50 Fun Facts About Merlin

On which channel did the BBC series Merlin air from 2008 to 2012?

It ran for five series, ending with a two-part Christmas finale on 24 December 2012.

How many series of the BBC's Merlin were made?

Broadcasting rights were sold to more than 180 countries.

Who played Merlin in the BBC series?

The Northern Irish actor later played Leo Elster in Humans and Billy Clanton in Belfast.

Why must Merlin hide his powers in Camelot?

Uther's crackdown twenty years earlier was known as the Great Purge.

What was Uther's crackdown on magic twenty years before the series called?

He also imprisoned the last dragon in the caves beneath the castle.

What is the name of the Great Dragon imprisoned beneath Camelot?

John Hurt voiced him; Aithusa is the white dragon hatched later in the series.

Who voiced the Great Dragon?

Hurt had earlier voiced Hazel in Watership Down and Aragorn in the 1978 Lord of the Rings.

Who played Arthur Pendragon?

He later played Damien Thorn in the Omen sequel series Damien.

Who played Morgana?

She went on to play Lena Luthor in Supergirl and Zara in Jurassic World.

Morgana is eventually revealed to be whose illegitimate daughter?

Her betrayal leaves the king a broken man.

What is Gwen's job when the series begins?

Uther considers her unworthy of Arthur and even accuses her of witchcraft.

Who played Gaius, the court physician?

He is best known as Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave.

Which Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor played Uther Pendragon?

He was also the prime minister in Little Britain and Rupert Mannion in Ted Lasso.

Who is the traitor uncle who arrives to help Arthur in series four?

Nathaniel Parker's character blames Uther for the death of his sister, Queen Igraine.

What is Merlin's aged alter ego called?

The Dolma is his other disguise, an elderly sorceress guarding a lake.

By what name do the druids and Morgana know Merlin in prophecy?

In Welsh tradition Emrys is the name Geoffrey of Monmouth fused with Myrddin to create the legendary Merlin.

What power does Merlin inherit from his father Balinor?

John Lynch played the last Dragonlord, who dies in Merlin's arms.

How does the Great Dragon forge Excalibur in the series?

He keeps demanding his freedom in return for his help.

What is Merlin's home village called?

Arthur travels there to defend it from raiders in "The Moment of Truth".

Which knight sacrifices himself to close the veil between worlds?

The Cailleach refused Merlin, declaring his time among men was not yet over.

Which actor played the knight who began as a commoner and sacrificed himself at the veil?

Macken played Gwaine, Hopper played Percival and Edun played Gwen's brother Elyan.

Which two actors played Mordred at different ages?

The druid boy Arthur once helped to free is destined to kill him.

Who played Morgana's half-sister Morgause?

Michelle Ryan played the witch Nimueh in series one.

Which Game of Thrones actor played the Witchfinder Aredian?

Uther hires the feared sorcerer hunter after someone reports seeing magic in Camelot.

What curse afflicts the druid girl Freya?

Laura Donnelly played the doomed girl, who later appears as the Lady of the Lake.

What is the name of Mordred's sword that mortally wounds Arthur?

A shard of the blade stays lodged in Arthur, so Merlin races to take him to Avalon.

At which battle does the series climax?

Merlin is at his most powerful there, scattering Saxons and driving off the white dragon.

How does the final episode end?

He returns Excalibur to the lake, and the scene jumps to the present with Merlin still waiting for Arthur.

Which French castle served as Camelot for filming?

Filming split between the Oise castle and locations in Wales near Cardiff.

Which French ruler bought the castle used as Camelot in 1810 for under 3,000 francs?

It was then a romantic ruin; the castle was rebuilt later in the century.

Which production company made Merlin with BBC Wales?

Julie Gardner, BBC Wales's head of drama, was executive producer for the BBC.

Which US network first aired Merlin, in June 2009?

It moved to sister cable channel Syfy from the second series onward.

What BAFTA did Merlin win in 2011?

Rights to the show were sold to more than 180 countries.

Why was series four rumoured for an early-2012 slot rather than autumn?

The ten-episode series was confirmed in October 2010.

Where in England was the attraction Merlin: The Dragon Tower built?

It included a £150,000 wax model of Colin Morgan and closed in 2014.

In the legend, who first introduced the familiar Merlin in the 12th century?

The Catholic cleric blended two Welsh prophets into one character he called Merlinus Ambrosius.

What is Merlin's name in Welsh?

Geoffrey Latinised it to Merlinus, possibly to avoid an unfortunate resemblance to a French rude word.

In his traditional biography, Merlin is the son of a mortal woman and what?

This demonic parentage is the source of his prophecy and shapeshifting powers.

In Welsh poetry, what drove the original bard behind Merlin mad?

He fled to live as a wild man of the woods in the 6th century.

What did the boy prophet reveal beneath King Vortigern's collapsing tower?

The white dragon stood for the Saxons and the red for the Britons.

According to Geoffrey, which monument did Merlin build by bringing stones from Ireland?

It was to be a burial place for Aurelius Ambrosius, and the stones came from Mount Killaraus.

Merlin's magic lets Uther enter which castle in disguise to father Arthur?

He takes the shape of Igraine's husband, the Duke of Cornwall.

What was the 1150 work by the Merlin legend's creator devoted to the wizard?

"The Life of Merlin" drew on the older Myrddin stories and has the bard Taliesin tell Merlin of Arthur's fall.

In the French prose cycles, which student traps Merlin forever?

Named Viviane, Nimue or Niniane depending on the text, she then takes his place as Arthur's court mage.

Which enchanted forest is often the scene of Merlin's imprisonment?

It is identified today with the Paimpont forest in Brittany.

For how many members did Merlin have Uther establish the Round Table?

Merlin handpicked them, modelling the table on the Last Supper table and that of Joseph of Arimathea.

Which Welsh town is traditionally associated with Merlin's name and a famous oak?

Its Welsh name, Caerfyrddin, may be the source of Myrddin rather than the other way round.

Which Wiltshire site is claimed as one location of Merlin's tomb?

The town was known in medieval times as Merlebergia, supposedly after Merlin's tumulus.

Which fantasy wizards does Wikipedia cite as inheriting Merlin's traits?

Disney's 1963 The Sword in the Stone gave the world its most cartoonish Merlin.

The actor who played Merlin was born in which part of the UK?

He earned National Television Award and Monte Carlo TV Festival nominations for the role.