The Outcast

The Outcast carries over the class subtext from ITC's Robin Hood series.

Lancelot wants the servant Brian to be trained as a knight. However he is not of noble stock despite Merlin's insistence based on the information contained in his parchment regarding Brian's heritage which is written in invisible ink.

Brian does go to knight school but dastardly Sir Glavin (Patrick McGoohan) who had a dispute with Lancelot is determined that Brian fails. He certainly does not think lowly people like Brian deserve to be knights.

Brain is accused of stealing. He also wins the affections of Mary, one of the young women in King Arthur's castle. She speaks up for Brian and she despises Glavin who wants to marry her.

This is a Lancelot light episode, he is barely in it. McGoohan broods and plots. The acting quality goes up a notch or two.

No surprise that at the end Sir Glavin ends up as a prisoner.

Sir Lancelot insists that Brian is trained as a Knight of The Round Table, his presence angers several people, who vow to discredit him, and with Sir Lancelot away, Brian faces real danger.

Maybe the most satisfying episode so far, and that's strange as the main character is absent for the vast majority of it. I think perhaps because there was a degree of originality about it, it wasn't the usual sort of story, no siege, no invading knights.

Robert Scroggins delivers quite a sweet performance once again as Brian. Although the quality really does come from Patrick McGoohan, Sir Glavin is definitely the most interesting character here.

Maybe William Russell was given some time off for a weekend break perhaps.

Pretty good, 6/10.

This sort of show was no doubt the 1950s British equivalent of America's lighter westerns, safe for kids and not too taxing on the brain. Makeup and costumes are not the best, acting is so-so, depending on the actor. We see a young Patrick McGoohan as the "bad guy", not too long after he shared the stage with none other than Orson Welles in "Moby Dick", but a good four years before "Secret Agent" brought him the start of fame "across the pond". Shame he wasn't given more to do here.