The Knight with the Red Plume

This is an early ITC series made for the early days of ITV. As ever ITC had an eye for the American market.

For a show made in 1956, it would come as a surprise that the main star William Russell is still alive as of June 2020. Russell would go on to a further highlight in his career as schoolteacher Ian Chesterton in Doctor Who.

This series is squarely aimed at a family audience. Russell plays Lancelot travelling far in the hope he can become one of King Arthur's knights of the round table. He already beats three of King Arthur knights before he sets foot in the castle.

Merlin however gets a message via signal from a reflection of the sun in a mirror as to what has occurred.

King Arthur asks Lancelot to prove himself and Sir Gawaine challenges him to a duel as he believes Lancelot killed his brother.

It is all shot in the studio apart from the duel with Sir Gawaine which was shot outside. It is very much a simple story.

Sir Lancelot wants to join The Knights of The Round Table, he travels to Camelot, but is first given a series of tasks that he must complete, including a duel with The King's Champion.

It's a solid, if slightly clunky first episode, I'll be honest, I had no idea this show existed, once again, so much appreciation for Talking Pictures. I'll watch a few more to try and get a better opinion.

Here Sir Lancelot is rightly played as valiant, capable, tough and intelligent. I really liked the character of Merlin.

The production values are actually pretty decent, some nice location work and some really nice costumes. That theme tune really was something.

The fight scenes are perhaps not the best, but I imagine they would have really appealed to a young audience in 1956.

I'm keen to see more of William Russell, best known perhaps for his role in Dr Who alongside William Hartnell as Ian Chesterton, a role he astonishingly picked up briefly again in 2022, quite a dashing figure.

5/10.