Boy wizard seeks ratings Holy Grail

May 01, 2009 12:38


by Clare Heal
21 September 2008
The Express on Sunday 

Clare Heal visits the set of Merlin, the new BBC flagship drama, which has a controversial take on the Camelot legend. THE BBC1 Saturday evening slot is a hard one to get right. Doctor Who's shoes in particular are difficult to fill. However, the opening episode of Merlin, shown last night, proved that you don't necessarily need a Sonic Screwdriver to provide escapist family fun to accompany a TV dinner.

As anyone who saw it will be aware, the show tells the story of the wizard's youth: we all think of King Arthur's sorcerer friend as being wizened and ancient with a long grey beard but everyone was young once. What might a great wizard be like as a wilful teenager? The concept makes sense if you think of it as Smallville in Camelot.

We know that Merlin must help Arthur fulfil his destiny to become the "Once and Future King" but the interesting thing will be finding out how he gets there.

Last night we saw Merlin (played by charismatic unknown Colin Morgan, pictured on the previous page) make his way to Camelot and get off to a bad start with the arrogant young Prince Arthur.

Some devotees of the myth may have balked at the notion that the wizard and the future king are the same age but that wasn't the only surprise that the programmemakers had in store. Guinevere (or Gwen, as she was introduced to us) was a humble servant girl, maid-in-waiting to Morgana.

The version of Arthurian legend that most of us are familiar with is Thomas Malory's 15th-century Le Morte D'Arthur, in which Arthur defeated the Saxons and established a British empire with Merlin as his adviser. Prior to this, Merlin made appearances in 8th-century Welsh mythology and 11th-century French romances.

In the BBC's Merlin, King Uther (played by Anthony Head of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Little Britain fame) had banished magic from the land and imprisoned the last surviving dragon (voiced by John Hurt) underneath Camelot. We also met an entirely new character, Uther's court physician Gaius (Richard Wilson), who is mentor to the young Merlin.

When I visited the set, no one involved in Merlin seemed worried that they would be seen as corrupting the myth. "The origins of the story of King Arthur and Merlin are lost in the mists of time and have been told and retold so many times, " says Colin Morgan.

"This is just a new way of looking at it, a new way of telling the story." Colin only graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama last year. The 22-yearold has since appeared in a few plays and had a minor role in Doctor Who but it's a big leap from there to the title role of a primetime drama. His face now adorns buses all over the country.

Is he ready for the attention?

"No!" he laughs. "No way." He has been getting some help from the show's older stars, though. Everyone on set is keen to emphasise how, over long months filming in Wales and France, the cast and crew have become "like family". Much as Gaius is a mentor to Merlin, Richard Wilson has taken the younger cast members under his wing and given them some advice on how to deal with the inevitable fame the show will bring.

"Of course I was much older when I became well known, " he says, "but I've been giving Colin a few pointers on how to deal with the press. He works very hard though and is a lovely guy so hopefully those things will work in his favour."

Wilson obviously quite relishes his role as paterfamilias and voice of experience, both on screen and off. "I've never really played such a paternal character before, " he says. "So it's a nice change." He's also enjoying the opportunity afforded by Merlin to dress up a bit, especially the fact that Gaius has a full head of silvery hair. Stroking his wig, Wilson muses: "It's nice to have hair again. I haven't had any for a while. One person asked me if I'd grown it specially, which was very complimentary to my virility.

"Victor Meldrew is never going to go away because the programmes are endlessly repeated on cable channels but it's nice to look a bit different. It's nice to have a robe as well, apart from the tripping factor. Robes are very bad for going up stairs in." Colin also loves the clothes. "It all helps you to feel part of this magical world. When I'm in costume and on set I can't help but buy into it all."

The costumes and sets are very impressive, too. Borrowing from a variety of medieval styles, a world has been created that looks convincingly old. Wandering across the set of King Uther's waiting room I can't help but reach out to touch one of the stone pillars. It's a shock when it turns out to be fibreglass.

Likewise, browsing around the herbalist jumble of Gaius's chambers I spot a stuffed hedgehog (feilongfan: who is the owner? I remember Katie was holding a stuffed tiger in the video diary), dinner party place card holders in the shape of golden seashells and a bowlful of what looks suspiciously like bits of soap from those high-street purveyors of bathtime smellies, Lush. INDIVIDUALLY they seem incongruous but on screen they blend in with the bunches of herbs and beakers of variously coloured liquids to create a pleasingly fusty-looking apothecary's den.

Although all the interior scenes are filmed at the BBC Wales studios in Cardiff, the exterior of Camelot is "played" by Pierrefont, a chateau just north of Paris, and the show also relies heavily on CGI. I saw one room in Wales containing just a rocky fibreglass ledge. It didn't look that impressive but, in the opening episode, came into its own as the entrance to a vast CGI cave in which Merlin meets the great Dragon.

"Green screen" acting proved a challenge for most of the cast. "I did spend a day talking to a green wall, " says Richard Wilson. "Someone was holding up a ball that I had to look at that was supposed to be a dragon's eye and I had John Hurt's voice booming out at me. It was all right for half an hour or so but it does get quite wearing, especially if you're holding a blazing flambard in your hand." All agree the effects look spectacular, though. "It's so much better than in my imagination, " says Katie McGrath, who plays Morgana. When I meet her she is in hair and make-up having her snaky curls arranged ready for her first fight scene. "I'm so excited, " she says. "Every time there's been a fight the girls have had to sit in the stands and clap politely so I'm really pleased that we're getting to see some action at last! It has been great learning all these skills. I never expected I'd learn how to swordfight. I can ride a horse as well." The promotional literature describes Morgana as having "beauty unparalleled throughout the land" and, even though Katie blushes when I point this out, there's no denying her striking looks: at 25 she bears an uncanny resemblance to a dark-haired Keira Knightley and will no doubt win legions of fans among Merlin's teenage male viewers.

Joining her and Colin are Angel Coulby as Gwen and Bradley James as a swaggering Prince Arthur. Guest stars will apparently include Santiago Cabrera from Heroes as Lancelot and Michelle Ryan, formerly of EastEnders and fresh from playing the Bionic Woman, as the Lady of the Lake.

Castles, dragons and magical destiny. Academics might disagree with the show's authenticity but what more do you want at Saturday teatime?

richard wilson, colin morgan, interview, merlin, katie mcgrath, news

Previous post Next post
Up