Merlin is a British fantasy-adventure television programme created by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Julian Murphy, and Johnny Capps, starring Colin Morgan in the title role. It was broadcast on BBC One from 20 September 2008 to 24 December 2012. The show is loosely based on the Arthurian legends of the young wizard Merlin and his relationship with King Arthur, but it differs from traditional versions. The show was influenced by the US drama series Smallville about the early years of Superman,[1] and was produced by independent production company Shine Limited.
The series was broadcast on BBC One from 20 September 2008 to 24 December 2012.During the course of the programme, 65 episodes of Merlin aired over five series. The five series are available on DVD in the UK, the US and in Canada.[2]
Series overview
Episodes
Series 1 (2008)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Dragon's Call" | James Hawes | Julian Jones | 20 September 2008 | 7.15 |
| 2 | 2 | "Valiant" | James Hawes | Howard Overman | 27 September 2008 | 5.40 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Mark of Nimueh" | James Hawes | Julian Jones | 4 October 2008 | 6.30 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Poisoned Chalice" | Ed Fraiman | Ben Vanstone | 11 October 2008 | 6.48 |
| 5 | 5 | "Lancelot" | Ed Fraiman | Jake Michie | 18 October 2008 | 5.37 |
| 6 | 6 | "A Remedy to Cure All Ills" | Ed Fraiman | Julian Jones | 25 October 2008 | 6.00 |
| 7 | 7 | "The Gates of Avalon" | Jeremy Webb | Ben Vanstone | 1 November 2008 | 6.45 |
| 8 | 8 | "The Beginning of the End" | Jeremy Webb | Howard Overman | 8 November 2008 | 6.25 |
| 9 | 9 | "Excalibur" | Jeremy Webb | Julian Jones | 15 November 2008 | 6.47 |
| 10 | 10 | "The Moment of Truth" | David Moore | Ben Vanstone | 22 November 2008 | 7.03 |
| 11 | 11 | "The Labyrinth of Gedref" | Stuart Orme | Howard Overman | 29 November 2008 | 6.71 |
| 12 | 12 | "To Kill the King" | Stuart Orme | Jake Michie | 6 December 2008 | 6.31 |
| 13 | 13 | "Le Morte d'Arthur" | David Moore | Julian Jones | 13 December 2008 | 6.27 |
Series 2 (2009)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "The Curse of Cornelius Sigan" | David Moore | Julian Jones | 19 September 2009 | 5.77 |
| 15 | 2 | "The Once and Future Queen" | Jeremy Webb | Howard Overman | 26 September 2009 | 5.94 |
| 16 | 3 | "The Nightmare Begins" | Jeremy Webb | Ben Vanstone | 3 October 2009 | 6.09 |
| 17 | 4 | "Lancelot and Guinevere" | David Moore | Howard Overman | 10 October 2009 | 5.69 |
| 18 | 5 | "Beauty and the Beast – Part 1" | David Moore | Jake Michie | 24 October 2009 | 5.53 |
| 19 | 6 | "Beauty and the Beast – Part 2" | Metin Huseyin | Ben Vanstone | 31 October 2009 | 6.14 |
| 20 | 7 | "The Witchfinder" | Jeremy Webb | Jake Michie | 7 November 2009 | 5.62 |
| 21 | 8 | "The Sins of the Father" | Metin Huseyin | Howard Overman | 14 November 2009 | 6.16 |
| 22 | 9 | "The Lady of the Lake" | Metin Huseyin | Julian Jones | 21 November 2009 | 6.30 |
| 23 | 10 | "Sweet Dreams" | Alice Troughton | Lucy Watkins | 28 November 2009 | 6.02 |
| 24 | 11 | "The Witch's Quickening" | Alice Troughton | Jake Michie | 5 December 2009 | 6.01 |
| 25 | 12 | "The Fires of Idirsholas" | Jeremy Webb | Julian Jones | 12 December 2009 | 6.01 |
| 26 | 13 | "The Last Dragonlord" | Jeremy Webb | Julian Jones | 19 December 2009 | 6.64 |
Series 3 (2010)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | "The Tears of Uther Pendragon – Part 1" | Jeremy Webb | Julian Jones | 11 September 2010 | 6.49 |
| 28 | 2 | "The Tears of Uther Pendragon – Part 2" | Jeremy Webb | Julian Jones | 18 September 2010 | 6.06 |
| 29 | 3 | "Goblin's Gold" | Jeremy Webb | Howard Overman | 25 September 2010 | 6.22 |
| 30 | 4 | "Gwaine" | David Moore | Julian Jones | 2 October 2010 | 6.42 |
| 31 | 5 | "The Crystal Cave" | Alice Troughton | Julian Jones | 9 October 2010 | 6.36 |
| 32 | 6 | "The Changeling" | David Moore | Lucy Watkins | 16 October 2010 | 6.40 |
| 33 | 7 | "The Castle of Fyrien" | David Moore | Jake Michie | 23 October 2010 | 6.82 |
| 34 | 8 | "The Eye of the Phoenix" | Alice Troughton | Julian Jones | 30 October 2010 | 6.92 |
| 35 | 9 | "Love in the Time of Dragons" | Alice Troughton | Jake Michie | 6 November 2010 | 6.90 |
| 36 | 10 | "Queen of Hearts" | Ashley Way | Howard Overman | 13 November 2010 | 7.37 |
| 37 | 11 | "The Sorcerer's Shadow" | Ashley Way | Julian Jones | 20 November 2010 | 7.42 |
| 38 | 12 | "The Coming of Arthur – Part 1" | Jeremy Webb | Jake Michie | 27 November 2010 | 7.12 |
| 39 | 13 | "The Coming of Arthur – Part 2" | Jeremy Webb | Julian Jones | 4 December 2010 | 7.67 |
Series 4 (2011)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 1 | "The Darkest Hour - Part 1" | Alice Troughton | Julian Jones | 1 October 2011 | 6.40 |
| 41 | 2 | "The Darkest Hour - Part 2" | Alice Troughton | Julian Jones | 8 October 2011 | 6.80 |
| 42 | 3 | "The Wicked Day" | Alice Troughton | Howard Overman | 15 October 2011 | 7.04 |
| 43 | 4 | "Aithusa" | Alex Pillai | Julian Jones | 22 October 2011 | 6.96 |
| 44 | 5 | "His Father's Son" | Alex Pillai | Jake Michie | 29 October 2011 | 7.40 |
| 45 | 6 | "A Servant of Two Masters" | Alex Pillai | Lucy Watkins | 5 November 2011 | 6.94 |
| 46 | 7 | "The Secret Sharer" | Justin Molotnikov | Julian Jones | 12 November 2011 | 6.72 |
| 47 | 8 | "Lamia" | Justin Molotnikov | Jake Michie | 19 November 2011 | 7.00 |
| 48 | 9 | "Lancelot du Lac" | Justin Molotnikov | Lucy Watkins | 26 November 2011 | 7.32 |
| 49 | 10 | "A Herald of the New Age" | Jeremy Webb | Howard Overman | 3 December 2011 | 6.90 |
| 50 | 11 | "The Hunter's Heart" | Jeremy Webb | Richard McBrien | 10 December 2011 | 7.12 |
| 51 | 12 | "The Sword in the Stone - Part 1" | Alice Troughton | Jake Michie | 17 December 2011 | 8.39 |
| 52 | 13 | "The Sword in the Stone - Part 2" | Alice Troughton | Julian Jones | 24 December 2011 | 8.18 |
Series 5 (2012)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 1 | "Arthur's Bane – Part 1" | Justin Molotnikov | Julian Jones | 6 October 2012 | 7.12 |
| 54 | 2 | "Arthur's Bane – Part 2" | Justin Molotnikov | Julian Jones | 13 October 2012 | 6.99 |
| 55 | 3 | "The Death Song of Uther Pendragon" | Justin Molotnikov | Howard Overman | 20 October 2012 | 6.86 |
| 56 | 4 | "Another's Sorrow" | Ashley Way | Jake Michie | 27 October 2012 | 6.86 |
| 57 | 5 | "The Disir" | Ashley Way | Richard McBrien | 3 November 2012 | 6.88 |
| 58 | 6 | "The Dark Tower" | Ashley Way | Julian Jones | 10 November 2012 | 6.85 |
| 59 | 7 | "A Lesson in Vengeance" | Alice Troughton | Jake Michie | 17 November 2012 | 6.86 |
| 60 | 8 | "The Hollow Queen" | Alice Troughton | Julian Jones | 24 November 2012 | 6.86 |
| 61 | 9 | "With All My Heart" | Alice Troughton | Richard McBrien | 1 December 2012 | 6.76 |
| 62 | 10 | "The Kindness of Strangers" | Declan O'Dwyer | Richard McBrien | 8 December 2012 | 7.00 |
| 63 | 11 | "The Drawing of the Dark" | Declan O'Dwyer | Julian Jones | 15 December 2012 | 7.34 |
| 64 | 12 | "The Diamond of the Day – Part 1" | Justin Molotnikov | Jake Michie | 22 December 2012 | 8.45 |
| 65 | 13 | "The Diamond of the Day – Part 2" | Justin Molotnikov | Julian Jones | 24 December 2012 | 7.80 |
Specials
Children in Need
| No. | Title | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [5] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Merlin in Need 2008" | 14 November 2008 | 9.83 | |
| The kingdom raises money for the great creature Pudsey by throwing rotten vegetables at Merlin. A two-minute sketch for the BBC's "Children in Need" appeal. | ||||
| 2 | "Merlin in Need 2009" | 20 November 2009 | 10.08 | |
| An apparent sorcerer is on the loose, turning everything modern in Camelot. A two-minute sketch for "Children in Need". | ||||
| 3 | "Merlin in Need 2010" | 19 November 2010 | 12.94 | |
| The cast of Merlin gives a quick summary asking to donate money to Children in Need with some bloopers. | ||||
BBC Wales Exclusive Documentary
| No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Real Merlin and Arthur" | Mark Procter | 28 November 2009 | |
| Stars of the hit drama series Merlin, Colin Morgan and Bradley James, set off across Wales to explore the country's centuries-old connections to the legend of King Arthur and his wizard Merlin. Along the way they encounter enthusiasts and experts in Arthurian lore, and visit some of the most breathtaking landscapes in Wales.[8] | ||||
Secrets and Magic
A documentary series created by the BBC called Secrets and Magic was produced to accompany episodes of the second series. In a similar fashion to Doctor Who Confidential, the series looks at the production of each episode of the drama, featuring interviews with cast and crew as well as on-set footage. Shown on BBC Three.
| No. | Title | Original air date | Prod code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | "Welcome to Camelot" | 19 September 2009 | 1.X |
| 1 | "Merlin Time" | 20 September 2009 | 1.1 |
| 2 | "Fit For a King" | 2 October 2009 | 1.2 |
| 3 | "Casting the Magic" | 9 October 2009 | 1.3 |
| 4 | "Maid to be Queen" | 12 October 2009 | 1.4 |
| 5 | "Trolly Dolly" | 24 October 2009 | 1.5 |
| 6 | "Con-troll Freak" | 2 November 2009 | 1.6 |
| 7 | "Witch Hunt" | 9 November 2009 | 1.7 |
| 8 | "A Family Affair" | 16 November 2009 | 1.8 |
| 9 | "Hardwork and Heartbreak" | 22 November 2009 | 1.9 |
| 10 | "Love Fool" | 28 November 2009 | 1.10 |
| 11 | "Beauty & the Thief" | 6 December 2009 | 1.11 |
| 12 | "The Dragon's Den" | 13 December 2009 | 1.12 |
| 13 | "That's a Wrap" | 21 December 2009 | 1.13 |
Colin & Bradley's Merlin Quest
Although Merlin Secrets and Magic was not recommissioned for a second series, Colin & Bradley's Merlin Quest was produced to accompany Series 3 of Merlin. Colin Morgan and Bradley James, who play Merlin and Arthur in Merlin, appear in a weekly series of short (usually 2 to 4 minutes) online videos posted on the official site of Merlin. In each episode the actors have to complete various challenges and tasks, including questions and games with Merlin bloopers shown regularly. Colin & Bradley's Merlin Quest was produced by Ian Smith with Luke Baker as assistant producer.
Ratings
Merlin : UK viewers per episode (millions)
Audience measurement performed by Broadcasters' Audience Research BoardBARB
| Series | Episode number | Average | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | |||
| 1 | 7.15 | 5.40 | 6.30 | 6.48 | 5.37 | 6.00 | 6.45 | 6.25 | 6.47 | 7.03 | 6.71 | 6.31 | 6.27 | 6.32 | |
| 2 | 5.77 | 5.94 | 6.09 | 5.69 | 5.53 | 6.14 | 5.62 | 6.16 | 6.30 | 6.02 | 6.01 | 6.01 | 6.64 | 5.99 | |
| 3 | 6.49 | 6.06 | 6.22 | 6.42 | 6.36 | 6.40 | 6.82 | 6.92 | 6.90 | 7.37 | 7.42 | 7.12 | 7.67 | 6.78 | |
| 4 | 6.40 | 6.80 | 7.04 | 6.96 | 7.40 | 6.94 | 6.72 | 7.00 | 7.32 | 6.90 | 7.12 | 8.39 | 8.18 | 7.17 | |
| 5 | 7.12 | 6.99 | 6.86 | 6.86 | 6.88 | 6.85 | 6.86 | 6.86 | 6.76 | 7.00 | 7.34 | 8.45 | 7.80 | 7.13 | |
References
- ↑ Sweeney, Mark (29 August 2008). "Merlin: BBC cues up TV and cinema ads". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
- ↑ "Merlin's Fourth Season Casts Spell on DVD". IGN. 14 October 2011. Archived from the original on 30 December 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ↑ "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB. Archived from the original on 8 November 2008.
- ↑ "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB. Archived from the original on 8 November 2008.
- 1 2 "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB. Archived from the original on 8 November 2008.
- ↑ "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB. Archived from the original on 8 November 2008.
- ↑ "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB. Archived from the original on 8 November 2008.
- ↑ "Two Programmes – The Real Merlin and Arthur". BBC. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
External links
- Merlin on BBC
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