Merlin

[karohemd]

sherbetsaucers mentioning Timm Thaler reminded me that there was a Merlin serial on German TV in 1980 that also featured a young Merlin (from about 6 to adult across the series) that was similarly if not further removed from the legend as/than the current BBC series. It went as far as portraying Merlin as the son of Lucifuge Rofocale, one of the seven princes of Hell, while in the BBC one he's at least a pagan wizard. It was, however, equally fun (and scary, at least for a 10-year-old).

So yeah, crackpot Merlin stories are hardly anything new on telly.

Comments

[jholloway.livejournal.com]

Portraying Merlin as the child of the devil is not exactly straying too far from (at least some of) the sources.

[mr-malk.livejournal.com]

Indeed. I'm pretty sure Mallory had his father as a demon.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I stand educated.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

That's the great thing about The Matter of Britain, the sources are so various that no-one can really get too snooty about reinterpretations.

[cleosilver.livejournal.com]

There was also another Young Merlin series on the BBC many years ago called Merlin of the Crystal Cave

[von-geisterhand.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, I remember that one. Faintly.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Really? You're, what, five years younger than me at least?

[von-geisterhand.livejournal.com]

A few years more, yes. Hm, after consulting Wikipedia, I guess that they must have repeated the series some time during the Eighties.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Yes, quite possibly during the afternoon in summer?