Arthur of the Britons

I thought about this series after seeing "King Arthur".

This actually made it across the pond in limited/commercial (not PBS) syndication in 1977 to 78. When the episodes ran their course here in DC, some local youths did a petition drive for the ABC affiliate to keep running it. No success.

There was an Excalibur reference, and in at least one episode Arthur was shown removing the sword from the stone at a multi tribal council, but it was presented as something to be expected. "Ach, there he goes again."

The sidekick who was born a Saxon reminds me of the narrator of Bernard Cornwell's Arthurian trilogy of novels.

There was a lot of outdoor filming in this series and they made the most of modest budgets. Episodes like these are good examples of actions series that can be presented in a half hour format.

Like the previous correspondent here - 'Arthur of the Britons' was a regular slot in my childhood TV viewing. I recall coming home from school in about 1972/1973 excited for the Wednesday tea-time slot (see - it left that much of an impression on me!!). This was the real Dark Ages of Britain. Not colourful pageantry of men in shining armour or ladies in Saxon-blue gowns with gold braid trim. This was a brilliant snapshot of how people would have lived; no modern infrastructure, just the gritty realism of an era when it was tribe against tribe and nothing was written for the history books. The series left a lasting impression on me and I wrote to ITV in the late 1980s to ask if it would be repeated. Sadly, they had no plans to, which I feel is a great loss when you see all the other dross which is repeated over the years. Although this series helped propel Arthur - Oliver Tobias to fame (prior to The Stud) and also Kai - Michael Gothard (who had parts in The Three Musketeers and a James Bond film) - I likewise feel it never had its true recognition. I came across a book in later years called 'The Bear of Britain' by Edward Frankland (printed during World War II with a forward by D. Lloyd George) and often wondered if the TV series was based on this. Does anyone know?

Although i could have only been 6 or 7 at the time, i remember Arthur of the Britons quite clearly (I can even still hum the theme tune). The programme left quite an impression on me with its realistic depiction of Dark age Briton. I think it was a major reason why i became so interested in history as a kid and still am to this day. I only wish this series was avaliable on Video/DVD.

For the fans of this series...I found at Amazom.com a double feature VHS called Medieval. It contains 2 videos: 1 King Arthur , the Young Warlord 2 The Magic Sword (the 2nd one is just a silly movie).

The Arthur video has only 3 episodes (96 mins on total) of the whole series. It is just enough to transport us back to our (at least mine) teen years.

I also would love to watch all the episodes.

I specially liked the fact that his best friend was a saxon, that really added a special feeling to the series.

I taped a late night broadcast of the film compilation of this series, purported to be the "true" story of the "real" King Arthur. Not having been too keen on the cleaned up and sometimes stuffy stories from Tennyson on, I was very, VERY skeptical - "Right, I'll bet" was my response to this claim. But after viewing the movie, I went on a quest that took me to local British bookshops, Rice University, and a hunger to learn more. I was totally fascinated by this telling of the tales - especially the basis of what might have happened to create the "Sword in the Stone" myth. This one was so much better! Here was a crafty, insightful, strategy churning Arthur who used logic, psychology, and military might when necessary to preserve his people and build alliances with an amusing assortment of petty kings in what was left of Roman Britain after their departure. Okay - enough overview.

Back to my quest for this and that. Every occurrence that comes up - historical figures, battles, even down to how people lived in the 800's was right. This gritty portrayal of Arthur was so fascinating that I just had to know more. I wrote to the production company. They sent me what they had and referred me to Terence Feeley, writer of most of the episodes. I wrote to him and still have the lovely letter he sent back.

This series is available in its entirety on DVD from the UK - formatted for that region only, unfortunately. But I suggest you get a region free player and have a ball watching these episodes all over again!

How much more compelling it is to view Arthur as a leader who used every human capability to achieve what few others could even imagine, to live such a "purpose-driven" life (to borrow a phrase). I could imagine him as a boy observing nature, observing people, sharpening his wit as well as his sword arm. What an amazing ideal for youngsters - develop your wit, your heart, your strength to achieve the most magnificent results. Dream the dream! Be all that you can possibly be!