Arthur of the Britons

This was my all time favorite TV show when i was a kid in the 70's. Got me into the history of the times. If Arthur existed i think he would of been as portrayed in this series. The friendship between Arthur and Kai is well acted but everyone is great in this Brian Blessed stands out in his over the top style. I highly recommend this show even bought the whole 24 eps on DVD.

At the time, I'd have rated this programme a 10, but the low budget does show a bit now, compared to modern historical shows. Personally, I feel it adds to the charm! Great characters, very sincere performances. Interesting stories and a huge heart.

It actually awakened my interest in History, and how it can be so inaccurately represented and this become the accepted truth.

I remember at the time, reading an article by its creators about their determination to create a more realistic, believable world based on more recent archaeological discoveries. I think it paved the way for far more responsible programmes to be made than before. It is equally enjoyable to adults and quite young children.

I return to this again and again because it creates such an involving world.

I was a graduate student in upstate New York, and one of the local TV stations carried this show.  I loved the grittiness, and how it accurately portrayed people who lived close to the earth.

It also tried to portray how some of the Arthurian legends got started.   One episode showed Arthur trying to teach a lesson in cooperation to the other chieftains.  He had a large stone rolled over a sword, and dared the others each to get it out.  No one man could.  But, when they all helped by rolling the boulder off the sword, Arthur triumphantly snatched the sword.  However, instead of appreciating the lesson, the other chieftains came to the conclusion that Arthur would take credit for their efforts.

Well, nobody's perfect, even legendary kings, but this might just be the way the "Sword in the Stone" tale began.

It was an excellent show.

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.

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.