm.

Autumn watch

It's that time of year for BBC's new season, the series that will finish at Christmas time. Sod the summer, bring on the autumn dark evenings and watchable telly.

First off, and this I am looking forward to, is Merlin, starting on BBC1 on Saturday at 7.30 pm. I saw the trailer for this while waiting for The Dark Knight at the cinema and was immensely pleased it was to be on TV not a film release. The guy who plays Merlin, Colin Morgan, is mesmerising from what I've seen, he has incredible eyes. I'm not overly familiar with the whole Arthurian legend, I know some parts of some stories, but it's not a world I've ever explored in detail. I feel it may now be easy to do so, which is always an added bonus. There are to be five series of this, the first one of which is in 13 parts, so lots of watching there.



Spooks series 7 is imminent. I adore Spooks. It is necessary to suspend all disbelief, but the action is fast paced and I like the cast. One of the things that is good about this is the suspense, this is one of the few dramas that will quite happily kill off a lead character, removing the assurance that all will be well in the end - it usually isn't. Rumour is that the very gorgeous Rupert Penry Jones is to be leaving this series (presumably by getting a new identity as he appears to be immortal), but whether this is true or not, the broodingly sexy Richard Armitage is to join the cast, which is quite splendid news. Not sure of exact broadcast date, Autumn 2008 is the closest I can find. Check the Radio Times.


And finally...
It's back. Series 3. October 1st, BBC2 9pm. Some of the cast can act, some of the stories work, but overall... I love it.