When in doubt - do Arthurian!

[Deborah J Miller]

The BBC is filming a King Arthur series - much of the participants from Dr Who - looks interesting!

A host of stars including John Hurt, Michelle Ryan and Richard Wilson are set to appear in BBC One's latest Saturday night drama, Merlin.

The 13-part series follows the fabled friendship between the young wizard Merlin and Prince Arthur.

Bafta-winner Hurt will provide the voice of Merlin's mentor, the Great Dragon, while Bionic Woman star Ryan will play wicked sorceress Nimueh.

Newcomer Colin Morgan, 22, from Northern Ireland, takes the title role.

His previous television experience is limited to guest roles on Doctor Who and the Catherine Tate Show.

However, he has made a name for himself in the West End with critically acclaimed roles in Vernon God Little and All About My Mother.

Further details here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7519877.stm

[Deborah J Miller]

D'you know what? I didn't hate it - even though I firmly expected to. Okay, so the sets were a bit "faux/modern/pretend castle-y" and they obviously couldn't decide whether they were Anglo-Saxon, post-Roman, Celtic, or just cod-medieval... [sorry Kari - don't you look!] But hey, it was far more engaging and less cynical than I feared...

The lad playing Merlin is pretty good & I like the fact that the young Arthur is a complete and utter tosser & "Gwen" aka Guenevere(sp?) is presently a serving maid. Our very own "Gwen" from Torchwood (Eva Myles?) was the main baddie for the episode & she was pretty good in the role... On the down-side Anthony Head is just horribly mis-cast as Uther & his crown looks like it came free with a double-whopper!

The CGI of the 'Great Dragon' (John Hurt's voice, magical all on its own - reminded me of when he was The Storyteller in the Jim Henson series - a flippin' classic, that was!) was not bad for the Beeb - but not on a par with 'Primeval'

Don't shoot me, but I'll probably watch it again this Saturday...

[Caroline Barnard-Smith]

I've watched the first two episodes, and I can't bring myself to watch any more :(( It's the dialogue I can't stand, they sound as if they're in Albert Square, not Camelot!! Ah well, at least no one was wearing tights (or were they? I might have missed it while I was sighing at the TV in mock horror...)

[RJ Barker]

"I made you a sandwich, Dad."

And the remote control is launched at the television.

[Kim Holmes]

Arthurian legends have always had a soft spot in my heart; my book shelf has 1.5 shelves dedicated to it (and these are large shelves). I look forward to discussing these with some of my friends who are as interested in them as I am, and comparing them to Le Mort and other writings.

And by watch, I mean find on either DVD, or online, since I don't own a television.

[SciFiGuy (Doug Knipe)]

I also caught the first two episodes. Mildly entertaining in a Disney sort of way. Rating for historical accuracy and portrayal = 0.

[Kristin Snouffer]

I hope this isn't too kiddie like the Robin Hood series. And all this fantasy production and there's no place for Sean Bean? Bah! I wish there would be a proper lotr type King Arthur and Beowulf films someday.