Transcript of the live Merlin Press Panel at London Expo 2008
Full transcription of Press Panel of Merlin cast and production staff.
Saturday 25th October 2008 - London MCM Expo 2008
To celebrate the return of the Merlin cast to London Expo on Saturday 23rd May 2009 I’ve transcribed their appearance at the Press Panel (immediately after their public appearance in the Q&A session) last year. All my work is for sharing.
My thanks to Feilongfan for pointing out the audio resources from the London Expo 2008
Taking part: Polly Buckle, Johnny Capps, Bradley James and Colin Morgan
Notes for this transcript.
A small group with questions from male(Mq) and female(Fq) to cast members Colin Morgan(CM) and Bradley James(BJ), also Merlin producer Johnny Capps(JC) and editor Polly Buckle(PB).
Only the first five episodes had been broadcast at the time of Expo 2008 (The Dragons Call, Valiant, The Mark of Nimueh, The Poisoned Chalice, Lancelot)
The recording is difficult to understand in places but I’ve captured nearly all the content accurately and only tidied up a few 'erms'. I’ve tried to capture the feeling of all the banter between the cast. Inevitably a tiny amount of content is lost to mumbles so words that are indistinct are presented in brackets with a question mark (thus?) or (__?)
Effects are presented for example {sfx} {giggles} {snort} {whisper}
An accent or acting voice is preceded by {voice} or {accent}
An interruption or simultaneous speaking is shown as/
Clarification or notes of context are shown [ed: like this]
Look out for
Johnny Capps talking homoeroticism
Bradley is proud.
Oh and Colin shops in Sainsburys
--BEGIN--
00:08 JC: ...so to get audience feedback like this has been fantastic makes you feel like you've you've all done our jobs properly that people are entertained by the show which is great and as a programme maker that's what you want, so to get that kind of erm enthusiasm when we walked on stage for the questions and answers was fantastic/
00:22 BJ: I was quite er s'say I was quite surprised to see, er all the people in the y'know fill all the seats cause erm I y'know the shows only been on for a few weeks so it was it was really nice to see everybody there and er a few people obviously taking an interest in the show and that kinda showed through their questions so erm, so that y'know in turn made me feel pretty good that they felt passion about the show that they're causing some reaction ah into us that such questions can turn up
00:53 Mq: what was the strangest question you were asked?
00:55 CM: {chokes} the first one. {chuckles and agreement all round}
00:58 JC: there was a group of girls who seemed very keen on Merlin
01:00 BJ: oh yeh {chuckles all round}
01:01 Mq: very keen
01:03 BJ: yes
01:05 CM: erm {tuts} yeh we kinda put an end to that quite quickly didn't we {chuckles}
01:08 Mq: was that the love affair question?
{all chuckle} yes,
01:09 BJ: yes
01:12 PB: under no circumstances go to google and put in Merlin slash fiction - do not
01:16 CM: ah {chuckles all round}
01:17 PB: that’s probably a very bad idea
01:19 CM: yeh
01:20 Mq: we've been sent quite a few erotic links already as well
01:21 PB: I've seen it
01:22 Mq: has anyone been to brokeback Merlin maybe?
{gasps and laughter}
01:25 Mq: there's something special about that brokeback Merlin
{gasps and more laughter}
01:30 JC: these epic tales are you know there is a certain homoeroticism to them because y'know {01:35 Colin chuckles} these are men fighting with swords with desperate things you know you're you're always going to get those kind of questions.
01:42 BJ: Believe it or not, I actually take it as quite a compliment/No!/erm because...myself and Colin have erm...y'know from the start y'know we discussed the relationship and how we wanted it to develop and erm yeh I sort of take it as a compliment that the audiences are seeing something there that they can use erm and y'know bring it to a complete extreme in my opinion. erm but eh yeh its, its/
02:06 Mq: but it is a very very intense friendship isn't it?
{murmurs of agreement all round}
02:09 CM: hmmm
02:09 BJ: yes
02:10 CM: life and death
02:11 Mq: you could be ah gay icons then?
02:14 JC: they're already gay icons!
{02:16 Colin chuckles}
02:16 Mq: right knowing that you'd taken on such a widely known legend I mean everyone knows the legend of like Arthur and Merlin and the way you've changed it...was that something I mean obviously there's been a great reaction, to it but when you sort of initially sat down to sort of muck up the project was it a worry that people wouldn't take to it?
02:35 JC: well I mean I think there was er we y'know we when we originally came up with the concept we said y'know the first question was y'know what...what would it have been like if Merlin and Arthur were young contemporaries so we knew straight away that we were straying from the Merlin kindof legend so we knew there'd be sort of y'know scholars that we'd upset but if you look at the Merlin legends there are so many y'know Merlin anyway y'know the Cornish (__?) the Irish (__?) the Scottish (__?) the French (__?) that it's been written so many times that there isn't a _definitive_ legend of Merlin anyway and Arthur, so y'know we we knew that we would upset people but to us it was about the concept of the show was to recreate the legend and to y'know create the legend before it started and that occasionally y'know we took a wink to things with Lancelot, erm with Morgana with Guinevere and that seems very satisfying but we always knew there would be an element where people might get upset about it although curiously people seem to get more upset about the fact that we talk about tomatoes and sandwiches {chuckles} we get more complaints than the legend.
03:37 BJ: I think the stories are very close to people’s hearts er its certainly certainly in this nation and so when you do mess around with it in such a way you're inevitably going to step on people's toes about it and you just hope that after a while they can allow themselves get past that just watch the show for the sort of Saturday night escapism that it is, so fingers crossed that er people won’t have too much of a hangup about it.
04:03 CM: yeh I think that’s the thing as well it is just erm the Arthurian legend or whatever it is just a startin’ point for these stories and erm, when you read the scripts as stories just as themselves as stand alone things and y’ just happen to have characters that are called Merlin and Arthur and y'know its its er each episode is completely different from the next and erm and yeh mean we're just as excited about reading them as as when they come on.
04:27 JC: and I think the great thing is that we y’know we occasionally bring back part of the legend y’know it was great to bring Lancelot in erm y’know later in the series we bring in the beginning of the journey of Excalibur so instead of having this powerful sword we wind the clock back and we create a story about how Excalibur was actually made and I think that’s the thrilling thing about the format of the show is the being able to take these classic myths and just erm play around with them I think that thats for us as story tellers is always sort of hugely exciting to do.
04:59 Mq: the Robin in the last Robin Hood series to make it contemporary there were lots of kinda issues brought in there like terrorism and things like that. Has that ever been a temptation or a/
05:11 JC: no not at all I mean I think with Merlin you're telling epic style tales of life and death and to us it wasn't about drawing modern parallels it was about telling universal stories.
05:25 Mq: you said that you're still in post production and you're now getting feedback back does that mean that finding out which aspects of the show particularly people like is letting you helping to guide you in deciding whether to emphasis action over humour or character over action/
05:40 JC: er well, n’not really because by the time, by the time the show is transmitting we were beginning to shoot the last two scripts so creatively we couldn't make any adjustments erm I mean you certainly listen to the feedback of what people say but to us we were very clear in our minds and in our hearts what we wanted Merlin to be right from the beginning and we've just absolutely followed that vision and I think the great thing about the show was that Julie Gardner allowed Julian and I to create a show that we really cared about passionately and she allowed us a kindof creative space to do that and so with we had very little kindof interference from the networks at all so I think that-that’s been an extraordinary ride for us and I think its made the show is all better for that because its not catering to lots of different peoples opinions its following y'know a clear vision.
06:29 Mq: Hows it looking for a second season?
06:31 JC: erm I think y'know we're we’re doing...the audiences are doing very very well I mean we move around the schedule a lot but we have erm at least a thirty percent share and for a drama nowadays to get a thirty percent share that’s pretty excellent erm the audience appreciation which is this strange index that the BBC used to have people like the show y'know we're well into the eighties which for a new drama is extraordinary so y'know everything is looking very good erm and y'know hopefully they will go for a second series… y'know we're certainly developing scripts and are ready to go {CM chuckles} they're on the starting blocks/
07:07 Fq: OK guys any final questions?
07:09 Mq: As a/
07:10 Fq: can I just ask you guys cause this is like big break for you pretty much erm have have your lives changed very much since since we're now about half way through the series?
07:18 CM: erm I I don’t I don’t _feel_ like its changed very much I think I think a lot of people kinda are asking that and erm… yeh y'know I don’t really feel it yet, they'd be the odd time when you're in Sainsburys and someone will go [ed:finger points?] y'know {chuckles} but I mean erm I think I think today is the first time well for me anyway when I’ve first thought oh y’know you see the fan-base sitting there in front of you and realise this is, this is it we've got we’ve got people who are sort of watching the show every week erm yeh that’s, that’s kinda/
07:49 BJ: for me personally I’d it’s there's not been… a huge huge difference really other than… erm I think erm I y’know my friends have had a talking point sorta each weekend or y'know a few days after the weekend erm and I think possibly my Mum {chuckles} has become more popular {laughter} ooh we saw him on TV last night erm but apart from that no its still enjoying a relative level of anonymity /that’s cool/ that word {laughter} were you're just kindof slink in and out so erm so yeh its been as was
08:28 Fq: great! Listen thanks very much guys appreciate your time /
08:31 --END--
Saturday 25th October 2008 - London MCM Expo 2008
To celebrate the return of the Merlin cast to London Expo on Saturday 23rd May 2009 I’ve transcribed their appearance at the Press Panel (immediately after their public appearance in the Q&A session) last year. All my work is for sharing.
My thanks to Feilongfan for pointing out the audio resources from the London Expo 2008
Taking part: Polly Buckle, Johnny Capps, Bradley James and Colin Morgan
Notes for this transcript.
A small group with questions from male(Mq) and female(Fq) to cast members Colin Morgan(CM) and Bradley James(BJ), also Merlin producer Johnny Capps(JC) and editor Polly Buckle(PB).
Only the first five episodes had been broadcast at the time of Expo 2008 (The Dragons Call, Valiant, The Mark of Nimueh, The Poisoned Chalice, Lancelot)
The recording is difficult to understand in places but I’ve captured nearly all the content accurately and only tidied up a few 'erms'. I’ve tried to capture the feeling of all the banter between the cast. Inevitably a tiny amount of content is lost to mumbles so words that are indistinct are presented in brackets with a question mark (thus?) or (__?)
Effects are presented for example {sfx} {giggles} {snort} {whisper}
An accent or acting voice is preceded by {voice} or {accent}
An interruption or simultaneous speaking is shown as/
Clarification or notes of context are shown [ed: like this]
Look out for
Johnny Capps talking homoeroticism
Bradley is proud.
Oh and Colin shops in Sainsburys
--BEGIN--
00:08 JC: ...so to get audience feedback like this has been fantastic makes you feel like you've you've all done our jobs properly that people are entertained by the show which is great and as a programme maker that's what you want, so to get that kind of erm enthusiasm when we walked on stage for the questions and answers was fantastic/
00:22 BJ: I was quite er s'say I was quite surprised to see, er all the people in the y'know fill all the seats cause erm I y'know the shows only been on for a few weeks so it was it was really nice to see everybody there and er a few people obviously taking an interest in the show and that kinda showed through their questions so erm, so that y'know in turn made me feel pretty good that they felt passion about the show that they're causing some reaction ah into us that such questions can turn up
00:53 Mq: what was the strangest question you were asked?
00:55 CM: {chokes} the first one. {chuckles and agreement all round}
00:58 JC: there was a group of girls who seemed very keen on Merlin
01:00 BJ: oh yeh {chuckles all round}
01:01 Mq: very keen
01:03 BJ: yes
01:05 CM: erm {tuts} yeh we kinda put an end to that quite quickly didn't we {chuckles}
01:08 Mq: was that the love affair question?
{all chuckle} yes,
01:09 BJ: yes
01:12 PB: under no circumstances go to google and put in Merlin slash fiction - do not
01:16 CM: ah {chuckles all round}
01:17 PB: that’s probably a very bad idea
01:19 CM: yeh
01:20 Mq: we've been sent quite a few erotic links already as well
01:21 PB: I've seen it
01:22 Mq: has anyone been to brokeback Merlin maybe?
{gasps and laughter}
01:25 Mq: there's something special about that brokeback Merlin
{gasps and more laughter}
01:30 JC: these epic tales are you know there is a certain homoeroticism to them because y'know {01:35 Colin chuckles} these are men fighting with swords with desperate things you know you're you're always going to get those kind of questions.
01:42 BJ: Believe it or not, I actually take it as quite a compliment/No!/erm because...myself and Colin have erm...y'know from the start y'know we discussed the relationship and how we wanted it to develop and erm yeh I sort of take it as a compliment that the audiences are seeing something there that they can use erm and y'know bring it to a complete extreme in my opinion. erm but eh yeh its, its/
02:06 Mq: but it is a very very intense friendship isn't it?
{murmurs of agreement all round}
02:09 CM: hmmm
02:09 BJ: yes
02:10 CM: life and death
02:11 Mq: you could be ah gay icons then?
02:14 JC: they're already gay icons!
{02:16 Colin chuckles}
02:16 Mq: right knowing that you'd taken on such a widely known legend I mean everyone knows the legend of like Arthur and Merlin and the way you've changed it...was that something I mean obviously there's been a great reaction, to it but when you sort of initially sat down to sort of muck up the project was it a worry that people wouldn't take to it?
02:35 JC: well I mean I think there was er we y'know we when we originally came up with the concept we said y'know the first question was y'know what...what would it have been like if Merlin and Arthur were young contemporaries so we knew straight away that we were straying from the Merlin kindof legend so we knew there'd be sort of y'know scholars that we'd upset but if you look at the Merlin legends there are so many y'know Merlin anyway y'know the Cornish (__?) the Irish (__?) the Scottish (__?) the French (__?) that it's been written so many times that there isn't a _definitive_ legend of Merlin anyway and Arthur, so y'know we we knew that we would upset people but to us it was about the concept of the show was to recreate the legend and to y'know create the legend before it started and that occasionally y'know we took a wink to things with Lancelot, erm with Morgana with Guinevere and that seems very satisfying but we always knew there would be an element where people might get upset about it although curiously people seem to get more upset about the fact that we talk about tomatoes and sandwiches {chuckles} we get more complaints than the legend.
03:37 BJ: I think the stories are very close to people’s hearts er its certainly certainly in this nation and so when you do mess around with it in such a way you're inevitably going to step on people's toes about it and you just hope that after a while they can allow themselves get past that just watch the show for the sort of Saturday night escapism that it is, so fingers crossed that er people won’t have too much of a hangup about it.
04:03 CM: yeh I think that’s the thing as well it is just erm the Arthurian legend or whatever it is just a startin’ point for these stories and erm, when you read the scripts as stories just as themselves as stand alone things and y’ just happen to have characters that are called Merlin and Arthur and y'know its its er each episode is completely different from the next and erm and yeh mean we're just as excited about reading them as as when they come on.
04:27 JC: and I think the great thing is that we y’know we occasionally bring back part of the legend y’know it was great to bring Lancelot in erm y’know later in the series we bring in the beginning of the journey of Excalibur so instead of having this powerful sword we wind the clock back and we create a story about how Excalibur was actually made and I think that’s the thrilling thing about the format of the show is the being able to take these classic myths and just erm play around with them I think that thats for us as story tellers is always sort of hugely exciting to do.
04:59 Mq: the Robin in the last Robin Hood series to make it contemporary there were lots of kinda issues brought in there like terrorism and things like that. Has that ever been a temptation or a/
05:11 JC: no not at all I mean I think with Merlin you're telling epic style tales of life and death and to us it wasn't about drawing modern parallels it was about telling universal stories.
05:25 Mq: you said that you're still in post production and you're now getting feedback back does that mean that finding out which aspects of the show particularly people like is letting you helping to guide you in deciding whether to emphasis action over humour or character over action/
05:40 JC: er well, n’not really because by the time, by the time the show is transmitting we were beginning to shoot the last two scripts so creatively we couldn't make any adjustments erm I mean you certainly listen to the feedback of what people say but to us we were very clear in our minds and in our hearts what we wanted Merlin to be right from the beginning and we've just absolutely followed that vision and I think the great thing about the show was that Julie Gardner allowed Julian and I to create a show that we really cared about passionately and she allowed us a kindof creative space to do that and so with we had very little kindof interference from the networks at all so I think that-that’s been an extraordinary ride for us and I think its made the show is all better for that because its not catering to lots of different peoples opinions its following y'know a clear vision.
06:29 Mq: Hows it looking for a second season?
06:31 JC: erm I think y'know we're we’re doing...the audiences are doing very very well I mean we move around the schedule a lot but we have erm at least a thirty percent share and for a drama nowadays to get a thirty percent share that’s pretty excellent erm the audience appreciation which is this strange index that the BBC used to have people like the show y'know we're well into the eighties which for a new drama is extraordinary so y'know everything is looking very good erm and y'know hopefully they will go for a second series… y'know we're certainly developing scripts and are ready to go {CM chuckles} they're on the starting blocks/
07:07 Fq: OK guys any final questions?
07:09 Mq: As a/
07:10 Fq: can I just ask you guys cause this is like big break for you pretty much erm have have your lives changed very much since since we're now about half way through the series?
07:18 CM: erm I I don’t I don’t _feel_ like its changed very much I think I think a lot of people kinda are asking that and erm… yeh y'know I don’t really feel it yet, they'd be the odd time when you're in Sainsburys and someone will go [ed:finger points?] y'know {chuckles} but I mean erm I think I think today is the first time well for me anyway when I’ve first thought oh y’know you see the fan-base sitting there in front of you and realise this is, this is it we've got we’ve got people who are sort of watching the show every week erm yeh that’s, that’s kinda/
07:49 BJ: for me personally I’d it’s there's not been… a huge huge difference really other than… erm I think erm I y’know my friends have had a talking point sorta each weekend or y'know a few days after the weekend erm and I think possibly my Mum {chuckles} has become more popular {laughter} ooh we saw him on TV last night erm but apart from that no its still enjoying a relative level of anonymity /that’s cool/ that word {laughter} were you're just kindof slink in and out so erm so yeh its been as was
08:28 Fq: great! Listen thanks very much guys appreciate your time /
08:31 --END--