The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

Looking back on these episodes of the Sir Lancelot legend, it recalls fond memories of a more innocent age, when TV series such as this one, and Robin Hood, William Tell, the Buccaneers etc, etc were king. Nowadays, the obvious budget restrictions on the production are clearly apparent but hey, who cares, it is still a marvellous little series. It has lots of plus points - joyous and carefree adventure, authentic settings, neat story lines, strong ensemble cast, and a splendidly energetic Sir Lancelot, played by that fine actor William Russell. Highly recommended for children and adults alike, and in many ways makes one wish for the values of an age gone by to return.

The legends this series is based on have had many interpretations in book and film. So I can forgive the anachronisms in clothing styles and liberty taken with story lines – like the creative addition of Brian, which really made the show for me. I was enchanted by this TV series in 1956 when I was eight years old, and it enchanted me again when my husband gifted me the series on DVD for Christmas 2011. The pull of nostalgia on viewing the series from some fifty years distance is extremely compelling. My memories of the characters are sharper than my memories of other shows of this era. Even if other shows are considered better, this is the show struck a strong cord in my psyche. And why it did, I really don't know.

What I do know is I now see in the show, 1950's values overlaying a medieval scenario inhabited by charming characters with engaging humor. This show may well have partially sparked the humor I put in my own writing. Also, it may have been the start of my public service ethic (seriously) and the choice of my first real employment as a teenager – swimming pool lifeguard, a protector role. It may be what underlies my twenty year service in the Coast Guard Auxiliary (civilian volunteer component of the Coast Guard) doing search and rescue on Lake Michigan.

You see, I bought the ethics of knighthood as an eight year old child despite the show's 1950's attitude that it was a men's club only and my role as a female was to be abducted and then rescued. I ignored the gender issue and identified with Brian and his dream of joining a group of people dedicated to do good in the world. Perhaps his overcoming his own humble background which almost locked him out of the "nobles only club", encouraged me to overcome my "gender handicap" as many girl children of the 1950's eventually did through the women's movement of the 1960's and 1970's.

Both Lancelot and Brian, for me, made this show. But they were well backed up with the silliness of Sir Kay whose buffoonery made me laugh, King Arthur who represented authority with dignity, and the Queen who represented how women should behave (except for me, of course). I realized on viewing the DVD episodes that I had accurately remembered the voice tones of both Brian and Lancelot over all these years: Lancelot's wavering laugh and Brian's soft and soothing voice.

As an 8 year old, I liked their looks, but as a 64 year old, I realize what eye candy they both really were. If I had been a teenager when I first saw the show, I might have done one of two things: laughed it off as silly and not watched again after the first episode, or I might have developed a crush on either or both of these male actors and avidly mooned over the show each week. But discovering them as an 8 year old –I imprinted on them. That runs much deeper than a fleeting teenage obsession.

So I may try to introduce this series to my seven-year-old granddaughter. Perhaps she is of the wrong generation to be enchanted by them. But little does she know that Grandma who pays for and drives her to her taekwon-do lessons, and is proud of her green belt and her 3rd place in a tournament, might be pushing the martial arts because half a century ago an enchanting TV show inspired Grandma and kick-started her imagination.

"The Adventures of Sir Lancelot" is one of that stream of 1950s historical drama series that also included 'The Adventures of Robin Hood', 'William Tell', 'Sir Francis Drake' 'The Buccaneers' and 'Ivanhoe'. Probably aimed primarily at boys aged 8 - 14, they were good fun though frequently limited in scope. They embraced a mixture of history with myth and legend, historical accuracy frequently being non-existent although, frankly, this really didn't matter. It was all about the good guys beating the bad guys, British versions of the plethora of US series that centred on cowboys and Indians.

Viewed as products of their time they were all decent enough - I certainly remember enjoying them all, which may not be so surprising when one considers that the principal characters were often played by actors who were already, or later became, well known. Younger generations may well find all of these series far too dull and stagy for their tastes, having been brought up on a diet of loud and flashy imagery, but for those whose introduction to television was in the black and white days of the 1950s, they still have merit.

"The Adventures of Sir Lancelot" wasn't the best, but it's still worth a score of at least 5 and I'll give it 6 out of nostalgia..

William Russell is usually on quite good form in this series depicting the chivalric challenges facing the eponymous knight at the Camelot court of the legendary King Arthur (not always played by the same actor, which could have been a bit confusing were it not for his crown!). There are thirty of these enjoyable 30-minuters that allow us to sit back and enjoy some adventures for the round table knights as they face foes and woes from within and without. The production is adequate, as is the writing and although the stories have little jeopardy or menace, the actors are having good fun making this and there is plenty of horse-borne action to keep each episode agreeable to watch. There usually features a B-list "guest star" to keep an eye on, and there is always loads of plotting and scheming too. Worth watching in a binge if you can - they pass the time surprisingly easily.

Tough and brave Lancelot fights his way to a place in Arthur's Court, becoming a Knight of The Round Table. Sir Lancelot of The Lake battles rogue kings, vikings, doppelgangers and saves many a damsel in distress.

William Russell shines as Sir Lancelot, just a few years before he'd become known to millions of fans in Doctor Who, he started as Sir Lancelot. Handsome, brave, fearless and true, there is no challenge the brave knight won't take on.

Solid stories, solid acting, an adventure series from the 1950's, it rivals, but isn't perhaps as good as The Robin Hood series, but it's definitely watchable.

It has appeal to viewers young and old, sword fights and action sequences aplenty, plus some wry humour. Some of the fight sequences look dodgy at best, sometimes they turned out well.

The costumes, though perhaps not accurate, looked splendid. I liked the location work also, considering they made this on a small budget, they did a fine job.

When it switches to colour, it looks and feels so very different, I understand it was done for The US market, most of them are in black and white however.

Episode quality does vary, the best of the lot for me, Sir Crustsbread, it's hilarious, and features some very strong characters, Lancelot really does meet his match.

A real shame that only one series was made, I think it improved as time went on, more would have been nice.

7/10.