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Inside the episode: Daughter of the King
Saturday, 8 July 1972 08:00 pmPlot
The episode opens with Arthur and Kai traipsing through a waterlogged yard, in the middle of winter, bringing supplies from a store hut to the longhouse. They then compete with Llud for “who fetches the mead” by throwing knives at a target board, while discussing Kai’s success at bedding Leesa, one of the village girls, on whom Arthur also had his eye. But Arthur’s aim is spoiled by his anger at a rival Celtic chieftain, Bavick, who often raids the villages of other Celts; Arthur vows to “split his head in two.”
In the next scene, set in summer, Arthur, Kai, and some of their men are out riding when they spot a party of armed Celts, whom Arthur mistakes for Bavick’s men. Before joining battle, Arthur and Kai chase down a riderless horse they have spotted. They are then almost attacked by another local leader, Tugram, who takes them for Bavick’s men. Bavick recently attacked and burned Tugram’s village, and took all the women.
They spot Bavick’s daughter, Eithna, jumping out of a tree, and Arthur sends Kai to capture her – a task he sets about with gusto.
Back at the longhouse, Arthur talks to their captive, and learns that Bavick - a doting father - is a man who keeps his word. Arthur tells Tugram and Kai that he intends to make Bavick promise not to attack other Celts, in exchange for the safe return of his daughter. Hearing this, Eithna rushes out and attacks Arthur, who cuts off a lock of her hair. Llud sets off – with the lock of hair – to negotiate with Bavick.
The next morning, Arthur tells Eithna to go to the lake to bathe, and put on a dress. When she refuses, he throws her over his shoulder, carries her down, and pitches her into the lake.
Bavick takes Llud captive, and refuses to consider the terms offered until his daughter is returned.
Meanwhile, Kai finds Eithna preening by the lakeside, and they discuss Arthur’s philosophy. Kai is about to put Eithna’s opposing philosophy – “You should know what you want, and take it” – into practice, when a messenger arrives from Bavick, demanding the return of Eithna in exchange for Llud.
Eithna tells Arthur he is weak for using a woman as a hostage, and also for giving in, rather than killing her. Arthur explains that he is trying to stop the cycle of violence.
The parties meet to exchange prisoners, and as Llud crosses paths with Eithna, he snatches her from her horse, and once again takes her prisoner.
Later that day, a message arrives to say that Bavick finally agrees to Arthur’s terms: a promise of peace for the safe return of Eithna. But - apparently enamoured of Arthur - Eithna says that she wants to stay in his village. Arthur insists on returning her to her father. At a feast to celebrate the success of the negotiations, Eithna tells Kai, “You could be of service to me.”
The next morning, apparently after a night of passion, Kai tells Arthur that as he and Eithna want to be together, she is staying with him. A brawl between Arthur and Kai ensues, and Arthur ends up pulling a knife, but when Kai accuses him of wanting Eithna, Arthur slowly lowers it.
Seeing the fight as proof that Arthur is attracted to her, Eithna is pleased, and returns home, saying that when they meet again, it will be as friends.
In the final scene, Arthur and Kai are both brooding over their fight. Llud hands Kai two horns of wine, one of which Kai throws in Arthur’s face. He gives the other to Arthur, who responds in kind. Their quarrel is over.
Timeline
“Daughter of the King”, the second episode to be directed by Peter Sasdy, was mainly filmed in July 1972, during the week beginning 3 July. This is borne out by the call sheet for the first day of filming on this episode. For some reason, the introductory and closing scenes were shot, or re-shot, much later in the year.
Michael Gothard himself mentioned re-shooting the knife-throwing scene, in a letter he wrote in November 1972.
The scene outside the longhouse (left) was filmed following torrential rains that fell in the area surrounding the Woollard village location, at the beginning of December 1972. By the time the location of this particular scene was filmed, the two small huts - which first featured near the entrance to what was then the Saxon village in "The Gift of Life" (right) - had been surrounded by a palisade.
Despite being filmed second, this episode was not shown until 7 November 1973, towards the end of "Season 2." It is not known why it was shown so far out of order. Perhaps HTV wanted to avoid showing two episodes in which Arthur and Kai have a big fight (the other being “The Challenge”) in quick succession. However, when the series was shown in Germany in 1974, "Daughter of the King" was the second episode shown, and "The Challenge" was the third. Perhaps it was just that the post-production work on the episode was not completed in time to show it in second position in the UK, on 13 December 1972.
Arthur criticises Eithna for riding a horse, and dressing in breeches, but in episodes filmed later, Rowena is seen riding, and wearing breeches, and Arthur refrains from comment. If the episodes are watched in the order in which they were aired in the UK, this makes Arthur look very inconsistent, but if they are watched in filming order, Arthur appears to have matured, and learned more respect for women's choices.
Dates first aired
UK: 7 November 1973
Germany: 5 August 1974
Suggested shooting order so far
Arthur is Dead
Daughter of the King
Locations
The version of Arthur’s village seen throughout most of this episode is the one by the lake at Woodchester Park, near Stroud, in Gloucestershire.
The knife-throwing scene in the longhouse was filmed in the village at Woodborough Mill Farm in Woollard, which was originally built as a Saxon camp. The production was moved to this location in August 1972, because it became too expensive to transport the cast and crew from Bristol to Woodchester each day.
As a result, we see the Celts using two different longhouses in the same episode: the Woollard version at the beginning, and the Woodchester version throughout the rest of it!
The locations of the scenes where Arthur’s, Tugram’s, and Bavick's men meet, and of Bavick’s palisaded village, have not yet been established.
Cast notes
Madeleine Hinde - who played Eithna in this episode - had worked with Michael Gothard only a couple of years before, on a historical epic, “The Last Valley.” Michael played "Hansen", a mercenary fighter, who tries to rape Madeleine’s character, "Inge."
Tony Steedman, who played Tugram, was later seen as Wolfie’s dad in “Citizen Smith”, and as Socrates in “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.”
We also see an early performance by Iain Cuthbertson, almost unrecognisable as Bavick.
Inside Information
Michael's adopted sister, Wendy, recalls: “In ‘Daughter of the King’, the bit where he sort of nudges Arthur? That was a typical Michael thing. If he wanted something he would come and sit next to you and give that little nudge. If there was no response, he would give a bigger nudge, and so on and so on, until you caved in! ... The more I see of ‘Arthur of the Britons’, the more I see that there is SO much of Michael in Kai.”
More of the memories she has shared can be found here.
Re-working the legend
When Arthur gives Eithna her impromptu bath, the "Lady of the Lake" becomes the lady in the lake! Of Arthur and Kai’s fight over Eithna, Patrick Dromgoole said: “The jealousy of Arthur and Kai over Eithna is a common dramatic triangle, as in the original Malory”, making her also a parallel to Guinevere.
Dark Age Men
Bavick, the villain of the week, is depicted as rapacious. Tugram complains, “They took our women away!” and complains to Arthur, “You’re being very protective with Bavick’s whelp. Is he being as tender with the women he took from our villages?”
But Kai also treats Eithna as a spoil of war. He seems to expect that Arthur will ravish her, and if Arthur isn’t interested, Kai is ready to try his luck, though he doesn’t seem to mind when she puts up a fight: “A wildcat! I like that.”
Arthur demands of Eithna, “Do you ever dress like a woman?” To encourage her to put on a dress, he – very childishly – humiliates her, by throwing her into the lake. Why he cares so much about his enemy’s daughter’s attire is never explained, but Kai is pleased with the result: “Arthur’s done well with you in my absence.”
Kai and Arthur's seeming rivalry over Eithna is foreshadowed in the opening scene, where they banter about their competition for Leesa’s favour, and also by the minstrel's song: "Let not a woman’s guiles and wiles, quiet smiles, blind your eyes."
Kai tells Arthur: “if a man and a woman want to be together, they will be together. That’s the law” - but it isn’t clear whether this is a religious or civil matter. In the end, they refuse to allow Eithna's machinations to spoil their friendship.
The women kidnapped from Tugram's village are completely left out of the negotiations between Arthur and Bavick.
The burden of command
Arthur's leadership responsibilities are never far from his mind, and his pride as leader of the Celts is hurt when Celts kill one another. In the opening scene, he quickly switches from joking about Kai’s latest conquest to the problem of Bavick – from the private to the political - and Kai seems almost to roll his eyes, regretting that something has set Arthur off again! He says that Arthur "grows old before his time."
Later, Arthur is so intent on achieving peace among the Celts, that he even thinks twice about giving up his hostage to save Llud’s life.
Arthur’s wisdom
Once again, the episode focuses on how fed up Arthur is, of “the bloody business of Celt killing Celt.” When Eithna accuses Arthur of being weak, he says: “Not weak – practical. If I’d killed you, your father would have sought vengeance. All your death would have achieved is more death.” When he finally secures Bavick’s promise, he says “I’ll drink to anything that brings peace between the Celts without shedding a single drop of blood.”
The hot-headed side-kick
There has still been no mention of why Kai - who looks like a Saxon - is living among the Celts. Eithna evidently notices that there's something different about him, because she asks him why he stays with Arthur. Perhaps the writers hadn’t yet worked out exactly how their principal characters were connected. Nevertheless, Kai’s loyalty to Llud is unquestionable; when Bavick takes Llud hostage, Kai asks Arthur, “Llud’s life for a dream? Why are you hesitating?”
Kai tends to agree with Eithna, that “a warrior settles his arguments with the sword”, and talking is “for women and old men”; he claims that he is staying with Arthur to find out who is right.
But at this point, Kai is still pulling against Arthur; for the sake of his attraction to Eithna, he is quite prepared to put his leader's peace plan at risk.
'Don’t call me old!'
Though Llud’s prosthetic hand has already served to stop Mark of Cornwall's sword in "Arthur is Dead", its first mention in the series occurs during the knife-throwing scene: “Your aim is off, Kai. I could do better with my silver hand.” Bavick also refers to it: “You are the silver-handed, eh? … the warrior who is always at Arthur’s side.”
The best laid plans ...
Arthur’s decision to allow Llud to go to Bavick’s camp as his negotiator is inexplicable, and has a predictable result: Llud is taken hostage. However, Llud’s recapture of Eithna is masterful.
When Arthur and Kai fight, Eithna thinks her plan – to find out Arthur’s feelings for her by taking Kai to bed – has worked. But she consistently fails to appreciate that Arthur’s main concern is not romance, but peace. He fights Kai so that he can keep his word, by sending the troublesome princess back to Bavick, not because he wants her for himself. Though she leaves thinking that they are friends, the look on Arthur's face as she rides away tells a different story.
'A man on a horse is worth ten on foot'
It is in “Daughter of the King” that the phrase at the head of this section is used, by Arthur. He considers horses so important that he catches one that is running loose, before taking on what he assumes to be a group of enemy fighters.
He challenges Eithna for riding: “Horses are worth their weight in any metal. They’re for soldiers. Yet your father lets his children ride.” He sees this as evidence that Bavick values her very highly, and spoils her – which makes her a useful hostage.
During this episode, Arthur mostly rides his second white or "grey" horse, Skyline. Eithna’s loose horse, which he catches by riding alongside it and scrambling across onto its back, is the dapple called Jim, on whom she departs at the end of the episode.
Kai rides a black or bay horse with a wide irregular blaze and snip, "Trooper." Llud rides "Curly", a chestnut horse with a very wide blaze with a curl at the top left. This is his usual mount for most of the series, but is not the horse he rides in the credits.
Tugram rides a black or bay horse with an irregular blaze of variable width, and wide triangular snip, “Pythagoras.” Bavick is seen riding a bay horse with a star shaped like an inverted "Y", "Yogi".
Among the horses ridden by Arthur's men are Blondie (Dirk’s horse in the first episode), Arthur’s grey horse, Bernie, and a large chestnut with an irregular blaze, “Flame”, who is also seen with Bavick's men, along with a small bay with a blocky star, Charlie.
When Kai stops to talk to Eithna by the lake, he dismounts in an unconventional manner, by swinging his right leg over his horse’s neck. This method looks good, and also allows the rider to avoid taking their eyes off what's in front of them. Arthur often dismounts this way, but Kai only does it when he is trying to impress.
See this post for further details of the horses of "Arthur of the Britons."
'By the Gods!'
Bavick brings up religion: “The monks say, ‘an eye for an eye.’”
Arthur’s banner – a red cross on a white background – is visible once again.
'A wager’s a wager'
The quotation at the head of this section is supplied by Llud, when the three principals are seen competing, by throwing knives at a board, for who gets sent to fetch the supplies. Llud evidently won the last round, sending Arthur and Kai out to the store shed. This time, Kai loses out again.
This is not the only time we see either gambling or knife-throwing given a prominent role in the series.
'That is bloody dangerous!'
Arthur has to jump from one horse to another. Kai gets to brandish his axe – “the only thing Bavick understands” – at both Tugram and Eithna.
Eithna jumps to the ground from the bough of a tree. She pulls a knife on Kai, but for some reason, it isn’t taken away from her when she is captured. Perhaps they think that as a woman alone, she can't do too much harm with it! Nevertheless, she later uses it to attack Arthur.
Llud grabs Eithna off her horse, and rides back to Arthur with her dangling by his side.
Both Bavick’s and Tugram’s men are armed with spears and swords.
Near the end of the episode, Kai and Arthur fight, landing on fishing baskets, and breaking a trestle table, and Arthur pulls a knife on Kai. After that, Arthur and Kai both attack innocent pieces of furniture – Kai with his knife, and Arthur with his sword.
Dressed to kill?
The green shirt Llud is wearing in the knife-throwing scene didn’t appear in Llud’s wardrobe until about November 1972 – another clue that the scene was filmed later than the rest of the episode, for most of which he is wearing his studded tunic over a white shirt.
As well as his women, Bavick seems to have stolen all of Tugram’s shirts, because the poor chap spends most of the episode with bare arms and chest, covered only by a leather jerkin.
Kai wears a blue shirt in the the knife-throwing scene, and puts on two furry jackets, including one with huge sleeves, to go outside. For most of the episode he is wearing his studded tunic.
Arthur has a selection of clothes: a tunic with a hood, a brown tunic with light brown trim, and – from the first episode – his ring armour, and yellowish-tan tunic. During the knife-throwing scene, he wears a sleeveless sheepskin jacket, also seen in "The Wood People."
On the table
Kai brings a dead stag in from the store house. This stag also features in “The Gift of Life” and “The Penitent Invader”, but we never see anyone eating it! Arthur carries a sack of what is presumably grain, and Llud demands mead.
At the first feast, after the capture of Eithna, Llud seems to be eating lettuce, though he also has a choice of apples and what might be medlars; one of the extras is eating a chicken leg.
Arthur and Eithna have a whole chicken between them, a big bowl of apples and grapes, some bread, and what looks like raw turnips. Arthur eats two fish, one after the other.
Later, Eithna has bread, meat and apples, and eats grapes in a desultory manner.
At the last feast – after Bavick capitulates, there is a whole dead piglet on the table, and Llud starts up a raucous chant, “Wine! Wine! Wine!”
Great moments
The opening scene is a wonderful glimpse at how Arthur, Kai and Llud spend their spare time.
Eithna’s reaction after Kai offers to help her pass the long, tedious night - “My thanks, but I should not want the night to be any longer, or more tedious, than necessary” - is priceless.
Arthur and Kai’s fight, and their reconciliation, by soaking each other with wine, sets the tone for the series.
Quote/unquote
Arthur: A man on a horse is worth ten on foot.
Kai: Every man should enjoy his last night alive.
Extra! Extra!
Once again, there is no hint that HTV paid any heed to a rule of thumb so common with other TV series of the period: "If it's in the shot, it's in the plot!" Numerous extras manage to get on with their daily lives as Celts in the background, while their leaders are concerned with matters of consequence.
Also, we get a glimpse (left) of one of the rare breed cattle that were brought in to make the show more realistic - they later starred as Rowena's purchases in "Six Measures of Silver" (right).
Honourable mention
This goes to the "stunt chicken" who rushes out of the path of Llud’s horse.
'Night-night, Kiddies!'
In the first scene, when Arthur and Kai joke about their rivalry over Leesa, Arthur makes a Chaucerian sexual innuendo: “Which one of her three eyes did she use, eh?” This is unlikely to have been understood by most of the demographic at which the series purported to be aimed!
When Eithna tells Arthur that her father has only one child, Arthur gives a casually chilling retort - "None, now."
Tugram's intention to kill their prisoner, Eithna, and use her head on a spear to lead an attack on Bavick, is one of the more bloodthirsty moments in the series.
NB. The title of this section is another of Director, Sid Hayers’ catch-phrases!
What’s going on here?
It's nice to see that Arthur and Kai do their own dirty work, traipsing through water and mud with the provisions, rather than ordering the lower ranks to fetch and carry for them! But where did Kai get the Wellington boots he is wearing under his furry boot covers?
Llud's first concern when they return to the longhouse is their failure to bring mead, and during the feast later on, he randomly starts shouting, "Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine!" It looks as if he has a bit of a drink problem!
During the scene where Arthur catches the loose horse belonging to Eithna, the camera cuts away before he successfully gets onto the second horse’s back; perhaps he didn't actually make the swap successfully!
Why was Eithna up in a tree?
Though wine might have been produced in England, it’s unlikely that Arthur would have been able to get hold of huge bunches of grapes, like the one at which Eithna is seen picking.
Later, Eithna seems very amused as Arthur appears to be pouring wine all over the place, rather than into any particular receptacle.
Arthur may have brokered a peace with Bavick, but we never find out whether Tugram’s men get their women back!
Music
As Arthur’s minstrel, folk artist Meic Stevens sings, and plays the lyre.
Some of the 34 tracks of incidental music, beautifully written and orchestrated for the series by Paul Lewis, used in this episode, were:
Track 21, Celtic Bard: Arthur and Kai bring supplies from the store
Track 33, Springtime: Kai goes to bring in the barrel of mead.
Track 10, Battle on Horseback: Arthur’s men ride across the countryside, and Kai chases Eithna.
Track 16, Danger Mounts: Arthur and his men discuss how to deal with Bavick; Eithna attacks.
Track 8, Kai the Saxon: Llud rides off to negotiate with Bavick
Track 22, Revelry: Arthur throws Eithna in the lake.
Track 20, The Fair Rowena: Eithna preens by the lake.
Track 30: Night Scene: Arthur hears that Bavick has accepted his terms
Track 3, Celtic Horns: They go to make the exchange with Bavick
Track 10, Battle on Horseback: Arthur and Kai fight.
Track 30: Night Scene: Arthur and Kai resolve their differences.
The whole suite of music, written by Paul Lewis, is available on CD.
Cast
Arthur ……………... Oliver Tobias
Kai .….….….….…... Michael Gothard
Llud ………………... Jack Watson
Bavick ……………... Iain Cuthbertson
Eithna ……………… Madeleine Hinde
Tugram ……………. Tony Steedman
Minstrel ……...……. Meic Stevens
Treg ………………...Timothy Kightley
Horseman …………. Colin Fisher
Crew
Executive Producer .... Patrick Dromgoole
Producer ……………. Peter Miller
Director …………….. Peter Sasdy
Story ………………... David Pursall and Jack Seddon
Associate Producer …. John Peverall
Production Manager ... Keith Evans
Fight Arranger ….…... Peter Brayham
Post-production …….. Barry Peters
Cameraman ……….... Bob Edwards
Camera Operator ….... Roger Pearce
Clapper/loader ............ Peter Thornton
Film Editing ……….... Don Llewellyn
Sound recordist …….. Mike Davey
Dubbing Mixer ……... John Cross
Art Direction ….……. Doug James
Assistant Director …... Simon Hinkley
Production Assistant ... Ann Rees
Wardrobe ……..…….. Audrey MacLeod
Make-up ….….……... Christine Penwarden
Incidental music …….. Paul Lewis
Theme music ………... Elmer Bernstein
The episode opens with Arthur and Kai traipsing through a waterlogged yard, in the middle of winter, bringing supplies from a store hut to the longhouse. They then compete with Llud for “who fetches the mead” by throwing knives at a target board, while discussing Kai’s success at bedding Leesa, one of the village girls, on whom Arthur also had his eye. But Arthur’s aim is spoiled by his anger at a rival Celtic chieftain, Bavick, who often raids the villages of other Celts; Arthur vows to “split his head in two.”
In the next scene, set in summer, Arthur, Kai, and some of their men are out riding when they spot a party of armed Celts, whom Arthur mistakes for Bavick’s men. Before joining battle, Arthur and Kai chase down a riderless horse they have spotted. They are then almost attacked by another local leader, Tugram, who takes them for Bavick’s men. Bavick recently attacked and burned Tugram’s village, and took all the women.
They spot Bavick’s daughter, Eithna, jumping out of a tree, and Arthur sends Kai to capture her – a task he sets about with gusto.
Back at the longhouse, Arthur talks to their captive, and learns that Bavick - a doting father - is a man who keeps his word. Arthur tells Tugram and Kai that he intends to make Bavick promise not to attack other Celts, in exchange for the safe return of his daughter. Hearing this, Eithna rushes out and attacks Arthur, who cuts off a lock of her hair. Llud sets off – with the lock of hair – to negotiate with Bavick.
The next morning, Arthur tells Eithna to go to the lake to bathe, and put on a dress. When she refuses, he throws her over his shoulder, carries her down, and pitches her into the lake.
Bavick takes Llud captive, and refuses to consider the terms offered until his daughter is returned.
Meanwhile, Kai finds Eithna preening by the lakeside, and they discuss Arthur’s philosophy. Kai is about to put Eithna’s opposing philosophy – “You should know what you want, and take it” – into practice, when a messenger arrives from Bavick, demanding the return of Eithna in exchange for Llud.
Eithna tells Arthur he is weak for using a woman as a hostage, and also for giving in, rather than killing her. Arthur explains that he is trying to stop the cycle of violence.
The parties meet to exchange prisoners, and as Llud crosses paths with Eithna, he snatches her from her horse, and once again takes her prisoner.
Later that day, a message arrives to say that Bavick finally agrees to Arthur’s terms: a promise of peace for the safe return of Eithna. But - apparently enamoured of Arthur - Eithna says that she wants to stay in his village. Arthur insists on returning her to her father. At a feast to celebrate the success of the negotiations, Eithna tells Kai, “You could be of service to me.”
The next morning, apparently after a night of passion, Kai tells Arthur that as he and Eithna want to be together, she is staying with him. A brawl between Arthur and Kai ensues, and Arthur ends up pulling a knife, but when Kai accuses him of wanting Eithna, Arthur slowly lowers it.
Seeing the fight as proof that Arthur is attracted to her, Eithna is pleased, and returns home, saying that when they meet again, it will be as friends.
In the final scene, Arthur and Kai are both brooding over their fight. Llud hands Kai two horns of wine, one of which Kai throws in Arthur’s face. He gives the other to Arthur, who responds in kind. Their quarrel is over.
Timeline
“Daughter of the King”, the second episode to be directed by Peter Sasdy, was mainly filmed in July 1972, during the week beginning 3 July. This is borne out by the call sheet for the first day of filming on this episode. For some reason, the introductory and closing scenes were shot, or re-shot, much later in the year.
Michael Gothard himself mentioned re-shooting the knife-throwing scene, in a letter he wrote in November 1972.
The scene outside the longhouse (left) was filmed following torrential rains that fell in the area surrounding the Woollard village location, at the beginning of December 1972. By the time the location of this particular scene was filmed, the two small huts - which first featured near the entrance to what was then the Saxon village in "The Gift of Life" (right) - had been surrounded by a palisade.
Despite being filmed second, this episode was not shown until 7 November 1973, towards the end of "Season 2." It is not known why it was shown so far out of order. Perhaps HTV wanted to avoid showing two episodes in which Arthur and Kai have a big fight (the other being “The Challenge”) in quick succession. However, when the series was shown in Germany in 1974, "Daughter of the King" was the second episode shown, and "The Challenge" was the third. Perhaps it was just that the post-production work on the episode was not completed in time to show it in second position in the UK, on 13 December 1972.
Arthur criticises Eithna for riding a horse, and dressing in breeches, but in episodes filmed later, Rowena is seen riding, and wearing breeches, and Arthur refrains from comment. If the episodes are watched in the order in which they were aired in the UK, this makes Arthur look very inconsistent, but if they are watched in filming order, Arthur appears to have matured, and learned more respect for women's choices.
Dates first aired
UK: 7 November 1973
Germany: 5 August 1974
Suggested shooting order so far
Arthur is Dead
Daughter of the King
Locations
The version of Arthur’s village seen throughout most of this episode is the one by the lake at Woodchester Park, near Stroud, in Gloucestershire.
The knife-throwing scene in the longhouse was filmed in the village at Woodborough Mill Farm in Woollard, which was originally built as a Saxon camp. The production was moved to this location in August 1972, because it became too expensive to transport the cast and crew from Bristol to Woodchester each day.
As a result, we see the Celts using two different longhouses in the same episode: the Woollard version at the beginning, and the Woodchester version throughout the rest of it!
The locations of the scenes where Arthur’s, Tugram’s, and Bavick's men meet, and of Bavick’s palisaded village, have not yet been established.
Cast notes
Madeleine Hinde - who played Eithna in this episode - had worked with Michael Gothard only a couple of years before, on a historical epic, “The Last Valley.” Michael played "Hansen", a mercenary fighter, who tries to rape Madeleine’s character, "Inge."
Tony Steedman, who played Tugram, was later seen as Wolfie’s dad in “Citizen Smith”, and as Socrates in “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.”
We also see an early performance by Iain Cuthbertson, almost unrecognisable as Bavick.
Inside Information
Michael's adopted sister, Wendy, recalls: “In ‘Daughter of the King’, the bit where he sort of nudges Arthur? That was a typical Michael thing. If he wanted something he would come and sit next to you and give that little nudge. If there was no response, he would give a bigger nudge, and so on and so on, until you caved in! ... The more I see of ‘Arthur of the Britons’, the more I see that there is SO much of Michael in Kai.”
More of the memories she has shared can be found here.
Re-working the legend
When Arthur gives Eithna her impromptu bath, the "Lady of the Lake" becomes the lady in the lake! Of Arthur and Kai’s fight over Eithna, Patrick Dromgoole said: “The jealousy of Arthur and Kai over Eithna is a common dramatic triangle, as in the original Malory”, making her also a parallel to Guinevere.
Dark Age Men
Bavick, the villain of the week, is depicted as rapacious. Tugram complains, “They took our women away!” and complains to Arthur, “You’re being very protective with Bavick’s whelp. Is he being as tender with the women he took from our villages?”
But Kai also treats Eithna as a spoil of war. He seems to expect that Arthur will ravish her, and if Arthur isn’t interested, Kai is ready to try his luck, though he doesn’t seem to mind when she puts up a fight: “A wildcat! I like that.”
Arthur demands of Eithna, “Do you ever dress like a woman?” To encourage her to put on a dress, he – very childishly – humiliates her, by throwing her into the lake. Why he cares so much about his enemy’s daughter’s attire is never explained, but Kai is pleased with the result: “Arthur’s done well with you in my absence.”
Kai and Arthur's seeming rivalry over Eithna is foreshadowed in the opening scene, where they banter about their competition for Leesa’s favour, and also by the minstrel's song: "Let not a woman’s guiles and wiles, quiet smiles, blind your eyes."
Kai tells Arthur: “if a man and a woman want to be together, they will be together. That’s the law” - but it isn’t clear whether this is a religious or civil matter. In the end, they refuse to allow Eithna's machinations to spoil their friendship.
The women kidnapped from Tugram's village are completely left out of the negotiations between Arthur and Bavick.
The burden of command
Arthur's leadership responsibilities are never far from his mind, and his pride as leader of the Celts is hurt when Celts kill one another. In the opening scene, he quickly switches from joking about Kai’s latest conquest to the problem of Bavick – from the private to the political - and Kai seems almost to roll his eyes, regretting that something has set Arthur off again! He says that Arthur "grows old before his time."
Later, Arthur is so intent on achieving peace among the Celts, that he even thinks twice about giving up his hostage to save Llud’s life.
Arthur’s wisdom
Once again, the episode focuses on how fed up Arthur is, of “the bloody business of Celt killing Celt.” When Eithna accuses Arthur of being weak, he says: “Not weak – practical. If I’d killed you, your father would have sought vengeance. All your death would have achieved is more death.” When he finally secures Bavick’s promise, he says “I’ll drink to anything that brings peace between the Celts without shedding a single drop of blood.”
The hot-headed side-kick
There has still been no mention of why Kai - who looks like a Saxon - is living among the Celts. Eithna evidently notices that there's something different about him, because she asks him why he stays with Arthur. Perhaps the writers hadn’t yet worked out exactly how their principal characters were connected. Nevertheless, Kai’s loyalty to Llud is unquestionable; when Bavick takes Llud hostage, Kai asks Arthur, “Llud’s life for a dream? Why are you hesitating?”
Kai tends to agree with Eithna, that “a warrior settles his arguments with the sword”, and talking is “for women and old men”; he claims that he is staying with Arthur to find out who is right.
But at this point, Kai is still pulling against Arthur; for the sake of his attraction to Eithna, he is quite prepared to put his leader's peace plan at risk.
'Don’t call me old!'
Though Llud’s prosthetic hand has already served to stop Mark of Cornwall's sword in "Arthur is Dead", its first mention in the series occurs during the knife-throwing scene: “Your aim is off, Kai. I could do better with my silver hand.” Bavick also refers to it: “You are the silver-handed, eh? … the warrior who is always at Arthur’s side.”
The best laid plans ...
Arthur’s decision to allow Llud to go to Bavick’s camp as his negotiator is inexplicable, and has a predictable result: Llud is taken hostage. However, Llud’s recapture of Eithna is masterful.
When Arthur and Kai fight, Eithna thinks her plan – to find out Arthur’s feelings for her by taking Kai to bed – has worked. But she consistently fails to appreciate that Arthur’s main concern is not romance, but peace. He fights Kai so that he can keep his word, by sending the troublesome princess back to Bavick, not because he wants her for himself. Though she leaves thinking that they are friends, the look on Arthur's face as she rides away tells a different story.
'A man on a horse is worth ten on foot'
It is in “Daughter of the King” that the phrase at the head of this section is used, by Arthur. He considers horses so important that he catches one that is running loose, before taking on what he assumes to be a group of enemy fighters.
He challenges Eithna for riding: “Horses are worth their weight in any metal. They’re for soldiers. Yet your father lets his children ride.” He sees this as evidence that Bavick values her very highly, and spoils her – which makes her a useful hostage.
During this episode, Arthur mostly rides his second white or "grey" horse, Skyline. Eithna’s loose horse, which he catches by riding alongside it and scrambling across onto its back, is the dapple called Jim, on whom she departs at the end of the episode.
Kai rides a black or bay horse with a wide irregular blaze and snip, "Trooper." Llud rides "Curly", a chestnut horse with a very wide blaze with a curl at the top left. This is his usual mount for most of the series, but is not the horse he rides in the credits.
Tugram rides a black or bay horse with an irregular blaze of variable width, and wide triangular snip, “Pythagoras.” Bavick is seen riding a bay horse with a star shaped like an inverted "Y", "Yogi".
Among the horses ridden by Arthur's men are Blondie (Dirk’s horse in the first episode), Arthur’s grey horse, Bernie, and a large chestnut with an irregular blaze, “Flame”, who is also seen with Bavick's men, along with a small bay with a blocky star, Charlie.
When Kai stops to talk to Eithna by the lake, he dismounts in an unconventional manner, by swinging his right leg over his horse’s neck. This method looks good, and also allows the rider to avoid taking their eyes off what's in front of them. Arthur often dismounts this way, but Kai only does it when he is trying to impress.
See this post for further details of the horses of "Arthur of the Britons."
'By the Gods!'
Bavick brings up religion: “The monks say, ‘an eye for an eye.’”
Arthur’s banner – a red cross on a white background – is visible once again.
'A wager’s a wager'
The quotation at the head of this section is supplied by Llud, when the three principals are seen competing, by throwing knives at a board, for who gets sent to fetch the supplies. Llud evidently won the last round, sending Arthur and Kai out to the store shed. This time, Kai loses out again.
This is not the only time we see either gambling or knife-throwing given a prominent role in the series.
'That is bloody dangerous!'
Arthur has to jump from one horse to another. Kai gets to brandish his axe – “the only thing Bavick understands” – at both Tugram and Eithna.
Eithna jumps to the ground from the bough of a tree. She pulls a knife on Kai, but for some reason, it isn’t taken away from her when she is captured. Perhaps they think that as a woman alone, she can't do too much harm with it! Nevertheless, she later uses it to attack Arthur.
Llud grabs Eithna off her horse, and rides back to Arthur with her dangling by his side.
Both Bavick’s and Tugram’s men are armed with spears and swords.
Near the end of the episode, Kai and Arthur fight, landing on fishing baskets, and breaking a trestle table, and Arthur pulls a knife on Kai. After that, Arthur and Kai both attack innocent pieces of furniture – Kai with his knife, and Arthur with his sword.
Dressed to kill?
The green shirt Llud is wearing in the knife-throwing scene didn’t appear in Llud’s wardrobe until about November 1972 – another clue that the scene was filmed later than the rest of the episode, for most of which he is wearing his studded tunic over a white shirt.
As well as his women, Bavick seems to have stolen all of Tugram’s shirts, because the poor chap spends most of the episode with bare arms and chest, covered only by a leather jerkin.
Kai wears a blue shirt in the the knife-throwing scene, and puts on two furry jackets, including one with huge sleeves, to go outside. For most of the episode he is wearing his studded tunic.
Arthur has a selection of clothes: a tunic with a hood, a brown tunic with light brown trim, and – from the first episode – his ring armour, and yellowish-tan tunic. During the knife-throwing scene, he wears a sleeveless sheepskin jacket, also seen in "The Wood People."
On the table
Kai brings a dead stag in from the store house. This stag also features in “The Gift of Life” and “The Penitent Invader”, but we never see anyone eating it! Arthur carries a sack of what is presumably grain, and Llud demands mead.
At the first feast, after the capture of Eithna, Llud seems to be eating lettuce, though he also has a choice of apples and what might be medlars; one of the extras is eating a chicken leg.
Arthur and Eithna have a whole chicken between them, a big bowl of apples and grapes, some bread, and what looks like raw turnips. Arthur eats two fish, one after the other.
Later, Eithna has bread, meat and apples, and eats grapes in a desultory manner.
At the last feast – after Bavick capitulates, there is a whole dead piglet on the table, and Llud starts up a raucous chant, “Wine! Wine! Wine!”
Great moments
The opening scene is a wonderful glimpse at how Arthur, Kai and Llud spend their spare time.
Eithna’s reaction after Kai offers to help her pass the long, tedious night - “My thanks, but I should not want the night to be any longer, or more tedious, than necessary” - is priceless.
Arthur and Kai’s fight, and their reconciliation, by soaking each other with wine, sets the tone for the series.
Quote/unquote
Arthur: A man on a horse is worth ten on foot.
Kai: Every man should enjoy his last night alive.
Extra! Extra!
Once again, there is no hint that HTV paid any heed to a rule of thumb so common with other TV series of the period: "If it's in the shot, it's in the plot!" Numerous extras manage to get on with their daily lives as Celts in the background, while their leaders are concerned with matters of consequence.
Also, we get a glimpse (left) of one of the rare breed cattle that were brought in to make the show more realistic - they later starred as Rowena's purchases in "Six Measures of Silver" (right).
Honourable mention
This goes to the "stunt chicken" who rushes out of the path of Llud’s horse.
'Night-night, Kiddies!'
In the first scene, when Arthur and Kai joke about their rivalry over Leesa, Arthur makes a Chaucerian sexual innuendo: “Which one of her three eyes did she use, eh?” This is unlikely to have been understood by most of the demographic at which the series purported to be aimed!
When Eithna tells Arthur that her father has only one child, Arthur gives a casually chilling retort - "None, now."
Tugram's intention to kill their prisoner, Eithna, and use her head on a spear to lead an attack on Bavick, is one of the more bloodthirsty moments in the series.
NB. The title of this section is another of Director, Sid Hayers’ catch-phrases!
What’s going on here?
It's nice to see that Arthur and Kai do their own dirty work, traipsing through water and mud with the provisions, rather than ordering the lower ranks to fetch and carry for them! But where did Kai get the Wellington boots he is wearing under his furry boot covers?
Llud's first concern when they return to the longhouse is their failure to bring mead, and during the feast later on, he randomly starts shouting, "Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine!" It looks as if he has a bit of a drink problem!
During the scene where Arthur catches the loose horse belonging to Eithna, the camera cuts away before he successfully gets onto the second horse’s back; perhaps he didn't actually make the swap successfully!
Why was Eithna up in a tree?
Though wine might have been produced in England, it’s unlikely that Arthur would have been able to get hold of huge bunches of grapes, like the one at which Eithna is seen picking.
Later, Eithna seems very amused as Arthur appears to be pouring wine all over the place, rather than into any particular receptacle.
Arthur may have brokered a peace with Bavick, but we never find out whether Tugram’s men get their women back!
Music
As Arthur’s minstrel, folk artist Meic Stevens sings, and plays the lyre.
Some of the 34 tracks of incidental music, beautifully written and orchestrated for the series by Paul Lewis, used in this episode, were:
Track 21, Celtic Bard: Arthur and Kai bring supplies from the store
Track 33, Springtime: Kai goes to bring in the barrel of mead.
Track 10, Battle on Horseback: Arthur’s men ride across the countryside, and Kai chases Eithna.
Track 16, Danger Mounts: Arthur and his men discuss how to deal with Bavick; Eithna attacks.
Track 8, Kai the Saxon: Llud rides off to negotiate with Bavick
Track 22, Revelry: Arthur throws Eithna in the lake.
Track 20, The Fair Rowena: Eithna preens by the lake.
Track 30: Night Scene: Arthur hears that Bavick has accepted his terms
Track 3, Celtic Horns: They go to make the exchange with Bavick
Track 10, Battle on Horseback: Arthur and Kai fight.
Track 30: Night Scene: Arthur and Kai resolve their differences.
The whole suite of music, written by Paul Lewis, is available on CD.
Cast
Arthur ……………... Oliver Tobias
Kai .….….….….…... Michael Gothard
Llud ………………... Jack Watson
Bavick ……………... Iain Cuthbertson
Eithna ……………… Madeleine Hinde
Tugram ……………. Tony Steedman
Minstrel ……...……. Meic Stevens
Treg ………………...Timothy Kightley
Horseman …………. Colin Fisher
Crew
Executive Producer .... Patrick Dromgoole
Producer ……………. Peter Miller
Director …………….. Peter Sasdy
Story ………………... David Pursall and Jack Seddon
Associate Producer …. John Peverall
Production Manager ... Keith Evans
Fight Arranger ….…... Peter Brayham
Post-production …….. Barry Peters
Cameraman ……….... Bob Edwards
Camera Operator ….... Roger Pearce
Clapper/loader ............ Peter Thornton
Film Editing ……….... Don Llewellyn
Sound recordist …….. Mike Davey
Dubbing Mixer ……... John Cross
Art Direction ….……. Doug James
Assistant Director …... Simon Hinkley
Production Assistant ... Ann Rees
Wardrobe ……..…….. Audrey MacLeod
Make-up ….….……... Christine Penwarden
Incidental music …….. Paul Lewis
Theme music ………... Elmer Bernstein
