Merlin - a retrospective

In a land of myth and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy/man... his name, Merlin!

Today's news - Merlin's been axed. Well, that's not strictly true. It's the announcement that this series will be the last, and that the creators are ending the show properly. And it's definitely the right time to do it.

The creators have had a plan, and they've stuck to it. Unlike most shows, which could run and run and run, albeit with a change in cast, you have to admire the ambition of this one. The principal, what, five cast members have been there since the first episode - Tony Head naturally dropped out, he had to eventually. Because whilst this series isn't defined by the Arthurian myths and legends that's inspired it (they're a bit of a contradictory bag anyway, and Merlin being the same age as Arthur is a big change anyway), it's a series that sticks to the overall legend that we know.

Right from the start, Merlin is given a destiny - to help Camelot become great and Arthur become king. And whilst the series premise hasn't changed too much since then - there's still monsters and plots and keeping magic secret - one of the most appealing things is how much the show delivers. We've seen Arthur become king, and more controversially, Gwen (a humble serving girl) becoming queen. The knights of the round table have been gradually formed together, bolstering the supporting cast, and a Dragon has been freed (the wonderful John Hurt imprinting himself onto a new audience), and another born. Morgana's turned evil and we've even seen an artificially aged Merlin, the one we know of legend. How's this going to tie itself up? You just know that the creators have something big and special planned for this last ever adventure.

Old Merlin. Who really has to be seen to be believed - he's hilarious

But the series itself has changed. This series has seen a 'darker' tone (well, they've been saying that every year!) and a later timeslot - and we've had spooky hauntings and ghosts, alongside epic quests and fiendish villians - perhaps more so than usual. Even if the encompassing legend could sustain itself for another 13 episodes, the timeslot would be approaching post-watershed at this rate! It's a far cry from the first series, where the scariest things were griffins or powerful sorcerers - but it has a feel of its own, sowing seeds like Lancelot and Mordred and Morgana, but mainly in the cosy world of Camelot and the young cast.

First shown in 2008, you probably wouldn't think the series would have run for five years solid (even Doctor Who had to have a break). Whilst I suppose its predecessor Robin Hood was filmed in Hungary (and that only lasted 3 seasons, just - similarly going a bit darker towards the end), a series carefully filmed in both France and Wales seems ambitious. Add to that there being sixty five episodes of Merlin, the series still going as strong as ever (the ratings are as high and steady as ever), it is a tribute to the inventiveness of the crew and the chemistry of the regular cast that it's lasted this far.

Of course, before I get lost in the rhetoric, there's been a few bumps along the way. Whilst in recent times the show has changed its status quo, things became slightly predictable when, every episode, Arthur completely fails to notice Merlin has saved the day. Or that certain characters barely get a line in some weeks. Or the slightly warped geography of Camelot's lands, which take half an episode to traverse. And how many times has Morgana come back from the brink with an even more ludicrous plan (and hairdo)?

You'd think she would have smartened herself up before trying to kill the king, honestly.

 You can look at the series either as a serious drama, or simply as forty five minutes of adventure on Saturdays - and if you do the latter, you'll find it far more enjoyable. You might even laugh at some of the deliberately comedy episodes ('filler' or not) - I particularly like Sarah Parish's outlandish troll two-parter, but it left some viewers a little disheartened, to say the least. There's plenty of 'epics' though - battles and wars and storming of the castle have become the norm for series openers and finales, often spearheaded by Morgana and her ally of the season - some notable guest stars, including Emilia Fox, and also Tom Ellis with long hair - go figure. (I must say, the finales and two parters do merge into one in my memory - but they're always epic).

Each week, if you paid attention online, you'll typically find people (the fan appeal of Merlin is getting broader and broader by the series) claiming the latest episode to be the best yet, or utterly cliché, or silly, or too scary, or any number of opinions - just like Doctor Who, in fact! Despite this, it's still a shame that the series will actually end - this Christmas! But you know that they'll go out their way to end the show on a high (no pressure, folks!)

So farewell, soon, to the show that gave us myths and legends; ghost stories and love stories; topless knights and Puzzlewood; the most phenomenal lead actor with the best English accent to come out of Northern Ireland; and not one scene of Richard Wilson saying 'I don't believe it!'. (Quick - recommission it, for that alone!)