Merlin (BBC1)

At first, 'Merlin' seemed like a bit of a let-down from such engaging dramas like 'Doctor Who' and 'Robin Hood', both of which I am partial to. Of course, after they killed off Maid Marian in the last series of Robin Hood, I highly doubted that another series would be underway. Of course, Marian was thought to have been dead at the end of the first series, but after they buried her I don't think a resurrection would have been entirely plausible.

The series begins when a young boy, Merlin (played by Colin Morgan), is sent away from his hometown (which we later return to) to go to Camelot and live with a good friend of his mother's, the court physician, Gaius. Gaius (Richard Wilson) is first seen falling from a platform in his quarters, and Merlin uses his instinctive powers to move a bed over to cushion the old man's fall.

We first see some action barely ten minutes into the episode, when a man is being taken to be executed. Lady Morgana (played by Katie McGrath), the king's ward, is watching from a window. After the man's death, an old woman declares a vengeance against Uther for killing her son - 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son'. It is evident that this woman is a witch after Uther orders guards to 'seize her' and she disappears into the air, screaming all the while.

Angel Coulby, who plays Lady Morgana's maid Gwen, evidently has a soft spot for Merlin after she speaks to him whilst he is pelted with vegetables in the stocks.

Arthur, played by Bradley James, and Merlin start off on a bad key, when Merlin accuses Arthur of being an ass, saying 'I knew you were an ass, I just didn't know you were a royal one!' It comes as a shock to him when he pays a visit to the dragon kept under the castle of Camelot (by Uther, who kept it chained as a message to those practicing magic in his reign), when he is informed of his destiny and how closely he is linked with Prince Arthur. The dragon, voiced by John Hurt, tells Merlin that his destiny is to look after Arthur and protect him from harm - and most importantly an attempted murder. Merlin shows his dislike of the pompous prince by telling the dragon that he'd be willing to give whoever happend to want to kill Arthur a hand in his death.

But near the end, as we move back to the old woman, who has taken the place and visual looks of 'Lady Helen' (but can be revealed by her reflection) and is singing at a celebration in Camelot, who has just enchanted everyone to fall in a deep sleep. Merlin saves himself from this by the simple impediment of covering his ears with his hands. He uses his powers to drop an overhead chandelier on the woman. The spell is broken, but the woman still poses a threat. She reaches up and throws a knife at Arthur who, after all his quick-wittedness, stands stock-still as the knife comes flying toward him. Merlin runs over and pushes him out of the way, saving his life and earning a "reward". Merlin, at first, refuses. But Uther insists that 'this merits something quite special' and declares that Merlin will become Arthur's manservant. Both young men aren't pleased with the way things stand, but it is the start of a friendship, and a close one at that.

The series is almost over and I am quite sad to see it go, but I am glad in knowing that it will most probably be back next year with more magical capers, as there is always the risk in having to tell Arthur his secret and face death at the hands of Uther.