The Merlin series 5 premiere is days away, and in this video interview, knights Eoin Macken (Gwaine) and Rupert Young (Leon) discuss what’s coming up for their characters!
Speaking to SFX Magazine, the actors tease a couple of knight-specific storylines coming up this year at the start and the end of the season, and Macken describes the group as, “a bit more heroic.”
Without Uther there, the knights will offer more support for Arthur (especially Leon), which allows them to mature. We’ll also see a shift from individual battles to an ongoing war, and as a result there’ll be a lot more tension, and a more serious tone to the series.
Macken and Young also talk about the lack of love interests for the knights (although one has been rumoured for Sir Gwaine), and how the female characters that do appear on the show always turn out to be evil – although Young thought Queen Annis was “lovely.” They reflect on the knights being the “unsung heroes” of the series, considering the fact that Arthur has Merlin to save him while the knights have to save themselves.
The interview also touches on the return of the Round Table, and how their costumes have changed over the years. As the show has become more epic, it seems like the quantity of armour has similarly increased.
Ending on a high note, Macken calls this season a, “bigger, badder, harder, faster” version of Merlin. We can’t wait to see it!
And luckily, we don’t have to wait long. Merlin finally returns for its fifth series this Saturday, airing at 7:45 p.m. on BBC One. There will be 13 episodes total, and the two-part premiere episode is entitled “Arthur’s Bane.” Check out a sneak peek, and don’t forget to listen to Hypable’s new Merlin podcast Talks of Camelot!
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