A new twist to an old tale

TV REVIEW

THE kids are back in school three weeks already, the nights are rolling in and the television schedule is beginning to shape up. Among the programmes bursting onto our screens include some old delights, begging with us to stick with them for another year.
One such show is Merlin. After a fairly boring start, the BBC twist on the old tale of Camelot has begun to blossom into fine viewing for a Saturday evening. The show is based very loosely on the young life of King Arthur. In this version, Arthur is not quite the young pageboy when he pulls the sword from the stone but rather the prince of Camelot and a bit of a royal pain in the butt. He is arrogant, self-aware and enjoys nothing more than showing off his sword skills. He has matured since the earlier episodes but there is still a long way for this young man to go before he becomes the great ruler of Camelot and founder of the Knights of the Round Table.
This programme, as the name suggests, centres around Merlin, the most talented sorcerer the land has ever known. Merlin is not a long grey-beared old foggie dressed in a purple bedazzled Smock-frock. No, he is the lowly orphaned serving boy to Arthur and assistant to the king’s physician. The fact that he also has a dragon friend in a cave and that he was born with magical powers also helps him to avoid capture most days and to keep Arthur safe.
The premise of the story has been dealt with in this column before but in short, Camelot is ruled by Arthur’s father Uther (Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to many) but after the death of his wife, he banned all magic in the Great Purge. This was a time of vengenance when the king, so enveloped with rage, sent his knights through the land to drown and kill all people practicising or born with magic to rid his kingdom of it. He believes only in fact and does not delve into the mystical world at all.
Of course, this has brought about some unhappy circumstances for many people, not least his ward Morgana (played by Irish actress Katie McGrath) who has magical powers but plays with the dark side. It is her revenge on the king that is central to the plot in this series and currently she is trying to weaken Camelot by making the king mad and amassing an army to take the city.
The action, scripting and danger in this series has all been stepped up and why not. Merlin, as a franchise, has grown in popularity around the world and the series is shown in a great number of countries. It is hugely entertaining and perfect family viewing for Saturday evenings.
The dark edge is well executed and the series has moved from hammy to highly enjoyable. Even the CGI looks more believable than the millions spent on the new Resident Evil film. All in all, it’s worth a look and I for one am really enjoying it. Check it out Saturday evenings on BBC One.
It was tears a plenty when this year’s Australian Masterchef kicked off. The Aussie show is very swanky comapred to its Engligh counterpart with the contestants moving into Masterchef Towers, working in Masterchef Restaurant and using the supplies from Masterchef Pantry. It really goes all out on the production and there are a staggering 24 contestants, none of which go home on the first day. This is more like Masterchef Academy than the English version.
The first day saw the contestants introduce themselves, give us some insight into why they want to enter the food industry and most importantly, their background with regard to food. Thankfully, because it often means a closer competition, most contestants have no actual food background. They learned from their parents and families and cook for those that are nearest and dearest to them. It’s a mixed bunch and although one of the judges reminds me of a cross between Brian Lenihan and Lindberger from the cartoon show Biker Mike From Mars, it has the potential to suck me in.
The first challenge was to create a dish from their fondest childhood memories so that they could learn the power of food. An excellent challenge with a variety of results. However, let’s hope that in order to pay for the high production costs, the huge volume of episodes does not lead to the viewing fatigue. Tune in Monday evenings  on Watch for more.
Masterchef is not the only show that has gotten a make-over. Strictly Come Dancing is back on Saturday nights. The line up is similar to last year but many of the professional dancers have changed and the partner pick was done live on the show. The first dance was done without knowing partners, which it must be said resulted in some very awkward moves. The judges are as caustic as ever and Craig got the cattiness rolling with some very harsh comments. Bruce, of course, is still wheeling out the same old jokes and pausing for laughter but hey we’re into the eighth season now and it is still holding it’s popularity and I for one enjoy all the sequence, bum moving and brightly coloured lycra. Bring on the winter evenings so I can legitimately stay in and watch it without the guilt of feeling like I could be out for a walk.
If you only watch one programme this week, let it be The Inbetweeners. Back for a third series on Channel Four, this hilarious look at secondary school life in Britain is well worth staying in for. It centers around four boys, one of whom used to go to a private school and now has to go state and his group of rather misfit friends. The goal apart from just getting through the school day is to get girls, drink at the weekends and avoid public humiliation. It is pure gold! Check it out on Friday night at 10.55pm.