The Boy Merlin | |
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Genre | Family drama Medieval fantasy |
Written by | Stewart Farrar |
Starring | Ian Rowlands |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 6 |
Production | |
Producer | Pamela Lonsdale |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | Thames Television |
Release | 23 April 1979 |
The Boy Merlin is a Thames Television fantasy show from 1979, starring Ian Rowlands in the title role, about the magician Merlin. [1] It was inspired by a one-off drama of the same name, broadcast in 1978. [2]
Merlin, the illegitimate son of a princess and the grandson of King Conaan is made unwelcome at court. He is fostered by a local smith and his wife, from whom he learns the worth of honest labour. His foster-grandmother, Myfanwy, however is able to see his future, and teaches the boy the magic he will need in King Arthur's service. Unfortunately, the Saxon king, Vortigern, gets wind of Merlin's powers, and his location and takes steps to cause problems for the young magician.
The series was devised by Anne Carlton and was based on an episode of the series Shadows called "The Boy Merlin" (directed by Vic Hughes and broadcast 11 October 1978). [2] [3]
It was broadcast in the UK on ITV in 6 episodes from 23 April to 11 June 1979 (with no episode being transmitted on 7 May owing to Bank Holiday sports coverage) and repeated from 1980/04/11 to 1980/05/16. Previously the 1979 transmissions were claimed to have been cancelled by an ITV strike, however, this is incorrect, as that ITV strike lasted from August to October 1979.
It was also shown in Ireland and Australia. [4]
The series, including the pilot episode, was released by Network DVD on 2 May 2011. [5]
Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur, often simply called Prince Valiant, is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretch of that story now totals more than 4000 Sunday strips. The strip appears weekly in more than 300 American newspapers, according to its distributor, King Features Syndicate.
The Lady of the Lake is a name or a title used by several either mermaid or mermaid-like but human enchantresses in the Matter of Britain, the body of medieval literature and mythology associated with the legend of King Arthur. She plays several important roles in many stories, including providing Arthur with the sword Excalibur, eliminating Merlin, raising Lancelot after the death of his father, and helping to take the dying Arthur to Avalon. Different sorceresses known as the Lady of the Lake appear concurrently as separate characters in some versions of the legend since at least the Post-Vulgate Cycle and consequently the seminal Le Morte d'Arthur, with the latter describing them as a hierarchical group, while some texts also give this title to either Morgan or her sister.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is an 1889 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The book was originally titled A Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Some early editions are titled A Yankee at the Court of King Arthur.
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Raven is a British children's television drama series made for ITV by ATV in 1977. The series starred Phil Daniels in the title role.
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot is a British television series first broadcast in 1956, produced by Sapphire Films for ITC Entertainment and screened on the ITV network. The series starred William Russell as the eponymous Sir Lancelot, a Knight of the Round Table in the time of King Arthur at Camelot.
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Stories involving the mythical wizard Merlin have been popular since the Renaissance, especially with the renewed interest in the legend of King Arthur in modern times. As noted by Arthurian scholar Alan Lupack, "numerous novels, poems and plays center around Merlin. In American literature and popular culture, Merlin is perhaps the most frequently portrayed Arthurian character."
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This is a list of British television related events from 1984.
This is a list of British television related events from 1982.
This is a list of British television related events from 1980.
This is a list of British television related events from 1979.
This is a list of British television related events from 1978.
This is a list of British television related events from 1977.
Merlin and the Dragons is a 1991 animated film adapted from a story by Jane Yolen and illustrations by Alan Lee. It was directed by Dennis Woodyard and Hu Yihong and includes a musical score by composer Michel Rubini. The production is a retelling of the Arthurian legend, with Merlin the magician, based on material from Nennius and Geoffrey of Monmouth. Yolen is a prolific author of Arthurian-themed texts, and this production continues her series of retellings of the Merlin story. The half-hour film is narrated and voiced by Kevin Kline and was originally broadcast as an episode of the PBS program Long Ago and Far Away, which first aired on November 9, 1991.
The Winter King is a British historical fiction television series based on Bernard Cornwell's trilogy of novels The Warlord Chronicles, starring Iain De Caestecker as Arthur Pendragon. The series premiered on MGM+ in the United States on 20 August 2023 and on ITVX in the United Kingdom on 21 December 2023.