Arthur of the Britons

Plot

A messenger arrives, and tells Arthur that one of his allies, Yorath the Jute, is negotiating a peace treaty with Cerdig. Worried about what this means for the security of his own territory, Arthur goes to see Yorath. After exchanging a few curt words with Rowena, he goes out hunting with her father. Yorath says the peace is made. Rowena supports Arthur’s opposition, but Yorath’s mind is made up; he questions whether Arthur has even tried to make peace with Cerdig.

Arthur returns home, to find Llud and Kai training young Celts boys in the use of sword and shield. He tells his friends that they, too, should approach Cerdig, for a peace treaty.

The sighting of a seaborne army of Scots prompts Arthur to send Cerdig the gift of a shield – along with a message from Yorath, inviting him to a meeting.

Cerdig receives both with deep suspicion. Later, he discusses Arthur’s offer, and the threat from the Scots, with his council. A meeting at Yorath’s village is arranged.

While the Jutes and Celts wait by the river, Cerdig’s party arrives by longboat. Arthur comes to greet Cerdig, who gives him the gift of a beautifully decorated knife.

All meet, and talk, in fairly broad terms, of peace. Then comes the feast. When Yorath takes a rest from bossing Rowena about, he makes the Celts and Saxons try each other’s bread. They find this unpalatable, then squabble over some spilt drinks.

News arrives of the sinking of the Scots’ ships; Yorath wonders whether this threat was all that brought the Celts and Saxons together. When Cerdig insults Rowena, Arthur steps in, prevents Cerdig and Yorath coming to blows, and makes them both apologise to Rowena.

Then, while all inside are drinking a toast to peace and friendship, Woden - one of Cerdig’s advisers - is accidentally killed by someone throwing a knife at a target board. Celts, Saxons and Jutes set upon one another. Arthur and Kai break up the fight, but the damage has been done, and the peace is broken.

Cerdig and Arthur decide, over the protests of their friends, to keep their gifts, in honour of the attempt to make peace.


Timeline

The date of the filming of the previous episode, “The Swordsman”, is confirmed by this article in the Western Daily Press, dated 6 December 1972, which describes a “deluge that has flooded the West Country”, and which “raised the River Chew in Woollard to flood level”, “carried away the bridge built by the HTV film-makers”, and “left Camelot deep in mud and water.” This heavy rain was seen falling during some scenes.

The article states, “HTV has filmed 23 episodes of the Arthur series, but the last one, due to be completed next week, may have to be postponed until the flood subsides.”

The screenshot shows the north west side of the Woollard site, “Arthur’s village” for the purposes of this episode, is still a sea of mud.



The north east side, “Yorath’s village” has been liberally covered in straw to soak up the water, and the ditches on the south west side of the longhouse, “Cerdig’s village”, are still full of muddy water.



This, along with the poor lighting conditions, and state of the vegetation, confirms that “The Treaty” was the last episode to be filmed.

Final suggested timeline

Arthur is Dead
Daughter of the King
The Challenge
The Gift of Life
Enemies and Lovers
In Common Cause
The Penitent Invader
The Slaves
People of the Plough
Go Warily
The Prisoner
The Duel
Rowena
Some Saxon Women
The Marriage Feast
The Prize
Six Measures of Silver/Rolf the Preacher
The Games
The Pupil/The Wood People
The Girl from Rome
The Swordsman
The Treaty


Locations

The north west side of the village set at Woollard serves as Arthur’s village; the north east side as Yorath’s, and the south west side as Cerdig’s.



The circular structure where Rowena and Mark of Cornwall almost got married, can still be seen, but horse skulls signify the fact that this side of the longhouse now represents Jute territory.


Filming

The December days were getting shorter, and much of the filming was done in low lighting conditions, or in the genuine dark.




Inside Information: Strictly for the bird-spotters!

In the scene where Arthur and Yorath go out hunting, each has a hooded Peregrine falcon perching on his arm. These serve no purpose in terms of the plot, but give Arthur and Cerdig something to do, and add interest to the scene.



On 7 December 1972, before the episode was filmed, these same two peregrine falcons featured in an article on page 4 of the Western Daily Press. Opposite this article, on page 5, was a review of “Arthur is Dead”: the first episode of the series to be shown on TV.

It does not seem too much of a stretch to assume that the production team, while eagerly reading their first review, spotted the photos of these falcons, and contacted the Royal Navy to ask whether the birds could appear in their final show, due to be filmed the following week.


Cast notes

Leslie Schofield, who played Wigath, has appeared in “Star Wars”, and “Blake’s Seven”, and had a recurring role in “Eastenders.” He also appeared in the “Reginald Perrin” series, as Reggie’s son-in-law, Tom.



The Messenger, Bran, was played by Davyd Harries, who has been in TV series including "Dr Who", and "Casualty."

Knife thrower, Gerry Wain, played Corin’s father, Mordor, in “The Pupil.”




Re-working the legend

Arthur finally shows his chivalrous side, when he defends Rowena and demands that Yorath and Cerdig apologise for the way they treat her.


War and Peace

When Arthur hears of the impending pact between Cerdig and Yorath, he has to assume that he can no longer rely on Yorath as an ally; Llud fears the imminent annihilation of their village by Cerdig’s forces.

But Arthur’s visit to Yorath is too late to prevent the swearing of the pact. Citing war-weariness, Yorath says, “Cerdig and I are no longer enemies.” When Arthur asks what Yorath will do if Cerdig attacks the Celts, Yorath says, “you can’t expect me to support one friend against the other”; Arthur wonders whether Yorath will expect his support, if his new ally turns on him.

Yorath’s simple answer is that if the Jutes can make peace with the Celts, Cerdig might do the same. But as Arthur points out, Yorath’s people did not attack the Celts when they first arrived, but “Cerdig plundered, burned and killed”.

Nevertheless, Arthur returns to his village, where child soldiers are practising their sword work, and suggests to Llud and Kai that they give peace a chance. “Yorath wants to put an end to the bloodshed. An end to the maiming and killing each other. Is that right, or wrong? …Yorath wants this land to learn to live in peace. Or else it’ll tear itself to shreds. Is that wrong?” Kai pointedly tells him, “Ask that question to Cerdig.”

Arthur is the only one of the Celts who has the ability to take the long view. Seeing his child soldiers practising their drills, he asks, “Will we still be doing this in five hundred years’ time?” He is prepared to consider changing his mind, and taking Yorath’s advice. He realises that eventually, you have to sit down and talk to your enemy.

Llud, the old warrior, says, “Cerdig’s as much likely to respect the treaty as the lion would your life!” But he has news of another threat; a huge army of Scots, due to arrive in two or three days, which Kai thinks will easily conquer their allies, Hereward and Dirk.

Ironically, Llud, who is most resistant to the idea of peace with Cerdig, explains that the Scots managed to amass such a huge force because, “three kings to the east of their lands are united, and together their armies total several hundred”.

This makes Arthur’s mind up for him: “With luck, we will see Celt fighting side by side with both Jute and Saxon.”

Cerdig is suspicious of Arthur’s overtures, but has also heard about the Scots, and is reluctantly convinced to attend a meeting with Arthur and Yorath.

When Cerdig is late arriving, Kai worries that, “While we’re waiting here, he’s probably sacking our villages.”

The peace talks seem to consist mainly of an exchange of platitudes: “War’s for fools and madmen. Let’s make it only a memory kept alive by children’s games, with harmless wooden swords. Blood and lives wasted on warring could be used in making a richer, fuller land for all.” “This is a rich land. We did not come to fight. There is enough for all to share.”

Llud tries to inject a note of caution: “Provided each keeps within his own boundary”, but when Yorath sensibly suggests the drawing up of maps, Cerdig becomes evasive, calling it, “work for priests”, and saying they should, “agree upon it like men.”

Clearly Cerdig has no wish for defined boundaries, because he has no intention of keeping to them. Arthur says that “first …we must stop hating, and learn to trust one another.” But that’s difficult to do when one party is not dealing in good faith.

At the news that the Scot’ invasion fleet has been sunk, Arthur expresses the hope that this will not “wash away the friendship we have found this day.” He says that “now there’s really hope for peace. The Scots weakened, the Picts hammered back into the cold of the north, the three of us in agreement.”

However, before long, an accidental death results in the breakdown of the peace, even between Cerdig and Yorath: “I’ll be back, Jute!” “I’ll be waiting, Saxon!”

Llud believes all of them “must have been mad to think we could ever live as one”, and jovially recommends that Cerdig’s gift be returned so he can “cut his throat with it.” He seems glad that things are back to normal – the old order restored.

But Arthur philosophically says “It didn’t happen this time ... But one day it will happen … If we’re to survive, it must!”


Why so suspicious?

Cerdig says he fears a gift from Arthur “more than a blade between the ribs”, and that he’d, “sooner take shelter behind a cobweb” than use the shield Arthur gave him. He assumes Arthur’s approach comes of “wickedness” and says that the “evil Celt is very deep.” He looks for hidden blades and poison, and asks, “What devil’s brew is that Celtic wolfhound preparing now, eh?” He insists you can’t make peace with, “a cunning savage”, and when the threat of the Scots is mooted, declares, “I’m not rushing into the arms of that barbarian on a rumour.”

But why does he take this attitude? In “Arthur is Dead”, Arthur tricks Cerdig’s men into running into a marsh – but only when Cerdig attacks first. Later, in “In Common Cause”, though Arthur gives Cerdig half of his people’s sheep and goats, Cerdig quietly says he has no intention of keeping to his own territories, and plans to send for more Saxons to come from overseas to join him. In “The Slaves”, Cerdig is taking Celts as slaves, to build a forward base. In “The Wood People”, it seems that Cerdig has put a price on Arthur’s head - he is kidnapped by a Saxon leader who intends to sell him to Cerdig.

So from what we have seen, Arthur has far more reason to suspect Cerdig than vice versa. Yet Cerdig is the more wary of the two. Perhaps he is judging Arthur by his own low moral standards!

Cerdig’s attendance at the peace conference is probably motivated by opportunism; he would surely have gone on to break any peace that had been sworn, whenever it suited him.


A Fine Romance

When last we saw Rowena with Arthur, she had lowered herself to spy on Mark of Cornwall for him, and been rewarded with an evening tryst, which was abruptly cut short. Arthur preferred to go off for a brawl, and leave her disappointed, as usual.

Since then, Arthur has had a conspicuous affair with Benedicta, then been unceremoniously dumped when she found passage back to Rome. The frosty greeting he gets from Rowena could suggest that word of this affair has reached her ears. With a contemptuous look, Rowena bitterly points out his neglect of her.

Her sarcasm - “This is twice you have visited me in one year!” – is wasted on Arthur, who only wants to speak to Yorath. Nevertheless, Rowena sides with Arthur, against her father, on the matter of peace with Cerdig.

Before the end of the episode, Arthur redeems himself somewhat. Seeing Rowena being insulted and berated by both Yorath and Cerdig, he steps in, and gives them a lecture. Perhaps he is starting to appreciate the fact that, while Benedicta was exotic and exciting, Rowena loves and supports him, even though he has so far given her little reason to do so. Perhaps he has also just come to the realisation that Rowena is a future leader, and that he, too, ought to start treating her with more respect.


Animals!

This episode includes a huge amount of animal imagery. Llud says the Jutes see the Saxons as, “a venomous snake.” Arthur, perhaps forgetting the meaning of his own name, compares negotiating with them to, “making peace with a mad bear.”

Rowena calls Cerdig, “a mad dog” and, Yorath dubs his daughter, “Chicken-brain.”

Llud asks Arthur, “Would you put your head in the mouth of a hungry lion? Well, Cerdig’s as much likely to respect the treaty as the lion would your life!”

Kai worries that the Scots will defeat their allies, Hereward and Dirk, “as easily as a bear kills a fox”, uncommon though that scenario is, in the animal kingdom.

Cerdig also likes his animal references, starting with a bizarre metaphor, presumably implying disbelief: “And the sun whelped kittens!” He would “sooner take shelter behind a cobweb” than a shield sent by Arthur, and wonders what “that Celtic wolfhound” is up to.

He suggests that Celt bread is made from “boar’s droppings”; other Saxons suggest “cow-dung” and “frog-spit”, while Arthur’s messenger, Bran, says the Saxon bread is made of “fly-spawn.”

Cerdig tells Yorath, “We used to call Arthur ‘The Bear.’ But we should have called him ‘The Fox.’”


Madness

Along with the animal comparisons, come notions of insanity; Arthur calls Yorath, “moon-sick.” Rowena compares Cerdig to “a mad dog”, and Kai calls Yorath and Cerdig’s treaty a “mad notion.” But when the peace talks begin, Cerdig says, “No man in his right mind wants war”, and Arthur agrees, “War’s for fools and madmen.”


Dark Age Men

Yorath’s treatment of Rowena, as his daughter, is extremely poor. When she takes an interest in Arthur’s objections to the peace talks, he tells her, “You stay out of this, Woman! … You know nothing! Chicken-brain.”

Considering that he is raising the woman who will have to rule after him, his attitude is even more appalling. Instead of paving the way for her to take over, he treats her as a skivvy in front of their subjects, and gives her no encouragement.

A scene that is particularly painful to watch, is the one in which - Yorath having exhorted their guests to enjoy the feast - Rowena gets to her feet, intending to step up to a leadership position by welcoming everyone in her turn, only to have her father slap her on the hip, and send her to the roasting-spit. When Rowena obeys, Yorath adds insult to injury by aiming a swat at her departing rear.



During the feast, he demands, “More wine, Woman!” and later, while she is tending the roasting meat, “Rowena! Are you asleep? More food! More wine!” She accedes to all these demands without complaint, but sits by the spit, looking despondent.

It’s only when Cerdig has the temerity to address his host’s daughter, “Hey! Wench! My cup is dry. Time enough after the feast to sit on your haunches – or lie on your back, more like, eh?” that Rowena, who has had enough, gets slowly to her feet, and says, “Cut your tongue out, Saxon!”

Even Yorath looks put out, and tells Cerdig, “Apologise to my daughter! … Save your insults for your own Saxon sluts!”

Unwilling to let the whole peace process to collapse on her account, Rowena back-peddles: “Father – it doesn’t matter …” but Yorath again demands, “Apologise, Saxon!

A man of firm, but wrong-headed principles, Cerdig replies, “I’ve never apologised to anyone in my life, Jute! And I’m not starting now with a woman.”

Arthur, cuts to the heart of the matter. “You’re both at fault. Yorath. Is it any wonder other men have little respect for your daughter when they see how you treat her yourself? And you Cerdig. It’s not only a woman you’ve insulted, but the future head of her people. What will happen to the treaty when she becomes leader of the Jutes? … Now, Yorath. If Cerdig apologises to your daughter, you must first show the proper respect due to her.”

Surprisingly, Yorath gives a shame-faced, and gracious apology, “My Princess Rowena – my respect and apologies”, and Cerdig a more grudging, “The same, from me.”


Religion

Kai swears, “By the gods!” Cerdig wonders what “devil’s brew” Arthur is preparing, and later says that map-making is, “work for priests.” Rowena is still wearing her cross.

Arthur toasts the gods “for their wisdom in creating this tempest and washing away the enemy that threatened us”; later, when peace talks have foundered, he says “The gods, it seems, as well as the Scots, were against us” but prays they will, one day, talk of peace again.


What have the Romans ever done for us?

Suspicious of Arthur’s gift, Cerdig reminds his men that “Arthur was brought up by the Romans – there’s still poisons.”


Great moments

Kai warning a ten year-old, “You’ll never kill anyone that way.”

A lovely domestic scene - Arthur occupying his big chair at the head of the table, while Kai sits further along, carving a drinking horn.



The majestic arrival of Cerdig and his delegation in the longboat, heralded by the sounding of a horn, and the subsequent overtures of peace.



The hilarious reactions of most of the Celts and Saxons to the taste of each other’s bread. Kai, pretending he is going to fight with his Saxon neighbour, Wigath, then hugging him instead.



Yorath’s genuine disappointment when he learns that Arthur and Cerdig only came together due to the threat of the Scots, not his own brilliant peace-making abilities.

The diatribe Arthur directs at Yorath and Cerdig in support of Rowena, and Yorath’s shame-faced apology.

The timing of the death of Woden, just as all those in the feasting hall drink a final toast to peace, and Arthur and Kai breaking up the resulting fight.

The Saxons, carrying Woden on a bier, back to their longboat, while the Celts and Jutes look on in solemn silence.


Quote/unquote

Arthur: Courage is forced upon us.

Arthur: … a fool has shown the way.

Arthur: … let us keep this knife, as a reminder, that once we met, and talked of peace. I pray we will again.


The hot-headed side-kicks

At first, neither Kai nor Llud are willing to contemplate making peace with Cerdig. Kai pointedly gives the child soldiers more instructions about killing, to avoid discussing the matter.

Once they get to the conference, Kai seems more relaxed about the meeting than Arthur, despite the fact that Cerdig once held him hostage. When the peace talks fail, both resume their uncompromising hatred, and urge Arthur to get rid of Cerdig’s gift.


“That is bloody dangerous!”

Kai holds a sword by the blade while teaching the children. Licking knives isn’t usually recommended either – but fortunately none of the weapons in the series look terribly sharp!

The unfortunate death of the Saxon which leads to the end of the peace talks is telegraphed when Arthur arrives at Yorath’s village at the start of the episode. The only surprise is that the placing of the target board near the doorway to Yorath’s longhouse hasn’t claimed any victims before.




“Night-night, Kiddies!”

The grim reality of Arthur and Cerdig’s continuing conflict is graphically demonstrated by the scenes where the children practice with their wooden swords – not as a game, but a set of serious drills, with Llud and Kai as their instructors, yelling: “Defence walls!” “Keep your swords up! Aim for the heart!” “Take a grip on that sword! Lunge from the shoulder! You’ll never kill anyone that way."

The horror of this is not lost on Arthur: “Look what we are doing today!”

Cerdig’s exchange with Yorath is not really suitable for children’s TV:

Cerdig: Hey! Wench! … Time enough after the feast to sit on your haunches – or lie on your back, more like, eh?

Yorath: Save your insults for your own Saxon sluts!


Dressed to kill?

Arthur wears his ring mail, and fur cloak. He seems to make no effort to spruce himself up for the peace talks.

Kai starts the episode in his green jacket with the big sleeves, over the suede shirt. For the meeting with Cerdig, he changes into his oldest studded tunic – the one from “The Last Valley”, with a new purple cloak on top.



Llud wears his oldest studded tunic, newer green shirt, and grey cloak.

Rowena is wearing her pale blue tunic with dark trim; for the feast, she has changed into her blue dress with the lacing and wide trim, worn during “The Marriage Feast.”


“A man on a horse is worth ten on foot”

Initially, a man riding Outlander rides into Arthur’s village; he is then replaced by Davyd Harries as Bran, the Messenger, riding a different horse, Pythagoras.

Arthur rides his usual mount, Bernie. Rowena rides Blackstar as usual. We don’t see enough of Yorath’s horse to identify it.

When they arrive for the meeting, Kai is on Merlin, and Llud, his new horse, Brownie. Other Celts ride Outlander, Trooper, Blackstar, Curly, and Pythagoras.

As the dead Saxon is carried to the longboat, the bay horse with the inverted “Y” shape, Yogi, also stands among the watching Celts.

See also: The Equine Stars of "Arthur of the Britons" and The horses of "Arthur of the Britons": quick reference ID pictures.


On the table

Rowena has to tend to the spit, where a pig is roasting, and Cerdig is seen eating a big hunk of meat. Some rabbits are hanging up, waiting to be cooked, and there seems to be plenty of grapes, apples, pears, and some nuts.

The Saxons seem to prefer quite unhealthy white bread, while the Celt bread looks like a more nutritious wholemeal.



Yorath calls the Celts and Saxons “strange companions” for bringing their own bread to a feast which he himself is hosting. Arthur and Cerdig were both worried about being poisoned by their gifts, so it makes a kind of sense. Perhaps neither of them trust Yorath not to have secretly sided with the other, and given them poisoned bread. But then, they are eating the rest of the food and drink he has supplied!


Extra! Extra!

Children from a local school were used as extras, as recalled here by teacher, Pat Feather.

We also see some old “friends”, including one of the Greek Trader’s men, a Saxon fellow who has been killed a number of times, and some of the extras from “The Slaves.” Have fun spotting them!






Honourable mention

This has to go to the children, bravely practising with their wooden swords, on winter’s evenings.


What’s going on here?

At the beginning of the episode, a dark-haired man rides into Arthur’s village, and then a different, lighter-haired man, wearing a different colour, and riding a different horse, comes into close-up to give Arthur the news.



The first lines, “Arthur! Cerdig and Yorath have made a pact”, are heard as a voice-over, before the Messenger has even stopped moving, and while he is too far away from the Longhouse for Arthur, Kai and Llud to hear him!

These lines even sound like the voice of a different actor - not the one we see speaking the Messenger’s next line, “That’s what they say!” It's as if the opening clip was tacked on as an afterthought, and the episode was supposed to start with Arthur's first line, “Cerdig and Yorath? Impossible!”

Yorath claims he is “war-sick”, and his people, “battle-weary and bloodied.” His attitude has changed substantially since the events of “Some Saxon Women”, in which he was keen to attack the Saxons, take the women as slaves, and kill the menfolk, just to get hold of some wine.

When Yorath asks Arthur whether he has stopped fighting Cerdig for long enough to find out whether he can be reasoned with, Arthur could have pointed to the events in “In Common Cause”, after which Cerdig clearly had no intention of sticking to his territory, or his word.

There is an inconsistency in the story of how the Jutes came to live at peace with the Celts. In “Some Saxon Women”, drama is generated by the importance of the treaty between their two peoples. Llud claims, “We fought long and hard to make this alliance real”, and Kai says, “Blood flowed … friends died”, and speaks of “a hard-fought-for treaty”. But in “The Treaty”, Arthur reminds Yorath, “You led in the Jutes, found a deserted tract of land and built your own village … settled, and made no further demands. You made and kept your peace with the Celt.”

Cerdig’s attempt at humor - “And the sun whelped kittens!” - results in such gales of laughter from his men, it makes one wonder what dire consequences would result from treating Cerdig’s quips with the contempt they deserve!

Given that the Saxons don’t, in general, ride horses, one of Cerdig’s men shows no lack of confidence in taking Bran’s horse, leading it away, and tying it to a post.

Cerdig holds a meeting with many of his men, to discuss the planned talks, whereas Arthur, on this occasion, consults only Kai and Llud. He apparently finds no need to assemble his council, as he did in “In Common Cause”, which seems odd, given the importance of the matter in hand.

Cerdig arrives in the same Saxon longboat as the children in “The Gift of Life” – the one Arthur and Mark also used in “The Prize.” How did he get hold of it?

On the day of the peace talks, the shadows indicate that opposing parties first meet early in the morning. So what did they do all day, before the feast?



Why is Rowena, the daughter of the King of the Jutes, doing the cooking? Surely the point of being a king, or a princess, is to have servants to do the work?

Arthur asks Cerdig whether the knife tasted better than his shield - as if Cerdig would have tested it for poison himself!

Cerdig decribes England as “a rich land … There is enough for all to share.” What a generous invader he is!

Arthur’s behaviour when he and Cerdig try each other’s bread is puzzling. Surely neither the Celt nor the Saxon bread could have been so unpalatable as to get the extreme reaction that they did? Arthur actually starts the trouble, by spitting out the Saxon bread, and exclaiming, “What revulsion is this?”

Is he having second thoughts, and deliberately sabotaging the talks he was so keen to attend? Is he just an aggressive drunk? Or is he testing Cerdig in some way? He could hardly have expected Cerdig not to respond in a similar vein. Yet, when fights are about to break out, Arthur seems to forget that he caused the renewed tension in the air, and demands, “Peace!”

When Llud also plays his part in stirring things up, deliberately elbowing the Saxon sitting between himself and Arthur, and giving him another opportunity to throw his weight around, Cerdig tells Yorath, “We used to call Arthur ‘The Bear.’ But we should have called him ‘The Fox.’ Now I see where he learned his cunning!”

June Knight, a fan of the show explains, “you cannot have peace unless you are honest about the underlying tensions and conflicts and prejudices … to clear the air, a fight must be made to bring the tensions to the surface … Also by creating the conflict, he then becomes the Broker ... Divide and conquer and then become the peace maker.”

If this is the case, Arthur’s and Llud’s motivation seems unnecessarily abstruse for a half-hour episode of a children’s TV show!

When the participants in the peace talks are drinking their final toast, you can see that Rowena’s dress has a zip.



When Woden is killed by a thrown knife, his friend Wigath manages to be in two places at once. Between 21:29 and 21:31, Wigath is inside (far left), drinking a toast to peace with the rest, and at 21:32, with no indication that any time has passed, he is kneeling over Wigath’s body, and preparing to stab his friend’s accidental killer.



At the end, Cerdig says he will keep the shield Arthur gave him, “to remind us all, that for one single moment it was the Saxons who tried to bring to this land the peace they’ve never known.” But it wasn’t the Saxons – it was Yorath who suggested they make peace, and Arthur who asked Cerdig for talks!

And why does Kai tell Arthur that the sight of Cerdig’s gift should sicken him? It was a Saxon who was killed, not a Celt.


Music

Some of the music tracks used in this episode were:

Track 5, To Battle! – the messenger arrives.
Track 7, Hesitation and Achievement: Arthur and Yorath go hunting together.
Track 19: Celtic Dance: Arthur fetches water and speak to Lenni.
Track 30, Night Scene: Arthur discusses peace, with both Yorath and his friends.
Track 22, Revelry: the Celt boys practice with swords and shields.
Track 16, Danger Mounts: Arthur hears of the threat from the Scots.
Track 3, Celtic Horns/The Longships: Cerdig meets with Arthur. Talks begin.
Track 22, Revelry: the target board provides amusement.
Track 6, Infiltration and Treachery: news of the Scots is received.
Track 16, Danger Mounts: Cerdig insults Rowena.
Track 13, In All Weather: Arthur and Kai break up the fight.
Track 30, Night Scene: Arthur regrets the failure of the talks, and hopes for the future.

The whole suite of music, beautifully written and orchestrated for the series by Paul Lewis, is now available on CD.


Cast

Arthur …………….... Oliver Tobias
Kai ……………….… Michael Gothard
Llud ………………... Jack Watson
Cerdig ……………… Rupert Davies
Yorath ……………… Georg Marischka
Rowena …………….. Gila von Weitershausen
Woden ……………… Raymond Witch
Bran ………………... Davyd Harries
Wigath ……………… Leslie Schofield
Jute Warrior ………… Peter Diamond
Knife Thrower …….... Gerry Wain

Crew

Director ………….…. Patrick Dromgoole
Story ………………... Terence Feely
Executive Producer … Patrick Dromgoole
Producer ……………. Peter Miller
Associate Producer … John Peverall
Production Manager ... Keith Evans
Post-production …….. Barry Peters
Fight Arranger ……… Peter Brayham
Cameraman ………… Bob Edwards
Camera Operator …… Brian Morgan
Editor ……………….. Terry Maisey
Sound recordist …….. Mike Davey
Art Director ………… Doug James
Assistant Director ……Stuart Freeman
Set Dresser …………. Ken Bridgeman
Production Assistant .. Ann Rees
Costume Design .…… Audrey MacLeod
Make-up ……………. Christine Penwarden
Incidental music ……. Paul Lewis
Theme music ……….. Elmer Bernstein

Plot

Kai and Llud see a cloaked figure wearily stumbling across open country. As they approach, the person falls to the ground. They canter over, and dismount. Kai lifts the person’s head, and sees that it’s a woman. He feels her forehead, then he and Llud cradle her between them, and give her a drink.

When she revives, she announces that she is Benedicta, a Princess of Rome, and apparently the only survivor when her ship was wrecked. She demands that they put themselves at her disposal. They put her on Kai’s horse, and set off for their village.

Once there, Benedicta asks Arthur to find her transport home. Distressed to learn how long she will have to wait, she annoys Arthur, and amuses Kai and Llud, by rattling off a list of things they should supply for her comfort and convenience.

Arthur tells her she must fend for herself, like everyone else, and shows her a hut where she can stay. She complains about the conditions, and asks when food is served; Arthur gives her a dead rabbit to skin and cook. She vows to starve; Arthur promises her a Celtic funeral.

In a parody of Benedicta’s behaviour, Kai issues a list of demands to Arthur and Llud, and says how lovely she is. Arthur warns him that her character is less pleasant than her appearance.

Arthur returns to find Benedicta poking at the dead rabbit, and tells her how to skin it. Next morning, he finds her hut full of smoke, because she has lit a fire with damp wood. When she is almost ready to start cooking, Arthur pays another visit. She asks where she can take a bath, and he tips a pail of water over her head.

Over the next few days, she takes cooking advice from a Celt woman, and is seen sewing.

A few days later, Kai tells Arthur that Benedicta wants to ride into the forest, to find medicinal herbs. But she’s having trouble mounting. After dumping her on the ground, Arthur gives her some riding lessons. She soon becomes a proficient horsewoman. Arthur looks pleased with her progress.

Kai seems annoyed that Arthur is spending so much time riding with Benedicta, instead of keeping his friends company by the fire.

When a bit of Benedicta’s sleeve gets caught on a twig, Arthur persuades her to leave it there, because it means she will return there one day. They kiss. She slaps him, and calls him a barbarian. They kiss again.

Kai complains to Llud about how late Arthur comes to bed these days. Arthur comes in and tells them to consider building a new hut, because he and Benedicta will need this one when they are married. They both pitch Arthur onto his bed, and call him a fool.

As he and Benedicta walk in the woods, Arthur tells her about the medicinal properties of moss, and the beauty of the trees and flowers. He shows her a gouge in a tree trunk, made by a “king boar” he encountered, then, while mimicking the boar’s behaviour, tumbles at Benedicta’s feet. She laughs; he chases her, and she runs off among the trees.

While searching for her, Arthur finds himself at sword-point. Five Roman soldiers, including their commanding officer, Nestor, stand between him and Benedicta. Seeming completely at ease, Benedicta tells Nestor who Arthur is.

The Celts and Romans share a tense meal in the longhouse. Obviously hoping that Arthur will go and live with her in Rome, Benedicta praises Roman life. Arthur takes her outside, and makes it clear that he won’t leave his land and people. When her arguments fail to convince him, Benedicta says that a boat has arrived, and the Roman party will leave the next day.

Arthur, Kai and Llud watch the Romans leave; Benedicta stops, and looks regretfully at Arthur, who gives a sad smile.

As Benedicta and Nestor ride away, Benedicta calls Arthur a fool. Arthur sits brooding. Then Benedicta sees the piece of cloth still caught on the branch. While she continues to complain about the conditions in the Celt village, she remembers kissing Arthur, and has second thoughts about leaving; she looks back fondly on her time with Arthur.

While Arthur rides out to the tree where the piece of cloth is snagged, Nestor leaves Benedicta with two of the soldiers, and rides off with the others, to check there are no marauding Picts in the woods.

Arthur arrives at the tree, and gazes at the piece of cloth, still caught on a twig.

Benedicta tells the soldiers about Celtic plants and remedies, then laughs, and gallops off. The soldiers give chase, but on foot.

Arthur takes the piece of cloth from the twig, then rides away; Nestor berates the soldiers for losing Benedicta, and goes to find her.

Looking out from a hilltop, Benedicta sees Arthur riding into the distance. Before she can call out, Nestor arrives. She tells him to go away, but he’d rather kill her than risk going home without her. She calls out to Arthur; he thinks he hears something, then dismisses it, and rides away. Nestor threatens to cut her throat if she calls again.

When she promises not to escape, he lets her return to the tree, and leave another piece of cloth, torn from her cloak, on a twig.

Some days later, Arthur demands that the hut where Benedicta stayed be cleared out. Llud tells him that there’s another pieces of cloth snagged on a twig, and suggests that he collect it, spend a week getting drunk, then pull himself together.

Full of new hope, Arthur rides out of the village.


Timeline

By the last week of November 1972, there were only three episodes left to be filmed. “The Swordsman”, and “The Treaty” were definitely filmed last of all, in that order, in December,¹ so “The Girl from Rome” must have been filmed between “The Games” and “The Swordsman.”

There is one obvious exception to this. In the scene at the end, where Arthur rides off to get the second piece of cloth (left), the ground looks much the same as it did in "The Games" (right).



However, in the scene a little earlier on, where Arthur throws a beaker, then stalks across the village to his horse (left), the ground is a sea of mud, like we've never seen before. This must have been filmed after the torrential rain which fell during the filming of “The Swordsman” (right).



Suggested shooting order so far

Arthur is Dead
Daughter of the King
The Challenge
The Gift of Life
Enemies and Lovers
In Common Cause
The Penitent Invader
The Slaves
People of the Plough
Go Warily
The Prisoner
The Duel
Rowena
Some Saxon Women
The Marriage Feast
The Prize
Six Measures of Silver/Rolf the Preacher
The Games
The Pupil/The Wood People
The Girl from Rome


Locations

The first scene, where Kai and Llud find Benedicta, was filmed on the banks of the River Chew. Most of the episode was filmed on the north east side of the village at Woollard.

The tree on which the piece of Benedicta’s dress gets caught (left), has been seen before, in “Six Measures of Silver” (right).




Filming

Day-for-night filming was used for the scene in which Arthur goes to see how Benedicta is doing with the rabbit, but the shadows indicate that it was late night or early morning (left), and when he peers in, it is clearly full day outside (right).



And again, after the awkward meal with the Romans, the shadows show it to be dawn or dusk.


Cast notes

Catherine Schell (born Katherina Freiin Schell von Bauschlott), who plays Benedicta, is perhaps best known in the UK for her role as shape-shifting alien Maya in Space 1999.



She has a fascinating background.

Noel Trevarthen, who played Nestor, a New Zealander by birth, had a long career.


How to win friends and influence people

The first thing Benedicta says when given succour by two complete strangers is not “Hello”, “Thank you”, or “Where am I?”, but “Who are you?” It’s not terribly polite! Then, as pomposity always creates a good impression, she goes on, “Then know this! I am Benedicta, daughter of Caius Camillus, Princess of Rome.” She insults their homeland: “this forsaken country”, and follows up with a demand: “You will be pleased to put yourself at my service.” Even if she’s forgotten that the Celts are her enemies, there’s little excuse for the arrogance with which she treats them.

But perhaps Benedicta is courageously trying to bluff her way, in what she knows is hostile territory. When Kai approaches too closely for comfort, she hides her fear with bluster: “I do not ride horses. Fetch me a chariot!” She bravely tries to stare Kai down, when he assaults her.

She then berates the leader of the Celts: “And you! … Since you seem to be in authority here …” with even less favourable results. Any sympathy which her genuine distress - when she learns she must wait two months for a ship - might have been elicited, is quickly dispelled when she refers to the Celts’ home as “this pigsty of a village”, and demands “servants ... living quarters with heating … facilities for hot water ... fresh clothes ...” She seems oblivious to the fact that she is asking for luxuries the Celts can’t possibly provide, even if they wanted to.

As Arthur leads her out, Benedicta glances over her shoulder at Llud and Kai, evidently hoping for some support, and perhaps wishing she’d made a better first impression. But when provided with a hut and a bed which are, at least, private, she has the nerve to complain, and ask, “What time will food be served?”

Later, she implies that her hosts stink, and even when she grows accustomed to the Celts’ way of life, she is never seen to apologise for her earlier behaviour.

When taking a break while out riding with Arthur, she slides down from her horse into Arthur’s arms, and tilts her face, apparently for a kiss, but when he obliges, she slaps him, and calls him and “ignorant savage” and says that the only reason she learned to live as a Celt was “to prove that a daughter of Rome can master your miserable existence.”

Despite this unpromising start, a romance blossoms between them, her demeanour apparently softening for a time. During a lesson in herbal medicine, she even stoops to fishing for compliments, asking, “Doesn’t anything grow for just … prettiness?” – clearly hoping Arthur will says, “Like you, you mean?” But he fails to take the hint, and just describes the beauty of the woods in spring!

When Arthur finds himself at the points of five Roman swords, it probably goes through his head that this has been a trap from the start, and Benedicta’s attitude is far from reassuring. Rather than introducing him: “This is Arthur, chieftain of the Celts, to whom I am betrothed. Arthur – this is Nestor, my centurion”, she simply points Arthur out, as if he were a specimen on display: “That is Arthur - a chieftain of the Celts.”

At this point, it becomes clear that Benedicta never took Arthur seriously. Their romance could be put down to Stockholm Syndrome, or more likely, she decided she’d rather be a leader's consort, than his prisoner. With her soldiers to back her up, she resumes her superior attitude.

As the Roman soldiers sit at Arthur’s table, eating Arthur’s food, Benedicta extols the virtues of Rome: its “colour, and beauty … charm and dignity”, with pointed criticism of Arthur’s village and people clearly implied. But it is her suggestion that Arthur would easily forget the land he loves, that puts the nail in the coffin of their romance.


The Taming of the Roman Shrew

As a woman alone in a strange land, Benedicta is worthy of some sympathy. While she clings to her Roman heritage like a security blanket, the Celts keep trying to knock her off her high horse. Kai reminds her that the Romans are his vanquished enemies, both he and Llud invade her personal space, and Kai commits a couple of minor sexual assaults. Benedicta realises she is at the mercy of strangers, and must wonder whether this is a warning of worse to come.





Luckily for her, no one takes further advantage. But Arthur is so determined to show a Roman no favour, that he treats her worse than he would any normal guest.

In the full knowledge that the Greek trader is more likely to sell her as a slave, than return her to her family, he tells Benedicta that she might be able to use his vessel to return to Rome.

He claims that everyone “will do their best to make your stay here as pleasant and as comfortable as possible”, but he does no such thing! He gives her a dead rabbit, and tells her to skin and cook it. He must already know she has never learned to do any such thing, but he doesn’t offer to help.

He greets her threat to starve with what is probably an insult – the promise of a Celtic burial, with full honours. A Roman would expect to be cremated.

And when he returns to find her at least making an effort, he insults her attempt: “Didn’t the Romans teach you how to do anything?” She wasn’t doing as badly as all that! And next morning, when she has been up all night, and tried to make a fire, he is just as cutting: “Your Emperor Nero would not have met with such success if you’d been assisting him.”

The way she asks about the baths is a bit rude, but Arthur’s response – to tip a pail of water over her head, when she has no dry clothes to change into – is unkind.

She learns from the Celt women, trying her hand at sewing, and learning about herbal medicine – making an effort to fit in. But when Arthur finds her trying to mount a horse, he takes her by the legs, and tips her over the horse’s back, so she lands on the ground. This is a childish trick for a Celtic leader, and could have caused injury.

We’re expected to accept the treatment of Benedicta as a figure of fun, on the grounds that she has behaved rudely and imperiously. But is that really sufficient excuse for Kai’s assaults, and Arthur’s bullying and petty cruelties?

When Arthur finally starts being helpful, he finds Benedicta a quick study, and is clearly proud to see her riding so well. She soon warms to him, as well; even her complaint about the hostility of Celtic trees is milder than usual. But when she resumes her superior attitude: “I am still a princess of the blood. And you are still a barbarian”, Arthur is having none of it. He kisses her quite forcefully, and she kisses him back.

She seems to have been tamed. She genuinely wants Arthur to come to Rome with her, biting her lip as she describes the Feast of Apollo, and putting her hand on Arthur’s. Clearly she isn’t sure Arthur will go with her, so she is trying too hard.

But in the end, though she has some last-minute regrets about sacrificing her new-found love, she chooses to return to her comfortable life in Rome.


What have the Romans ever done for us?

The moment Kai learns that Benedicta is from Rome, he is on high alert; while she is still vulnerable, he asks how long ago her ship was wrecked, so he can assess whether there is any danger from the “escort of soldiers” she had with her.

And Arthur is far from happy to have an enemy in the camp. Despite having the upper hand, his calculated insolence, as he stands with his thumbs in his belt while addressing Benedicta, doesn’t so much speak of confidence, as of the need to assert himself – to show he’s not afraid.

He has good reason to hate and fear the Romans. According to Benedicta, it is “less than two decades” since the Romans left, so Arthur is old enough to remember being their subject. In “Enemies and Lovers”, he told King Athel that his father was killed at the Battle of Ilchester; as Ilchester was the site of a Roman fort², his father must have been killed by the Romans³.

When Benedicta complains that the Celts are “no better than savages”, Arthur blames the 400 years of Roman rule. Benedicta claims that the Celts have forgotten the Roman’s lessons on how to live. Arthur bitterly points out that the Romans “only taught the Celts how to die.” And when Benedicta doesn’t know how to prepare her own meal, Arthur sarcastically asks, “do the civilised Romans not cook their food?”

When Benedicta looks revolted at his instructions on how to skin a rabbit, and Arthur again responds with sarcasm – “My apologies. It offends our noble Roman stomach, does it?” – Arthur is probably remembering that the Romans did worse to the Celts.

And Kai can’t get away with expressing approval for Benedicta’s appearance, without Arthur reminding him: “Half a chance, and she’d trample us underfoot.”

Which is exactly what she does to Arthur, though not in the way he expected. It is his feelings that she tramples, when she suggests he is afraid to go to Rome, in case he feels inferior. His hatred of Rome returns in full, as he says, “The day I feel inferior to a Roman, I will cut my throat.”

Arthur’s village isn’t completely lacking in the comforts of Rome. Though Nestor can’t wait to get home and have a bath, he says that the Celts’ wine “wasn’t unpalatable.” They may have got the wine from abroad – the Greek trader in “Some Saxon Women” was a wine importer – but it’s also possible that the wine was made in Britain.⁴

In the broader scheme of things, Benedicta has helpfully pin-pointed the period when the series is set; events less than two decades after the Romans left would have to occur between 420 and 430 AD.


Fool for Love

Arthur first gives away his attraction to Benedicta when he tells Kai not to be “deceived by that angel’s face.”

When he returns to her hut, to see how she is doing with the rabbit, he seems to be trying to break the ice with his quip, “So we’ve decided not to starve, after all”, and he is holding his knife behind his back – usually a sign he feels conflicted.

While some of Arthur’s other reactions – tipping water over Benedicta, and shoving her over the horse’s back – look like bullying, they could also be interpreted as signs of his social awkwardness with women, which we’ve seen before in his interactions with Rowena.

When Kai tells him that Benedicta has cut her hand, Arthur pretends to be disappointed that it wasn’t more serious, but when Kai says he “looked at it for her”, Arthur's pensive expression seems like jealousy.

This is the only episode in which we see Arthur making a fool of himself over a woman. He tells Benedicta about herbal remedies, and waxes lyrical about woodland flowers. Pretending to be a boar, with his fingers for tusks, and making snorting and roaring noises, he runs down the bank, bent double, and falls for Benedicta in a way he never has for Rowena, literally falling at her feet.





It’s painfully embarrassing to see the usually strait-laced Arthur allow himself look this foolish, especially in the knowledge of how the romance ends.

When Benedicta tells him that he will easily forget his homeland, it becomes clear to Arthur that it is she who will have forgotten him, before she has sailed a league from these shores. Though he can see how shallow she is, the realisation that he is “Just a tame barbarian, here to amuse you until your Roman friends escort you back to civilisation” must be a bitter pill to swallow.

Kai suffered a similar public humiliation when Goda betrayed him, but for Arthur – who has never been in love like this before, and in whom, as leader, sound judgement is essential – the blow is potentially much more severe.


The burden and loneliness of command

Arthur has perhaps never felt this burden more, than when he realises that Benedicta is making him choose between the land he knows and loves, and a life with her, in the home of his enemies. It should have been the hardest decision he’s ever made, but in fact, it’s very easy.

“Benedicta. This is my land. These are my people. I am their leader”.

Arthur can’t even comprehend how she could expect him to leave. The look on his face when he realises that she will return to Rome is heart-breaking, but he shows great dignity.

When Benedicta suggests that “before we’ve sailed one league from these shores, you’ll have forgotten that this land ever existed”, he realises his mistake, in loving her.

He has to stay. The King and the Land are one. But we are left to wonder how he would have chosen, had he not been the leader of the Celts.


The hot-headed side-kick

Kai soon becomes jealous of Benedicta’s increasing demands on Arthur’s time, questioning the point of galloping around the countryside, when one could be keeping warm and drinking mead. He’s nostalgic for the days when Arthur couldn’t wait to put the pesky Roman princess “on a boat back to Rome”.



But worse is to come. Late one night, we see Kai become genuinely annoyed that Arthur is out late: “Where the devil is he?” Llud looks at him like he’s the village idiot, and Arthur, if he were there, might have pointed out that on many occasions, Kai has behaved this way himself. When Arthur does get home, Kai shows his disapproval with sarcasm: “To bed before dawn? You sickening for something?”



Then the bombshell; Arthur tells Kai and Llud they must build themselves a new hut. Kai’s response, “New hut?” is delivered with surprising venom, and when Arthur goes on to reveal that he and Benedicta are to be wed, Kai’s teeth are clenched. Perhaps he is remembering his own abortive attempts to marry first Eithna, then Goda. In a feeble attempt to cover his anger with a joke, he calls Arthur, “You poor fool!”



When the Roman soldiers arrive, and seem to be taking over the place, Kai is even less impressed. Throughout the meal, he watches Benedicta with wary hostility.



Perhaps he already suspects she’s going to hurt Arthur, but - judging by the anxious wipe of his hand across his mouth, and the way he looks at the two of them as they leave the meal - he is genuinely worried that Arthur might leave.




By the Gods!

Benedicta asks “what, in the name of the gods” she is supposed to do with a dead rabbit. When she swears to starve rather than cook, Arthur promises her “a Celtic burial with full honours.”

Arthur then refers to her “angel’s face”.

When Arthur is out late, Kai asks “Where the devil is he?” and claims he’s been “acting like a lovesick monk for weeks.”

Arthur tells Kai to “send word to the abbot” to marry him to Benedicta as soon as possible. What Benedicta thought about having a Christian wedding ceremony, when she so enjoyed celebrating Apollo and Minerva, we are not told!


Dark Age Men

Kai’s treatment of Benedicta at the beginning of the episode is not that of a gentleman, and Arthur seems to have taken a leaf out of Kai’s book when he grabs Benedicta by the neck, and offers to show her “how we barbarians really treat our women.”

When Benedicta tries to persuade him to come to Rome, Arthur replies, “I don’t know how it is in Rome, but here, the woman shares the life with the man.”


Great moments

The expressions of amusement and incredulity on Kai’s and Llud’s faces during the scene where Benedicta introduces herself to Arthur.



Kai’s lampooning of Benedicta, by demanding demands services of Arthur and Llud: “And you, peasant fellow - make yourself useful! Bring me some refreshment”, and Llud’s phlegmatic response: “And then, perhaps some sweet wine? And afterwards, a minstrel, to lull you to sleep?”





Benedicta, placing the prepared rabbit on a chopping board, licking her fingertips, glancing around to see whether anyone is looking, and wiping her hands on the front of her dress.

The look Llud gives Kai, when Kai supposedly wonders where Arthur has got to, late at night.

The wonderfully awkward, “Guess Who's Coming to Dinner” scene. Llud and Kai do a fine job of showing their disapproval of entertaining the enemy. Arthur looks displeased while Nestor and his men enjoy his hospitality, and Benedicta fawns on Nestor and gushes about Rome. Benedicta looks pointedly at Llud when she mentions the dignity of Rome, and Llud, equally pointedly, spits!


Quote/unquote

Benedicta: Hunger is a contemptible weapon.

Arthur: There’s no way of keeping your dignity when learning how to ride.

Kai: Why should a man charge about the countryside on horseback, when he can relax before a good fire, and drink mead?

Arthur: We have a saying. Wherever we leave a piece of ourselves, we will return.

Llud: Night and day become a little confused to anyone in Arthur’s state of mind.

Llud: They say Rome will forgive anything … except failure.

‘Hey nonny nonny’ appendix:

Llud: And we were all such fools!

Nestor: ’Tis more than our lives were worth …


“That is bloody dangerous!”

Arthur shoves Benedicta unceremoniously off a horse. Later, while he is teaching her to ride, she falls off. Fortunately, the ground seems to have been dug over to break her fall!⁵




“Night-night, Kiddies!”

Kai is responsible for most of the “adult content” in this episode. Benedicta’s arrogant demand: “You will be pleased to put yourself at my service”, is intended innocently enough, but Kai’s response, and the accompanying smirk, are definitely not. Neither is the way he manhandles her, in the guise of helping her onto his horse, reaching around her to grab the reins, and later on, dismounting.

His suggestion that he’d like to teach Benedicta a lesson with his belt takes the episode further into x-rated territory.



The inference in Llud’s description of Arthur as “Lovesick, yes. Monk … no”, and that if he were twenty years younger, he’d be doing the same thing, doesn’t help much, either!


Dressed to kill?

For most of the episode, Arthur wears the tunic with the circular designs on the chest.



In the scene in which Kai parodies Benedicta, Arthur is just wearing a simple brown shirt, possibly the same as he wore in “The Marriage Feast.”



Kai mainly wears the blue shirt, the green jacket with the big furry sleeves, and – when outdoors – the white shaggy coat. But for the meal with the Romans, he wears a very long brown cardigan, with a Celtic design on the green trimming. He previously wore this for the scene in “Rolf the Preacher” in which Mark of Cornwall asks Arthur to intervene.



Unusually for Kai, he’s also wearing jewellery – a ring, and a pendant.

At the beginning of the episode, Llud wears his old studded tunic and newer green shirt. To keep warm in the winter weather, he has a new big fur cloak. During the latter part, he wears the tunic he got from Morcant.



When she is first found, Benedicta is wearing a blue dress and cloak. Later, she is seen sewing, using some dark leather, so we are meant to assume she made the jacket and breeches she wears when learning to ride.



Later, she wears a darker-hued dress and russet cloak, with a collar which looks like fake fur.



The Roman soldiers must have been very cold, with bare legs in late November!




“A man on a horse is worth ten on foot”

Kai and Llud ride to Benedicta’s rescue on Merlin and Brownie respectively. This is the second time Llud has ridden Brownie instead of Curly – again, as in “Six Measures of Silver”, he had to mount out in the open, with no mounting block, so the smaller horse was probably easier.



The horse Benedicta is found trying to clamber onto is Rowena’s usual mount, Blackstar. Arthur calls for his own horse, Bernie, and puts Benedicta through Horse-riding 101: “There’s no way of keeping your dignity when learning how to ride”, “Don’t hold onto the reins – there’s no support there!” “What you need to learn is balance”, “Stay off its neck. Horses take your weight best where you sit. So sit straight!”



Benedicta is soon galloping, and doing Arthur’s leg-over-the-neck dismount, too!

When Benedicta and the other Romans leave, Benedicta is still on Blackstar, and Nestor is riding the bay horse, Yogi.



See also: The Equine Stars of "Arthur of the Britons" and The horses of "Arthur of the Britons": quick reference ID pictures.


On the table

For poor Benedicta – not much, apart from rabbit, which she has to prepare herself.



But the Celts push the boat out to impress the Romans, with grapes and pears; the feast is a lavish affair.



Though Llud doesn’t seem too impressed …




Extra! Extra! - Honourable mention

This goes to the two Roman soldiers left to guard Benedicta. When she starts telling them about Celtic remedies, and the flowers that bloom in the spring, they exchange glances which clearly say, “We’ve got a right one ‘ere!”



They wouldn’t be out of place in a Monty Python film …




What’s going on here?

Benedicta introduces herself as a “Princess of Rome” - but the Romans didn’t have princesses. The title was first used around 1000 years later. In any case, an unmarried daughter of a man who was still alive, even the daughter of an Emperor, would not normally have as much importance as Benedicta seems to claim for herself.

It might be pertinent to ask what Benedicta was doing in Gaul, so far from her beloved Rome. And having set out from a land to the east of Britain, it seems unlikely that her ship would have got blown right round to the west side, where Arthur’s people lived.

She seems rather naïve to have told two complete strangers that she was the only survivor from the wreck. It would have been more to her advantage to let them think they might be able to demand a ransom for her. Perhaps lack of food and drink had clouded her judgement.

Benedicta demands that they fetch her a chariot, because she doesn’t ride horses. While it is unlikely that a Roman woman would have learned to ride, she wouldn’t have been used to riding in chariots either; these were only used for games, and triumphal processions, not normal transport.

Kai’s claim that the Romans used all the chariots, “running from our spears” is also a bit odd. It was the Celts who used chariots for warfare, and in a way that seems to have impressed Julius Caesar.⁶.

Arthur tells Benedicta, “Everyone here must fend for themselves”; while we know he can cook⁷ - we see Esla cooking for, and waiting on, Arthur, Kai and Llud, in the very next episode, “The Swordsman.”

When Benedicta snatches the rabbit from Arthur, and carries on opening the rabbit’s belly, Arthur says, “Good. You see? You never know what you can do, until you try.” But she didn’t follow his instructions! He told her to cut the feet off first, which she failed to do! And even with his advice, she seems to have taken all night to skin the rabbit and get it ready for cooking. Perhaps she needed a nap in the middle!

In response to Benedicta’s accusation that the Celts are in need of a bath, Arthur neglected to point out that the Celts were fastidious about hygiene, and introduced soap to the Romans.

Instead, he tells her the Celts have only one method of washing, and – though it’s unlikely that they would have bathed fully clothed - demonstrates by tipping a pail of water over her head. Benedicta looks shocked at this treatment, but it isn’t as bad as it looks – the water was clearly warm, as can be seen by the steam.



At least one Celt woman tries to help Benedicta, giving basic advice on cooking: “Well, first you puts the rest of the meat, then the carrots. And then, last, you put the green veg, ’cause they take quickest to cook.” But she then adds all the ingredients in quick succession!

And where did she get the carrots? They weren’t to be grown in Britain for at least 1000 years!

It would have been nice to see more interaction between Benedicta and the other villagers, and find out what the ordinary Celtic folk thought of her. Perhaps when some of the women told her that the best cure for wounds was the wholly fictional “Cyrus leaves”, they were having a joke at her expense. She was lucky they didn’t send her to the forge, to ask for some elbow grease!

Despite claiming to be unable to ride, Benedicta seems to manage perfectly well when put on a horse by Kai and Llud, to come to Arthur’s village. Yet when she has her first lesson with Arthur, she's a lot more nervous, and less competent.



And when she seems to be trotting along quite happily, she suddenly, and for no obvious reason, appears to throw herself off. If this was a deliberate attempt to get Arthur's sympathy, it failed!

Meanwhile, Kai and Llud are again found drinking in the middle of the day …

Arthur’s way of breaking the news about his impending nuptials - “Best start thinking about where you will build yourself a new hut … Benedicta and I will need this one” - is a bit blunt. Arthur can only be excused on the grounds that he’s embarrassed, and doesn’t know how else to tell them.

Asking Llud to give Benedicta away, since her father cannot be present, seems oddly old-fashioned.

Kai is told to “send word to the abbot”, to marry him to Benedicta as soon as possible. But after Kai’s abortive attempts to marry Eithna and Goda, it makes one wonder whether, when someone from Arthur’s village calls for his services, the abbot even bothers to set out!

Arthur is right about moss being used for wounds, but his botanical knowledge is faulty when he speaks of Solomon’s seal winding around trees. Solomon’s seal grows on the ground, in shady areas, and has gently arching stems and dangling creamy bells.



There doesn’t seem to be any such thing as a “King Boar”, either!

Benedicta recalls the Feast of Apollo, which would have been held on the 9th of February. It sounds like a wonderful affair – “The marvellous music! And the coloured statue of Minerva my father gave to the City. And the flowers along the Aurelian wall.” But by the time Benedicta was born, her family should – at least outwardly - have been Christians.

According to Matthew Higdon⁸, after 380, when Theodosius I’s Edict of Thessalonica made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, anyone who continued to worship the traditional Roman gods could be punished by anything from imprisonment to death. Another commentator, Abu Kedem, believes the Edict may not have been so strongly enforced in Rome, but doubts that flamboyant festivals to the Olympians would have been held there, in the 5th century.

Kai seems to be trying to impress the Romans with his jewellery, but the stone in the ring he’s wearing looks like “a nugget of purest Green”!⁹



Benedicta’s intended insult when Arthur declines to go with her to Rome – “I took you for a man” – makes no sense. Parading round Rome, living in luxury, and being treated like a god, doesn’t sound especially manly!

One wonders what would have happened to Arthur, had he taken Benedicta up on her offer. Would his life with her have been as she described it? How would her doting father have felt, about his daughter being married to a “barbarian”? Might Arthur have been imprisoned, enslaved, killed, or just cast out to fend for himself and find his own way back home?

Benedicta used Rowena’s usual mount, Blackstar, to learn to ride, and is riding the same horse when she leaves Arthur’s village. Having stolen the love of Rowena’s life, she’s pinching her horse as well!

And where did Nestor get his mount? Did he make landfall further north, and steal it from Yorath on the way to Arthur’s territory? Or has Arthur just bought him a horse, to speed him on his way?

When Arthur has to watch Benedicta leave the village, Kai and Llud also drag themselves out of bed to give moral support. But when they see him sitting alone, brooding, neither of them tries to console him; they don’t even look especially sympathetic! Perhaps they realise they will be given short shrift if they go near him.



Nestor complains about women being “expected to ride like hardened cavalrymen”, but he hasn’t made any other arrangement for Benedicta. He could have tried to get hold of a cart!

Benedicta complains, “I had to catch rabbits, and skin them myself!” She seems to be exaggerating to get sympathy. We didn’t see her catch any – they were supplied!

Nestor seems a bit rash, leaving Benedicta out in the open, with just two foot-soldiers. If there were Picts, hiding in the surrounding woods, she would be a sitting target. They would have been safer sticking together.

Arthur takes the piece of cloth Benedicta left on the twig, and rides off with it. But how does this affect the superstition? Is Benedicta supposed to return to the tree, or to the cloth? Or is the spell broken?

When she leaves another piece of cloth there, Llud tells Arthur there is a “piece of fine, hand-woven fabric” on the tree. He seems to have forgotten that all fabric, in his time, is hand-woven! And his suggestion that Arthur stick his head in a butt of wine for a week does not sound sensible.

Arthur’s final line in the episode - “You never lost a leader. But you might still have to build a new hut for yourself”, is rather puzzling. Does he believe that Benedicta will return from Rome to be with him? Or has he just decided that he needs to find a wife?

Perhaps, if there had been another series, we would have seen Benedicta again.


Music

More different tracks were used in this episode than in any other so far. Arthur and Benedicta in particular, go through a huge range of emotions as their relationship evolves, each of which needs its own accompaniment. Some of the tracks used in this episode were:

Track 11, Desolation and Despair: Kai and Llud see a stranger stagger and fall.
Track 18, Celtic Girl: they see her face for the first time.
Track 20, The Fair Rowena: they set off for Arthur’s village.
Track 22, Revelry: Benedicta protests about conditions.
Track 19, Celtic Dance: Arthur visits Benedicta, and gives advice.
Track 23, Arrival of Arthur: Arthur arrives back at the village.
Playful theme, also used in “The Pupil”: Benedicta finishes preparing the rabbit.
Track 20, The Fair Rowena: Benedicta gets a bath.
Track 33, Springtime: Benedicta learns to cook and sew, and tries to mount a horse.
Track 14, Chase! – Arthur has taught Benedicta to ride.
Track 20, The Fair Rowena: Arthur and Benedicta kiss.
Track 29, Pastoral Episode: Arthur tells Benedicta about plants and their uses.
Track 32, Children’s Games: Arthur falls at Benedicta’s feet.
Track 4, Sentinels: Arthur meets Benedicta’s escort; Benedicta makes her intentions clear.
Track 30, Night Scene: Arthur won’t leave his land; the Romans depart.
Track 3, Celtic Horns/The Longships: Benedicta remembers her time with Arthur; Arthur rides after Benedicta; Nestor goes to look for Picts.
Track 6, Infiltration and Treachery: Nestor pursues Benedicta; Arthur thinks he hears something.
Track 20, The Fair Rowena: Benedicta leaves Arthur a token.
Track 30, Night Scene: Llud gives Arthur a pep talk.

The whole suite of music, beautifully written and orchestrated for the series by Paul Lewis, is now available on CD.


Cast

Arthur …………….... Oliver Tobias
Kai ……………….… Michael Gothard
Llud ………………... Jack Watson
Benedicta ………….. Catherine Schell
Nestor …………....... Noel Trevarthen

Crew

Director ………….…. Sidney Hayers
Writer ………………. Terence Feely
Executive Producer … Patrick Dromgoole
Producer ……………. Peter Miller
Associate Producer …. John Peverall
Production Manager ... Keith Evans
Post-production …….. Barry Peters
Fight Arranger ……… Peter Brayham
Cameraman ………… Graham Edgar
Camera Operator …… Roger Pearce
Editor ……………….. Don Llewellyn
Sound Recordist ……. Gordon Kethro
Art Director ………… Doug James
Assistant Director ….. Stuart Freeman
Set Dresser …………. Ken Bridgeman
Production Assistant .. Maggie Hayes
Wardrobe …..……...... Audrey MacLeod
Make-up …………….. Christine Penwarden
Incidental music …….. Paul Lewis
Theme music ………... Elmer Bernstein


¹ As shown by the torrential rain, and flooding of the location seen in “The Swordsman”, which coincided with a documented flood event in the area, in early December 1972, and the consequent mud and full drainage ditches in “The Treaty”.

² The fort was known as Lindinis.

³ In the paperback novel by Rex Edwards which accompanied the series, Arthur’s father was killed by other Celts.

⁴ According to Wikipedia, “evidence of V. vinifera vines in the British Isles dates back to the Hoxnian Stage when the climate was much warmer than it is today, British interest in wine production greatly increased following the Roman conquest of Britain in the 1st century AD. Amphoras from Italy indicate that wine was regularly transported to Britain at great expense by sea, around the Iberian Peninsula … The presence of amphora production houses found in what is now Brockley and Middlesex indicates that the British probably had vineyards of their own as well.”

⁵ At a meeting with fans in 2011, Oliver Tobias mentioned that when someone has to fall from a horse, a pit is dug where they are supposed to fall, and re-filled, so that the ground is softer to land on.

⁶ “Their mode of fighting with their chariots is this: firstly, they drive about in all directions and throw their weapons and generally break the ranks of the enemy with the very dread of their horses and the noise of their wheels; and when they have worked themselves in between the troops of horse, leap from their chariots and engage on foot. The charioteers in the meantime withdraw some little distance from the battle, and so place themselves with the chariots that, if their masters are overpowered by the number of the enemy, they may have a ready retreat to their own troops. Thus they display in battle the speed of horse, [together with] the firmness of infantry; and by daily practice and exercise attain to such expertness that they are accustomed, even on a declining and steep place, to check their horses at full speed, and manage and turn them in an instant and run along the pole, and stand on the yoke, and thence betake themselves with the greatest celerity to their chariots again.”

⁷ He cooks for Rowena and himself, in “Rowena.”

⁸ Matthew Higdon, who has a Masters in Early Christianity.

⁹ Discovered by Lord Percy Percy, in "Blackadder II".

Plot

As Arthur rides towards his village, a young man, Corin, rides out of the stockade, brandishing a sword, and sets about him. Arthur effortlessly parries every attack, unseats Corin from his horse, and tells him he should take a few lessons. Corin says that’s why he’s here.

Arthur, Kai and Llud discuss Corin’s situation over a meal. Corin explains that he needs to learn how to fight, because his village is under constant attack from the Picts. Arthur tests Corin’s reactions, and decides to teach him.

We see Arthur, Kai and Llud giving Corin lessons in how to defend himself with – and against – many different weapons.

One evening, as they discuss Corin’s swift progress, they hear the clang of metal on metal. Llud goes out to the woods, and finds Corin practising, with terrible ferocity, on the target tree, and then on the wooden dummies.

Next morning, Llud tells Arthur he thinks there’s something wrong with Corin, but Arthur is so impressed by the boy’s enthusiasm, that he dismisses Llud’s concerns.

That day, as Arthur and Kai demonstrate some sparring techniques, Corin remembers seeing his father, Mordor, fighting a hooded swordsman. Mordor disarms the unknown warrior, who then uses a deft movement with his foot to retrieve his sword, runs Mordor through, and departs. Corin goes to his father. As Mordor dies, he charges Corin with avenging his death.

When Corin comes back to the present, Arthur engages him in a practice bout, but Corin seems distracted. To make him fight more fiercely, Arthur taunts him. Corin manages to knock Arthur’s sword to the ground, and Arthur uses the toe of his boot to retrieve his sword. Corin realises that it was Arthur who killed his father.

The following morning, when Arthur and Corin practise, Corin launches a surprise attack. Arthur defends himself, and tells Corin that he is too proficient to take such risks when sparring with a partner. But when they continue, Corin fights as if against a real enemy. Eventually, Arthur trips Corin, and he lands on his behind.

Corin asks Arthur to show him the trick he used yesterday, to retrieve his sword. When Arthur drops his weapon, Corin tries to bring his own blade down on Arthur’s head, but Arthur is too quick for him.

Arthur realises that Corin is Mordor’s son, but he refuses to send him away. He wants to persuade Corin that they don’t have to be enemies.

He tries to engage Corin in a discussion about the moral responsibilities of a warrior, but Corin is only interested in perfecting the trick with the sword. When Arthur lets him demonstrate his progress, Corin launches yet another – unsuccessful – attack on Arthur.

The next day, Arthur and Llud leave Kai in charge of Corin. Kai tells Corin he is to brush up on his defensive techniques against the axe. As they spar, Kai starts fighting more fiercely, then tells Corin he means to kill him, in revenge for the destruction Mordor wreaked, including the death in battle of a good friend of Kai’s.

While pleading for his life, Corin reasons that because Kai’s friend died in battle, it was a fair fight. When Kai replies that Mordor, too, was killed in a fair fight, Corin understands, and lets go of his quest for revenge.

As he leaves Arthur’s village, Corin asks his three mentors to consider what they would do, if one of them were to be killed. Arthur and Kai admit that they don’t know whether they would seek revenge. Llud remembers the day he found his homestead in flames, his son dead, and his wife dying, after a Saxon raid.

As his wife expires in his arms, Llud turns and sees a Saxon boy – young Kai – standing nearby. He cant bring himself to strike the boy down, and when he tries to send him away, Kai follows him. Llud then learns that both Kai’s parents are dead, so he adopts him.

As Corin is riding home, Arthur catches up with him, and mounts a mock-attack; Corin defends himself to Arthur’s satisfaction, and the two ride off together, Arthur intending to continue Corin’s lessons.


Timeline

"The Pupil" appears after "The Games" on the "Konig Arthur" DVDs and in the "Konig Arthur" book. Seasonal cues also suggest this order. The trees are relatively bare, and darkness fell early enough that artificial lighting was needed for the scene where Arthur tries to talk to Corin about the ethics of a warrior.

In 1972, the daughter of one of Michael's friends visited Woollard, and saw parts of two episodes being filmed. She says, “they were not filming it in proper order. We spent two days there, and they were finishing ‘The Pupil’ with Peter Firth, then leaping on to ‘The Wood People’, then going back to ‘The Pupil.’”

Suggested shooting order so far

Arthur is Dead
Daughter of the King
The Challenge
The Gift of Life
Enemies and Lovers
In Common Cause
The Penitent Invader
The Slaves
People of the Plough
Go Warily
The Prisoner
The Duel
Rowena
Some Saxon Women
The Marriage Feast
The Prize
Six Measures of Silver/Rolf the Preacher
The Games
The Pupil/The Wood People


Locations

Most of the sparring takes place outside the stockade on the south east side of the village at Woollard, though some was filmed in a nearby copse.



Camera operator Roger Pearce remembers filming Peter Firth "under a stone bridge or culvert ... very close to the weir" - the one across which Kai swims in "In Common Cause".



As to the fight in the Long House, Roger says, "I can’t remember why we remained inside. It may have been scripted that way or, indeed if the weather was poor, a decision would have been taken to do it there." More of Roger's memories can be found here.

The structures that make up Llud’s homestead, seen in flames during his flashback, appear to be the ones that made up Freya and Rulf's homestead in "People of the Plough."




Inside information

Michael Gothard's adopted sister, Wendy, recalls: “Arthur of the Britons does reveal a fair amount of the "real" Michael … In ‘The Pupil’, that lovely, lovely smile and laugh right at the beginning was typical Michael. You just had to smile with him when he smiled. It lit up a room.”



More of her memories can be found here.

When asked whether it was scary having Jack Watson yelling at him, Timothy Peverall, who played "Young Kai" in the flashback scene, replied, “Very much so - and he was a family friend! The scene with Jack Watson was one take, I'm sure! He was very convincing, I'll never forget that.”

More of Tim's memories can be found here.

Roger Pearce says that while waiting to film near the weir, he and Peter Firth "chatted about girls between takes"!


Cast notes

Peter Firth was already known to children’s TV, as Scooper, in comedy series, “Here Come the Double-Deckers.” His role as Corin must have been a bit of a change of pace!



In 1985, Peter Firth was to work with Michael Gothard again, on the cult sci-fi film “Lifeforce”. Peter is perhaps best known for his role as Harry Pearce in the spy drama series, “Spooks.”


Re-working the legend

In the Arthurian legend, only the infant Arthur is adopted; Merlin gives him to Ector, who raises him as a brother to Kay, who is Ector's own son. But like the Sir Kay of Arthurian tradition, Kai becomes one of Arthur’s stalwart allies.

According to Executive Producer, Patrick Dromgoole, “Corin was an echo of the evil Mordred, underlined by the choice of his father’s name.” More of Patrick Dromgoole’s memories can be found here.


Family Ties

The last insight we were given into Kai’s past came in “The Prisoner”, when, prompted by childhood friend, Roland, Kai remembered the times they shared in their home village. In “The Pupil”, the final piece of Kai’s – and Llud’s – backstory slots into place.

The flashback at the end of the episode reveals that Llud had a wife and son of his own, but both were killed during a raid by the Saxons. Llud asks a young lad, left standing in the burning ruins of his village, where his father is. Young Kai points to a body. His father must have taken him along on the raid, because – as young Kai reveals with a shake of his head – his mother is already dead.

Corin, too, is an orphan of war; his father, Mordor, was killed by Arthur, who is realistic enough to acknowledge that Corin will always see his father as a hero. Though Arthur and Kai know better, Corin insists that Mordor, “was no butcher.”

In fact, this episode is about a pair of very different fathers and sons: Mordor, who, with his dying words – “Avenge me” – lays a terrible burden upon his teenage son, and Llud, who, in the moments after the loss of his wife, resists the temptation to take out his pain on the son of his enemy, and chooses to care for him instead.



When Llud tousles young Kai’s hair, it harks back to Kai, tousling Krist’s hair, in “The Gift of Life.”



Back then, Kai had been reluctant to take on the temporary care of the “Saxon brats”, but Arthur had reminded him of how Llud looked after him as a child. In "The Pupil", we finally learn how that came about.


Arthur’s wisdom

Knowledge of Arthur’s strategy of forming a network of alliances has already spread far and wide. Corin demonstrates this when he suggests to Arthur, “Teach me to fight and I will return to my village and teach them what I have learnt. Then instead of being weak sisters, we will be a granite stone in the wall of your defences.”

Less well-known, but equally important to Arthur, is a philosophy based on honesty, and purity of motive: “Be clear in your heart that your cause is just. … Hate and malice are bad counsellors for the fighting man.” Later, he follows Corin with the aim of teaching him “when, and why” he should choose to fight.


The perfect lieutenant

None of Corin’s three tutors wants to kill him, but the young man’s determination to kill Arthur puts them in a difficult position.

As Mordor’s killer, Arthur will never be able to get through to Corin, but neither can he bring himself to despatch the son, as well as the father. And Llud probably couldn’t kill Corin, who is little more than a child, or stand by while it happened. So Arthur decides to take Llud away with him, and tells Kai, “… you stay here. We’ll be back by nightfall.”

No wonder Kai looks pensive; without being given the order, he knows exactly what is expected of him. In “Enemies and Lovers”, he executed Goda, with whom he had been in love; however much he might hate it, both he and Arthur know that he is capable of killing in cold blood. And if he can’t persuade Corin to give up his quest for vengeance, there might be no alternative.



Perhaps Mordor really did kill “a very dear friend” of Kai’s in battle, or perhaps Kai invented the story to make his point. What matters, is that Corin believes it, and makes the only argument he can in his defence: “it was a fair fight.” Kai is no doubt relieved that Corin’s epiphany regarding Mordor’s death spares him from getting blood on his hands again.


Dark Age Men

When Corin isn’t fighting very well, Arthur asks him, “What are you? A nursemaid?” and threatens to send him “to play with the girls.”

Oliver Tobias is actually reported to have encouraged his daughters, Anjelika and Celeste, to learn a martial art for self-defence.


Don’t call me old!

Llud's not afraid to admit that "Even the greatest warrior needs sleep", but he seems to have great fun teaching Corin, and he doesn’t pull his punches!



His famous nose twitches – he’s the first to realise, “there’s something wrong with the boy.”


Dressed to kill?

For most of the episode, Arthur is wearing his new dark brown studded tunic, with the circular designs on the chest; Llud is in his green shirt and studded tunic, and Kai wears the pale blue shirt, and the green jacket with the big furry sleeves. When Kai has to fight, he sheds the two jackets in favour of a light suede affair.



These are basically the same costumes they wear for two scenes in the concurrently-filmed episode, “The Wood People”: the hearing around the longhouse table, and the scene where they bid farewell to their guests.



Corin’s flashback is the first scene in which we see Arthur wearing a cloak with the hood up.




Great moments

The expression on Arthur’s face as he is incompetently attacked by Corin is priceless.



The blocking, and the interaction between the characters, during the initial discussion in the longhouse, is interesting. Arthur and Corin sit on either side of a low table, but Arthur’s status is emphasised by his big chair, compared to Corin’s three-legged stool. But Kai is sitting higher up, and Llud is standing. When considering Corin’s request, Arthur first looks up at Llud for his opinion, as though he were the most qualified to judge. Llud, apparently non-committal, defers to Kai; Arthur looks up at Kai, who very slightly shrugs one shoulder. Only then does Arthur make the final decision, by testing Corin’s reactions.



There are some great scenes where the actors show off their weapons skills in teaching Corin to fight, and a few nice domestic scenes, such as the one above, where Kai is fettling his axe.

Peter Firth – who was 19 at the time – was convincing as the recalcitrant teenager, looking angry and flustered when he can’t get the better of Arthur, and giving monosyllabic responses to Arthur’s discussion points.



In the fabulous scene where Kai brutally turns on Corin in an attempt to save his life, Corin looks absolutely terrified, as well he might.





The moment Llud lowers his sword, and ruffles young Kai’s hair, is very touching.


‘That is bloody dangerous!’

Arthur tips Corin off his horse, and later grabs his sword from behind his chair, and slams it down towards Corin’s head. Corin tips himself back off his stool onto the floor, to avoid the blow.





Kai’s axe-blade, even when wrapped in cloth, is still heavy and dangerous. Llud throws a spear and hits Corin in the stomach. On more than one occasion, Corin attacks Arthur.





Kai has a lot of axes to choose from!



His fight with Corin is quite brutal, and the furniture takes a bit of a beating.




Quote/unquote

Corin: Thought I should learn from the best.

Corin: I couldn’t hold my own against a new-born calf.

Llud: Even the greatest warrior needs sleep.

Arthur: Don’t draw back! That tells your enemy your mind.

Kai: Your shield arm should be as deft and quick as the one that holds the sword.

Arthur: Thought’s good in a warrior. Not if it keeps him awake.

Arthur: A fighting man in practice has a duty to be careful.

Arthur: Skill at arms brings a great responsibility with it – never to wield a sword slyly … or ignobly. Be clear in your heart that your cause is just. … Hate and malice are bad counsellors for the fighting man. In the end, they will destroy him … If a man has a quarrel, he must state it openly ... and not strike like a snake. His enemy may have things to be said on his side, too.

Kai: It’s different today, isn’t it? It’s always different when you’re fighting for your life.

Corin: I’m a man. You could have talked to me like a man.

Llud: … if men always thought as men, it would mean that we were already in paradise.


On the table

Chicken and pears.




“A man on a horse is worth ten on foot”

Arthur rides Bernie; reliable Trooper is entrusted with Corin.

See also: The Equine Stars of "Arthur of the Britons" and The horses of "Arthur of the Britons": quick reference ID pictures.


What’s going on here?

When Corin first attacks Arthur, he appears to have ridden out of the stockade to do so. What was he doing in there? Had he already introduced himself to Kai and Llud? If not, the sentries need a good talking to!



Corin claims he can’t defend himself, so he’s lucky to have made it safely from the land of the Picts, six or seven days’ ride away, on his own.

And if the Picts live so far away, they must have been very determined when they came all that way south, on foot, to attack Arthur’s people in “The Penitent Invader”; one wonders what he did to annoy them so much!

It’s hardly surprising Corin has difficulty when practising with the dummies; the sword Arthur gives him is almost as big as he is!



Arthur says he recognised Corin as Mordor’s son because Corin made the same mistake as his father. He never explains what that was.

Even when Corin has made several attempts on Arthur’s life, no one suggests that Arthur should kill him, even though Corin has left him with few options.

This episode is the first and only time we see anyone doing weapons drills indoors. Arthur and Llud were to be back by nightfall, so presumably, Kai’s final fight with Corin is supposed to have taken place during daylight hours, when one might expect them to do their sparring outside. Perhaps as the nights drew in, the cast and crew ran out of time to film the scene outdoors. However, the chosen setting certainly makes the scene claustrophobic and intense, so perhaps it was a deliberate choice.

If Corin’s father was such a brute as everyone (except Corin) thinks he was, it seems odd that the rest of the men of the village are such poor fighters.

Corin complains that his tutors should have talked to him like a man, instead of play-acting. But Arthur did try very hard to get through to him, to no avail.

The question Corin asks Arthur, Kai and Llud – what they would do, if one of them were slain – is pertinent. Llud says he “answered that question a long time ago”, but that’s not strictly true. Taking revenge by killing the person who was actually responsible for your friend or relative’s death is not the same as killing that person’s innocent child.

You would think that as Llud’s wife lay dying, he would have called her by name, instead of just addressing her as, “Wife … Wife!” Sadly, her identity - like that of the Saxon Leader, in “The Wood People” - remains a mystery!




Music

The whole suite of music, beautifully written and orchestrated for the series by Paul Lewis, is now available on CD. Oddly, the music used when Corin first attacks Arthur, and when Arthur and Mordor fight, does not seem to have been included on the CD.

Some of the music tracks used in this episode were:

Track 22, Revelry: Corin spars with Arthur.
Track 19, Celtic Dance: Corin learns the spear.
Track 4, Sentinels: Corin remembers.
Track 6, Infiltration and Treachery: Corin is serious; Kai and Llud express concern.
Track 30, Night Scene: Corin departs; Llud remembers.
Track 16, Danger Mounts: Llud spares Young Kai.
Track 27, Apotheosis: Arthur catches up with Corin.


Cast

Arthur ……………....... Oliver Tobias
Kai ……………….…... Michael Gothard
Llud ………………...... Jack Watson
Corin …………….….... Peter Firth
Llud’s wife …………... Trisha Mortimer
Mordor ……………...... Gerry Wain
Young Kai ……………. Tim Peverall

Crew

Director ………….…... Sidney Hayers
Writer .……………….. Terence Feely
Executive Producer ….. Patrick Dromgoole
Producer ……………... Peter Miller
Associate Producer ….. John Peverall
Production Manager … Keith Evans
Post-production ……... Barry Peters
Fight Arranger ………. Peter Brayham
Cameraman …………. Graham Edgar
Camera Operator …..... Roger Pearce
Editor ………………... Barry Peters
Sound recordist …….... Gordon Kethro
Art Director …………. Doug James
Assistant Director …... Stuart Freeman
Production Assistant ... Maggie Hayes
Costume Design .……. Audrey MacLeod
Make-up …………….. Christine Penwarden
Incidental music …….. Paul Lewis
Theme music ………... Elmer Bernstein

Plot

Rolf the Penitent has arrived at Mark of Cornwall’s village, preaching love and peace. When Mark hits him, he persuades the villagers of his sincerity by offering his other cheek, and they throw down their weapons. Mark goes to Arthur for help.

Arthur doesn’t see why Mark’s problem is any of his concern, but when one of Arthur's lieutenants asks for permission for some of the men to go and hear Rolf preaching, he decides to come up with a plan.

Mark returns to his village, and pretends he has come round to Rolf’s way of thinking. But to Rolf’s chagrin, he takes the message of non-violence to its logical conclusion, and declares that no more animals shall be killed in Cornwall, and therefore no more meat can be eaten.

As Arthur and Kai ride toward Mark’s village, Kai checks that he’s heard right - he has Arthur’s permission to “be as free as he likes” with the girls of Mark’s village.

Meanwhile, Mark’s people are complaining bitterly about dining on herb stew. The women blame Rolf, but he assures the men that their wives and daughters will come round to their way of thinking.

Then Arthur and Kai ride into the village, bringing a dead boar; Arthur tells one of the women, Maeven, to cook it for them. Kai sends her friend Gladwen to help her.

When Mark shows Arthur the hut where Rolf has taken up residence, Arthur commandeers it, and Kai throws Rolf’s bedding out. Mark pretends he’s going to break their heads, but Rolf stops him.

Later, the men of the village sit gloomily eating herb stew, while their womenfolk sprawl around Arthur and Kai, noisily enjoying flirtation and roast boar. Arthur and Kai try to provoke the women’s husbands into picking a fight, but Rolf persuades the men to ignore them.

Rolf asks Arthur why he is trying to destroy his work. Arthur explains that if Rolf succeeds, their villages will fall to their enemies.

While Rolf sits apart, meditating, Mark, worried by news that a Saxon force is approaching his territory, surreptitiously starts a brawl between the men, in an attempt to get his men to take up arms again. He keeps it going, with a trip here, and a push there, until Rolf notices what’s going on, and wades in to put a stop to it.

Next morning, the men and women of the village are back together, still complaining about the herb stew. Arthur thinks they will soon give up their peaceful lifestyle, but then Rolf arrives, with supplies, including a dead boar.

The villagers happily start preparing the food.  Mark and Arthur question Rolf’s sincerity, but he tells them that he got everything by non-violent means - the people in the neighbouring village recognised him, and fled, leaving the supplies behind, and the boar died when it fell into a ravine.

Arthur says they must wait until Rolf again runs out of meat, but Mark wants to kill him. When Arthur vetoes this plan, Mark produces Lendor, a villager from a nearby hamlet, who accuses Rolf of taking the boar by force. Feigning anger at Rolf’s hypocrisy, Mark demands that he defend himself, and raises his sword to strike at him.

Arthur intervenes, then he and Mark stage a convincing fight, with Arthur losing. Finally, Rolf comes to Arthur’s defence, eventually knocking Mark out cold.

Mark’s people, and Rolf himself, are shocked to see Mark lying unconscious, possibly dead. As Rolf cradles Mark’s head, Arthur tells the watching crowd that Rolf’s message of peace is essentially correct, but one can only give up violence when everyone else does the same.

Next morning, as Rolf leaves Mark’s village, Mark, evidently recovered, catches up with him, and asks Rolf who started the thing about turning the other cheek. Rolf is delighted to talk about Jesus.

Finally, after the expected skirmish between Mark’s men and the Saxon force, a lone Saxon survivor runs from cover. Mark catches him, but rather than killing him, just knocks him into the river, and warns him not to come back. Mark then chases after his astonished men, and administers a mighty kick in the breeches to each and every one of them.


Timeline

This episode includes two references to “The Penitent Invader”. Mark says, “He’s more dangerous now than when he was a bandit.  It was Llud who made him turn to converted.  Now he must put him back the way he was before”, and Rolf says his sword, “belonged to my brother.  He was slain when I involved him in a battle with the Picts.”

This clearly indicates that it should be placed later in the timeline. But how much later?

In the UK, “Rolf the Preacher” was shown eighth, as part of Series 1, but on the German “Konig Arthur” DVDs, it is fifteenth, appearing after “Rowena”, “Some Saxon Women”, “The Prisoner” and “The Duel.”



Other considerations, including vegetation, and the obviously cooler mornings, suggest that this episode was filmed after all of those episodes, and also after "The Marriage Feast", "The Prize", and possibly, "Six Measures of Silver."  One reason for showing it earlier might be the nature of the plot, which involves some of the protagonists provoking others, to get the result they want.  "The Marriage Feast", and "The Games", also rely on this plot device, so it may have been thought best not to show all three too close together.

Also, HTV may have wanted the viewers to remember Rolf from his previous appearance, in "The Penitent Invader."  If "Rolf the Preacher" had been shown a year later, as part of Series 2, that would have been less likely.

The fact that Llud does not appear in “Rolf the Preacher”, and that Arthur and Kai make only a token appearance in “Six Measures of Silver”, suggests that HTV may have been working on the two episodes concurrently.  When Arthur and Kai do appear, they are wearing most of the same clothes as in “Rolf the Preacher”, so that scene, at least, was probably filmed at around the same time.



Suggested shooting order so far

Arthur is Dead
Daughter of the King
The Challenge
The Gift of Life
Enemies and Lovers
In Common Cause
The Penitent Invader
The Slaves
People of the Plough
Go Warily
The Prisoner
The Duel
Rowena
Some Saxon Women
The Marriage Feast
The Prize
Six Measures of Silver/Rolf the Preacher


Locations

As in "The Marriage Feast", most of the action takes place in Mark of Cornwall’s village, still set in the village at Woollard.  The north side of the location, where much of the action is concentrated, is much more enclosed than it was earlier in the series. Below, you can see the two huts to the north east of the site, first filmed in "The Gift of Life." Back then, they were in the open; now they are within the palisade.



The circular shelter, which, a couple of weeks ago, served as Mark of Cornwall's marriage bower, has lost much of its former glory; perhaps Mark took out his rage upon it later!




Inside Information

Mark of Cornwall argues convincingly against eating meat. “Even the least of life’s creatures shall be safe … No more cattle shall be slain. The boar shall be safe from the spear … No more feasting on the fruits of violence! … No more meat shall be eaten. There shall be peace in life for all living things! … Is the bull strong? And does the bull kill to eat? Is the horse strong? It can carry a man for fifty leagues. And does the horse eat its fellow creatures?”

This was probably spoken from the heart; Brian Blessed, who is involved in animal rescue, is now reported to be a vegetarian, though he was seen eating meat earlier in this series.

In an interview, Brian remembered director Sid Hayers offering one of the extras fifty quid, to let Brian throw him in the river. The extra – a student – agreed. When Brian threw him in, his furs and sheepskins instantly became waterlogged, and he sunk like a stone, and had to be rescued!   This incident probably occurred during the filming of the final scene in "Rolf the Preacher.

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Cast notes

Patti Love, who gave an unrestrained performance as the rambunctious Gladwen, went on to show that building up your part isn’t necessarily a bad career move!  In 1978 she played a leading role, as Boudicca’s daughter Tasca, in “Warrior Queen” – once again working with Michael Gothard, who played the Druid priest, Volthan. She appears to have had a long and successful career, as has Meg Davies, who played Maeven.



One of the last screen appearances by Robert Tayman (Maeven’s husband - in the brown checked tunic), was an un-credited role in “The Stud” – which starred Oliver Tobias. Mr Tayman now mainly works in theatre, and has given workshops on Shakespeare and Stanislavsky in the USA and Eastern Europe, under the name “Robert Taylor Tayman.”

This is the third episode from which Jack Watson’s character, Llud, is absent,¹  perhaps working with another crew, and Gila von Weitershausen, on "Six Measures of Silver."


"By the Gods!"

This episode looks again at the question raised in “People of the Plough”; is it ever right to use violence?

In “People of the Plough”, it was just one man - Rulf, a Saxon - who refused to fight, even to defend himself, because in a rage, he had killed his brother.  In “Rolf the Preacher”, all of Mark of Cornwall’s men lay down their arms, because Rolf has persuaded them to take the path of peace. It is up to Arthur and Mark to try to dissuade them from leaving their lands open to invasion.

Rolf argues that, “The Lord showed me that he who strikes his fellow man is no better than a ravening wolf.” In fact, his transformation from wolf to peacenik was brought about by Arthur.  In “The Penitent Invader”, Arthur tricked Rolf into a battle with the Picts, in which Rolf lost his brother, and many of his friends.

Mark’s philosophy – if such it can be called – is that, “The world is a battlefield”, and “No man can return love for hate.”  But when Rolf leads by example, turning the other cheek, even when Mark knocks him to the ground, Mark’s men choose Rolf’s way.

Whether Arthur considers himself a Christian is unclear, but he has a working knowledge of the Bible, misquoting Genesis 4.9 when he says of Rolf, “I’m not his keeper”, and telling Mark that, for his plan to work, “First, like John the Baptist, you must pave the way.”  This does rather imply that Arthur thinks of himself as the Messiah!

Mark returns to his village, a picture of contrition, saying he has been “in the wilderness”, and Rolf accepts him into the fold, quoting Luke 15.7: “there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents”. But he is less than happy when Mark interprets his message of peace as a call to end all violence, and embrace vegetarianism.

As so often, Rolf lets his earthly desires rule him.  In an effort to deter Mark from this moral choice, he claims that “the holy word does say ‘moderation in all things’”. However, others attribute that particular sentiment to Aristotle, and according to one source, “there is no direct quotation matching the proverb”.

During Rolf’s final confrontation with Mark, he claims that, “If you want to learn about Christianity, you must try the other side too. Now I give, and you take.”  This does not seem to appear anywhere in the Bible!

Still, the Christian message isn’t completely lost on Mark. As Rolf leaves, presumably to take his teachings elsewhere, he is surprised and pleased when Mark catches up with him, and asks about his beliefs. “That thing – about turning the other cheek – it takes a lot of iron. Who started it?”

And at the end of the episode, Mark, having killed all but one of the attacking Saxons, lets the last one go, with the message that, “next time, I won’t turn the other cheek!” This is an improvement on his behaviour in “The Prisoner”, when he wanted to have Roland stoned to death, but on this occasion, he hadn’t lost a single man in the battle, so perhaps that helps account for his charitable attitude.


Dark Age Men

“I just want to get it quite clear. For once I can be as free as I like with the girls of the village, and there’ll be no reproaches?”

“Not from me.”

Arthur and Kai ride into the village like outlaws in a western film, whooping and hollering, then try to use the women as leverage, to make their menfolk take up arms again. 

Arthur speaks to Maeven as if she were his personal servant: “Hey, Woman! Get that over a fire. We’re hungry!” “Come on, Woman – don’t stand about”, and slaps her bottom with his sword. Kai treats Gladwen in much the same way. When their husbands object, Arthur and Kai threaten them, with sword and axe.

Maeven and Gladwen are quite happy to do the bidding of the newcomers, who seem like more fun than their husbands. Having lured all the women away, Arthur tries to provoke the men further, by telling Rolf, “you’re a magician – you can turn men into milkmaids!”


The best laid plans …

Arthur’s plan to taunt Mark’s men into violence fails dismally. Rolf manages to convince the men that Arthur and Kai’s interest in their wives is not serious, and after a day of mild debauchery, the women rejoin their husbands. When they are all heartily sick of the sight of herb stew, Rolf contrives to obtain meat without actually doing the killing himself.

In the end, just as Rolf’s apparent sincerity convinced them to throw down their swords, Mark’s exposure of Rolf’s inability to stick to his pledge of non-violence eventually makes them lose their faith, in time to defend themselves against the Saxons.


Arthur’s wisdom

As soon as Arthur hears his own men ask to hear Rolf preach, he see the threat. But he is torn. He would love to be able to live in peace. At the end of, “In Common Cause”, he offered Cerdig a truce, based on respect of a common border, though he had little hope that the Saxon leader would respect such an agreement.  In “Some Saxon Women”, he managed to maintain his peace treaty with Yorath, though it was stretched almost to breaking point.

When Mark’s people abandon Rolf’s teachings, Arthur admits, “Rolf is right. Violence is evil. And if everyone thought like Rolf, the world would be a better place. But everyone doesn’t think like Rolf, and until they do, we must defend ourselves, and our kin, as Rolf defended me just now. If we do not, others will come and take our land. We will perish, and any good that we might bring into this world will perish with us.”

As the villagers are already convinced, there is no real need for him to make this concession, but it does two things: it makes him seem gracious in victory, and it avoids making an enemy of Rolf, who may have lost this round, but could still prove a dangerous enemy in future.


“Night-night, Kiddies!”

Yet again, we have an episode with quite an adult tone.  Rolf admits, “I was a killer. I raped, and I plundered.” Younger viewers may have wondered what on earth Gladwen was up to!



When Kai tells Maeven “If your husband won’t look after you, someone else must!” he is clearly referring to more than just feeding her, as he grabs her and kisses her on the mouth. She then says, “My husband’s watching”: a line that could have come from a soft porn film.

Emerging from the giggling pile of admiring women, Arthur asks Gladwen whether she’s worried about her husband; she lewdly replies, “Well, he’s not going to be much good to me on herb soup!” and Arthur and Kai’s groupies tumble in an unruly heap.

Kai’s offer of “more meat, Ladies!” is the icing on the cake!


The hot-headed side-kick

Both Arthur and Kai spend much of the episode behaving badly, in a good cause, and seem to enjoy it. But Kai doesn’t forget that there is a serious purpose behind their shenanigans. The minute he sees Rolf with his hand on a sword, Kai begins to draw his own, ready to back Arthur up.



When Mark is kicking Arthur around, Rolf’s first thought is, “Where’s Kai?”  Only when he hears that Kai is on sentry duty, does Rolf decide he will have to step in.


Great moments

When Rolf offers Mark his other cheek, Mark, looks as if he has just seen his granny enjoying congress with a goat.



Mark, immediately following up his declaration that “There shall be peace in life for all living things!” by kicking one of his men up the arse.



Arthur and Kai careering into town like bandits riding into Deadwood, Kai, throwing out Rolf’s bedding, and Mark, slyly starting a fight.



Arthur, seemingly starting to enjoy this battle of wits with Rolf.



Arthur, rather pretentiously saying Rolf will “be even stronger in death than in life”, and Mark’s more realistic “They’ll forget him before he’s cold!”

And the smile that lights up Rolf's face, when Mark asks to be told about Jesus!


Celts and Saxons

The Saxons are but an abstract threat for much of the episode, and when they do finally put in a sheepskin-clad appearance, Mark’s men easily defeat them.


Quote/unquote

Rolf: Believe me Friends, when hate is banished, life is sweet.

Rolf: Man is made strong by strong heart; not by the sword.

Mark: No man can return love for hate! The world is a battlefield.

Mark: He shall live from the things that the gods provide; the things that grow in the earth.

Mark: Even the least of life’s creatures shall be safe.

Mark: No more feasting on the fruits of violence!

Mark: No more meat shall be eaten. There shall be peace in life for all living things!

Mark: Is the bull strong? And does the bull kill to eat? Is the horse strong? It can carry a man for fifty leagues. And does the horse eat its fellow creatures?

Rolf: There can be no half-measures in the way of peace.

Rolf: No! What’s the comfort of a bed, compared to the great work?

Arthur: Holy men can sleep anywhere.

Rolf: Good cannot be defended by evil.

Rolf: Peace is not easy. It must be worked for.

Kai: Some more meat, Ladies!

Mark: No one makes a fool of Mark of Cornwall!


"That is bloody dangerous!"

There are a great many fights in this episode.

Mark hits Rolf.



Mark starts a general brawl.



Mark is about to hit Rolf again, but Arthur intervenes.





Oliver Tobias wore a lot of padding, so that Brian Blessed could give him a really good kicking!



Mark hits Rolf again.



Rolf retaliates; but where did he learn all the fancy martial arts moves?







Finally, the extras bear the brunt of Mark's fury – one being thrown in the river, and probably receiving extra pay to compensate, while the others receive the caring treatment they’ve come to expect from Mark of Cornwall.




Dressed to kill?

Mark of Cornwall wears the tunic with studs all over it, seen previously in “The Prisoner.” Rolf is clad in his usual priestly garb, including purple leggings.

At the beginning of the episode, Arthur wears a cream cheesecloth shirt with an embroidered collar, and the very roughly made suede jacket, seen in “In Common Cause.” For his visit to Mark of Cornwall’s village, he adds the big fur robe from King Athel’s throne! He also wears a cowl.





Kai starts off wearing a brown woolly cardigan, with a Celtic design on the trimming. For the journey, he dons a new mustard coloured tunic, with huge furry sleeves, and his big fur-trimmed cloak. The sleeves look very similar to the ones this Saxon is wearing in “Rowena.” Perhaps Kai is wearing the whole jacket under the tunic.




“A man on a horse is worth ten on foot”

Once again, we see Kai emulate Arthur’s showy dismount – leg flung over the horse’s neck and a slide down. But Arthur dismounts on the horse's off-side, presumably because of the camera angles.



Mark of Cornwall rides Pinkie, Arthur rides Bernie, and Kai rides Merlin. When Rolf arrives with stolen booty, he is leading Outlander, but when he leaves Mark’s village, he is leading Flame.


On the table

During the scene when Mark returns to his village, the meat on the spit undergoes a couple of … ahem … incarnations ...   Before he arrives, there is almost a whole pig roasting. By the time Mark comes to throw it in the fire, is seems to have turned into a chicken.



Perhaps it got damaged while filming a number of re-takes of the scene where Mark pitches the spit into the fire - or perhaps the cast just got hungry! Probably all that herb stew …

Kai is hungry too; he steals an apple from one of the villagers.




Honourable mention

Clive Revill and Brian Blessed, for their - as usual - splendidly OTT performances.


What’s going on here?

What is Rolf doing in Mark's village in the first place? Has he just turned up late, intending to officiate at Mark's wedding to Rowena?

And why doesn’t Mark just boot him out? Perhaps, having lost face last week by losing his bride and her lands, he is worried that his men will turn against him. But would they dare?

Mark mistakenly blames Llud for Rolf’s conversion to Christianity. “Now he must put him back the way he was before.”  But Llud isn’t even a Christian. It was Arthur’s trick, which resulted in the death of Rolf's brother, that led Rolf to reject violence.

Rolf blames himself, saying his brother “was slain when I involved him in a battle with the Picts.” He seems to hold no grudge against Arthur for this; perhaps even now, Rolf doesn’t realise that Arthur engineered that particular battle.

Before they arrive at Mark's village, Kai's question: "For once I can be as free as I like with the girls of the village, and there’ll be no reproaches?" seems a bit odd. Kai doesn't usually wait for Arthur's permission to be free with the girls of any village!  But perhaps Arthur decided to lay some ground rules, after the trouble they had with Goda.

Or perhaps he just thinks Kai has terrible taste! The first woman Kai decides to give a smacker on the mouth, and call "My Pretty" - a wench called Gladwen - appears to be the unofficial village idiot.



Rolf’s sword is pretty weak if Arthur can break it over his knee.



And would it be cynical to suggest that the rather threadbare boar Rolf brings in to satisfy his flock, is the same one Arthur brought in earlier?




Music

Some of the music tracks used in this episode were:

Track 15, At Dead of Night: Mark paves the way.
Track 20, The Fair Rowena: ladling herb stew.
Track 23, Arrival of Arthur: Arthur and Kai ride into town.
Track 32, Children’s Games: Kai meets Gladwen.
Track 22, Revelry: Arthur and Kai lure the women away.
Track 15, At Dead of Night: Rolf confronts Arthur.
Track 10, Battle on Horseback: Mark starts a fight.
Track 17, Pensive moment: peace is restored.
Track 15, At Dead of Night: Rolf and Arthur talk.
Track 16, Danger Mounts: Rolf attacks Mark.
Track 3, Celtic Horns/The Longships: Arthur speaks in Rolf’s defence.
Track 13, In All Weathers: Mark asks Rolf about his beliefs.
Track 16, Danger Mounts: after the Saxon attack.

The whole suite of music, beautifully written and orchestrated for the series by Paul Lewis, is now available on CD.


Cast

Arthur …………….... Oliver Tobias
Kai ……………….… Michael Gothard
Rolf ……………….... Clive Revill
Mark of Cornwall ….. Brian Blessed
Maeven …………….. Meg Davies
Gladwen ….…........... Patti Love
First man …………… Robert Tayman
Second man ……….... Keith Varnier
Lendor ……................ Hugh Smith-Marriot

Crew

Director ………….….. Sidney Hayers
Story ………………... Terence Feely
Executive Producer …. Patrick Dromgoole
Producer …………….. Peter Miller
Associate Producer …. John Peverall
Production Manager … Keith Evans
Post-production ……... Barry Peters
Fight Arranger ……… Peter Brayham
Cameraman …………. Bob Edwards
Camera Operator ……. Brian Morgan
Editor ……………….. Don Llewellyn
Sound recordist ……... Mike Davey
Dubbing mixer ……… John Cross
Art Director …………. Doug James
Assistant Director …… Keith Knott
Production Assistant … Maggie Hayes
Costume Design .……. Audrey MacLeod
Make-up …………….. Christine Penwarden
Incidental music …….. Paul Lewis
Theme music ………... Elmer Bernstein

Plot

The episode starts with Arthur, up to his chest in a river, putting the end of a hollow reed into his mouth, and sinking beneath the surface. He is hiding from a group of Saxon warriors, who wear distinctive shark-fin helmets. Their leader, Hoxel, and Cubert, his second-in-command, conclude that Arthur must have drowned. When they give up the search, Arthur emerges, gasping for breath.

Some time later, Arthur finds Mark of Cornwall, testing out some mail shirts. He advises Mark against buying something that will slow him down, asks for the loan of Mark’s Saxon longboat, then tricks him into coming along on an expedition, to steal some treasure from a Saxon base, upstream.

Thinly disguised as Saxons, Arthur, Mark, and sixteen of Mark’s men make their way up-river. Some friendly-looking Saxons wave to them, and Arthur cheerily waves back.

Further on, Arthur tells Mark to set him down on the bank, to check which branch of the river they need to follow. Instead, Arthur goes to meet his man, Baldur, who says that Hoxel wants Arthur to surrender his village, in exchange for some unspecified prize. Saying that he’ll reply tomorrow, Arthur returns to the boat.

The longboat moves deeper into Saxon territory. They row past a group of Saxon warriors - including some wearing shark-fin helmets - without incident, and Arthur refuses to stop for food or rest, until they have left them far behind. But when they finally stop and take a nap, their two sentries fail to spot the Saxons creeping up on them.

Arthur notices the longboat moving away from the shore. He wakes Mark; they swim out, and haul themselves aboard. Several Saxons attack, and while Arthur and Mark are fighting them off, more Saxons attack and kill the rest of the Celts, leaving Arthur and Mark alone in the boat.

Baldur returns to Hoxel, and tries to stall for time, but Hoxel sticks to his demand. If Arthur refuses to give up his village, Kai and Llud - who are tied to nearby trees - will be hunted and killed, tomorrow.

Now there’s just the two of them, Mark thinks that he and Arthur should just go home, but Arthur persuades Mark that they can still take the treasure. To avoid detection, they will use a narrow stream which runs off the main river, and re-joins further up. Arthur still hasn’t revealed his real purpose.

Next morning, Kai and Llud speculate about their chances of survival; Kai doubts that Arthur will arrive in time to save them.

Meanwhile, Arthur and Mark try desperately to free their boat, which is stuck in the mud. Mark is about to give up, but Arthur persuades him to try a new tactic. They succeed in freeing the boat, and continue their journey.

While Llud passes the time by telling Kai how to tickle trout, Arthur and Mark continue to row. As they get closer, Hoxel has Llud and Kai untied from their trees, then manacled together.

Mark suggests hiding the boat and waiting for dark, before raiding the Saxon camp, but Arthur says their Saxon disguise will be enough to get them in.

Hoxel tells his prisoners that they can run in any direction, in woods surrounded by Saxons; whoever kills them will get extra rations for a week. Llud and Kai set off. Luckily, Hoxel delays the start of the hunt, because there will be more “sport” if the quarry is harder to find.

Arthur finally admits to Mark that his real aim is to rescue Kai and Llud. Mark is furious.

Kai and Llud, still handcuffed together, easily deal with their first Saxon attacker.

Arthur and Mark approach a Saxon, and ask to speak to his chief. The Saxon tells them that a hunt has just started; Arthur knows that Kai and Llud are the quarry. He and Mark hurry to the rescue.

Kai and Llud deal with four more Saxons, and when Hoxel and Cubert attack, Arthur and Mark dispatch them. All four Celts run to the longboat, and make their escape.

Llud thanks Mark, for coming to save them, then Kai and Llud tell him that the Saxons have a store hut full of gold and silver treasure. As the credits roll, they start turning the boat around, to go back and steal the treasure.


Timeline

The filming of this episode is featured in an article in the Western Daily Press, dated 19 October 1972, so most of the episode was definitely filmed in the week beginning 16 October.

“The Prize” appears immediately after “The Marriage Feast” in both the “Konig Arthur” book, and the German DVDs. Seasonal cues, such as the condition of trees and other vegetation, suggests that this order corresponds with the order in which they were filmed.

However, in a letter written in November, not long after the filming of “The Pupil” and “The Wood People”, Michael Gothard mentions having recently been tied to a tree: something which only happens in “The Prize”, so it is possible that the scenes in which Kai and Llud were shown tied to a tree were filmed during while Oliver Tobias was filming his romantic scenes with Catherine Schell, for “The Girl from Rome”.

Suggested shooting order so far

Arthur is Dead
Daughter of the King
The Challenge
The Gift of Life
Enemies and Lovers
In Common Cause
The Penitent Invader
The Slaves
People of the Plough
Go Warily
The Prisoner
The Duel
Rowena
Some Saxon Women
The Marriage Feast
The Prize


Locations

The previously mentioned article in the Western Daily Press, states that the longboat scenes in this episode were filmed on the River Avon, in Freshford, near Bath.

The reed bed scenes were probably filmed upstream of where the Avon joins with the Frome, in an area described by blogger OpenSkySwimmer as “wide, shallow, slow moving … a reed bed rather than a river.”

The scenes where Kai and Llud are tied to trees, and where they fought Hoxel and his men, could have been filmed in the woods near Woollard.


Cast notes

Tim Condren, who played Hoxel, was a respected stuntman and trainer, as well as an actor.

Adrian Cairns, who played Heardred the builder in “The Slaves”, makes a second appearance in the series, as the Armourer, whose name – which is not mentioned - is Ruan.



A character named “Cubert” - played by George Giles - appears in the credits. Though his name is not mentioned in the episode, he seems to have been Hoxel’s second-in-command. George Giles also played the Guard Captain in the Dr Who story, “The Curse of Peladon”.



The actor who played Baldur - Richard Durden – has rarely been off our screens.


Re-working the legend

The scene where Mark and Arthur criticise the chain-mail, and fish-scale armour, dismissing it as impractical, may have been a conscious attempt to explain to the audience, why there is no "Shining armour" in the series.

When Arthur lures Mark into his scheme with talk of “monastery ornaments” and “chalices, studded with diamonds”, one could be forgiven for being reminded of the search for the Holy Grail, though the one sought by the Arthurian knights was less worldly. In this case, the “treasures” Arthur is actually seeking are the lives of his comrades.


The Best of Frenemies

In “The Prize”, the relationship between Arthur and Mark of Cornwall once again takes centre-stage. It’s Arthur’s bad luck that he needs Mark’s help, because they usually manage to rub each other up the wrong way, and Mark has also had run-ins with Llud and Kai.

In “Arthur is Dead”, Arthur tricked Mark into attending talks with other Celtic leaders, and Mark was disgruntled that Arthur had usurped his presumed status as the most important of the Celtic chiefs.

Months later, in “The Prisoner”, Arthur refused to surrender Kai’s prisoner to Mark, even when Mark threatened to turn some of the other chiefs against him, and Mark and Kai had a fight.

In “The Duel”, though Mark pitched in to help in a decisive battle with the Saxons, he spent the whole episode picking on Llud.

And in “The Marriage Feast”, Arthur succeeded in ruining Mark’s plan to marry Rowena for her land, and as a final indignity, Mark ended up covered in mud.

So when Arthur shows up and gives unsolicited advice on battle gear, it's quite surprising that he isn't sent home with a flea in his ear! Perhaps Mark wasn't so keen on getting married, after all!

In any case, Arthur knows that whatever he says, Mark will look for hidden motives, so he deliberately arouses his suspicions by offering compliments and unsolicited advice. Then he asks a smaller favour than Mark is expecting – the loan of a boat, and “a handful of men” - supposedly to raid a Saxon supply base. He behaves in an overly-casual manner, convincing Mark that he is hiding something, and finally ‘reveals’ that the base he is going to raid is full of gold and silver.

By the time Arthur fobs Mark off with the unlikely story that Kai and Llud are busy on other missions, Mark is too dazzled by the prospect of treasure to doubt him. So in the end, Mark supplies sixteen men, though he initially refused to provide any at all!

All things considered, the two of them get along very well throughout the trip. When every single one of Mark’s men is killed, he is upset and frustrated, but doesn’t seem to feel that Arthur is to blame, and when their boat gets stuck in the mud, it is only after spending all night trying to get it free, that Mark almost gives up. When Arthur works out a solution to the problem, Mark helps him once again, and they laugh in triumph, and even give each other a brief hug before jumping back into the boat.

Of course, the thought of the monastery treasures awaiting them at the end of the journey could be what keeps Mark’s temper under control! And when Arthur finally admits that the “treasure” consists of Kai and Llud, it is to Mark’s great credit that neither goes off in a huff, nor points out that the lives of Arthur’s two friends come at a cost of many others.

Maybe it’s just that he doesn’t have time to blow his top before they arrive at their destination, and have to charge to the rescue. Or perhaps we can see the seeds of a genuine friendship between the four of them, beginning to grow.


“My word is my bond”

In “Daughter of the King”, writers David Pursall and Jack Seddon introduced the idea that it was important to be able to trust a leader’s given word. On this occasion, Arthur played a trick on Eithna, to find out whether Bavick’s promises could be relied upon.

Michael J. Bird then made Arthur’s word a crucial factor in his episode, “In Common Cause”. Arthur promised to give Cerdig some of the Celts’ animals to replace those the Saxons had lost to a plague, and left Kai as hostage to that promise. When Kai escaped, and urged Arthur to keep the animals, Arthur left it to Kai to decide whether this was the right thing to do, and after much soul-searching, Kai agreed that the promise should be kept.

In “Rowena”, written by Robert Banks Stewart, Arthur insisted - against his own wishes - on keeping his word to Yorath, by delivering Rowena to Hecla to be wed, against her will. He pointed out that, as she originally agreed to the match, she too had an obligation to keep her word.

In David Osborne’s “Some Saxon Women”, Yorath accused Arthur of rescuing the women from his camp, and refused to believe Arthur’s angry denial. On the basis of this loss of credibility, the Celts’ peace treaty with the Jutes nearly foundered.

In Robert Banks Stewart’s “The Prize”, Arthur lies to Mark, over and over, to get him to come along on the trip. “Not men … I would borrow a boat from you”; “Kai’s leading a group of men to help Yorath the Jute against some marauding Angles. Llud is further south, with Hereward, who’s plagued by the Scots”; “There could be arms”; “I can assure you, Mark, that this is simply an attack on a Saxon encampment”; “Monastery ornaments. Chalices, studded with diamonds. Treasures of gold and silver.” (This turns out to be true, but Arthur didn’t know it at the time.) Later, when he says he needs to scout out their route, he goes to meet Baldur instead.

When Arthur finally admits that there is no treasure, and that their mission is to save Kai and Llud, Mark can’t scarcely believe it. The idea that Arthur is basically honest, truthful and reliable, is so set in stone that even Mark - despite his initial suspicions - is completely taken aback.

When the lives of his father and brother are at stake, Arthur is ready to full advantage of his reputation, and cash in all the credit he has built up over the years, to save them. Though he still seems reluctant to face the fact that he has lied, telling Mark they have come for “Treasure counted in human lives ...”

He wisely refrains from suggesting that his promise of “Treasures of gold and silver” is fulfilled by Kai’s golden hair, and Llud’s silver hand!


The best laid plans …

Arthur tells Mark he has “New tactics. Hit the Saxons in the rear, and they will ease off pressure on our villages.” Perhaps that was how he, Kai and Llud got themselves into trouble in the first place!

It was sensible to insist on putting some distance between themselves and the party of helmeted Saxons before stopping to rest, but Arthur really should have posted some competent sentries - or stayed awake himself. After all, he shouldn’t have been tired – he didn’t do any of the actual rowing!

As for the quest to rescue two Celt warriors: was it worth the sacrifice of the lives of sixteen other Celts?


Family Ties

Both Llud and Kai have complete faith that Arthur will come to their aid; Kai’s only question is, “will he come in time?” The strength of Arthur’s family ties shows in the considerable lengths to which he goes to save Kai and Llud. When he comes clean to Mark, he tells him that “One … is as a brother to me. The other I love as a father.”


Celts and Saxons

Kai and Llud are held captive by Saxons, and Arthur reminds Mark that, “Ever since the Saxons came to these shores, they have burned and looted our monasteries.”

Hoxel and Cubert think it fitting that Kai and Llud be “hunted … The way you Celts hunt the boar … A circle of men – the hunters. Inside the circle – the hunted.”


Great moments

The scene where Arthur hides underwater, breathing through a reed, which is reminiscent of a scene in “Dr No”, where James Bond uses a similar trick.¹

Arthur, finessing Mark into coming on the trip.



Arthur, waving to the Saxons!

The shock reveal at the end of part one, where we see for the first time, that Kai and Llud are prisoners, and realise that Arthur has been lying the whole time.

Mark and Arthur working together to free the boat.



Kai and Llud trying to pass the time.



Mark’s comical confusion when Arthur is forced to admit the truth.

Mark’s response when Llud thanks him for the rescue: “Well … you would have done the same for me …” As if the word treasure has never even been mentioned!


A wager’s a wager

On the morning of their planned execution, Llud poignantly tries to raise their spirits, by betting that they will “see the sunset tonight.” Kai says he’d “stake a hundred pieces of silver” that they don’t, though he wouldn’t mind losing.


Dark Age Men

Mark complains that Arthur keeps repeating himself “like an old washerwoman.”


“That is bloody dangerous!”

The actors – especially Oliver Tobias, who was completely submerged – must have been exceedingly cold while filming in the river, in November. No doubt, in accordance with the wisdom of the time, “BRANDY” would once again have been listed among the props required for the day, as it was for “The Penitent Invader”!


“Night-night, Kiddies!”

Hoxel and Cubert’s bad guy dialogue - “Tomorrow, you’ll be killed. But first – hunted”, “Not too early a kill. We want some sport” - now sounds corny. But for the intended audience of children just home from school, it probably seemed quite chilling at the time, especially as Kai had already admitted that he didn’t expect to survive.


Dressed to kill?

When first seen in the river, Arthur is wearing the blue woolly shirt with the chevrons on the cuffs, first seen at the end of “The Gift of Life”. Before going to see Mark of Cornwall, he finds time to change. Well, he’d have been daft to stay in wet clothes all day! He dons a nice new sheepskin jacket as a Saxon disguise. He later re-uses it in "The Wood People."



This is also seen in the scene from “Daughter of the King” which was filmed around this time, according to this letter written by Michael Gothard. Llud's jerkin also appears in “Daughter of the King” and "The Prize", as well as "The Challenge."





Kai's suede shirt also appears in both "The Prize" and "The Challenge."



At the beginning, Mark wears the studded tunic seen intermittently in “The Prisoner.”  His Saxon disguise consists of an axe, along with some sheepskin, which the other Celts also adopt.



While most of the Celts completely fail to hide their dark hair, some have made an effort, by wearing hoods. Some of the Saxons’ helmets don’t seem to fit very well.



The Celts also put their shields on the side of the longboat, presumably as Saxons would do. When the warriors are dead, the shields - which were left on land - are gone.



The shark-fin helmets worn by Horgren’s Saxons look very cool, but have no historical basis. Per Nick Dando on the Britmovie Forum, they "make no sense as far as protecting the head is concerned as a glancing blow would be enough to snap the neck of the wearer." They look as if they were made for a fantasy film, and hired for the episode.



Perhaps the prop department had seen these Gaulish helmets at Saint-Germain-en-Laye National Museum (left), or this Bronze Age Celtic helmet (right), and decided to elaborate on the designs.



Cubert has donned the “villain cloak” which Horgren wore in “The Gift of Life”.




Quote/unquote

Arthur: The village belongs to my people. I cannot give them what is not mine.

Arthur: Treasure counted in human lives. Two friends. One, who is as a brother to me. The other I love as a father. That is the prize.


“A man on a horse is worth ten on foot”

With this big Cheval de Frise, the Saxons seem to have gone over the top in their efforts to defend themselves against the one small horse - Blondie – who appears in this episode!




Extra! Extra!

The loyalties of one of Mark’s men seem extremely suspect. Before joining Mark, he lived in Arthur's village - here he is in "The Pupil."



Before that, he worked for the Greek trader, and earlier still, he was one of Rolf's rabble!




Honourable mention

…. goes to the beautiful Saxon longboat, and another to the magnificent river which provides the setting.




What’s going on here?

Arthur is first seen hiding from a group of Saxons, who live many miles upstream from his own village, in an encampment where Kai and Llud are being held hostage. But how did they get there? Had the Saxons kidnapped them from Arthur’s village? Or had they got there under their own steam?

If so, what were they doing there? Were they trying to steal the Saxons’ treasure? Or trying to strike at them from the rear, as Arthur told Mark?

And how did they get there? If they came on horseback, did they lose their horses, or did Arthur manage to steal them back, to get home? It looks as if it would have been too far for him to walk, especially as he had to leave his friends in danger.

They could have used the Saxon longboat which brought Elka and Krist to their village in “The Gift of Life.” Esxcept that it looks like the same boat that Mark lets Arthur use it for the expedition.



The boat has ivy on it, as if it has not been used for a long time – good work, set dressers!



It would have been too cold for Oliver Tobias to stay in the water for any length of time, so the crew must have stuck a stick in the water, to fool the viewer into thinking that he is still down there, breathing through a reed. Seen fleetingly, it wouldn’t have been so obvious that it was just a flat stick, not a hollow reed!



When the Saxons are looking for Arthur, an upright structure with cross-beams can be seen in the distance; it looks like a water tower.



The Norse version of Cubert’s name – “goltr” - means “boar”. As no one calls him “Cubert” in the episode, this needs no explanation. However, Hoxel mentions that the Celts hunt the boar, and Cubert adds, “A circle of men – the hunters. Inside the circle – the hunted.” Perhaps Cubert – like his namesake - has experienced being hunted by the Celts!

It seems odd that Hoxel – a Saxon – has an Irish accent.

Why isn’t Mark surprised to see Arthur? Last time they met, Arthur robbed him of his intended bride and lands, and booted him in the rear!

Mark manages to slice through the first chain mail shirt very easily - because it is actually made of wool! The scale armour is already damaged when Arthur plunges his sword into it – presumably from an earlier take.



Mark’s question – “Who accompanies you on this campaign? Kai? Llud?” seems odd. Wouldn’t he have assumed they were coming along? Perhaps Kai and Llud really are spending more time on independent work. Arthur’s excuse - that Kai is leading a group of men to help Yorath against some marauding Angles - seems reasonable. But why would Hereward, who is based further south, be “plagued by the Scots”?

Despite his grudging reply - “You left me no choice” - Mark supplies the boat and the men, yet only demands half the treasure. This seems like a very good deal for Arthur! But in the end, when he reveals that his “treasure” is actually Kai and Llud, they don’t haggle over who gets which!

Arthur seems to have had a bit of trouble negotiating the boat, and falls down a gap.



Hoxel demands that Arthur surrender his village; but why does he want it? It’s just a collection of huts made of mud and wicker, in the middle of Celt territory, a long way from where he lives.

The first picture shows Arthur just as he notices the first group of Saxons, and the second, later on, when Galt asks to stop for food. Despite the outboard motor, they don’t seem to have travelled very far, in between! It was probably too time-consuming to set the camera up in a new location. Perhaps the motor was mainly used for moving the boat back for second and third takes.



It doesn’t seem fair that Mark has supplied the boat, and all sixteen men, yet the leading oarsman defers to Arthur for permission to stop. And why don’t they just take turns to eat and rest in the boat?

Arthur never explained why he wanted to use Mark’s men rather than his own, but Mark seems remarkably sanguine about the loss of 16 men! Considering his vengeful reaction when Roland had killed Agdor, (in “The Prisoner”) and when Llud accidentally killed Luke, (in “The Duel”) it makes one wonder whether he has been put on tranquilisers. He even refrains, this time, from complaining that Galt was his best man!

It's rather poignant to see the packs belonging to the dead Celts, still scattered around the boat.



Though they have already been attacked by Saxons, Arthur has the nerve to tell Mark that they still have surprise on their side! And could the two of them really have rowed that huge boat upstream?

“Yes, you can tickle them,” Llud says enigmatically. “Course you can.” He obviously isn’t talking about women, because Kai claims they “skittle away” from him when he tries it.

Kai seems to have created a new portmanteau word, a cross between skitter and scuttle!

For his part, Llud seems to enjoy trout-tickling a little too much!

For someone with a hut full of gold and silver, Hoxel is not generous with his rewards: “And the man that finds you, and kills you, receives extra rations for a week”. He’s got his stash of treasure, and he intends to keep it!

When Kai and Llud are being hunted, they kill one of their attackers, but neither of them thinks to pick up his spear, to defend themselves against future attackers.

It was nice that the director decided to show Kai and Llud getting the cuffs off.



When Llud thanks Mark for helping Arthur in their rescue, and Mark dryly replies, “You would have done the same for me”, does anyone in the boat believe it?

Why did the Saxons take Kai and Llud out of their prison hut, and tie them to trees? Perhaps it was so they could be filmed in daylight! But they would have been well-advised not to have let them see their treasure store.

Kai says it’s no wonder that the Saxons’ encampment was “so well guarded” - but Arthur and Mark seem to have infiltrated with no difficulty! And despite the fact that they must all be hungry and exhausted after their respective ordeals, they decide to risk going back for the loot!


Music

The suite of music, beautifully written and orchestrated for the series by Paul Lewis, is now available on CD. The variation on Elmer Bernstein’s theme used when Arthur’s party sees the Saxon warriors on the river bank does not seem to have been included on the CD.

Some of the music tracks used in this episode were:

Track 26, Evil Stirs: Hoxel’s men hunt for Arthur.
Track 29, Pastoral Episode: Arthur, Mark and their oarsmen set out.
Track 3, Celtic Horns/The Longships: some Saxons wave from the shore.
Track 6, Infiltration and Treachery: the Celts stop to rest, and come under attack.
Track 11, Desolation and Despair: Hoxel refuses to bargain with Baldur.
Track 20, The Fair Rowena: Kai and Llud wonder whether Arthur will come in time.
Track 3, Celtic Horns/The Longships: Arthur and Mark get the boat moving again.
Track 17, Pensive Moment: Llud describes catching fish by tickling them.
Track 13, In all Weathers: Arthur and Mark approach.
Track 9, Muttering and Plotting: the quarry is released.
Track 16, Danger Mounts: Kai and Llud fight for their lives, and escape with Arthur and Mark.
Track 6, Infiltration and Treachery: Kai and Llud describe the Saxons’ treasure hut.

Cast

Arthur ……………...... Oliver Tobias
Kai ………………...… Michael Gothard
Llud ………………..... Jack Watson
Mark ……………….... Brian Blessed
Hoxel ……………….. Tim Condren
Cubert.…..................... George Giles
Baldur …….…............ Richard Durden
Galt ………………..... Geoff L’Cise
Ruan …………........... Adrian Cairns

Crew

Director ………….….. Pat Jackson
Writer ………….......... Robert Banks-Stewart
Executive Producer …. Patrick Dromgoole
Producer …………….. Peter Miller
Associate Producer …. John Peverall
Production Manager … Keith Evans
Post-production ……... Barry Peters
Fight Arranger ………. Peter Brayham
Cameraman …………. Bob Edwards
Camera Operator ……. Brian Morgan
Editor ……………….. Alex Kirby
Sound recordist ……... Mike Davey
Dubbing mixer ……… John Cross
Art Director …………. Doug James
Assistant Director …… Stuart Freeman
Production Assistant … Ann Rees
Costume Design .…….. Audrey MacLeod
Make-up ……………... Christine Penwarden
Incidental music …….. Paul Lewis
Theme music ………... Elmer Bernstein

¹ Oliver Tobias is said to have tried out for the role of Bond, which eventually went to Roger Moore. In 2003, a poster on the Brit Movie Forum told this story:

"About twenty odd years ago I was working near Pinewood and used to sneak in and use the canteen. Over a sunny week I watched James Brolin and Oliver Tobias do screen tests for James Bond. Directed, it looked like, by the stuntman Martin Grace. It involved beating up Clive Curtis on a lavish room set. Due to the hot weather, tables and chairs were out on the patio and the french windows of the bar opened out onto the garden. As I sat taking in the "life of the stars" with a coke and packet of dry roasted peanuts I noticed a lonely person sitting quietly under a Skol Lager brolly having a light ale. It was Oliver Tobias. After a while he was joined by a middle-aged lady with a metal cash box. The lady sat down opened the box a counted out some cash. She gave him the money and he signed a page of foolscap. She then left. The whole thing took about a minute. He then got up went to the bar where Martin Grace and the rest of the Crew were drinking and started chatting. I went past the restaurant and as I left I could see, through the window, James Brolin sitting with some suits having a meal."

² Considering his vengeful reaction when Roland had killed Agdor, and when Llud accidentally killed Luke, it makes one wonder whether he has been put on tranquilisers.

Plot

A Greek trader arrives in the village of the Jutes, with a large barrel of wine that Yorath wants to buy.  The trader demands to be paid in slaves: five Saxon women, whom Yorath and his people are to capture for him.

This upsets the Jute women who witness the bargain, and Rowena protests vehemently. But Yorath won’t listen, so Rowena goes to Arthur for help.

Though Arthur is reluctant to put his alliance with Yorath at risk, he takes Rowena’s point - that the trader will not stop at ‘a few Saxons’ - and he resolves to take action.

Back at Yorath’s village, we see five captured Saxon women, shackled to some posts. The Greek trader inspects them, and seals the bargain with Yorath.

Then Arthur, Kai and Llud arrive with Rowena. Arthur tells Yorath that Rowena is right - he shouldn't be encouraging the slave trade.

But Yorath objects to Arthur's challenge to his authority. He invokes their treaty, which says that the Celts and Jutes must respect each other’s laws. Arthur tells Kai to free the women, but Yorath threatens to dissolve their alliance, so Arthur and his party depart, leaving Yorath, triumphant, and Rowena, forlorn.

The next morning finds everyone in Yorath’s village asleep, after a night of drunken debauchery. In the foreground, empty shackles swing from a post. The Greek trader awakes, sees that the Saxon women have been freed, and scrambles to alert Yorath to their escape.

Yorath rides into Arthur’s village, and accuses him of liberating the women. Llud suggests that Rowena freed them, but Yorath insists she wouldn’t have dared to act alone. Though Arthur denies any involvement, Yorath still holds him responsible, and says that if Arthur enters Jute territory, he will be treated as an enemy.

Arthur is vexed that Yorath has called him a liar, and that the Celts' alliance with the Jutes seems to be over. Kai suggests they find the Saxon women and return them to Yorath.  Arthur devises a plan to use the Jute laws to make Yorath do the right thing.

With Llud’s expert help, Arthur and Kai track the Saxon women to a wooded hillside. Arthur tries to persuade them to return to Yorath with him, promising that they will be freed. But the women, led by Rowena, refuse.  They defend themselves by bombarding Arthur’s party with rocks.

Llud buys a net from the Greek trader, and Arthur and Kai use it to trap the women as they walk across an open field.

Arthur, Kai, and Llud ride into Yorath’s village, with the women, tied together by their necks, and Rowena walking beside them. The villagers line the route. Yorath and the Greek trader exchange satisfied glances.

Arthur then tells Yorath that he can’t give the women to the Greek trader; he must kill them. Kai reminds Yorath that according to the law of the Jutes, all captives must die at once by the sword.

Yorath thinks Arthur is joking, but Arthur hands him a sword, and, after a bit of soul-searching, Yorath slashes wildly at the women, who scream, and run. Yorath chases them, but when he finally has them at his mercy, he can’t bring himself to kill them. Instead, he knocks the plug out of the barrel of wine, which starts spilling out.

Mayhem ensues; despite the Greek trader's efforts to stop them, everyone rushes to get some of the wine. Even Llud, Kai and Arthur collect a share of the bounty.

The Saxon women – still tied together – start sneaking away, and some of Yorath’s men grab the Greek trader, and carry him, protesting, out of the village. The wine continues to flow.

As Arthur’s group rides out of Yorath’s village, Arthur sees Rowena standing beside the track, dismounts, and comes over to her, looking pleased with himself. The two of them are reconciled.


Timeline

Patrick Dromgoole¹ confirmed that “Gila [von Weitershausen] was only available for a limited time”, so the filming of episodes featuring Rowena and Yorath would have been “bunched” as much as possible.  “Some Saxons Women” appears immediately after “Rowena” in both the “Konig Arthur” book, and the German DVDs. Seasonal cues, such as the condition of trees and other vegetation, suggests that this order corresponds with the order in which they were filmed.

Suggested shooting order so far

Arthur is Dead
Daughter of the King
The Challenge
The Gift of Life
Enemies and Lovers
In Common Cause
The Penitent Invader
The Slaves
People of the Plough
Go Warily
The Prisoner
The Duel
Rowena
Some Saxon Women


Locations

The village at Woollard remained divided up using bits of screening and palisade; once again, the long, north-east facing side of the longhouse served as the Jutes’ village, mainly decorated with horses’ hides and skulls. The long, south-west facing side of the longhouse, and the area in front of it, served as Arthur’s village.

The countryside around Woollard probably supplied the locations for the scenes on the wooded slope, and in the fields.

Inside Information

According to Oliver Tobias, Gila was very nervous when she first joined the cast on set, and not a very confident rider, and they delighted in playing jokes on her, including making her horse bolt! “Some Saxon Women” gave Michael Gothard the chance to do just that!



Patrick Dromgoole recalls, “At the risk of sounding cruel, one of my happiest memories is of a particularly pompous German actor, who was taking part (mainly because of the co-production arrangements) who usually spent an incredibly long time in make up. On one occasion, after keeping us waiting a long while, he arrived looking quite splendid, and fell flat on his face in the mud. We lost even more time as a result while his costume, make up and persona were repaired, but it was worth it.”



The actor referred to was presumably either Ferdy Mayne, (the Greek trader), or Georg Marischka, (Yorath). Given that Marischka was a relative newcomer, whereas Mayne had been acting for many years, it seems more likely that Mayne was the one who caused the crew so much amusement.



Gerry Cullen², who appeared as an extra in the second season, (shown above, second from the right), says, “In ‘Some Saxon Women’ I am in quite a few shots but more interestingly there are good shots of the young woman that Michael Gothard was seeing. She is most easily seen in the scene starting at 7:00 where the two men look over the Saxon women who are chained up. In the shot where the two men stop and shake hands “to make the deal” was Michael’s girlfriend; she was German, and had a young child.




Writer note

This was the first of three scripts credited to David Osborn; it had an overtly political message, perhaps unsurprising given that he was blacklisted during the McCarthy witch hunts.


Cast notes

Ferdy Mayne was born Ferdinand Philip Mayer-Horckel in Germany. He had a long career, including appearances on both British and German TV and film.


Re-working the legend

Arthur doesn’t exactly set a shining example of chivalrous behaviour; nevertheless, he applies himself - albeit in a grudging and unceremonious manner - to the problem of the Saxon damsels in distress, and secures their release.


Dark Age Men and a Dark Age Feminist

“Some Saxon Women” expands on an issue given a passing mention in “Rowena”, when Kai jokingly suggested that - along with his lovebirds - he should have bought a woman.

When Yorath hears that the Greek trader wants five Saxon women, he is under no illusions about what their fate will be: “Herded down onto your boat … sent across the sea … to be sold as concubines on the slave blocks of Athens, eh? You bastard!” His conscience pricks him just enough to make the venture seem titillating; he wants his wine, and is prepared to do what it takes to get it.

Rowena protests, “I too am a woman”, but her opposition only makes Yorath more determined to go through with this dirty deal: “Then you will know your place. You will know that a woman is born to be the property of a man.”

When Rowena goes to Arthur for help, Kai’s reaction is to compare women to “A dozen haunches of good meat”. When he hears that it is five young Saxon women the trader wants, he suddenly seems to find it less funny.

Arthur is extremely reluctant to be drawn into a dispute with Yorath, saying he won’t risk the alliance for “a few Saxons”, of whatever sex. But when Rowena points out that “it won’t stop with Saxons! Next, he will ask … Saxons for Celtic women, and other traders will follow”, Arthur finds her argument sufficiently troubling that he tells Kai to send her away immediately!  Much to his annoyance, he realises that he must take action.

But when Arthur challenges Yorath, the wily Jute invokes the ‘Bros before Hos’ clause in their treaty: “To our alliance and friendship … Arthur – and may no woman ever come between us!”  He dehumanises the “Saxon sows”, and he isn’t much more respectful towards his own daughter: “buzzing nonsense again. Honey one moment – viper’s venom, the next.”

Arthur takes up Rowena’s argument: “Sell your Saxon women to this Greek thief, and he’ll be back next year. But up the coast, to some Saxon chief, and the price will be Celtic women, or Jute women. No wine is worth the human life.” Perhaps in an effort to get through to Yorath, he says they are, “daughters and sisters to their fathers and brothers”.  Their worth is judged by their value to other men!  Yorath sticks to his belief that, “women are property”, and, “worth not less than two pigs, and the hides of ten deer.”

It’s only at the end of the episode, when Yorath tries to justify killing the women - “Once on the Greek boat, and away from the shores, they’ll be as good as dead” - that he begins to look ashamed, and breaks his agreement with the trader.


"I’m a man of my word"

Arthur is furious that Yorath won’t take his word that he had no hand in freeing the women, and Kai rubs it in: “Arthur’s word is suspect. So a hard-fought-for treaty disappears on the wind.”

And later, when Arthur tells Rowena, “return to life, and freedom. I give you my promise”, Rowena, too, has the temerity to doubt him: “Your promises mean nothing.”

This is the sin for which, in the end, he demands - and gets - an abject apology.


A Fine Romance

Rowena goes to Arthur for help, so she must have some expectation that he will take action, either because he is a fair-minded man who does the right thing, or simply for her sake.

But if Arthur has romantic feelings for Rowena, he does a very good job of hiding them. She comes to him with perfectly rational arguments in her favour, yet his response, addressed not to her, but to Kai, is “get her out of here … She goes, now!”

When she rides back into the village, he seems impressed that she is “not easily dissuaded”, yet he still has little to say to her directly, apart from “Hold your tongue!” He seems to hate the fact that she is right, just as she was about Hecla.

Later, he even tells Yorath, “I will not see blood shed in my camp … for the ravings of your maniac daughter.” This seems very unfair, especially as he has already taken the arguments of that particular ‘maniac’ on board!

Considering his attitude, Rowena can hardly be blamed for her scepticism when Arthur promises to free the women. Yet at the end of the episode, he behaves as if he had every right to expect her implicit trust, and wants her to grovel: “Are you going to say it? … That you’re a fool. A shrew, with a viper’s tongue. That you were wrong. Wrongfully wrong.” Even more astonishing, Rowena, albeit reluctantly, complies: “I was wrong. I was a fool. I beg your forgiveness.”

Only then do we see any sign of affection from Arthur; he takes her by the shoulders and pulls her into a hug. It seems he can only cope with a relationship in which he has complete control!


Great moments

Each time Yorath has to correct the Greek trader’s pronunciation of his name.

The trader’s fastidious affectations: wiping the rim of Yorath’s mug before drinking from it; having the seat Yorath provides covered with his own animal hide, and flapping at something in the air that offends his delicate sensibilities.

Arthur’s determined, “We shall see” at the end of the scene at the forge.

Kai, covering Arthur’s retreat, as they leave Yorath’s village.

Arthur, Kai and Llud huddling behind a tree, as the women throw rocks at them, and Kai jokingly saying, “No one of them is my sister.”


The level-headed side-kick

Once again, it is Arthur, not Kai, who seems impetuous, demanding - in full view of Yorath - that Kai untie the women. Kai doesn’t comply, and both he and Llud advise Arthur not to endanger the alliance, for which “Blood flowed … friends died.” Even when Arthur points out that “the blood that flows in the veins of those women is the same as yours”, Kai isn’t persuaded to release them.


Quote/unquote

Arthur: No wine is worth the human life.

Arthur: I will not see blood shed in my camp.

Arthur: You must believe what you believe.


That is bloody dangerous!”

There are no actual fights in this episode, but a lot of weapons are brandished!

When the women run through the village, apparently tied together by the neck, they are actually just holding the rope with their hands.




“Night-night, Kiddies!”

While we don’t see much actual violence, the storyline - about women being taken captive by lecherous old men, to be sold into the sex trade - is pretty grim as far as teatime viewing in the 1970s goes, and no punches are pulled.

Rowena bluntly accuses Yorath and the trader of having got together, “To drink, and to rape defenceless women … Before they are sold, pound for pound, like cattle.” The women stand shackled to some posts, while the Greek trader examines them, feeling their arms, and looking at their teeth in a wholly dehumanising manner.

In response to Arthur’s protest, that the women may be Saxons, but they are also “daughters and sisters to their fathers and brothers”, Yorath’s brutal response - that the women, “have fathers and brothers no longer” - is chilling.


Dressed to kill?



At the start of the episode, Llud once again ends up stripped to the waist; he wears one of his plainer tunics for the rest of the time.



Arthur wears the blue woolly tunic with the embroidered cuffs, sometimes with the addition of a white tunic or coat, previously seen in “In Common Cause.”



Kai is wearing the same white shirt he wore in “People of the Plough”, so when they visit Yorath to try to free the women, both are - perhaps symbolically - dressed in white. Oddly enough, for the only scene set indoors, Kai dons the big cloak with the fur trim.



The Greek trader and his men are distinguished by their lack of breeches or trousers of any kind; clearly they make no compromises for British weather! Unusually, some of Arthur's men indulge in cross-gartered breeches.



Rowena wears a green dress at the start of the episode – probably the one she was wearing for her aborted marriage to Hecla – but breeches and a blue shirt, possibly one previously worn by both Arthur and Kai, for riding.




“A man on a horse is worth ten on foot”

 

When Rowena’s horse, Blackstar – which she previously rode in “Rowena” – first arrives in Arthur’s village, Llud says, “See the markings on the horse? Jute.” But Blackstar’s only markings are three small white socks, a small star, and a very faint snip, none of which would have been obvious to Llud at that distance, and none of which are especially unique.

It's possible that Rowena was meant to have been riding “Frost”, the new, and very distinctive, silver dapple bay that Kai is seen riding when Arthur, Kai and Llud pay their first visit to Yorath’s village.  Maybe it was too big and lively for Rowena.  We don't see it again.



For the other scenes in this episode, Kai rides Blackstar. Throughout the episode, Arthur rides Bernie, and Llud, his usual mount, Curly.

Yorath rides into Arthur’s camp on Merlin; his men are riding Blondie, Pinkie and Outlander; the Jutes’ horses are the same ones seen being ridden by Celts in previous episodes.



See this post for further details of the horses of "Arthur of the Britons."


"Extra! Extra!

The same blond extra who appeared in two places at once in “Rowena” is even more visible in this episode.



She appears both as a Jute, to the left of Rowena, and as one of the Saxon captives.



It seems a shame that neither the women playing the Saxon captives, nor the Greek trader’s three sidekicks, get a credit.




Honourable mention

This goes to Rowena, for her persistence, and for putting up with Arthur’s pomposity.


What’s going on here?

Even before Arthur hears what Rowena has to say, he looks slightly irritated to see her, and Kai immediately suggests that the trader wants a ‘dozen haunches of good meat’, which he then equates with women. It almost seems as if Arthur and Kai had already heard about Yorath’s bargain, and were expecting Rowena to show up.

Why is Yorath so convinced that Rowena would not have dared to free the Saxon women on her own? Is it just because he has a low opinion of women in general, and his daughter in particular? The audience is left to guess whether anyone else assisted her. Arthur denies his own involvement, but Kai or Llud might still have lent a hand, possibly with his tacit approval!

And when Yorath’s party arrives, Arthur has clearly been expecting him, because some of his men are lying in wait, ready to appear on his signal, and surround Yorath’s party. Were Arthur’s look-outs very vigilant? Or did he know that the women had been freed, and that Yorath’s suspicions would fall upon him?

Despite the fact that the Greek trader seems perfectly capable of speaking English, Llud’s negotiations with him over the price of a net are conducted in sign language. Perhaps the sound recording crew had packed up for the day!

Arthur’s tactic of using Jute law to free the women is extremely risky, not least because the law is so ambiguous. “A woman is born, to belong to a man. To be used, bought or sold, and do with as he wishes” and “Prisoners are to be killed.” It doesn’t unequivocally state which takes precedence, if the prisoners happen to be women. Yorath could quite easily have said that it was up to the Jutes to interpret their own laws, and that Arthur should mind his own business!

Yet Yorath lets Arthur railroad him, and pleads, “We are friends. Allies together”, even though he has already told Arthur their alliance is over.

Then, when Yorath attacks, and the women run for their lives, instead of helping Yorath catch them, the brave Jute warriors all scramble to get out of their way!  Some of them even fall over in their haste. What are they afraid of?

One of the main problems with this episode is one of tone. The story deals with serious matters: slavery, legalised rape, the position and rights - if any - of women, and how one proceeds when one’s allies are behaving unethically. Yet it includes many moments which are comedic, some of them bordering on farcical; this makes an uncomfortable mix.

Yorath captured the five women, and murdered their families, but he is depicted as a bit of a fool, who has just been led astray by the promise of wine. The Greek trader, a lecherous and unprincipled entrepreneur, also comes across as a buffoon, scrambling about the village, more concerned about the loss of his hat than his state of undress, and utterly incapable of pronouncing Yorath’s name correctly. 



After their ordeal, the Saxon women - afraid to return to the village where a deal was struck before their eyes to sell them as slaves - arm themselves with staves, and rain down rocks on the men who have come to recapture them: the actions of truly desperate women. But the scene is played for laughs, with Arthur, Kai and Llud hiding behind tree trunks, more amused by their own predicament than sympathetic to the fugitives.  The scene where the women are caught in a net, and lie on the ground in a squealing heap, seems disrespectful of their plight.

The dissonance becomes more disturbing when Yorath runs after them, slashing with the sword. The women, who - logically - must have been terrified, run screaming through the village, in a scene which could have come from a ‘Carry On’ film or a Benny Hill sketch.  Perhaps the comic elements were thought necessary to lighten up the story enough to make it suitable for teatime viewing.

In order to have a “happy ending” to the episode, we are asked to believe that Yorath just needed the right guidance; that he has a heart after all. He can’t bring himself to kill the women in cold blood, with his own hand, so he brings his sword down on the plug on the wine barrel, letting everyone have a share in his ill-gotten gains.

This is painted as more impressive, and more generous than it is, so that Arthur can keep his alliance with him and still sleep at night. It neatly avoids answering the question of what Arthur would have done, if Yorath had decided to ignore his arguments and hand the women over to the Greek trader, or to accept Arthur’s ‘logic’ and kill them himself.

At the end, some of the Saxon women can be seen lying asleep on the ground near Rowena, as if they, too, have enjoyed Yorath’s alcoholic bounty. But one wonders what kind of a life they can look forward to, with no obvious means of supporting themselves, their village ransacked, and their families dead.


Music

Some of the music tracks used in this episode were:

Track 22, Revelry: the Greek trader arrives.
Track 24, Carousal: Yorath greets the Greek trader.
Track 26, Evil Stirs: Yorath makes a deal.
Track 15, At Dead of Night: Rowena ask Arthur for help; the women are assessed.
Track 24: Carousal: Yorath greets Arthur.
Track 16, Danger Mounts: Yorath calls Arthur’s bluff.
Track 13, In All Weathers: Yorath challenges Arthur.
Track 26, Evil Stirs: fishing for Saxon women.
Track 29, Pastoral Episode: the Saxon women are brought back.
Track 6, Infiltration and Treachery: Yorath considers his position.
Track 22, Revelry: wine for all.
Track 17, Pensive Moment: Rowena’s apology.

The whole suite of music, beautifully written and orchestrated for the series by Paul Lewis, is now available on CD.


Cast

Arthur ……………..... Oliver Tobias
Kai ……………….…. Michael Gothard
Llud ……………….... Jack Watson
Yorath ………............ Georg Marischka
Rowena ……….....…. Gila von Weitershausen
The Greek Captain .… Ferdy Mayne

Crew

Director ………….…... Patrick Dromgoole
Story ……………….... David Osborn
Executive Producer ..… Patrick Dromgoole
Producer …………….. Peter Miller
Associate Producer ….. John Peverall
Production Manager … Keith Evans
Post-production ……... Barry Peters
Fight Arranger ………. Peter Brayham
Cameraman …………. Bob Edwards
Camera Operator …… Brian Morgan
Editor ……………….. Alex Kirby
Sound recordist ……... Mike Davey
Dubbing mixer ……… John Cross
Art Director …………. Doug James
Assistant Director …… Keith Knott
Production Assistant … Ann Rees
Costume Design .…….. Audrey MacLeod
Make-up ……………... Christine Penwarden
Incidental music ……... Paul Lewis
Theme music ……….... Elmer Bernstein

¹ More of Patrick Dromgoole’s memories can be found here.
² More of Gerry Cullen’s memories can be found here.

Plot

Arthur, Kai, Llud and two other Celts ride into view. Llud’s left shoulder seems to be troubling him. When Kai discreetly draws Arthur’s attention to this, Arthur suggests that Llud go back and take command of their village, but Llud insists on staying with them, to go into battle.

They meet up with Mark of Cornwall, and four of his men. Arthur manages to persuade Mark to join forces with them to stop the Saxon advance at Modred’s Field, but not before Llud has annoyed Mark, by questioning his loyalty and courage.

They camp for the night, and most of the men pass the time by gambling. Mark’s man, Luke, tries to get Llud to join in, but Llud, still in pain, refuses, and goes to sleep clutching his sword.

Next morning, when the others are saddling up, Llud is still asleep. Mark signals to Luke that he should wake him, which he does, by rubbing Llud’s elbow with the tip of his sword.

Startled awake, Llud promptly kills Luke – an instinctive reaction he immediately regrets. Though he apologises, and offers to make amends to Luke’s family, Arthur and Kai still have to restrain Mark from killing Llud on the spot.

As Llud is washing the blood from his hand, Mark tries to engage him in combat, but Llud persuades him to wait until after they have faced the Saxons. Mark swears that, after the battle, he will kill Llud with his bare hands.

The next day as they are travelling on, Arthur and Kai have a bet on what kind of tree they will see, when they go through a gap in the hedge.

Meanwhile, Mark occupies himself by sniping at Llud. Then a rabbit scares Mark’s horse; Mark is unseated, and dragged some distance, until Llud stops the horse’s headlong dash. Badly shaken, Mark still insists that he is going to kill Llud later, and even carries on persecuting Llud during the evening meal. Llud is annoyed, and understandably worried.

The next day, the group draws lots for who will go into a stand of trees, and find a boar to kill. Llud and Mark draw the short straws, but as they look for their quarry, a Saxon appears from behind a tree, and aims a spear at Llud. Mark warns Llud in time, and kills the Saxon, but claims he only did it so he can kill Llud himself.

That night, Arthur and Kai lay bets on which ant will reach a piece of meat first, but a frog eats Kai’s ant. Kai threatens to stomp on Arthur’s ant, and they wrestle, until Llud complains about their horseplay.

The next day, they arrive at the battlefield to find it already strewn with Celtic dead. The Saxon forces line up in a defensive formation, but Arthur’s cavalry easily defeats them.

After the fight, Kai goes to check on Llud. Mark approaches, and tells Llud he’s decided to spare his life, but Llud insists that Mark keep to his word, and fight him, bare-handed. Kai then gallops off, and tricks Arthur into betting that Mark will win the fight.

Llud wins, and he and Mark shake hands, and make friends.

On the way home, Arthur wins his last bet against Kai, by beating him in a race to a shepherd’s hut.


Timeline

“The Duel” was shown sixth in the series, but the presence of stubble fields indicates that it was filmed in early autumn. Other seasonal cues are also consistent with this episode having been filmed after “The Prisoner”, so Kai’s worry about meeting Mark of Cornwall makes a lot of sense, coming so soon after he lied to Mark, and fought him, in an effort to deprive him of his revenge on Roland.

Perhaps this episode was shown earlier in the sequence in order to spread Brian Blessed’s appearances as Mark of Cornwall throughout the series, rather than have them concentrated towards the middle, when he was available for filming.


Suggested shooting order so far

Arthur is Dead
Daughter of the King
The Challenge
The Gift of Life
Enemies and Lovers
In Common Cause
The Penitent Invader
The Slaves
People of the Plough
Go Warily
The Prisoner
The Duel


Locations

All the scenes in this episode take place in open country; we do not see the village at Woollard at all. Presumably, this was being prepared for use as the home of both Hecla’s and Rowena’s people, in “Rowena”, which is thought to be the next episode.

Filming away from the village evidently posed problems, and the camera crew found it impossible to avoid the occasional glimpse of houses that definitely do not fit in with the period. Of course, before the advent of VCRs or DVDs, each episode would have only been seen when it was broadcast, so no one would have spotted these anachronistic dwellings, unless they had very sharp eyes!

House, top left:



Houses, upper right:




Cast notes

In a long career, Max Faulkner, who played Luke in this episode, secured numerous credits, as an actor, stuntman, and stunt arranger. He appeared in an episode of the 1970s post-apocalyptic BBC TV series 'Survivors', and in Dr Who.

Eddie Eddon, “Saxon Warrior”, later appeared as an extra in Star Wars: A New Hope.



His character was given the name, Pello Scrambas, and a back-story in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

Terry Yorke, who plays Mark's man, Mahon, later appears as a stunt rider in "Rowena", and then as the First Swordsman in "The Swordsman."


Inside Information

Michael's adopted sister, Wendy, recalls: “In ‘The Duel’, just after the ant race, they are about to fight, and Michael sort of grins, half sticks his tongue out. That was not acting. If he was messing about, winding Alf [pet dachshund] up, or making a grab for me, he would have that playful, wicked expression on his face ... The more I see of ‘Arthur of the Britons’, the more I see that there is SO much of Michael in Kai.”

The rest of the memories she has shared can be found here.


Re-working the legend

Though the Modred/Mordred of Arthurian legend does not appear in the series, the “battle that decides” is fought on a field named after him, the names Modred” and “Mordred” being synonymous. In the hardback version of this story, the battle area is given as “Mordred’s Field.”


Don’t call me old!

At the start of this episode, Llud seems to be feeling his age, rubbing his left shoulder. Arthur offers Llud a dignified way out of what might be an arduous journey, suggesting that one of them – naming no names – go back and – “take command of the camp.” Llud says he “was making long, hard rides” before Kai was born, which is precisely Kai’s concern. But Llud blames the weather for his discomfort, and refuses to go back, saying, “My place is at the battle – not at the hearth with the women and children.”

When they camp for the night, Luke laughs at Llud for being so keen to get his night’s sleep, saying, “Sleep is for the old.” Luke will never have experience old age; next morning, he ends up dead as a consequence of waking “a seasoned fighter”, with his sword.

On the third night, Llud takes issue with Arthur and Kai for having a little fun, asking, “What are you? Men or boys?” and telling them “You’ll get all the sport you need before you’re much older.”

But despite his grim warnings, Llud actually seems to enjoy a good fight. When they reach Modred’s Field, he rides into battle with a grin on his face, at the prospect of spilling Saxon blood, and in the end, he even seems to enjoy the fight with Mark.



Incidentally, in the version of this story in the “annual” style book of the series, it is Llud’s right arm – the one with the missing hand – which is giving him trouble, but here it is his left. Presumably, it was too difficult to film Llud rubbing his right shoulder with a hand that was supposed to be prosthetic.


Family ties

Throughout the episode, Kai keeps an eye on his adopted father, noticing the problem with his shoulder early on, and trying to persuade him to return home.

He puts the blame on Luke for waking Llud with a sword, and he and Arthur stop Mark from taking immediate vengeance.

When Mark is niggling at Llud, Kai mocks Mark for falling off his horse, and after the battle, Kai immediately goes to check that Llud is alright.

On the other hand, when the fight between Llud and Mark finally begins, both Llud's adopted sons seem remarkably sanguine about it.


It is I! Mark of Cornwall!

As an ally, Mark of Cornwall remains reluctant, untrustworthy and volatile, and Llud’s implication that he lacks loyalty doesn’t help the situation. But having demanded that Arthur keep Llud out of his way during the journey, Mark at first has to leave it to his man, Luke, to do the dirty work of needling Llud, and then – next morning – waking the sleeping warrior, and getting killed for his pains.

Luke’s death gives Mark an excuse to spend the rest of the journey to Modred’s Field making Llud’s life miserable. It takes Mark’s special kind of bloody-minded pig-headedness to persist in doing so after Llud has saved his life – “Lost your appetite? I’d keep my strength up if I were you. You’re gonna need it” – and even more of the same to save Llud’s life, just so he can kill him later, because “No Saxon is going to cheat me of my revenge.”

It’s hard to tell whether Mark’s offer to ‘spare’ Llud, after he has spent three days harassing him, comes from arrogance, or cowardice; as it turns out, any doubts he might have had about his ability to beat Llud in a fist-fight were well founded.

Even after Llud has beaten him, fair and square, he still manages to get in one last dig, by referring to the fact that he was “beaten by a warrior with an iron fist.” But finally, he shakes Llud’s hand in friendship; perhaps Mark’s rehabilitation has truly begun.


A wager’s a wager

The episode title, “The Duel”, serves to describe both Mark and Llud’s struggle for supremacy, and Arthur and Kai’s much less serious competition, in which Arthur is usually the winner.

Kai has been losing for weeks, but he knows that his luck is bound to change – at least, that’s the theory! But in any case, their wagers seem largely theoretical; we never see them exchanging any coins.

They dice, they bet on the first tree they will see through a gap in the hedge, and when Kai wants to bet on the relative speed of two ants, Arthur wonders whether there is anything Kai won’t bet on. But he’s quite happy to join in the foolishness, and to manipulate the rules to his advantage, insisting that the frog Kai is worried about should be allowed on the course: “He’s part of the race. It’s the same for both of them” – even though it’s obvious that Kai’s will be the ant that gets eaten!

Next, we discover that there’s really nothing either of them won’t bet on – even the result of a fight – which was supposed to be to the death – between their father and Mark of Cornwall! When Arthur sees that they are fighting without weapons, rather than being delighted that there is less chance Llud will be killed, he complains that Kai “knew the circumstances of the fight”, and he didn’t. Kai says, “That’s what gambling’s all about. Knowing something the other man doesn’t.”

So, of course, Arthur – who doesn’t like to lose – has to have a final win, betting he will win a race to a shepherd’s hut, when he is the only one who knows the best route. He then smugly repeats Kai’s words to him – much as Llud repeated Mark’s!


Dark Age Men

Llud and Mark spend the episode measuring up against each other, but end up drawing the shortest straws.




The burden and loneliness of command

Though stopping a Saxon advance is a serious business, Arthur’s burden seems, if anything, to weigh a bit less heavily upon him during most of this “road trip” episode. Away from the responsibilities of the village, he finds time to relax, and have some fun.


Celts and Saxons

Arthur anticipates that the coming fight will be “the battle that decides”, because “Unless the Saxons are stopped at Modred’s Field, they’ll overrun us.”

Perhaps when, in “The Prisoner”, Kai claimed that Roland belonged to “one of Cerdig’s advance armies”, and that the Saxons were planning a big offensive, he was telling the truth.

Mark of Cornwall is finally prodded and persuaded to fight them, by appeals to his “loyalty to the blood.”

The Saxons are described as outnumbering the Celts, six to one, but lacking experience, especially against cavalry. In the end, the Saxons Arthur's men face only outnumber them by three or four to one, but some had presumably been killed in the battle that left Modred’s Field strewn with Celtic dead.

Arthur is quite right when he says, “That’s as far west as you’re going, My Friends.”


“That is bloody dangerous!”



The ever-reliable Trooper is called upon for the stunt where Mark is thrown from his horse, and dragged along the ground, his right foot supposedly caught in his stirrup. It's hard to tell whether it is actually Brian Blessed, or a stunt double, who is being dragged behind Trooper in the long shots, but whoever it is, you can see both of his feet are free; he is being pulled along by some kind of harness mechanism.



It’s clear that for at least some of the shots, Brian Blessed is actually being dragged along the ground at a fair speed, and that his legs are strapped together.  He may have been being dragged behind a vehicle, rather than a horse.



The main battle scene included lots of individual battles; the Saxons are, fortunately, very careful with their spears, and manage not to injure any of the horses ...





There are a few occasions during Llud’s fight with Mark where Jack Watson is replaced by a stuntman. Still, Jack does pretty well considering he was 57 at the time of filming!





There were quite a few stuntmen among the cast of this episode. Max Faulkner (Luke) was later involved in staging key horseback stunts in an episode of “Survivors”, so it seems possible he was also involved in horseback stunts in “The Duel.” Terry Yorke, credited as “Mahon” (one of Mark of Cornwall’s men) once doubled for Robert Taylor in jousting scenes in “Knights of the Round Table” (1953). Eddie Eddon, (“Saxon Warrior”) was a stuntman as well as an actor, and Peter Diamond, (“Saxon leader”) was a stunt arranger, performer, and sword-master


Dressed to kill?

Arthur wears his ring armour over the blue woolly shirt with the patterned cuffs, and the blue cloak he wore in “Enemies and Lovers.”

Kai is wearing the big shaggy white fur jacket first seen in “The Prisoner”, and the older of his studded tunics. Llud is clad in his studded tunic, and old white shirt.

Mark of Cornwall is wearing the tunic with the fewest studs. Clearly the one with studs all over would have been extremely uncomfortable to wear while being dragged along the ground!


“A man on a horse is worth ten on foot”

Horses plays a big part in this episode. Arthur has heard that the enemy are inexperienced, “And they’ve never met cavalry” – his main reason for asking Mark of Cornwall for help.

Kai once again rides Merlin, Llud, his usual mount, Curly, and Mark of Cornwall is on Trooper. The other Celts are riding Pinkie, Blondie, Pythagoras, Outlander, and Flame. Another dark bay horse – Luke’s mount – is seen too briefly to be identified.

Arthur rides Bernie for most of the episode, but for some reason, during his race with Kai at the end, he arrives on the other side of the stream riding Pinkie.


Great moments

The atmospheric opening sequence.

Mark of Cornwall, using his peculiar, scarily-polite voice to say, “I’m gonna come for you … and I’m gonna kill you … with my bare hands” – and Llud’s mimicry of him later in the episode.

The ant race. Kai’s sorrow at the loss of his “wild horse” is palpable. He is unquestionably a sentimental drunk!

Llud’s refusal to accept Mark’s offer to “spare” him.

Every scene where Arthur and Kai bicker over a bet.


Quote/unquote

Llud: He’s a Celt. And like us he cannot always have what pleases him.

Llud: Night’s for sleeping, not gambling.

Mark: When someone slays one of mine, I slay his killer.

Mark: This is not a song sung by minstrels.

Llud: Here comes trouble.

Kai: That’s what gambling’s all about. Knowing something the other man doesn’t.

“This is not a song sung by minstrels” neatly encapsulates the idea behind the whole series.

“Here comes trouble!” does a similar job for Mark of Cornwall, and possibly Brian Blessed too!



Honourable mention ...

… for the black rabbit who startles Mark’s horse, Cedric and Theodore the invisible ants, and the "frog" who makes a meal out of Cedric.




What’s going on here?

On meeting Arthur, Mark says, “You asked for men, I gave you men.” He must have had a change of heart since “Arthur is Dead”, because on that occasion, when Arthur made the request, the only answer Mark gave him was a look of disgust. So when Mark asks, “Why should it be I must get you out of trouble once again?” it might be pertinent to ask, “What do you mean, ‘again’?”

Mark’s imprecation to Arthur – “Keep him [Llud] out of my way” – seems a little extreme. Is it Llud’s slight on Mark’s loyalty that annoys him so much, or the doubt Llud casts on his appetite for the fight? It’s as if there is some past disagreement festering in the background, rather than just a reaction to this exchange. Perhaps Mark just got out on the wrong side of his bed this morning.

Llud often lets us know how much he loves his sleep, but it seems a bit odd that Arthur and Kai left him wrapped in his bedroll, when they were already saddling their horses.

Mark’s reaction when Llud kills Luke – “You murdering Celt!” – is also rather strange. Apparently, Mark has forgotten that he is a Celt, too!

Mark claims Luke was his “best man.” He can’t have held that position for long, because only last week, in “The Prisoner”, Mark was getting aerated because Roland had killed his “best battle leader”, Agdor. It’s almost as if Mark welcomes any excuse to take umbrage … Anyway, if Luke was such a military asset, surely he should have known better than to suddenly wake a man who goes to sleep hugging his sword.

Presumably they buried Luke before they set out – but what happened to his horse? It would have made sense to take it with them, in case one of theirs suffered injury, but there is no sign of the spare horse for the rest of the episode.

A recent archaeological dig has shown that rabbits were introduced to England by the Romans, but it seems unlikely that they were black ones.

Why did the lone Saxon in the woods where Llud and Mark were hunting boar, take the risk of attacking them? The Saxon is outnumbered, two to one, and has only a single spear. At best, he might have killed one of them, and would probably then have been killed by the survivor. It would have been more sensible for him just to sneak off quietly, and hope not to be noticed!

Arthur and Kai give their ants highly improbable names. Cursory research shows that the name ‘Cedric’ was made up by Sir Walter Scott for a character in his 1819 novel, “Ivanhoe”, and was based it on the name ‘Cerdic’! So Kai has, by an oblique route, named his ant after their Saxon enemy.

Theodore is a Greek name meaning "gift of god”; the name was uncommon in Britain before the 19th century, but perhaps Arthur learned it from the Romans ...

Arthur and Kai seem quite good at identifying trees – they know a lime from a sycamore – but they are not so good on amphibians. The creature that eats Kai’s ant is not a frog, but a toad.

When the battle is about to begin, the leading Saxon gives the command, “Slope arms”, with the result that the Saxons position their spears pointing forwards, and angled upwards. The command usually refers to a rifle, and ends with the rifle pointing over the left shoulder.

The use of cavalry was expected to give the Celts the advantage, but this particular battle was extremely one-sided. All of the Saxons are killed, without the loss of a single Celt, man or horse.

For Arthur and Kai’s last bet, how is it that Arthur knows the route to the Shepherd’s hut and Kai doesn’t? And why does Arthur finish the race on a different horse? Perhaps Pinkie was the one who knew the way!


Music

Some of the music tracks used in this episode were:

Track 9, Muttering and Plotting: Arthur and his men meet up with Mark of Cornwall’s.
Track 13, In All Weathers: Mark attacks Llud.
Track 11, Desolation and Despair: Mark and Llud talk by the stream.
Track 10, Battle on Horseback/Bitter Victory: Mark is dragged behind his horse.
Track 6, Infiltration and Treachery: Llud and Mark go boar-hunting.
Track 33, Springtime: the Ant Race.
Track 5, To Battle! – the Celts and Saxons fight.
Track 6, Infiltration and Treachery: Mark approaches Llud after the battle.
Track 8, Kai the Saxon/Skirmish and Rout: Arthur and Kai race.
Track 32, Children’s Games: Arthur rides off, the winner.

The whole suite of music, beautifully written and orchestrated for the series by Paul Lewis, is now available on CD.


Cast

Arthur …………….... Oliver Tobias
Kai ……………….… Michael Gothard
Llud ………………... Jack Watson
Mark of Cornwall ...... Brian Blessed
Luke ……………….. Max Faulkner
Mahon …………....... Terry Yorke
Saxon Leader …......... Peter Diamond
Saxon Warrior …........ Eddie Eddon

Crew

Director ………….…. Pat Jackson
Writer ……………….. Terence Feely
Executive Producer …. Patrick Dromgoole
Producer ……………. Peter Miller
Associate Producer …. John Peverall
Production Manager ... Keith Evans
Post-production …….. Barry Peters
Fight Arranger ……… Peter Brayham
Cameraman ………… Graham Edgar
Camera Operator …… Brian Morgan
Editor ……………….. David Williams
Sound recordist ……... Gordon Kethro
Dubbing mixer ……… John Cross
Art Director …………. Doug James
Assistant Director …… Mike Roberts
Production Assistant … Patti Belcher
Costume Design .……. Audrey MacLeod
Make-up …………….. Christine Penwarden
Incidental music …….. Paul Lewis
Theme music ………... Elmer Bernstein

Plot

We hear ominous music. Llud is chased down a hill by a huge masked warrior, carrying a spear, and gets trapped against a tree. The warrior, Brosk, throws his spear, missing Llud by inches. Llud stumbles down a bank into a river, and falls to his hands and knees. Brosk closes in.

In the grip of a nightmare, Llud cries out, waking Arthur, who rushes over and tries to calm him, and eventually resorts to throwing a bucket of water over him. Llud wakes, relieved.

Arthur goes out to fill the bucket from the trough, and calls Lenni, the village healer.

Back in the Longhouse, Llud refuses to discuss his dream. Arthur thinks he’s unwell, and insists that Llud allow Lenni to take care of him.

Llud is concerned to hear that Brandreth is leading an armed contingent their way; he says Brandreth’s tribe are treacherous. But Kai checks out Brandreth’s party, and soon joins them around their campfire. Brandreth wants to meet Arthur, and swear a pact of allegiance.

Back in the Longhouse, while Lenni sits sewing near the door, Llud lies in bed, experiencing his nightmare vision again.

One of Brandreth’s men secretly tells Brandreth’s twin brother, Gavron, about the planned meeting. Gavron means to ambush his twin en route. Brosk, the warrior from Llud’s vision – one of Gavron’s men – wheels a large hand-cart into position.

Outside the Longhouse, Llud looks at his hands in a worried manner.

On Gavron’s signal, Brosk upends the hand-cart, blocking the path of Brandreth and his party. Gavron’s men attack, and take Brandreth prisoner. Gavron prepares to take his place at the meeting with Arthur.

When Llud realises that the rendezvous between Arthur and Brandreth will be at the place he dreamed about, he wants to attend, but Arthur tells him to stay behind, in command of the camp.

As Llud lies on his bed, staring fearfully at the visions in his head, we see a large pendant hanging from a thong around his neck. Lenni wakes Llud, and presents him with a sleeping potion. Llud tells her to send Arthur to him, and puts the sleeping powder into a drink he has poured for Arthur.

The next morning, while Arthur lies in a drug-induced sleep, Llud tells Kai that Arthur agreed to let him take his place at the meeting. Kai knows Llud is lying, but sets out with him anyway. When they arrive at the meeting place, Gavron takes them prisoner, and ties them up. Kai berates Llud for not speaking of his premonition.

Arthur wakes, and realises what has happened. He asks the Minstrel how long ago Kai and Llud left, then sticks his head in the water trough.

Gavron reminds Kai and Llud that, four years ago, Arthur killed his father in battle. He has Llud taken out and staked to the ground, where Brosk thrusts Llud’s good hand into a fire, to force Llud send Arthur a message. Llud eventually agrees to do it. He pretends to try to write, but says his hand is too badly hurt. He suggests that Gavron write the message for him, and send his pendant in lieu of a signature.

Arthur receives the letter, and agrees to attend.

Still tied to a pole, Kai asks his guard for a drink. When the man returns, Kai trips him, breaks his neck, and uses his sword to free himself. But when he makes a run for it, he encounters more of Gavron’s men, and has to surrender.

Arthur approaches the meeting place, and falls into the same pit-trap as Kai and Llud. Gavron’s men surround him, but Arthur’s superior force surrounds and captures them in turn. Arthur then makes Gavron lure the rest of his men out, and Arthur’s men overpower them.

Arthur reveals that he knew something was wrong because the message claimed that Llud could not write because of his injured hand, whereas Llud never learned to write at all. Gavron is taken away at spear-point.

When Brosk breaks away from his Celt captors, Llud chases after him, and they begin to re-enact his nightmare, but this time, Brosk throws a spear into the river bank; Llud manages to pull it out, and kill Brosk with it.

Back in the longhouse, Kai lies in bed, apparently in the grip of a nightmare. Arthur and Llud wake him, and Kai tells them about his horrible dream, where he is carried off by a giant, which turns out to be a woman, whose captivity he has no desire to escape! Kai and Arthur both start laughing, and Llud throws a bucket of water over them both.


Author note

The script for “Go Warily” seems to have been the only work by Jonathan Crown that saw the light of day.


Timeline

“Go Warily” appears after “People of the Plough” in both the “Konig Arthur” book, and the German DVDs, so that order seem likely to be correct. The grass looks quite dry, as would be expected in late summer, and thistles are flowering near Gavron’s encampment.



Suggested shooting order so far

Arthur is Dead
Daughter of the King
The Challenge
The Gift of Life
Enemies and Lovers
In Common Cause
The Penitent Invader
The Slaves
People of the Plough
Go Warily


Locations

We don’t see much of Arthur’s village in this episode: just a small area to the south of the longhouse, where Arthur goes to speak to the Minstrel, and another, further to the south west, where Kai and Llud have words near a small hut. The rest of the village was probably being adapted to accommodate both Yorath the Jute’s people, and Hecla’s, in the next episode: “Rowena.”

According to Executive Producer Patrick Dromgoole, Brandreth/Gavron’s camp was in the Blackdown Hills.


Inside information

Michael Gothard's adopted sister, Wendy, recalls: "At the end of 'Go Warily', when Arthur and Kai are winding Llud up, you see Kai laughing at the trick he has played; that was exactly the way he was if he was laughing so hard he couldn't stop.

The more I see of ‘Arthur of the Britons’, the more I see that there is SO much of Michael in Kai."

The rest of the memories she has shared can be found here.


Cast notes

Sally James who plays the mute healer, Lenni, is perhaps better remembered as a presenter of shows such as Pop Quest and the anarchic Tiswas. She now owns and runs a business that supplies school uniforms.

Having recently played Col, the blacksmith in “The Slaves”, Dave Prowse, better known as Darth Vader, plays the huge masked warrior, Brosk. Presumably, the mask was to hide the actor’s identity.



Jeremy Taylor, who played the Minstrel, is a folk singer and comedian.



The unmistakeable Tom Baker, best known as the fourth Doctor in “Doctor Who”, plays the twins, Brandreth and Gavron.


"By the Gods!"

The only religious references in the episode are when Llud invites Gavron to “Burn in hell” and when Kai, fooling around at the end, cries out “In the name of the gods, no! No!”


Dark Age Men

Most of the problems our heroes encounter in this episode could have been avoided, if Llud hadn’t insisted on keeping his worries to himself. Instead of telling Arthur and Kai about his horrible dream, he just apologises for making a fuss, and warns Arthur not to intrude. And when Arthur refuses to include him in the planned trip to visit Brandreth, he makes sure that it is Arthur who takes a sleeping draft intended for him, because real men don’t need rest or medication!

Kai takes Llud’s insistence on assessing Brandreth for himself as a slight: “Are you not prepared to accept my word?” – and is quite annoyed when they are captured. Llud explains: “I brought you both up never to show any fear. Would you have had me admit to it?”

At the end, Llud feels honour-bound to personally dispatch the man who has haunted his dreams.


The best laid plans …

Gavron’s plan to take revenge upon Arthur might actually have worked if Llud hadn’t drugged him. Instead, Llud tricks Gavron into giving himself away, allowing Arthur to take counter-measures.


Family Ties

Gavron’s determination to kill Arthur is because of a battle, fought, four years before, in which Arthur killed the father of Brandreth and Gavron. Gavron, the Evil Twin, says his brother is weak for wanting to make peace with Arthur.


Celts and Saxons

Explaining Brandreth’s desire to make peace, Kai says: “He also has the Saxon wolves snapping at his heels. He would move his people to greater safety and join his army to ours.” Brandreth believes that revenge is simply impractical; he tells Gavron, “We Celts are fighting the Saxon now. Old hatreds, Brother, lie behind us.”


Don’t call me old!

Llud gets angry when Arthur suggests that he is ill or over-tired: “Llud is not old yet. Nor feeble … I need no nursemaid!”

This seems to be the first episode in which Llud is credited with more than usual foresight – later referred to in terms of his “nose twitching.” But it seems the future is not set in stone, providing one takes precautions.


“That is bloody dangerous!”

There is a minor skirmish when Gavron’s men ambush Brandreth’s, in which Brandreth is dragged from his horse.

Kai and Llud, and Arthur all have to fall into a pit trap.



Brosk is hit with a spear and drowned. The person who actually goes under is a stand-in; witness the disappearance of Brosk’s beard!




“Night-night, Kiddies!”

Llud’s torture, and Kai breaking a man’s neck between his thighs, might be considered a bit much for today’s teatime audience!




Dressed to kill?

Arthur wears his woolly blue shirt with the embroidered cuffs for most of the episode. When he goes to meet Gavron, he wears his ring armour over it. In the final scene he once again wears the pale blue lace-up shirt he wore in “In Common Cause”: the same one Kai wears in the first scene of “Daughter of the King.”

For his meeting with Brandreth and discussion with Arthur and Llud, Kai wears the new studded tunic first seen in “People of the Plough.” When he sets out to meet Brandreth for the second time, he is wearing the brown suede shirt he wore in “The Challenge.” In the final scene, Kai wears the white shirt he wore in “People of the Plough.”

Llud wears the same old white shirt for most of the episode, as well as the significant pendant. When he goes to meet Brandreth, he wears what looks like the same jacket he wore in “The Challenge”, but with a brown shirt under it. Gavron deprives him of both of these, leaving him in just his white shirt again while he is being tortured.

Brosk’s mask is the same one used by King Athel in “Enemies and Lovers”, but with some extra bits of metal, leather and fur stuck on.



Out of Brandreth and Gavron, the evil twin – as one might expect – seems to be the snappier dresser.




“A man on a horse is worth ten on foot”

Kai rides Merlin. Llud, as usual, rides Curly, and Arthur rides Skyline. Brandreth and Gavron both ride Pythagoras. Other horses involved in the scenes where Brandreth and subsequently Gavron are ambushed are Blondie, Trooper, Flame, Pinkie, and Jim. Also in the melee are a bay horse with a star, first seen in “People of the Plough”, and a new horse, with a wide blaze, Outlander.



See this post for further details of the horses of "Arthur of the Britons."


On the table

Brandreth has some bread in a bowl at his camp. Arthur has a bowl of what looks like pears on his table in the longhouse.


Quote/unquote

Arthur: They say you should never disturb another man’s dreams.
Llud: Or intrude on them afterwards.

Llud: Bed’s no place for any warriors.

Arthur: The way Llud feels today, he’d suspect his own shadow.

Llud: He’s mine! I have a dream to put to rest!


Great moments

The scene where Lenni, as part of her duties, wakes Llud up to give him a sleeping draft. Typical nurse!

Every scene where Gavron looks gleefully into camera.

Kai breaking the guard’s neck with his thighs, and the furtive look he gives afterwards.

Llud soaking Kai and Arthur at the end.


What’s going on here?

Arthur’s method of waking Llud – shouting at and shaking him – doesn’t seem very likely to calm him down!

He then gets water for Llud – who he thinks might be sick – from the horse trough, and later sticks his own head in it. Health and Safety?

Why is Lenni, the village healer, mute? Were they being inclusive, or just saving money by giving actress, Sally James, a non-speaking role?

In these scene where Brandreth is ambushed by Gavron’s men, he is pulled from Pythagoras’ back. Gavron then arrives – also riding Pythagoras. Has the horse, too, got an evil twin?



Given Llud’s forebodings, it seems odd that he and Kai still manage to fall into a trap, even though Gavron’s suggestion, “Leave your horses to water, and approach”, could hardly have sounded more suspicious.

If Brandreth’s people are from East Anglia – “the eastern marshlands” – why were they fighting over hunting grounds in Sarum (Salisbury), more than 100 miles from their home?

When we first see Kai tied to the post, he is still wearing his shirt; a few minutes later, still tied to the post, he is somehow – once again – stripped to the waist. One of Gavron’s men must have untied him, removed his shirt, and tied him up again. But why?



There are some interesting paintings on one of the hangings in Gavron’s tent.



Very few people in those times could read or write; why would Gavron assume that Llud was one of them?

Why does Llud insist on describing his pendant as a “brooch”? Is it because he’s a man, and he’s not supposed to know about jewellery? And if Arthur knows it so well, why is this the first time we’ve seen it? Even assuming Arthur recognised it, how would it serve as a sign of Llud’s agreement with the contents of a letter? Wouldn’t it occur to Arthur that Gavron might have taken it without Llud’s permission?

Gavron’s man, Kellas, evidently considers himself a medical man. When Arthur asks if Llud is badly hurt, he diagnoses “a sprain”!

When Arthur has been captured, his men ride to the rescue on some of the same horses that previously belonged to Brandreth or Gavron.

If Gavron was really so intent on revenge, he would have killed Arthur while he was in the pit, regardless of the fact the Arthur’s men had arrived. Evidently he was not prepared to risk his life.

When Llud is chasing Brosk at the end, it seems a bit foolish to throw his sword at him. And why is Llud seen running down this hill, when he’s already run off in the opposite direction?



In his dream about being chased by Brosk, Llud is shirtless, but when he re-enacts the dream in real life, he is wearing the white shirt.


Music

As the Minstrel, Jeremy Taylor sings:

Where the grass lies low, and the wind sweeps wide.
Where the black dove flies, by the green lakeside.
There I must go ... must stand … must stare.
For ’twas there on the lake, that I lost me a bride
If the stones could walk, and the mountains move.
If the trees could talk …

Unlike most of the songs that have featured in the show so far, Jeremy Taylor’s doesn’t seem relevant to the story.

Some of the music tracks used in this episode were:

Track 12, Duel: used whenever Llud is experiencing the nightmare vision.
Track 19, Celtic Dance: Arthur fetches water and speak to Lenni.
Track 5, To Battle! – Brosk prepares to ambush Brandreth.
Track 6, Infiltration and Treachery: Llud drugs Arthur’s drink, and departs with Kai.
Track 16, Danger Mounts: Gavron threatens Llud and has him tortured.
Track 11, Desolation and Despair: Llud is forced to try to write a message.
Track 26, Evil Stirs: Kai kills his guard; Arthur is trapped,
Track 23, Arrival of Arthur: Arthur’s men come to the rescue.

The whole suite of music, beautifully written and orchestrated for the series by Paul Lewis, is now available on CD.


Cast

Arthur …………….... Oliver Tobias
Kai ……………….… Michael Gothard
Llud ………………... Jack Watson
Brandreth/Gavron …. Tom Baker
Kellas ……………… Colin Rix
Cador …………......... Alfred Maron
Brosk …………......... Dave Prowse
Lenni …………......... Sally James
Minstrel ……………. Jeremy Taylor
Guard …………......... Michael Ely

Crew


Director ………….…. Sidney Hayers
Story ………………... Jonathan Crown
Executive Producer …. Patrick Dromgoole
Producer …………….. Peter Miller
Associate Producer …. John Peverall
Production Manager … Keith Evans
Post-production ……... Barry Peters
Fight Arranger ……… Peter Brayham
Cameraman …………. Graham Edgar
Camera Operator …… Roger Pearce
Editor ……………….. Barry Peters
Sound recordist ……... Barrie White
Dubbing mixer ……… John Cross
Art Director …………. Doug James
Assistant Director …… Mike Roberts
Production Assistant … Maggie Hayes
Costume Design .….… Audrey MacLeod
Make-up …………….. Christine Penwarden
Incidental music …….. Paul Lewis
Theme music ………... Elmer Bernstein