Post by hodaharb on Oct 20, 2008 20:12:18 GMT -5
Merlin
Merlin is a British television drama series that began in 2008. It is based around the Arthurian legends of the mythical wizard Merlin and his relationship with Prince Arthur, though differs significantly from more traditional versions of the myth. Produced by independent production company Shine Limited for BBC One, the programme is designed to run in the same Saturday evening family drama slot as series such as Doctor Who and Robin Hood.
Production
The idea for the programme was conceived by Shine producers Julian Murphy and Johnny Caps, who had previously worked together on Hex, a fantasy series produced by Shine for Sky One. The BBC had been keen on showing a drama based around the character of Merlin for some time; a little over a year before the Shine series was initiated, writer and producer Chris Chibnall had been developing a project aimed at a BBC One Sunday night slot, but this was ultimately not commissioned. The Shine version of the project was put into development in late 2006, commissioned by Controller of BBC One Peter Fincham and BBC Head of Fiction Jane Tranter, with Fincham keen on having more series on his channel which embodied: "Three generation TV – that's TV you can watch with your grandparents and children. There's not enough of that about."
The series went into production in March 2008, with filming taking place in Wales and France (at the Château de Pierrefonds). The series was produced by Shine in association with BBC Wales, whose Head of Drama Julie Gardner served as executive producer for the BBC. Gardner had extensive experience of working on the BBC's Doctor Who, and claimed that show's chief writer Russell T Davies had been an important influence on the tone and style of Merlin. CGI special effects for the series were provided by The Mill, which had also worked on Doctor Who and its spin-offs. Consisting of an initial series of 13 episodes, Merlin began transmission in the UK on 20 September 2008. In advance of this, a special trailer was prepared for release on television, in cinemas and online.
The series makes use of colour blind casting, with various key characters portrayed by black actors despite the series' setting in mediaeval Britain where the vast majority of the population were white and those of african ethnicity were a rarity.
Tagline
The tagline that the BBC have used for the show is "Keep the magic secret", owing to the secrecy that surrounds Merlin's magical abilities in the television series.
Cast & Crew
Main Characters
* Colin Morgan as Merlin: a young sorcerer who attempts to keep his powers secret
* Bradley James as Prince Arthur: the future King of Camelot
* Richard Wilson as Gaius: Camelot's court physician and one of the few to know Merlin's secret
* Anthony Head as Uther Pendragon: Arthur's father
* Angel Coulby as Guinevere (Gwen): a servant and friend to Morgana
* Katie McGrath as Morgana: King Uther's ward (and in some legends Arthur's half-sister)
* John Hurt as The Great Dragon: Merlin's mentor and one of the few to know his secret
Guest Appearances
* Eve Myles as Mary Collins / Lady Helen
* Will Mellor as Valiant
* Santiago Cabrera as Lancelot
* Michelle Ryan as Nimueh
* Asa Butterfield as Mordred
* Julian Rhind-Tutt as Edwin Muirden
Directors working on the series include James Hawes.
Merlin is a British television drama series that began in 2008. It is based around the Arthurian legends of the mythical wizard Merlin and his relationship with Prince Arthur, though differs significantly from more traditional versions of the myth. Produced by independent production company Shine Limited for BBC One, the programme is designed to run in the same Saturday evening family drama slot as series such as Doctor Who and Robin Hood.
Production
The idea for the programme was conceived by Shine producers Julian Murphy and Johnny Caps, who had previously worked together on Hex, a fantasy series produced by Shine for Sky One. The BBC had been keen on showing a drama based around the character of Merlin for some time; a little over a year before the Shine series was initiated, writer and producer Chris Chibnall had been developing a project aimed at a BBC One Sunday night slot, but this was ultimately not commissioned. The Shine version of the project was put into development in late 2006, commissioned by Controller of BBC One Peter Fincham and BBC Head of Fiction Jane Tranter, with Fincham keen on having more series on his channel which embodied: "Three generation TV – that's TV you can watch with your grandparents and children. There's not enough of that about."
The series went into production in March 2008, with filming taking place in Wales and France (at the Château de Pierrefonds). The series was produced by Shine in association with BBC Wales, whose Head of Drama Julie Gardner served as executive producer for the BBC. Gardner had extensive experience of working on the BBC's Doctor Who, and claimed that show's chief writer Russell T Davies had been an important influence on the tone and style of Merlin. CGI special effects for the series were provided by The Mill, which had also worked on Doctor Who and its spin-offs. Consisting of an initial series of 13 episodes, Merlin began transmission in the UK on 20 September 2008. In advance of this, a special trailer was prepared for release on television, in cinemas and online.
The series makes use of colour blind casting, with various key characters portrayed by black actors despite the series' setting in mediaeval Britain where the vast majority of the population were white and those of african ethnicity were a rarity.
Tagline
The tagline that the BBC have used for the show is "Keep the magic secret", owing to the secrecy that surrounds Merlin's magical abilities in the television series.
Cast & Crew
Main Characters
* Colin Morgan as Merlin: a young sorcerer who attempts to keep his powers secret
* Bradley James as Prince Arthur: the future King of Camelot
* Richard Wilson as Gaius: Camelot's court physician and one of the few to know Merlin's secret
* Anthony Head as Uther Pendragon: Arthur's father
* Angel Coulby as Guinevere (Gwen): a servant and friend to Morgana
* Katie McGrath as Morgana: King Uther's ward (and in some legends Arthur's half-sister)
* John Hurt as The Great Dragon: Merlin's mentor and one of the few to know his secret
Guest Appearances
* Eve Myles as Mary Collins / Lady Helen
* Will Mellor as Valiant
* Santiago Cabrera as Lancelot
* Michelle Ryan as Nimueh
* Asa Butterfield as Mordred
* Julian Rhind-Tutt as Edwin Muirden
Directors working on the series include James Hawes.