by G. Jack Urso
Arthur of the Britons is a short-lived 24-episode
British historical drama produced by Harlech Television (HTV) (now ITV Wales
and West) in 1972 and 1973 and syndicated to the United States in the
mid-1970s. The series departed from previous versions of the Arthurian legend
on screen and placed events in the 6th Century, not long after the Romans left
Britain.
Previously reviewed media associated with Arthur of the Britons on Aeolus 13 Umbra include the 1975 film
compilation of several key episodes, King Arthur, the
Young Warlord and Arthur of the
Britons: Original Soundtrack Recording (see separate articles on
Aeolus 13 Umbra). In the U.K., it originally aired on Wednesdays at 4:50 p.m. and
repeated Sundays at noon. The complete series is available below at the end of
this article from a dedicated Aeolus 13 Umbra YouTube channel.
Synopsis
The series
features Oliver Tobias as Arthur, not as a king, but rather as a local Celtic chieftain,
one of many, who are disunited in the face of a Saxon invasion. Michael Gothard plays Kai, a Saxon orphan
raised as a brother to Arthur by Llud (Jack Watson), a fearless one-handed
warrior (his missing hand replaced by a silver one) who adopted both Arthur and
Kai. The overall plot involves Arthur trying to unite the Celtic tribes,
including his cousin the vigorous Mark of Cornwall (Brian Blessed), against the
Saxons, led by Cerdig (Rupert Davies). Along the way, he forms fragile
alliances with other tribes, such as the Jutes and their chief, Yorath (Georg
Marischka) and his daughter Rowena (Gila von Weitershausen).
Set in 6th Century Britain, there are no mailed and armored knights jousting for the hand of some fair maiden in distress. Indeed, reflecting the women’s movement of the time, the “maidens” are often fiercely independent, such as Rowena. Characters retained from the Arthurian legend include Arthur, his adopted brother Kai (analogous to Sir Kay), and Mark of Cornwall, who in the Arthurian legends is the uncle of Tristan and husband of Iseult (Isolde). Nevertheless, there are notable differences. The sword in the stone is actually a sword under the stone placed there by Arthur himself.
There is no Guinevere, no Lancelot, no magical
or supernatural elements, and, significantly, no Merlin. Maurice Evans, Dr.
Zaius in Planet of the Apes (1968),
was slated to play the mystical mentor of Arthur, reported TV Today in an article dated June 15, 1972, but producer Paul
Dromgoole dropped the idea as being out of step with the more “realistic
theme” of the series.
While there was
no actual King Arthur, the folk lore surrounding the tales could have its
origin with several Romano-British or early British military commanders/war
chiefs whose exploits melded together over time to form the basis of the
Arthurian myth. Putting the Arthurian Legend into its historical context
provides a matrix for audiences to gain an appreciation of a little-known
period of time in the guise of an action-adventure drama.
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| (Left to Right) Jack Watson (Llud), Oliver Tobias (Arthur), and Michael Gothard (Kai). |
Producing
History
Paul Dromgoole,
executive producer for Arthur of the
Britons, in his introduction to the book, Arthur of the Britons, by Terence Feely (adaptations of five
episodes) acknowledges the Arthur of legend is “a fantasy.”
We do not pretend these television stories are based upon fact. They are as fictitious as all other Arthurian myths. They differ only in that they stay firmly within the bounds of historical possibility.
Upon first look
at the series, one notices no castles or stonework ramparts, no fluttering
banners, and no Round Table. It is a world of iron and wood and mud. This is
the dirty Dark Ages, and one can almost smell it. In some respects, Arthur of the Britons takes its cue from
the 1969 film Alfred the Great,
starring David Hemmings, which took pains to provide a more realistic look at the
clothes and dwellings of the inhabitants. This stands in direct contrast to the
musical Camelot (1967), starring
Richard Harris as Arthur and Hemmings as Mordred, whose fantasy of knights in
shining armor, jousts, and immense castles more typify the classic Arthurian
look.
 |
| The gate to Arthur’s village. Not exactly Camelot. |
According to the
liner notes for Arthur of the
Britons: Original Soundtrack Recording, released in 2013 by ITV
Global Media, to effect the look of a
Dark Age settlement, producers constructed ”two complete palisaded villages of
thatched wooden huts and halls, cattle and livestock and rare breeds.”
Appropriate for the period, little in the way of armor is seen and no more than
a dozen mounted men are typically on screen at any one time, which no doubt
helped to save money on the underfunded production.
This more modest
version of the Arthurian legend also fit the small budget the series had to
work with. There is seldom more than a dozen mounted knights on screen at any
one time, and far less in some episodes. Given the fashion of the times, many
actors, such as Tobias and Gothard, wear their own, long carefully coiffed
hair. The women also often have long, naturally styled, hair not much different
from then-contemporary styles, though the exception is with the short-haired Rowena.
The clothes have a raw, organic, almost unfinished look appropriate for a
people living after the collapse of the Roman Empire, the loss of the trade
goods that came with it, and were almost wholly dependent on local resources
for their sustainment.
Arthur of the Britons had much to draw
on in its recreation of Dark Age Anglo-Saxon villages as post-World War II
archeological efforts provided a great deal more insight into how ordinary people
lived and worked during those times. Today, recreations of the villages and
living history demonstrations, much like Colonial Williamsburg in the United
States, take place in such sites as The British Danelaw Centre for Living
History at The Yorkshire Museum and West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village. The set
design for Alfred the Great and Arthur of the Britons reflect this
increasing awareness.
As discussed in
the liner notes to the soundtrack, all 24 episodes of the series were produced
for GBP500,000 in 1972, which equals approximately GBP6,480,746.79 (US$8,343,223)
in 2019. This turns out to be just approximately US$347,634 per episode, far
less than the estimated US$785,596 budgeted per episode for the notoriously
cheap 1972-1973 Canadian sci-fi series, The Starlost
(in approximate 2019 dollars).
 |
| Period news clippings. |
Casting
Notes
The performers
are, with a few exceptions, generally little-known outside the United Kingdom and
Commonwealth countries. Oliver Tobias (Arthur) has had a long career in film
and TV in Britain, Germany, and Switzerland which continues to this day.
Michael Gothard enjoyed a successful post Arthur
of the Britons career with roles in such films as The Three Musketeers (1973), For
Your Eyes Only (1981), Lifeforce
(1985), and Jack the Ripper (TV
mini-series, 1985, starring Michael Caine). Unfortunately, Gothard, suffering
from depression, committed suicide in 1992.
 |
| Brian Blessed. |
Jack Watson (Llud)
is much less familiar to American audiences, but Brit TV fans who recognize him
from appearances in The Avengers (1965
& 1967), Upstairs Downstairs (1977),
and All Creatures Great and Small
(1978, 1988, & 1990). He also turned in memorable performances as the noble
Cpl. Peacock in the 1968 film Devil’s
Brigade starring William Holden and as R.M.S. Young in The Wild Geese (1978), starring former King Arthur Richard Harris.
Guest stars
include Tom Baker (Dr. Who, The Black Adder, Monarch of the Glen, and many more) in a dual role as Brandreth/Gavron
in the episode “Go Warily,” which also features future Darth Vader David Prowse
as Brosk (Prowse also turns up in “The
Slave”). Peter Bowles (I, Claudius, To the Manor Born, Rumpole of
the Bailey) stars as Hecla in “Rowena,”
Michael Gambone (Dumbledore, Harry Potter
series) appears as Roland in “The
Prisoner,” and the lovely Catherine Schell (Space: 1999, The Return of
the Pink Panther) plays Benedicta in,
“The Girl from Rome.”
 |
| (Left to Right) Llud, Arthur, and Kai. Mounted and ready for battle. |
Arthur of the Britons: The Complete Series
Descriptions by G. Jack Urso. Click on the links below to
view the episodes
on the Aeolus 13 Umbra Arthur of the Britons YouTube channel!
Opening
theme.
Series 1 (1972–1973)
Episode 1: Arthur is Dead | Original Airdate December 6, 1972
Arthur fakes his
death in order to unite the various Celtic factions against the Saxon invaders
led by recurring antagonist Cerdig (Rupert Davies), the Saxon chieftain.
Episode 2: The Gift of
Life | Original Airdate December 13, 1972
Kai must return
two orphaned Saxon girls to their village, but trouble erupts when the girls
reveal Kai’s identity to the villagers.
Episode 3: The Challenge | Original Airdate December 13, 1972
Two cousins
fight over their inheritance, leaving their village open to a Saxon attack.
Episode 4: The Penitent
Invader | Original
Airdate December 20, 1972
Rolf, newly
converted to Christianity, continues his violent ways. Llud tries to convince
him to change.
Episode 5: People of the
Plough| Original Airdate
January 3, 1973
Kai, on his way
to acquire weapons, encounters a Saxon woman whose husband was captured by a
man who turns out to be the weaponsmith Kai is looking for.
Episode 6: The Duel | Original
Airdate January 10, 1973
As the Celts
ready for battle against the Saxons, Llud accidentally kills Mark of Cornwell’s
second-in-command. Arthur must deal with the fallout and keep the Celts united.
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| Ready for the charge in “The Duel.” |
Episode 7: The Pupil |
Original Airdate January 17, 1973
Arthur is
approach by a young man (Peter Firth) seeking to be trained as a warrior
supposedly to protect his village, but really to take revenge against the man
who killed his father, only to later learn Arthur is the killer.
Episode 8: Rolf the
Preacher | Original
Airdate January 24, 1973
Rolf, once a
fierce warrior, returns in this episode now taking his conversion to
Christianity seriously and preaching a doctrine of pacifism, which soon robs
Arthur of fighting men needed for his army.
Episode 9: Enemies and
Lovers | Original Airdate January 31, 1973
Arthur and Kai
visit a village whose residents question whether they are really Saxon spies.
The situation becomes more complicated when Kai gets involved with a former
lover and the two plan marriage.
Episode 10: The Slave | Original Airdate February 7, 1973
With all the men
of a village enslaved by the Saxons, Arthur, Kai, and Llud instigate a daring
plot with the help of a Saxon girl to free captured Celts.
Episode 11: The Wood People |
Original Airdate February 14, 1973
A former Saxon
gladiator captures two children of the Wood People to trade for Arthur.
Arthur’s men unite with the Wood People to save the children and bring yet
another tribe into alliance with Arthur.
Episode 12: The Prize |
Original Airdate February 21, 1973
Arthur, Mark of
Cornwall, and a select group of men disguised as Saxons plunge deep into Saxon
lands purportedly in search of treasure, but Arthur’s real prize is the lives
of the captured Kai and Llud.
Series 2 (1973)
Episode 1: The Swordsman | Original Airdate September 12, 1973
Defending Kai
from a false accusation of murder, Arthur must face a great swordsman in a duel
to the death.
Episode 2: Rowena |
Original Airdate September 19, 1973
In exchange for
new horses from Yorath the Jute, Arthur must escort his Yorath’s reluctant
daughter Rowena to her betrothed, the Celt Hecla (guest star Peter Bowles).
Episode 3: The Prisoner | Original Airdate September 26, 1973
Mark of Cornwall
hunts a Saxon who injured him in battle and who turns out to be a childhood
friend of Kai. Guest star Michael Gambone as Roland.
Episode 4: Some Saxon
Women | Original Airdate October 3, 1973
Yorath the Jute
must turn five Saxon women over to a Greek trader in exchange for wine. Rowena
seeks Arthur’s help to stop the deal. Arthur must find a way to help the women
without damaging his alliance with Yorath.
Episode 5: Go Warily |
Original Airdate October 10, 1973
Two twin Celt
brothers disagree over whether to join with Arthur’s alliance. Llud has a dream
which may be key to resolving the conflict. Guest stars Tom Baker as Brandreth
/Gavron and David Prowse as Brosk (as Dave Prowse).
Episode 6: The Marriage
Feast | Original Airdate October
17, 1973
Mark of Cornwall
plans to marry Rowena in order to get her father Yorath’s land. Yorath agrees
to fight the Saxons for Arthur if Arthur can prevent the marriage from
happening.
Rowena (Gila von Weitershausen).
Episode 7: In Common Cause | Original Airdate October 24, 1973
When the Saxons’
livestock begin to die off due to disease, a monk who claims to have the cure
forces the Celts and Saxons to work together. A wary Cerdig, the Saxon
chieftain, demands a hostage from Arthur before he agrees to cooperate.
Episode 8: Six Measures of
Silver | Original Airdate October 31, 1973
Kurk, a friend
of Llud, sells three head of cattle to Rowena, but trouble erupts when the man
form whom Kurk stole the cattle from wants them back — at any cost.
Episode 9: Daughter of the
King | Original Airdate November
7, 1973
Eithna, the daughter
of Chief Bavick finds herself captured by Arthur’s men. Arthur wants to use her
to compel her father to enter into alliance with him, but the fiercely
independent Eithna has other plans.
Episode 10: The Games | Original Airdate November 14, 1973
Mark of Cornwall
tries to use the annual Celtic Games to maneuver out of his alliance with
Arthur.
Episode 11: The Treaty | Original Airdate November 21, 1973
Scots invaders
lead Arthur to try and convince Cerdig the Saxon and Yorath the Jute into
alliance with Arthur’s Celts
Episode 12: The Girl from
Rome | Original Airdate November 21, 1973
Despite protests
from Kai and Llud, Arthur finds himself falling in love with Benedicta (Catherine
Schell), an imperious Roman aristocrat shipwrecked in his territory.
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| Benedicta (Catherine Schell). |
Related Content on Aeolus 13 Umbra
UPDATE October 2024: Thanks to the folks at this extensive Arthur of the Britons archive for sharing their work with me. Photos, transcripts, interviews, original press reports, actor profiles. This is a real deep dive into the series. Check it out!
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