Merlin: Season 1

Merlin is a new drama series that updates the story of the infamous sorcerer of Arthurian legend for a new audience. The mythical city of Camelot, in a time before history began; a fantastical realm of legendary beasts and mysterious people; a dangerous world in which magic has been banned by the ruthless tyrant, Uther Pendragon.
When Merlin, a young man gifted with extraordinary magical powers, arrives in the kingdom, he quickly makes enemies including the heir to Uther's crown, the headstrong Prince Arthur. But guided by Uther's wise physician Gaius, Merlin is soon using his talents not just to survive but also to unlock Camelot's mystical secrets. As he does so he discovers that his destiny and that of the kingdom's young leader in waiting, Arthur, are inextricably linked
Starring Colin Morgan as Merlin, Bradley James as Prince Arthur, Anthony Head as King Uther, Richard Wilson as Gaius, Katie McGrath as Morgana and Angel Coulby as Gwen, "Merlin" is an imaginative and enthralling new twist on a legend that is as old as time.

Episode 1. The Dragon's Call - Merlin, a young man with the gift of magic, arrives in Camelot in search of a new beginning only to find himself in a place where magic is punishable by death. Here he meets Gaius, his mentor; the ruthless king of Camelot, Uther Pendragon; his ward, the beautiful Lady Morgana; Gwen, her friendly maidservant; and the arrogant but handsome prince Arthur, upon whom the future of Camelot depends. Desperate to find a purpose for his magic, Merlin is stunned to discover that his destiny is to protect the future king, with whom he does not get along particularly well.

Episode 2. Valiant - A knight named Valiant arrives in court to compete in a sword-fighting tournament. Valiant holds in his power an enchanted shield which causes great harm to his opponents. Merlin's attempts to warn everyone fall on deaf ears- and Arthur is next to face Valiant.

Episode 3. The Mark of Nimueh - Camelot faces a double danger when a lethal plague starts spreading through the castle and Gwen is arrested for witchcraft. Merlin must team up with Arthur and Morgana to find the culprit behind the evil deeds.

Episode 4. The Poisoned Chalice - As Bayard and the Knights of the Western Isles are welcomed to Camelot for a feast, Nimueh infiltrates Bayard's entourage and begins a plot to get revenge on Merlin. Posing as a servant girl, she tricks Merlin into drinking from a poisoned chalice. Falling gravely ill, the only chance Merlin has is for an antidote to be prepared. Arthur takes it upon himself to retrieve the needed ingredients but, with Nimueh doing everything she can to thwart Arthur's quest, will they be able to save Merlin in time?

Episode 5. Lancelot - Merlin is saved from a terrifying winged beast by a heroic stranger- a young man named Lancelot, who dreams of becoming a Knight of Camelot. In order to thank him, Merlin provides falsified records of Lancelot's noble birth and Lancelot is accepted. However, with the winged beast- discovered to be a Griffin- still on the loose, Merlin's decision could have far-reaching consequences not just for Lancelot but for Camelot...

Episode 6. A Remedy to Cure All Ills - When Morgana falls ill, Gaius is unable to cure her. However, a mysterious physician named Edwin Muirden is able to make her well again. As Edwin charms his way into the court, Gaius becomes suspicious. But is there a darker motive at work?

Episode 7. The Gates of Avalon-Arthur and Merlin save a young woman and her father from a band of brigands. Arthur becomes quite besotted with the young girl, Sophia, and offers them refuge in Camelot. However, it's not just Merlin who is suspicious of the new arrivals- Morgana awakes from a nightmare about Arthur's death at the hands of a beautiful young woman to find Sophia is the girl in the nightmare...

Episode 8. The Beginning of the End - When a druid and his boy apprentice are caught in Camelot, Morgana and Merlin hide the boy from Uther's guards- but the druid is executed. Uther declares that anyone harbouring the boy will be dealt with severely. They must try and smuggle the boy from Camelot without being caught. But why does the Great Dragon insist that Merlin should not help?

Episode 9. Excalibur - Uther's past comes back to haunt him as a mysterious black knight interrupts Arthur's coming-of-age celebrations, throwing down his gauntlet and challenging the Knights of Camelot to combat. The Black Knight, seemingly unstoppable, makes easy work of his combatants. But who is the Black Knight, and why is Uther so uneasy?

Episode 10. The Moment of Truth - Merlin's home village of Ealdor is attacked by raiders led by the fearsome Kanen, but Uther will not do anything to help- to cross into Ealdor, which is outside of Camelot's boundaries, would constitute an act of war. Merlin leaves Camelot to help to defend his home- and is surprised to find help from Morgana, Gwen and Arthur. However, an old friend of Merlin forces the young sorcerer into making a difficult choice: will he use magic to save the village and thus reveal his secret to Arthur?

Episode 11. The Labyrinth of Gedref - When Arthur kills a unicorn, he brings a curse upon Camelot. With the mythic city plagued by both famine and drought, time is short for the curse to be lifted. The mysterious Anhora, keeper of the unicorns, tells Arthur he is responsible for bringing the famine to Camelot- and to lift the curse, Arthur will be tested... but unless he makes amends for the killing of the unicorn, Camelot will be doomed.

Episode 12. To Kill the King - When Gwen's father Tom unwittingly helps a renegade sorcerer turn lead into gold, he is arrested and faces trial for treason. Despite pleas from both Arthur and Morgana, Uther is adamant- Tom will be tried and, if found guilty, will be executed. Morgana tries to help Tom escape but tragedy ensues... and Morgana becomes hellbent on revenge. Merlin uncovers a plot to kill Uther, but will he try and stop it- or sit by and let it happen?

Episode 13. Le Morte De Arthur - When out on a hunt, Arthur encounters a huge monstrous creature never before seen. Gaius realises it is a Questing Beast, a creature conjured from the nightmares of a long-dead king, whose bite is always fatal. When Arthur faces the creature again, it is vanquished... but Arthur is bitten and his life hangs in the balance. Merlin is told by the Great Dragon to seek the Isle of the Blessed, where members of the old religion have the power to save the future king. However, there is a price to pay. In order for a life to be saved, a life must be taken...

Directed by Jeremy Webb, Dave Moore, Ed Fraiman, James Hawes, Metin Hüseyin, Stuart Orme, Alice Troughton
Written by Johnny Capps, Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Julian Murphy, Howard Overman, Ben Vanstone
Produced by Sue De Beauvoir< br> Executive Produced by Johnny Capps, Julian Murphy
Original Music byRobert Lane, Rohan Stevenson, James Gosling
Cinematography by Dale McCready, Geoffrey Wharton, Jim O'Donnell
Film Editing by Jeremy Strachan, Elen Pierce Lewis, Fiona Colbeck, Mark Eckersley, Bjorn Johnson, Andrew McClelland, Jackie Ophir, Simon Reglar
Costume Design by Charlotte Morris

Merlin - Merlin came to Camelot after living in the town of Ealdor. It is implied that he had to leave Ealdor because they were aware and didn't approve of his magical ability. There, he found Gaius, a court physician who has given up his former magical life, and serves a ruthless king who wants magic stamped out. Although Gaius is fatherly and kind, he has a dark side that is slowly being revealed.

Arthur - The circumstances surrounding Arthur's birth are kept a close secret, even from Arthur himself. When his mother, the Lady Igraine, was unable to have a child, Arthur's father, Uther, asked the sorceress Nimueh to help them conceive one. She agreed to do so, but did not inform them of the consequences that would come of creating a child through magic. Igraine died shortly after Arthur's birth, as the rules of the Old Religion stated that for a life created, a life must be taken. Thus, Arthur was raised as an only child, until his father took in the orphaned daughter of his friend Gorlois, the Lady Morgana.

Arthur's education was centered around combat and the knightly arts. He himself claimed to have been "trained to kill since birth." Because of this emphasis, he is arguably the best knight in Camelot, and oversees the training and maintanence of the other knights in the kingdom. His skills make him rather arrogant at times, covering the fact that he has a very good heart and cares deeply for his family, friends, and future subjects.

Gaius - Gaius seems to have been the Court physician for some time and he is a respected member of the community. He appears to have been privy to all of Uther's secrets. However, Gaius also has some secrets of his own; he previously practised magic, although it seems to have lost that ability. He also knows Hunith (Merlin's mother) although it isn't clear how or what their relationship is/was.

Morgana - Morgana's father was killed fighting for Uther when Morgana was ten. From then on she became the King's ward and she is like a daughter to him. She was raised as a sister to Arthur and has served as first lady of the kingdom and the only female member of the royal family. She has magical blood and is able to use magic in the same way as merlin (as well as being a seer) though her magic is less defined as of yet as she has only just discovered her powers. She is a deeply compassionate woman, willing to risk her life for others.

Uther Pendragon - Uther is the king of Camelot. He is a stern and at times a harsh ruler, but he does care deeply for his subjects. He is well-known for his intense hatred for any and all things related to magic, and has banned its use within the kingdom.

Few people know of the source of his hatred of magic. Some twenty years earlier, Uther sought the assistance of the sorceress Nimueh in creating a child, because his wife, the Lady Igraine, was barren and thus unable to conceive. She agreed to help him, but did not inform Uther of the consequences that would come of creating a life through magic. When the birth of their son, Arthur, resulted in Igraine's death (thus taking a life in return for creating one, one of the tenets of magic), the raging and grieving Uther threw Nimueh from the court and banned magic from Camelot, making it an offense punishable by death. Many sorcerers living in Camelot were killed in Uther's subsequent purges.

A few years later, Uther took in Morgana, the orphaned daughter of his close friend, Gorlois, who died when Uther did not provide the reinforcements he had promised the other man. He and Morgana often fight with one another, most notably over Uther's policies concerning magic, but they still share a deep bond with each other.

Although he is often cold and sometimes even cruel, Uther is very devoted to Arthur as well. He will not hesitate to sacrifice his life for him, and even entered into a duel that he believed was suicide with the wraith that used to be Tristan de Blois in order to prevent Arthur's death. Because he is not often able to show his true feelings to Arthur or Morgana, he often relies on fear and intimidation to parent them, which puts Uther into conflict with them when they wish to walk their own paths.

Guinevere - Guinevere, more commonly known as Gwen, is the maidservant of Lady Morgana and the daughter of the local blacksmith, Tom. Despite living in poverty and the heavy demands of her job, Gwen is cheerful and kind to all she meets. She is fiercely loyal to her mistress, Morgana and the two have become close friends. She was also one of the first people to be kind to Merlin, who was in the stocks at the time and completely helpless. Gwen is devoted to her father and willing to do anything to help him, which has gotten her into trouble as her devotion nearly got her sentenced to death as a witch.

• Merlin Secrets & Magic
• BBC Writers' Room: Julian Jones
• Wales history: King Arthur
• Welsh myths animated stories & games
• Arthur in early Welsh literature