Your browser lacks required capabilities. Please upgrade it or switch to another to continue.
Loading…
!Ian Newell Self proclaimed 'super fan' Ian Newell is the current rights holder for the Excalibur property, having purchased them in 1993. With [[Anna Sprague]] he was co-editor of the //Excalibur// fanzine [[Shining Sheath]]. Newell was responsible for recording many of the original episodes on [[audio tape|Audio Recordings]], the only format in which the episodes survive. However, several of the recordings have since been erased or destroyed. !!!Videotape Claim Newell claims to hold two episodes of Excalibur on videotape, which (according to Newell) he acquired from a man who found them in the basement of the Seventy-Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Pinner, in 1984. Newell tried several times to sell the episodes back to the BBC. The BBC disputed the claim, since no duplicates of the original tapes are known to exist, and at any rate refused to pay the 'quite exorbitant' price Newell demanded for what was, after all, their own property. !!!Lost Script Newell has also claimed to be in possession of [[Jiří Bobík]]'s copy of the script for <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Eye That Scans the Land]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Eye That Scans the Land</a></span><</if>>, an episode missing from both the [[Audio Recordings]] and the [[The Peevey Archive]]. Newell claimed to have acquired the script by bribing an official of the London Underground Lost Property Office in 1990. Bobík himself has no recollection of ever having left a script on the Tube, but admitted that it was "not impossible." Two pages of this script were teased in the Excalibur fanzine [[Shining Sheath]] in 1997, but when the tiny, blurred images were examined under a microscope, they proved to be pages from an episode of the soap opera //Crossroads//. !!!Lightsaber Incident In 2001, at [[Lodestar One|Lodestar One (Convention)]], an //Excalibur// convention in Stockton on Tees, Newell, incongruously dressed in chef's hat and piratical eye patch, had to be physically restrained and ejected from the convention after attacking star Ray Torrence with a toy lightsaber. An eyewitness said Newell had been screaming the words 'reverse the polarity, Doctor!' over and over again. He had been drinking heavily. !!!Personal Style Newell wears Hush-Puppies and has had the same hairstyle since he was 14. He has a framed photo of Margaret Thatcher on his bedside table and still uses the pillow cases from the //Return of the Jedi// duvet set he received on his 12th birthday. <<if $convention is not "seen">>!!!4 comments<</if>>\ <<if $convention is "seen">>!!!12 comments<</if>> <<if $convention is "seen">><div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Lmao hey Ian remember the last time someone messed up YOUR page? I'll refresh your memory: "Ian's notable and verifiable achievements include: * Stalking Kate Gregory * Anonymously flaming his girlfriend's fic using a sock-puppet account * Deriding other fans' zines on his blog * Writing fanmail to Kate Gregory * Deleting comments he doesn't like from the wiki * Living in Kate Gregory's garden shed * Being ejected from conventions" <span class="date">November 9, 2011 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment2">Stop, he's already dead! (Don't stop) <span class="date">November 9, 2011 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">"Ian is not an especially talented liar, nor is he a skilled plagiarist, despite having engaged in both activities constantly throughout his adult life. He is also not a great artist. His art is better than you'd think, but worse than you'd hope." <span class="date">November 9, 2011 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment2">Holy shit. I missed whenever this actually turned up on his page, thank you for your service <span class="date">November 10, 2011 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">It was only up for a few hours but I got a screenshot when it happened lol. Here's another choice excerpt: "For decades, Ian the despicable scab has taken every possible opportunity to rub his acquisition in the faces of other fans, but has consistently failed to back up his increasingly ludicrous claims." <span class="date">November 10, 2011 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avisock.png]]</div><div class="comment2">Now, I'm no fan of Newell, but isn't this going a little too far? <span class="date">November 10, 2011 by [[ENEALE]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/aviphone.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Break it up, everybody. I'm going to have to really crack down on this kind of thing from now on. We're all adults here, so let's PLEASE act like it. <span class="date">November 11, 2011 by [[CTrenowden]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment2">Ok but colin. You have to admit it was funny <span class="date">November 11, 2011 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><</if>> <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avishield.jpg]]</div><div class="comment1">I do NOT still use those pillowslips. <span class="date">November 8, 2011 by [[INEWELL]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avieggs.png]]</div><div class="comment2">You did when we were going out. <span class="date">November 8, 2011 by [[DameDuLac]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avishield.jpg]]</div><div class="comment1">I swear, your bio page is in for it this time! *rubs hands* <span class="date">November 8, 2011 by [[INEWELL]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/aviphone.png]]</div><div class="comment2">Ian, come on. If you get another vandalism strike this year, you're a step closer to a perma-ban. We're not negotiating it again. Don't PM me about it. <span class="date">November 8, 2011 by [[CTrenowden]]</span></div></div></div></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div> !Yalsa <<sidebar>>\ !!Yalsa ''Species:'' Unknown ''Age:'' 1100 years; appears 70 ''Affiliation:'' The Cult of Wendra ''Played by:'' [[Netta Skarsgard]] <</sidebar>>\ !!Background Played by veteran actress [[Netta Skarsgard]], Yalsa was a space witch who hailed from "Neuronic Space," a maelstrom of limitless dimensions. She appeared in three episodes, season 1's [[Sanctuary]] and season 2's <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Secret of Wendra]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Secret of Wendra</a></span><</if>> and <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Planet of the Kwanga]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Planet of the Kwanga</a></span><</if>>. In the episode [[The Secret of Wendra]], it is revealed that Yalsa was originally [[Wendra]]'s court fool; in [[Sanctuary]], she greatly enjoyed forcing the crew of the Excalibur to act as her court fools for a time instead. However, despite her initial lowly status, during Wendra's thousand-year slumber, Yalsa becomes a powerful witch in her own right. In [[Sanctuary]], she betrays her former master in order to inform the //Excalibur// crew about the location of the //Wand of Wendra.// Having lived as a slave to [[Wendra]] for her entire life, Yalsa resents the sorceress' authority, but must continue to serve her whims when Wendra is reawakened. During Wendra's thousand year slumber, Yalsa's life-essence was tied to that of her mistress, and she lived for a thousand years as Wendra slept, gaining power and experience all the while. !!Personality Irreverent and sardonic, Yalsa often indulges in scathing, observational asides about the [[Cult of Wendra|The Cult of Wendra]] of Wendra and the crew of the Excalibur. A number of these asides are spoken in iambic pentameter, leading some to assume that she is related to the civilization in <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Soul of Wit]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Soul of Wit</a></span><</if>>. !!Trivia In the episode [[Sanctuary]], "neuronic transduction waves" interfere with the nucleonic structure of Yalsa's body, rendering her arms invisible. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!Netta Skarsgard (1910-1993) <<sidebar>>\ !!Netta Skarsgard ''Born:'' 16 August 1910, Billund, Denmark ''Died:'' 23 January 1993, Viborg, Denmark ''Role:'' [[Yalsa]] <</sidebar>>Veteran actress Netta Skarsgard, who had played a variety of supporting roles throughout the forties and fifties, finally came into her own at an age when most people are thinking about retirement. Playing a succession of 'batty old ladies,' she is perhaps best remembered as Miss Cackle in the 1978 LWT adaptation of Jill Murphy's //The Worst Witch.// When asked whether she resented the typecasting, Skarsgard replied: <<< Heavens, no! It never crossed my mind. I was grateful for the work! Finally, after years of playing the "best friend" and "the secretary," I was getting some decent roles. And for heaven's sake, if you've got a batty old lady, who you going to cast &mdash; Schwarzenegger? <<< As Yalsa, she delighted in playing a powerful old crone begrudgingly subordinate to Wendra's bombastic sorcery. Skarsgard ad-libbed many of her more scathing asides, occasionally causing other cast members to visibly crack on film. Though their characters held little affection for one another, Skarsgard and [[Heather Kincaid]] got along "splendidly" and were known to associate with one another off-set. Skarsgard was killed in 1993, in her native Denmark, when her vintage Triumph Bonneville motorbike hit a patch of ice outside the town of Viborg. Police reports from the scene estimate that she had been travelling in excess of 90 miles per hour. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!The Shadow of Fantasy <<set $s1e7 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Shadow of Fantasy [img[images/s1e7.png]] Season 1 Episode 7 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' <span class="inactive"><a>Jane Murphy</a></span> ''Director:'' [[Hugh Goulding]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 17 October 1974 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Sun Stealers]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Oneironaut]] <</sidebar>>''The Shadow of Fantasy'' is the seventh episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by <span class="inactive"><a>Jane Murphy</a></span> and directed by [[Hugh Goulding]]. !!!Plot The //Excalibur// passes through an area of space influenced by a being calling itself Phantasia. The entire crew, save for [[Arco]], falls asleep; while Arco struggles to wake the others, each person is visited in a dream by Phantasia, appearing in different forms each time. [[Kray]] falls into an especially deep and troubled slumber; Arco repeatedly hears him talking in his sleep, but cannot rouse him. Unable to wake anyone, Arco tries to steer the Excalibur out of the Oneironaut's reach, but begins to feel tired as well. Arco wakes up, revealing that they were actually the first to fall asleep and the last to wake &mdash; and that the Kray in their dream had actually been Phantasia in disguise, delivering cryptic messages. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''ARCO:'' Wake up! Wake up, you buffoon! What's wrong with you? ''KRAY?:'' Never better. Never better. Never better. ''PHANTASIA:'' I must thank you. The wonders I beheld within you shall sustain me for years to come. ''PHANTASIA:'' In time, your waking mind will forget my intrusion. But if your unconscious summons me, then we shall certainly meet again. <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Oneironaut]]</div></center> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Zana <<sidebar>>\ !!Zana ''Species:'' Human ''Age:'' 28 years ''Affiliation:'' The //Excalibur// ''Played by:'' [[Kate Gregory]] <</sidebar>>\ !!Background Zana is an astronavigator and a member of a band of freedom fighters from Earth, revolting against Poseidon's tyranny. Following an attack on the rebel base, Zana joins the crew of a mysterious sword-shaped spaceship from the past, the [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]]. !!Personality Zana is always willing to put her own life on the line for others, even strangers, which sometimes brings her into conflict with [[Kray]], whose first priority is always the liberation of [[Earth]]. Zana is no pushover, however, and usually wins these sorts of arguments, often with the support of [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]]. A skilled astronavigator, Zana is highly highly intelligent and it doesn't take her long to figure out how to work the controls on their ancient, yet highly advanced vessel. Curiously though, she has little aptitude for electronics, which appear to be a gap in her otherwise broad education. Zana is gregarious and forms close friendships with most of the crew. She helps [[Alfie]] through his strange transition from young boy to old man and forms a close bond with Trugg, soothing him when he becomes frustrated with his now-limited intellect. Some episodes, particularly those written by [[Derek Farland]], hint at a romantic relationship with Kray, but this never comes to fruition, and in the final episode she shares an intimate kiss with [[Ector Caradoc]]. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div> * [[Eclosion]] * [[The Quest of Sir Caradoc]] * [[The Labyrinth of Likeness]] * [[The Soul of Wit]] * [[The Secret of Wendra]] * [[The Exile]] * [[The Open Maw]] * [[The Eye That Scans the Land]] * [[Leviathan]] * [[The Planet of the Kwanga]] * [[Upon a Painted Ocean]] * [[The Entropic Force]] * [[You Can't Go Home Again]]<<set $start to "false">>\ <<if ($fourohfour is not "true") and ($banned is not "true")>>\ !Welcome to the <i>Excalibur</i> Encyclopedia <<else>>\ !Welcome back to the <i>Excalibur</i> Encyclopedia <</if>>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!Excalibur Wiki <div class="sidebartext">[img[images/s2e13.png]]</div><</sidebar>><div class="mpbox">This wiki, founded in May 2010, catalogs the fictional //Excalibur// universe and details surrounding the television series. There are currently 122 articles on this Wiki. The //Excalibur// wiki is an online encyclopedia run and maintained by fans, for fans, and we're dedicated to building a comprehensive and informative resource about all things related to //Excalibur.// It could not have been created without the generous help and contributions of Ian Newell, Anna Sprague, Linda and Geoff Peevey, and the //Excalibur// cast and crew. To navigate the wiki, use the links at the top of the screen. ''We recommend taking a look at the [[Help]] page if you're new to //Excalibur.//'' <div class="feature1">Featured Article</div> <<if ($s1e1 is not "seen") or ($s1e2 is not "seen") or ($s1e3 is not "seen") or ($s1e4 is not "seen") or ($s1e5 is not "seen") or ($s1e6 is not "seen") or ($s1e7 is not "seen") or ($s1e8 is not "seen") or ($s1e9 is not "seen") or ($s1e10 is not "seen") or ($s1e11 is not "seen") or ($s1e12 is not "seen") or ($s1e13 is not "seen")>><div class="floatr">[img[images/s1e1.png]]</div>''Excalibur'' is a British science fiction television series that ran on the BBC television network from 1974 to 1975. The program had two seasons, spanning twenty-six episodes. It is the year 2181. The warlock overlord [[Poseidon]] rules Earth from a hidden palace known as Atlantis. A ragtag band of rebels hiding from Atlantean authorities, with nothing but their names and the clothes on their backs, searches for a way to fight back. They are the daring Kray and his son Alfie, astronavigator Zana, the renowned scientist Trellick, Arco, and Yalsa... ''[[Read More >|Excalibur (TV Series)]]''<</if>>\ <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>><<if ($s2e1 is not "seen") or ($s2e2 is not "seen") or ($s2e3 is not "seen") or ($s2e4 is not "seen") or ($s2e5 is not "seen") or ($s2e6 is not "seen") or ($s2e7 is not "seen") or ($s2e8 is not "seen") or ($s2e9 is not "seen") or ($s2e10 is not "seen") or ($s2e11 is not "seen") or ($s2e12 is not "seen") or ($s2e13 is not "seen")>><div class="floatr">[img[images/s2e1.png]]</div>The second season of Excalibur ran from September 4, 1975 to November 27, 1975 and contained 13 episodes. This page catalogues trivia relevant to Season Two, listen by episode. ''[[Read More >|S2 Trivia]]''<</if>><</if>>\ <<if ($s2e1 is "seen") and ($s2e2 is "seen") and ($s2e3 is "seen") and ($s2e4 is "seen") and ($s2e5 is "seen") and ($s2e6 is "seen") and ($s2e7 is "seen") and ($s2e8 is "seen") and ($s2e9 is "seen") and ($s2e10 is "seen") and ($s2e11 is "seen") and ($s2e12 is "seen") and ($s2e13 is "seen") and ($cancellation is not "seen")>><div class="floatr">[img[images/s1e11.png]]</div>The Peevey Archive was an important record of Excalibur made by fans Linda and Geoff Peevey. Linda, a trainee courtroom stenographer, practiced using her stenotype machine by writing transcripts of the show's dialogue. Her husband Geoff, a keen amateur photographer, took photographs of the screen to go with the transcripts. The records, kept in a box file in the couple's garden shed for twenty-five years, were eventually donated to the Excalibur fan club in 1999. The Peevey transcripts are considered an imperfect record of the show's dialogue, and have been used in the creation of this website only where audio recordings were not available. Particularly in the early episodes... ''[[Read More >|The Peevey Archive]]''<</if>>\ <<if $cancellation is "seen">><div class="floatr">[img[images/s2e1.png]]</div>In 2001, rumors of a digitally-remastered DVD set of the full Excalibur series began to surface. However, after several months without further announcements, the DVD remaster was reported to be cancelled. Possible reasons for Excalibur Remastered's unceremonious cancellation are varied, and no single reason has been explicitly confirmed. It has been suggested that... ''[[Read More >|Remaster]]''<</if>> <div class="feature1">Community</div> <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>''CTrenowden'' <span class="blur">20:51, March 28, 2021</span> (UTC) Links to Season Two have been fixed.<<else>>''CTrenowden'' 20:51, March 28, 2015 (UTC) Due to ongoing maintenance, links to individual Season Two episodes are currently unavailable, but please feel free to browse Season One episodes in the meantime.<</if>> ''CTrenowden'' 13:48, September 28, 2014 (UTC) Due to repeated vandalism, insertion of incorrect information and deliberate deletion of pages, I have been forced to adjust all pages, so they can no longer be edited. This ban will stay in place until further notice. //YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.// </div> !!General Disclaimer Excalibur and all related art, logos, concepts, and other derivatives included on the Excalibur Wiki are ™ and © of Arturia Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. The operation of this website is believed to fall under the United States "fair use" copyright laws. <div class="cbox">Categories: Excalibur Wiki</div>!The Secret of Wendra <<set $s2e5 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Secret of Wendra [img[images/s2e5.png]] Season 2 Episode 5 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Eleanor Wirral]] ''Director:'' [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 2 October 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Soul of Wit]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Exile]] <</sidebar>>''The Secret of Wendra'' is the fifth episode of season two of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Eleanor Wirral]] and directed by [[Peter Hopcroft]]. !!!Plot The episode begins in a cave deep below the surface of the planet [[Euxxithique]], in Neuronic Space. Members of the [[The Cult of Wendra]] are attempting to revive the sorceress [[Wendra]] from her thousand-year long slumber. The attempt succeeds, but when the sorceress awakens she expresses anger at the absence of her wand, stolen centuries before by Melmoth of [[Xobos]] to power the city of Zorn. Using her telepathic powers, she summons her court fool, [[Yalsa]], who is bound to her as a slave &mdash; now an old woman, and a sorceress (of sorts) in her own right. Wendra forces Yalsa to reveal the whereabouts of the Wand, and Yalsa reluctantly tells her about the //Excalibur.// Conjuring an image of the starship, Wendra hexes the [[Lodestar Matrix|The Lodestar Matrix]], forcing the starship to change course for Euxxithique. Upon arrival, Kray refuses to hand over the wand. Wendra makes a deal with Kray. If the crew can defeat her "pet," a dragon-like creature living in the cave system, they may keep the wand as long as they return it as soon as they have defeated Poseidon. Kray agrees, but insists that as leader, he should tackle the monster alone. The task proves too much for him, and he is reluctantly forced to work together with [[Caradoc|Ector Caradoc]] to defeat the creature. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''WENDRA'': So, fool, you think yourself a sorceress, do you? ''YALSA'': I have learned much while you slumbered, mistress. ''WENDRA'': [laughing] Well, let's see how you deal with a simple //mind hex!// ''YALSA'': [screams] Stop that, it tickles! ''CARADOC'': Marry, my liege &mdash; I am at your service. ''KRAY'': I'm not your liege, and I don't need your help. ''ZANA'': Artur Kray! Don't be an ass! <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Exile]]</div></center> !!!2 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avieggs.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Poor Brian MacAuley! He put so much of himself into this show! <span class="date">September 15, 2011 by [[DameDuLac]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avishield.jpg]]</div><div class="comment2">And yet that dragon thing still looked like a carnival float. Worst episode ever. <span class="date">September 15, 2011 by [[INEWELL]]</span></div></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Bryan MacAuley (1943-) <<sidebar>>\ !!Bryan MacAuley ''Born:'' 4 March 1943, Dublin, Ireland ''Job title:'' Production Designer, Special Effects Artist <</sidebar>>Bryan MacAuley was Production designer and Special Effects Artist on seasons 1 and 2 of //Excalibur//. A quiet, soft-spoken Irishman, Bryan would listen to instructions without a word and return with some extraordinary prop made from whatever he could lay his hands on. His sets, though imaginative and memorable, would sometimes go wrong in spectacular, life-threatening ways. MacAuley's dedication to the show was exemplified in the following anecdote, told by [[Peter Hopcroft]] in an 1986 interview with //Starburst Magazine//: <<< The budgets on these shows were always incredibly tight, but somehow Bryan always delivered. He had this little car, a Morris Traveller, which must have been 20 years old, but it was his pride and joy. Anyway the script for '<<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Secret of Wendra]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Secret of Wendra</a></span><</if>>' called for this dragon thing, which was a bit of a stretch, but Bryan went away and two days later came in with this incredible creature, far exceeding my expectations. It was an absolute credit to him. Anyway later that day I saw Bryan waiting at the bus stop. So I asked him what had happened to his car, and it turned out, well, he'd only gone and modified it into this dragon thing! Said it was the only way he could bring it in under budget. <<< !!!Personal Life In August 1971, whilst on a caravanning holiday in Killarney, County Kerry, MacAuley's fiancé, Siobhan Murphy, died suddenly from an undiagnosed heart condition. The couple were to have been married just two months later. MacAuley never married, and according to some sources, never dated again. His devotion to //Excalibur//, spurred perhaps by an awareness of his own mortality, came from a desire to create something that would endure. He expressed this in an interview with the fanzine [[Shining Sheath]], and the interviewer, <span class="inactive"><a>Colin Trenowden</a></span>, was shocked to discover that MacAuley was unaware of the series' deletion. Trenowden decided to spare MacAuley the knowledge, but was unable to continue with the interview. <<< "When I realised that Bryan didn't know about [the erasure of the series] I must have gone as white as a sheet. He'd talked about how //Excalibur// was his legacy, and how puzzling it was that it hadn't been released on VHS. I just couldn't bring myself to tell him that it was gone. The audio still existed, of course, but there was nothing left to see of his work on the show. I couldn't continue the interview, after that. I choked up. So I told him we were running out of time, and cut it short." &mdash; Colin Trenowden <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!The Eye That Scans the Land <<set $s2e8 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Eye That Scans the Land [img[images/s2e8.png]] Season 2 Episode 8 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Derek Farland]] ''Director:'' [[Hugh Goulding]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 23 October 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Open Maw]] ''Next episode:'' [[Leviathan]] <</sidebar>>''The Eye That Scans the Land'' is the eighth episode of season two of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Derek Farland]] and directed by [[Hugh Goulding]]. !!!Plot The plot of //The Eye That Scans the Land// is the subject of much discussion, since, owing to industrial action, the episode was never broadcast. Writer [[Derek Farland]], who considered the screenplay his best, remains bitter about the experience. To this day, he refuses to discuss the episode, and most details of the story have had to be gleaned from talking to the cast and crew: ''Ray Torrence:'' <i>"The Eye That Scans the Land... gosh, yes. That sounds dramatic, doesn't it? Was that the one where we go back to Earth? Yes, that's right &mdash; but it isn't Earth &mdash; it's some sort of simulacrum..."</i> ''Michael Neame:'' <i>"It was all about surveillance. That's right. A bit like that show //The Prisoner//."</i> ''Kate Gregory:'' <i>"I'm really not sure. I think that might have been the one where we go back and see what has become of Earth while we were away. It was a bit 1984. And there were these telepathic fish, I think, fish that could read your mind..."</i> ''Robert Hale:'' <i>"Well, I believe it was something of an allegory for the plight of the coal miners, which was ironic, really."</i> ''Hugh Goulding:'' <i>"Oh, Christ, I don't remember anything about that episode at all. It was twenty bloody years ago! Next question."</i> All that is known for certain is that the episode ends with the Excalibur being damaged, necessitating a emergency landing on the ocean world Alioth in the following episode. That the episode featured //The Hex of the Eye// can be inferred from dialogue in the following episode. An artefact referred to in S2E12 [[The Entropic Force]], must have been discovered in this episode, since it is mentioned in no other stories. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|Leviathan]]</div></center> !!!1 comment <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Is there any actual evidence that Alfie //didn't// appear in this episode? It makes a lot more sense than if he just disappeared halfway through //The Open Maw//. <span class="date">May 23, 2012 by A FANWIKI user</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Michael Neame <<sidebar>>\ !!Michael Neame ''Born:'' c. 1925, London, England ''Died:'' 6 October 2006, London, England ''Role:'' [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] <</sidebar>>Michael Neame was an English actor. He played the effete scientist [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] in seasons 1 and 2 of //Excalibur//. The eldest of three children, Michael Neame was, in his own words, "born to tread the boards." After training at the Italia Conti Stage School, he made his adult stage debut in 1943. Despite an outspoken preference for theatre, he appeared in many television programmes in minor roles before being offered the role of Trellick. During production of episode eight, [[The Oneironaut]], Neame auditioned for, and was offered the role of //MacBeth// at the Old Vic theatre in Bristol. Thrilled to be offered the lead role in a Shakespeare play, Neame broke his contract with the BBC, and asked lead writer Clifford Carson to write him out of the show, dying 'as heroically as possible.' Carson was displeased, but nevertheless asked [[Derek Farland]] to alter his script for episode 9, [[The Atavists]], to include an exit for the character. Farland was furious. Instead of killing off the character, he had the intelligent, articulate character of Trellick transform into the oafish ape-man [[Trugg|Trellick / Trugg]], to be played by [[Jiří Bobík]]. Bobík had previously told Farland that he was struggling and needed more work. Sensitive, Neame took the transformation as a personal attack, and he and Farland did not speak for twenty years. //MacBeth// was a flop, and closed after just eight performances. A scathing review from the Bristol Evening Post said of Neame's performance, "it's impossible not to wish Neame had aspired to something more than mediocrity" whilst the Daily Mail describe him as "hilariously hammy." Before long, Neame was on the phone to the //Excalibur// production office, and soft-hearted [[Jerry Newbaum]] promised him that his character would return in Season 2. The job of writing Trellick back into //Excalibur// went to Robert Hale, who handled it with wit and imagination. Thereafter, the characters of Trellick and Trugg became a sort of comic double act. In an interview with Excalibur fanzine //Shining Sheath// in 2003, fellow cast member [[Ray Torrence]], (Kray) said of Neame: <<< 'Michael thought he was a bit above science fiction. He thought he was a bit above television, I think, but he loved the adulation of the fans, getting recognised in the street, signing autographs, that sort of thing. You don't get that with theatre, so much, and I think that's why came back to Excalibur, in the end. He missed the fans.' <<< Director Hugh Goulding was less sympathetic: <<< 'The silly bugger had delusions of grandeur. You don't turn down a two-year contract on prime time telly for a provincial production of Shakespeare. Anyone could have told him he wasn't MacBeth material. Michael was many things, but he was no John bloody Gielgud.' <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!Sebastian Sullivan (1960-) <<sidebar>>\ !!Sebastian Sullivan ''Born:'' 24 December 1960, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England ''Role:'' 'Young' [[Alfie]] (Season 1)<</sidebar>>Played 'young' Alfie in season 1 of //Excalibur//. Sebastian Sullivan’s casting came as no surprise to his parents, William and Edna Sullivan (nee Ogden). It is as if history had its eyes on father & son: In 1912, aged just 10 months, William Sullivan himself was portrayed in the now famous Pears’ “He won’t be happy till(sic) he gets it!” soap poster. William, the original ‘poster child’ is shown crying and grasping for a dropped bar of soap. Sebastian was discovered by BBC location and talent scout, <span class="inactive"><a>Irene Sloper</a></span>. Both her family and the Sullivans were sitting at the Two Brewers in Chipperfield, Hertfordshire, on a day out to watch the cricket. Irene &mdash; sitting at a table nearby &mdash; observed Sebastian catch sight of a sachet of “Fizz Wizz” in his mother’s handbag. He grasped for it, but both parents refused to give it to him until after the match. Seb, said Sloper, caught her eye, gave her a literal ‘theatrical wink’ and then turned on the waterworks. His sobs were soon replaced by the crackle of Fizz Wizz ‘Super loud’ popping-candy being devoured. After the cricket (Chipperfield 1st XI &mdash; Sun, vs Sarrat. Chipperfield won by 132 runs) Mrs Sloper approached the parents asking if their child could cry on demand. They denied this vehemently, saying he was just an emotional young lad with a lot on his plate. Irene trusted her instincts and persuaded them to send him to the Excalibur casting call. Sullivan's screen career was to be short-lived, however. His ability to 'turn on the tears' was eventually his undoing. The tantrums became more and more frequent, and kind-hearted [[Jerry Newbaum]]'s efforts to placate the child only made matters worse. During the filming of [[The Broken Piece]], a shot in which Alfie delivers a single line took 73 takes to complete, prompting Director Peter Hopcroft to comment “He won’t be happy 'til we're all bawling!” A hurried re-write of the following episode, [[The Time Scientist]], spelled the end for "Young" Alfie, and a new actor, [[Terrence Lannark]] was cast in his place. It was a decision the production team would come to regret. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!Erasure During the 1960s and 1970s it was BBC policy to re-use video tapes, which at the time were very expensive. Because shows were seldom repeated, there was no long-term need to retain them. Consequently many episodes of popular shows such as //Doctor Who, Z-Cars// and //Steptoe and Son// were erased, using the BBC's bulk-erasure machine. Other series, such as //Out of the Unknown// and //Excalibur// were destroyed in their entirety. !!Controversy In 1975, control of managing tapes was transferred from the Engineering Department to the BBC Film and Television Library. This, coupled with an increased demand for repeats led to something of a paradigm shift, and the process of casually erasing old programmes was eventually discontinued. Almost all colour episodes of //Doctor Who// made in the 1970s survive, which makes it all the more extraordinary that nothing at all remains of //Excalibur//. Consequently, some fans have [[theorised|Fan Theories]] that //Excalibur// was erased deliberately. !!Audio Recordings and Excalibur Reforged Fortunately, many episodes of //Excalibur// survived in audio form, recorded off-air by fans at home. The fan-led //Excalibur Re-Forged// project aims to faithfully remake all 26 episodes based on these sound recordings, in the manner of //Star Trek Continues//. Unfortunately the plan has had to be put on ice, perhaps permanently, since the current rights-holder of the //Excalibur// property, [[Ian Newell]], has refused to give the give the project his blessing. Instead Newell plans a remake, or re-boot of his own, featuring surviving members of the original cast, a project which seems unlikely to come to fruition following the [[lightsaber incident|Ian Newell]]. * ''Main article:'' [[Audio Recordings]]. !!The Peevey Archive Those episodes that did not survive in audio format are fortunately preserved as transcripts created by fan Linda Peevey. Linda's husband Geoff also took screenshots of many episodes. These records, known as the [[Peevey Archive|The Peevey Archive]], were donated to the Excalibur fan club in 1999 and have been invaluable in creating this website. Main article: [[The Peevey Archive]]. <div class="cbox">Categories: Other</div>!Terrence Lannark <<sidebar>>\ !!Terrence Lannark ''Born:'' c. 1910s ''Died:'' c. 1980s? ''Role:'' Old [[Alfie]] <</sidebar>>Almost nothing is known about the actor Terrence Lannark, and his casting remains one of the most enduring mysteries surrounding the show. Following difficulties with [[Sebastian Sullivan]], who played [[Kray]]’s son [[Alfie]] in Season 1 episodes 1-11, the decision was made to recast the role with a much older actor. Terrence Lannark was a jobbing actor who had previously appeared only as an extra, and according to assistant producer [[María Gonzalez]], Lannark’s name was not one of those to make the shortlist after auditions were held. Consequently, it seems likely that Lannark was cast due to a clerical error. <<< “There was apparently a Terrance Lanwick on the shortlist, another actor who used the same agent, and I think this is where the misunderstanding crept in.” &mdash; [[Jerry Newbaum]] <<< Lannark’s first full episode in the role, [[The Flickering Comet]], went smoothly enough, and contains some touching scenes between [[Alfie]] and [[Kray]] as the latter comes to terms with his young son now being, in purely physical terms, older than himself. As the series progressed, however, Lannark’s performance as Alfie became more and more markedly eccentric. According to [[Peter Hopcroft]]: <<< “At first we thought he was forgetting his lines, but it quickly became clear that the bugger was making them up. He’d change a word here and there, and hope nobody would notice. It’s most noticeable in [[Hugh ‘One-Take’ Goulding|Hugh Goulding]]’s episodes, where you can see the other actors strenuously trying to work around his ad-libs. We’d already recast the character once, and we didn’t think we could get away with it a second time, so Robert (Hale) went through the Season 2 scripts cutting as many of Alfie’s lines as he could.” &mdash; [[Peter Hopcroft]] <<< In 1988, Terrence Lannark made the national news when it was discovered that he had dug a warren of tunnels underneath his home in Walthamstow, London, causing subsidence in several neighbouring houses. <<< “Terrence told me that prior to being cast in //Excalibur//, as well as being a movie extra, he’d been a lollipop man [crossing guard] at a school in Walthamstow.” &mdash; [[Kate Gregory]] <<< !!!1 comment <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">I tracked down some of the films Lannark appeared in as an extra. There's a crowd scene in the Hammer Horror film //'The Satanic Blood of Frankenstein'// where the peasants storm the castle. If you look very closely, Terrence is right at the back, holding his "STOP - CHILDREN" lollipop sign instead of a pitchfork. <span class="date">April 4, 2011 by A FANWIKI user</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div> !The Unimaginable Threat <<set $s1e4 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Unimaginable Threat [img[images/s1e4.png]] Season 1 Episode 4 !!!!Production ''Writers:'' [[Clifford Carson]], [[Derek Farland]] ''Director:'' [[Hugh Goulding]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 26 September 1974 ''Previous episode:'' [[Sanctuary]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Bleak Planet]] <</sidebar>>''The Unimaginable Threat'' is the fourth episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Clifford Carson]] and [[Derek Farland]] and directed by [[Hugh Goulding]]. !!!Plot [[Poseidon]], driven into apoplexy by his continued failure to stop the [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]] crew, determines to unleash his most potent weapon: a power from "the deep, dark mists of time" that he deems "Unstoppable, nay! Irresistible!" This provokes much quaking, quailing, and general overacting amongst his acolytes, who take turns in elucidating how horrible, terrifying, and unimaginable this power is. Once released, this force streaks through space towards the [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]]. Throughout the episode, the action jumps back to the Threat devastating everything in its path (an unsuspecting space freighter, an asteroid base, a small moon), just to emphasise how utterly relentless and unstoppable this menace is. Meanwhile, the [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]] is investigating a small, lush forest world located just on the other side of [[Neuronic Space]]. This mainly comprises scenes of them studying the local flora and fauna, while the "imminent threat" alarms sound unnoticed aboard the ship. Just in time, the crew realises the danger they are in, and transport back to the ship (unfortunately the small furry pet Alfie has acquired once again does not survive the journey). There is a moment of excruciating tension while the drive systems fail to engage and the enemy is almost upon them. At the last second, they power away, pursued by the ancient evil. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''FIRST ACOLYTE'': No master, not the Power from Before Time! ''POSEIDON'': Yes, their destruction is assured! ''FIRST ACOLYTE'': But is is unstoppable! ''SECOND ACOLYTE'': Uncontrollable! ''THIRD ACOLYTE'': Insatiable! ''FIRST, SECOND & THIRD ACOLYTE'' (in chorus): Unimaginable!! ''POSEIDON'': [MANIACAL LAUGHTER] <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Bleak Planet]]</div></center> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!The Atavists <<set $s1e9 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Atavists [img[images/s1e9.png]] Season 1 Episode 9 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Derek Farland]] ''Director:'' [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 31 October 1974 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Oneironaut]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Broken Piece]] <</sidebar>>''The Atavists'' is the ninth episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Derek Farland]] and directed by [[Peter Hopcroft]]. !!!Plot The Excalibur crew travel to the planet [[Xobos]], in search of the Wand of Wendra. It transpires that Xobos is not actually a planet at all, but a vast, fungoid bulk hanging motionless in the ether. A living organism, Xobos draws its energy from cosmic rays, which it transforms into heat and light in the form of bioluminescent sporangia. Without a sun, Xobos is a world held fast in the grip of night. Though records aboard the Excalibur suggest that Xobos was colonised centuries ago, there is no sign of civilisation &mdash; the only inhabitants are monstrous, primitive humanoids with the characteristics of animals. [[Zana]], [[Kray]] and [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] go off in search of the Wand, repelling several attacks from the primitives along the way. Eventually they reach a ruined city (later named Zorn) which uses the Wand as its power source, but the crew are beginning to change. Both Trellick and Kray have sprouted thick hair on their bodies, and Zana is covered in scales, speaking in a sibilant hiss. The horrifying truth about Xobos is revealed &mdash; the primitives are the surviving members of the original colonies, who under the malevolent influence of the fungoid planet, have reverted to a more primitive form. The crew realise that if they do not leave immediately, they will suffer the same fate. They hurry back to the ship, but Trellick, unable to overcome his primitive instincts, attacks the others. Since Kray and Zana are also reverting to a primitive state, it takes an enormous effort of will to overcome Trellick and complete the journey. Back aboard the Excalibur, Kray is able to use the power of the Wand to reverse the atavism in himself and Zana, but Trellick is too far gone, and the wand has no effect. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''ZANA'': Do you know, Trellick, I think I like you better this way. You're a lot less argumentative. ''TRELLICK/TRUGG'': Wurrrgh! ''ZANA'': I'll take that as an agreement. <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Broken Piece]]</div></center> !!!1 comment <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">"Nothing is, but what is not." <span class="date">September 15, 2011 by a FANWIKI user</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!The Flickering Comet <<set $s1e12 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Flickering Comet [img[images/s1e12.png]] Season 1 Episode 12 !!!!Production ''Writers:'' [[Clifford Carson]] ''Director:'' [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 21 November 1974 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Time Scientist]] ''Next episode:'' [[Alone?]] <</sidebar>>''The Flickering Comet'' is the twelfth episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Clifford Carson]]. !!!Plot [[The Grimoire]] directs the Excalibur to a strange phenomenon: a comet moving in an irregular path and lighting up in irregular formations, as if a beacon. Throughout the episode, [[Alfie]] adjusts to the peculiar condition of being a child in an adult's body. He delights in being tall at last, and enjoys being stronger and more resilient than before, but he is also troubled. He tries to help the other adults, but continuously gets in the way and makes mistakes. He wants his mind to match up to his newfound physical strength, and repeatedly tries and fails to demonstrate mental maturity. He is still naive in certain ways, not yet worldly or experienced, but [[Zana]] assures him that even some adults &mdash; by which she almost certainly means [[Kray]] &mdash; have not totally grown up, either, and that it's much better not to rush such things. Meanwhile, Kray contemplates the sudden loss of his young son as he knew him. For much of the episode, Kray and Alfie do not interact directly, but they have a meaningful &mdash; if rather abrupt &mdash; exchange at the end of the episode. After this point, there is not much further development of this internal conflict, though it is somewhat less abrupt than the emergence of [[Trugg|Trellick / Trugg]]. After closely observing the comet's path, Zana manages to decode its message: the Excalibur must return to Earth in order to continue the quest against Poseidon. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''ALFIE:'' I was just trying to help. ''ZANA:'' No harm done. Part of growing up is making mistakes, you'll find. ''ALFIE:'' I'm not a child anymore. ''KRAY:'' You're still my son. <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|Alone?]]</div></center> !!!1 comments <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avieggs.png]]</div><div class="comment2">I can't help but wonder if that comet was where it all started. <span class="textchange">1973f Kohoutek</span> &mdash; it was meant to be a bad omen. <span class="date">September 15, 2011 by [[DameDuLac]]</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Jean Michel Vaillant (1908-1974) <<sidebar>>\ !!Jean Michel Vaillant ''Born:'' 12 February 1908, Paris, France ''Died:'' 14 September 1974 (aged 67), Canterbury, Kent, England ''Job title:'' Writer <</sidebar>>Elderly, mostly bald with a wisp of comb-over, hunch-shouldered and frail. Never without a cigarette and a lament. Perhaps counter-intuitively, he was known to be very generous and was almost universally loved by those who knew him personally. Critics frequently denounced him as immoral, a misanthrope for the things he said about life, and a hypocrite for saying them and still living. Scarred at an early age by the death of his father in The First World War, Jean lived most of his life in poverty. As a young adult, he made a meager living at a printing press. He released his first book &mdash; the treatise //[[Hantises]]// &mdash; in 1935, and two works of fiction &mdash; his most famous horror novel //L'Humain : Personne Ne Pleure Dans le Début// and a detective novel, //Horrible Noir// &mdash; in January 1940. Shortly thereafter his mother country of France surrendered to Nazi Germany. Vaillant fled across the channel to England, only to have his work censored for fear its pessimistic spirit would demoralize an already harried Britain and Allied forces. He served two years in Brixton Prison for standing up for his bleak ideals, and failed to find gainful employment in England after. On his return to France at the end of the war, Jean Michel returned to work in the press, eventually finding his way into the fledgling television industry as a writer for an ill-fated chiller series called //Minuit// (1957-1960). His shows were often criticized for their cruelty, though he wrote in his defense "Je vous écris rien cruel, mais la vérité" ("I write nothing cruel, but the truth"). After a long hiatus from creative work in the French countryside and once more badly in need of money, Vaillant &mdash; much admired by producer [[Jerry Newbaum]] and several of the 'Excalibur' team writers &mdash; was brought on as a consultant for the episode [[Escape from Earth]]. He later wrote '[[The Bleak Planet]]' and '[[The Sun Stealers]]' as a guest writer. Though the 'Excalibur' team had plans for him to author a third episode, Vaillant was on his way to a ship bound for France with his nephew when he suffered a heart attack. He died before he could be reached about a contract. The episode [[Alone?]] was dedicated to him "in memoriam." Many fans took this as an insult to the man who had written, "Notre plus grande grâce est d’oublier" ("Our greatest grace is in forgetting"). <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!You Can't Go Home Again <center><div class="spoileralert"><div class="avatar">[img[images/shield.png]]</div> This page contains <b>unmarked spoilers</b>. Venture forth with caution!</div></center> <<set $s2e13 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!You Can't Go Home Again [img[images/s2e13.png]] Season 2 Episode 13 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Robert Hale]] ''Director:'' [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 27 November 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Entropic Force]] <</sidebar>>''You Can't Go Home Again'' is the thirteenth episode of season two of //Excalibur,// and the final episode of the series. It was written by [[Robert Hale]] and directed by [[Peter Hopcroft]]. !!!Plot This episode begins with a recap of last week's story: With his forces scattered and destroyed, Poseidon is at last defeated, and the //Excalibur// crew march into his throne room to confront him. The sorcerer has one last trick up his sleeve, the [[Lethe Ray]], a device that will cause the adventurers to be erased from history. When activated, reality itself seems to fragment around them... After a lengthy sequence of strange and disturbing imagery, the crew find themselves in different surroundings, separated into groups. Trugg and Trellick find themselves in a maze of passages, accompanied by a capering fool. The fool hands Trellick a stuffed albatross, a symbol of his burden and regret. Reduced to Tears, Trellick is unable to go on and Trugg is forced to carry him. They soon reach a gate, by which the fool states, "Only one may pass." Trellick, cradling the albatross, urges Trugg to go on without him, but Trugg refuses, saying his only intelligible words: "No. You live." He throws Trellick through the portal, there is an explosion, and Trellick finds himself back aboard the //Excalibur//, alone. Kray and Arco find themselves on a misty moor, where Kray becomes convinced that he is King Arthur. Arco, playing the role of Arthur's trusty squire, attempts to snap Kray out of this delusion, but failing to do so, plays along, all the while urging Kray towards a distant castle, //Camelot//. Upon reaching Camelot, Kray and Arco find themselves back aboard the //Excalibur//. Zana and Caradoc, meanwhile, find themselves in a maze, pursued by a minotaur. At last, they reach a door marked "exit," and closing it behind them, find themselves in a room full of mirrors. Caradoc is terrified, but the mirrors shatter as the minotaur crashes through them. Instead of attacking, the beast tears off its bull mask, to reveal another underneath it &mdash; the mask of the <span style="inactive"><a>Chanticleer</a></span>. Enraged, Caradoc tears off the rooster mask, to find his own face leering back at him. It is yet another mirror, and, shattering it, he and Zana step through the empty frame to find themselves back aboard the //Excalibur// with the others. Zana checks their position, and is amazed to find that they are thousands of miles from Earth. Setting a course for their newly liberated home planet, they arrive to find that no one, not even their own families, remembers them. Everything is just as it was before their adventures began, and no one seems aware that the Earth was ever in peril. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''CARADOC'': You! No, no &mdash; it can't be? ''CHANTICLEER'': (laughing) Lord Caradoc! What is this story all about? ''TARRANT'': This is Earth control calling unidentified spacecraft. Please indentify yourselves. ''KRAY'': This is Artur Kray of the Earth starship Excalibur. We seek permission to land. ''TARRANT'': I'm sorry, but there is no record of an Earth starship of that name. ''KRAY'': Damn it, Tarrant, I spoke to you four hours ago! ''ZANA'': Clisstra, it's me, it's Zana, your sister! ''CLISSTRA'': Get away from me &mdash; you're mad! ''ZANA'': (shaking her) You must remember me, you must! ''KRAY'': It's no use, Zana. We've been erased from history. No one will remember us. Not now, not ever. ''ZANA'': (weeping) After all we've done... ''TRELLICK'': Poseidon said there would be a price for saving Earth. I suppose this is it. ''KRAY'': Ça ne fait rien. Ça ne fait rien. <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Audio Recordings Though the original videotapes of //Excalibur// have long since been [[erased|Erasure]], many of the episodes exist in audio-only format, recorded by self-described "super-fan" [[Ian Newell]]. Newell began diligently recording //Excalibur// on audio tape from episode two onwards. Newell made the recordings by placing an ordinary cassette recorder as close as possible to the television speaker, so that he could listen to them later. In an age before video recorders, this would have been the only way to experience the stories a second time. However, some of these recordings have since perished, or been lost. The existing recordings can be found on <span class="inactive"><a>Newell's YouTube channel.</a></span> The missing epsiodes are as follows: !!!Season 1 Episode 1: [[Escape from Earth]] <<< //Escape from Earth// was not recorded. <<< !!!Season 1 Episode 3: [[Sanctuary]] <<< //Sanctuary// was recorded as usual by Newell, but suffered damage when it became tangled in a tape recorder at a fan get-together in 1982. Attempts to reverse the tape recorder only made matters worse, and ultimately the tape had to be cut free. Only the first fifteen and last ten minutes survived, and suffered wow and flutter due to stretching. <<< !!!Season 1 Episode 11: [[The Time Scientist]] <<< The week //The Time Scientist// was broadcast, Newell was on holiday in the south of France with his parents. He asked his then best friend Simon Lloyd to record the episode in his absence, but Lloyd forgot. Newell and Lloyd are no longer on speaking terms. <<< !!!Season 2 Episode 6: <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Exile]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Exile</a></span><</if>> <<< Newell's mother Muriel accidentally recorded Radio 4's coverage of the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer over this tape after Newell left it in the radio-cassette machine in the family kitchen. It was later found that a fried lentil from a packet of Bombay Mix (Newell's favourite snack) had become lodged in the cavity left by the write-protect tab. <<< !!!Season 2 Episode 8: <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Eye That Scans the Land]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Eye That Scans the Land</a></span><</if>> <<< //The Eye That Scans the Land// was not recorded due to a power cut, following industrial action by coal miners. As a result of missing the episode, the young Ian Newell carried a grudge against the miners ever after, becoming an ardent Thatcherite and outspoken supporter of the Conservative Party. <<< !!!Season 2 Episode 10: <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Planet of the Kwanga]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Planet of the Kwanga</a></span><</if>> <<< Three quarters of the way into the recording of //The Planet of the Kwanga//, Newell's mother Muriel answered the door to her friend Grace Cartwright. They shared a brief conversation about Grace's husband, who had recently undergone a heart bypass operation. As a result, the audio for the scene in which [[Kray]] and [[Zana]] discuss how to obtain the //Cleromancer// is completely unintelligible, obscured not only by the two women's conversation, but also by Newell's own desperate pleas for his mother and her friend to shut up. Twenty years later, Newell attempted to repair the damage by pursuading Ray Torrence and Kate Gregory to re-record the missing scene. However, Gregory declined to participate, and the part of Zana is instead played by Newell's then girlfriend Lindsay Hartopp. A Hertfordshire girl, Hartopp's attempts to emulate Gregory's Glasgow accent were decidedly unsuccessful. Much to Newell's annoyance, the clip became the subject of an parodic internet meme among the fan community. <<< !!!Season 2 Episode 11: <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Upon a Painted Ocean]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Upon a Painted Ocean</a></span><</if>> <<< The first casualty among the audio recordings, The cassette holding the recording of this episode was left on the rear parcel shelf of the Newells' Ford Cortina during a particularly hot day in the summer of 1976. The plastic warped in the heat, rendering the cassette unplayable. <<< !!!Season 2 Episode 11: <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[You Can't Go Home Again]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>You Can't Go Home Again</a></span><</if>> <<< The tape recording of this particular episode was apparently left behind in the cassette deck of a rented Volkswagen camper van on a family holiday in Abersoch, Wales, in 1983. <<< See also: [[The Peevey Archive]] <div class="cbox">Categories: Other</div>!Robert Hale <<sidebar>>\ !!Robert Hale ''Born:'' 4 April 1925, Willesden Green, London, England ''Died:'' 4 March 2016 (aged 90), Highbury, London, England ''Job title:'' Lead Writer <</sidebar>>Robert Edwin Hale (4 April 1925 - 4 March 2016) was an English screenwriter and producer who, along with Clifford Carson, conceived and created the BBC TV series //Excalibur.// With his Brylcreemed hair, moustache, corduroy jacket and pipe, Robert Hale resembled a dashing academic. Educated at Cambridge, where he studied Classics and Ancient History, Hale worked for eight years as a history teacher before leaving the profession to become a freelance writer. As a writer, Hale initially struggled to make a name for himself. He published one novel, //The Wild Hunt// (1960), now out of print, and a number of non-fiction books on ancient history, before finding success as a television writer. Hale wrote well-received television dramas such as //The Reavers// (1968) and //The Wendigo// (1972) (adapted from the Algernon Blackwood short story) in addition to //Excalibur//. According to [[Peter Hopcroft]], Hale was introduced to Clifford Carson by Irene Shubik, producer of the BBC science fiction anthology series //Out of the Unknown.// (Citation needed). Carson and Hale hit it off immediately, bound by a shared interest in the writings of [[Jean Michel Vaillant]]. Hale was intrigued by the possibilities offered by science fiction, after being introduced by Carson to the work of Philip K. Dick, and the two decided to work together on a science fiction show with folkloric elements. Hale's efforts to bring in more of an English Folklore element to the show were frustrated when most of the writers ignored this idea and went for a straightforward science fiction / fantasy feel. Nevertheless, it was Hale's enthusiasm and resolve that held the project together even as tensions between the cast and crew were tearing it apart. Hale was something of a reclusive figure, often declining to give interviews or to talk about //Excalibur//. In a meeting in 1997, he told //[[Shining Sheath]]// editor [[Ian Newell]] "Some things are best forgotten." !!!Arrest In 1965, Hale was arrested after wandering into the Lewes, Sussex branch of Woolworths wearing a pair of antlers and announcing himself as an incarnation of the Celtic god Cernunnos. He had consumed magic mushrooms and a considerable quantity of real ale. He was released without charge. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!Kate Gregory <<sidebar>>\ !!Kate Gregory ''Born:'' 27 January 1946, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK ''Role:'' [[Zana]] <</sidebar>>Kate Gregory was born in Lanarkshire in 1946. She studied painting and sculpture at Glasgow School of Art. In 1967 she accompanied a friend to a theatrical audition for moral support, and the director cast her instead. She remained a professional actress until the 1990s. Gregory found //Excalibur// a dissatisfying experience because of the way Zana was written, though she has spoken highly of [[Derek Farland]]'s episodes. Gregory distances herself from the show and declined an invitation to attend the [[Lodestar One Excalibur Convention|Lodestar One (Convention)]] in 1998. She has given very few interviews. In 1994, the courts issued a restraining order against [[Ian Newell]], after it was found that he had been living in Gregory's garden shed throughout the previous winter. !!Stopcocks Gregory eventually achieved lasting recognition playing Anna Parrish, the lead character in the drama series //'Stopcocks'//. //'Stopcocks'//, about a female plumber trying to make it in a man's world, was first broadcast on 30 August 1980, and ran for five series and a total of seventy-two episodes on LWT. <<< ''MUGGERY'': A bird with a pipe wrench? Do me a favour! ''PARRISH'': I'll wrench yours if you don't pass me that 36 inch... Now stand back and watch how an expert does it! <<< Gregory retired from acting in the 1990s and is now a renowned sculptress. She has been reluctant to discuss her time on //Excalibur//, describing it as "just one of the many things I did." [[Ray Torrence]]: <<< Kate was was a real trooper, a consummate professional. She took her work very, very seriously, even though, I think, she thought //Excalibur// was a bit ridiculous, really. <<< [[Michael Neame]]: <<< 'Hugh (Goulding)'s hands were everywhere. One day Kate belted him one across the face. A hard slap! Hugh went straight to Jerry (Newbaum, Producer) and demanded he fire her, or he would walk, but she was the star of the show, and anyway Jerry wasn't like that, so he didn't fire her, and Hugh needed the money, so he didn't walk, and that was that. But he didn't go near her again.' <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!Melvin LaGomme <<sidebar>>\ !!Melvin LaGomme ''Born:'' 3 June 1940, Putney Bridge, London, England ''Job title:'' Director <</sidebar>>A leading member of the London Filmmakers' Cooperative, Melvin LaGomme was better known for his experimental films, particularly 'Sketches for a Spiritual Awakening' (1955), the twelve-hour long 'Jeremy Screaming' (1960) and the controversial 'Forty-Seven Shots of my Sleeping Wife' (1962). [[The Oneironaut]] was his first foray into television, and he was not slow to embrace the possibilities for experimentation offered by the relatively new medium of video. The dream sequences are particularly effective, using a combination of [[colour-separation overlay (CSO)|Colour-Separation Overlay]] and howl around to truly hallucinatory effect. The Oneironaut's stream of consciousness was achieved by mixing extreme close ups of household items such as a steaming iron and a blender. Emboldened by the reception of //The Oneironaut//, LaGomme would go on to direct two further episodes, the season 1 finale [[Alone?]] and [[The Labyrinth of Likeness]], each time pushing his experimental techniques that bit further, but the episodes were not without their critics. Writer [[Derek Farland]] complained that LaGomme had ruined '<<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Labyrinth of Likeness]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Labyrinth of Likeness</a></span><</if>>'; that his experiments had rendered the story unintelligible. In an interview with Starburst Magazine in 1990 he said <<< "A beautifully acted, intimate scene between Kray and Zana was intercut with meaningless solarised shots of a squawking chicken. When I saw the finished show I was furious, I rang LaGomme and demanded to know what the hell he was playing at. LaGomme insisted that the shots represented Kray's inner monologue, but Kray was supposed to be in love with Zana, not obsessed with chickens. It didn't make any sense." <<< Farland threatened to withdraw his two remaining scripts unless LaGomme was dropped from the roster of directors, and reluctantly producer [[Jerry Newbaum]] agreed. However, twelve minutes of LaGomme's experimental footage were used in the ultimate episode, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[You Can't Go Home Again]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>You Can't Go Home Again</a></span><</if>>. Hugh Goulding: <<< "I'll tell you a story &mdash; now this chap LeGomme, or whatever his name was, he made these &mdash; I don't know what you'd call them &mdash; experimental films, I suppose. Anyway, he became obsessed with the music this girl [[Dot (Varney)|Dot Varney]] was making. Utterly obsessed. He thought she was a genius and he wanted to use her music in one of these films of his. By this time, Dot had moved on &mdash; gone to live in a commune in Wales. Tipi Valley it was called &mdash; bunch of filthy hippies. So LeGomme drives all the way to Wales, looking for her. He drives around for days, but he can't find the bloody place. So he comes back to London empty handed. A few days later, there's a break-in at the Maida Vale Studios. The Radiophonic Workshop has been turned upside down, and the only thing that's missing is this role of audiotape. They never found who did it, but two years later LeGomme releases another of these films of his, and guess what's on the soundtrack? You don't have to be Sherlock bloody Holmes to work out what happened there." <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!Derek Farland <<sidebar>>\ !!Derek Farland ''Born:'' 23 April 1936, Kettering, Northamptonshire ''Job title:'' Writer <</sidebar>>Derek James Farland was born on April 23rd 1936 in Kettering, Northamptonshire. He made his name in 1970 with //Brownie//, a twelve-part BBC children's drama series about a young, working-class angler who forms an attachment to a trout. Known for his uncompromising, socially critical writing style and down-to-earth views, it came as something as a surprise when he submitted a script for the science-fantasy series //Excalibur//. <<< "I thought it might be interesting to try to weave serious themes into the fantasy. Sugar-coat the pill, if you will. Children will always watch things like science fiction, and there's an opportunity there to tackle real issues in a way that's more palatable for a young audience." - Derek Farland <<< Farland's first submission, then titled //Brave New Planet//, was accepted, but underwent many changes before finally making it to the screen as [[The Unimaginable Threat]]. Farland was unhappy with the changes made by [[Clifford Carson]] in an attempt to "punch up" the rather slow-moving story. His second story, //Warp and Weft//, a rather obvious metaphor for the plight of the Appalachian basket-weavers, was considered "too political." Undeterred, he submitted a third script, [[The Atavists]], which made the grade and established Farland as one of the series' core writers. Farland took //Excalibur// very seriously, approaching his scripts with the same gravity that he typically gave his serious drama. He was extremely critical of any member of the cast or crew who did not approach the series in the same way. When [[Michael Neame]] broke his contract and had to be written out of the several episodes, Farland was livid. He objected strongly to the experimental directorial style of [[Melvin LaGomme]], whom he claimed had "ruined" his episode <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Labyrinth of Likeness]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Labyrinth of Likeness</a></span><</if>> by inserting "completely spurious, random footage" and treating the episode like "some pretentious art-school film project." Director [[Hugh Goulding]] also bore the brunt of Farland's ire. In an interview for [[Shining Sheath]], he described Goulding as "a talentless relic who couldn't direct shit into a paper bag." !!!Style In some ways, Farland was ahead of his time, attempting to build story-arcs and character development into what was essentially an episodic science-fantasy series. His attempts to incorporate a romantic element into the story between [[Kray]] and [[Zana]] were largely ignored by the lead writers. Consciously or not, Farland was attempting to relive, or re-imagine his failed marriage to actress Cynthia Hurrell, who had left him a few months previously for Ronald Burke, her co-star in the long running LWT sitcom //That's Nice, Dear.// Episode 9, [[The Atavists]] contains a two minute scene in which Zana and Kray argue about a new console on board the Excalibur. The scene is incongruous and has little bearing on the plot of the episode. In a 1989 interview with Stage Magazine, Cynthia Hurrell revealed that this scene was an almost word-for-word transcript of a heated discussion she and Farland had had about buying a new coffee table. The morning after the conversation, Hurrell packed her bags and left Farland for good. !!!Breakdown Things came to a head when Farland's script for season 2 episode 11, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Upon a Painted Ocean]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Upon a Painted Ocean</a></span><</if>>, turned out to be page after page of typescript, all with the words "That's Nice, Dear" over and over again. Script editor Robert Hale was forced to write the episode himself, which left him running seriously behind when it came to write the following episode, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Entropic Force]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Entropic Force</a></span><</if>>. !!!Post-Excalibur Following the cancellation of //Excalibur//, Farland returned to serious drama with //Holes//, a six-part miniseries about a moth infestation in a Leicestershire sock factory. !!!3 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avibooks.jpg]]</div><div class="comment1">This is Cynthia Hurrell. I don't really want to go into this, because it's personal between me and Derek, but I do want to make one thing clear. Ronald and I did not have an affair. There was nothing going on between us while Derek and I were together. Derek always had to have someone to blame. Nothing was ever his fault, and he always had to make a big drama about everything, so that the attention was always on him. It was exhausting, and that's why I left him. <span class="date">April 9, 2014 by a FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avishield.jpg]]</div><div class="comment2">That's nice, dear! <span class="date">April 14, 2014 by [[INEWELL]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avieggs.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Ian, you dick! <span class="date">April 15, 2014 by [[DameDuLac]]</span></div></div></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!Characters A list of characters in the //Excalibur// universe. <<category "characters">> <div class="cbox">Categories: Television Series</div>!Hugh Goulding (1912-1992) <<sidebar>>\ !!Hugh Goulding ''Born:'' 3 April 1912, Aldershot, Hampshire, England ''Died:'' 9 June 1992 (aged 80), Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England ''Job title:'' Director <</sidebar>>Hugh Joseph Goulding was born in 1912 to Mary Ellen Goulding (nee Evans) and Major Joseph Henry Goulding. Aldershot was, at the time, the largest army camp in the country with 20% of the British Army being based in and around the town. Hugh's father returned from the first world war withdrawn and suffering from severe shellshock, and Hugh's relationship with his father remained somewhat fractious throughout his life. Nevertheless he idolised his father and looked forward to following in his footsteps as a soldier. The opportunity came with the outbreak of the second world war in 1939. Hugh enlisted early but was turned down on medical grounds. After a spell working in a munitions factory, Goulding joined the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA), entertaining the troups in Normandy and North Africa. After the war, Goulding joined the newly-formed Light Entertainment department at the BBC, working first as a floor manager and later as a director. Amongst the programmes he directed were the variety shows //The Soft-Shoe Shufflers Show// and //Boiled Beef and Carrots// and the sitcom //What Larks!// starring music hall entertainer and ukulele impresario Larry Langdon, "The Cockney Twanger." With his background in light entertainment, Goulding seemed an odd choice to direct a drama series. In a candid interview with the fanzine //Shining Sheath//, lead director [[Peter Hopcroft]] said of Goulding: <<< "Hugh was a different generation from the rest of us. He was a family friend of Jerry's (Newbaum, Producer), which is why he got to direct so many episodes. He had no experience in directing drama. He could take a brilliant script and turn it into a pile of shit. I can remember saying to him, 'Would it kill you to move the fucking camera from time to time?' but because he was older than us, he thought he knew better. You couldn't tell him anything." <<< Robert Hale: <<< "Hugh would be finished and in the pub by 4 o'clock. It used to drive (editor) [[Terry Mann]] mad. He'd say, "Do you have any other takes of this shot?" &mdash; and of course they never were any other takes. If the actors didn't fluff their lines and the set didn't collapse, that was good enough for Hugh. Job done." <<< <span class="inactive"><a>Geoffrey Parr</a></span> (Cameraman): <<< "Hugh would be puffing away on his pipe the whole time. Sometimes a big puff of smoke would drift into shot. I'd ask him, 'Shall we go again?' but he'd always say, 'Nonsense, dear boy. It adds atmosphere.' Sometimes [[Ray|Ray Torrence]] would cough, deliberately, to spoil the take, so we'd have to do another one. Hugh hated that. He was always checking his watch, because he wanted to catch the racing." <<< Spencer Patrick: <<< "Hugh very rarely opened up. He was of that generation where you wouldn't talk about things. But one day we got chatting in the pub &mdash; I have no idea why he singled //me// out &mdash; but he'd had a bit to drink, and he started telling me about his dad. In those days, if someone came back from the first world war and they didn't want to talk about it, you just accepted it, and you'd say of them that they'd had a 'bad war,' and that was that. Well, Hugh's dad had had a bad war. He wasn't the same man when he came back. To young Hugh, it was like having a stranger in the house, and the two never got along. Anyway, on this particular evening it turned out that Hugh's dad had died, and Hugh said to me, 'I never told him I loved him.'" <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!Colour-separation Overlay Colour-separation overlay (CSO), or chroma key compositing is a technique for layering two images together based on colour hues. An actor is shot against a green (or blue) screen. These colours are used because they are considered to be the furthest away from natural skin tone. The portions of the video which match the colour of the screen are replaced by an alternative background video, such as the surface of an alien planet. The technique is commonly used in video production, but was relatively new in 1974 when 'Excalibur' was made. As a result there are several instances of mistakes in the show, most notably in the episode [[Sanctuary]], where the actress [[Netta Skarsgard]], who played [[Yalsa]], was issued with a costume featuring green sleeves. Consequently in all the outdoor shots she appears to be armless, her hands floating about seemingly of their own volition. There are various fan explanations for Yalsa's lack of arms, the accepted one being that the 'neuronic transduction waves' mentioned early in the episode are somehow interfering with the nucleonic structure of Yalsa's body. <div class="cbox">Categories: Other</div>!Through the Barricade <<set $s1e2 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!Through the Barricade [img[images/s1e2.png]] Season 1 Episode 2 !!!!Production ''Writers:'' [[Robert Hale]], [[Clifford Carson]] ''Director:'' [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 12 September 1974 ''Previous episode:'' [[Escape from Earth]] ''Next episode:'' [[Sanctuary]] <</sidebar>>''Through the Barricade'' is the second episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Robert Hale]] and [[Clifford Carson]], and directed by [[Peter Hopcroft]]. !!!Plot From Atlantis, [[Poseidon]] watches the starship [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]] escape the planet under the control of the Earther rebels. He calls together his council to strategize and sends [[Mer-Guards]] out for the components of a new curse. These include the eye of a newt and the blood of an albatross, a bird which has become incredibly rare since the Atlantean takeover. The overlord bides his time, confident that the rebels won't be out of his reach until they have passed the starship barricade ringing the asteroid belt. The barricade consists of Atlantean ships piloted by Earth people, under the command of the two most vicious Atlantean commanders, [[G'lob]] and <span class="inactive"><a>Ahab</a></span>. Aboard the //Excalibur//, the crew watches as the border guard consolidates with an aim of catching and destroying //Excalibur//. The situation looks hopeless, but one of the Atlantean ships, named //Grendel,// lags behind with a thruster damaged by an asteroid impact. It is a weak spot in the barricade. In a desperate bid, Kray suggests flying //Excalibur// beneath the damaged ship, but doing so will take them through some of the heaviest asteroid activity. Poseidon, Meanwhile, prepares to enact his curse... <div class="mpbox">At the time of writing, both the [[audio recording|Audio Recordings]] and the last page of Linda Peevey's [[transcript|The Peevey Archive]] of the episode are missing, and nobody can remember how the episode ended. Needless to say, the //Excalibur// succeeds in passing through the barricade, as the subsequent episode, [[Sanctuary]], makes clear.</div> !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''POSEIDON:'' Look at them, Ahab, these foolish rebels in their pitiful ship. At length did cross an albatross! Through the fog it came! ''AHAB:'' (Gurgling) ''POSEIDON:'' Indeed, Captain! ''POSEIDON:'' Fate will unwind as it must! <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|Sanctuary]]</div></center> !!!2 comments <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avilabyrinth.png]]</div><div class="comment2">How come the screenshots for some episodes look like photocopies? <span class="date">July 18, 2011 by [[VerdantKnight]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/aviphone.png]]</div><div class="comment2">The Excalibur Fanclub loaned the photographs to Ian Newell and Anna Sprague to be used in Shining Sheath, and sadly not all of them were returned. In those cases, we've used scans of the Shining Sheath issues they appeared in. We're still hoping they'll turn up. <span class="date">July 19, 2011 by CTrenowden</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div></div>!The Planet of the Kwanga <<set $s2e10 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Planet of the Kwanga [img[images/s2e10.png]] Season 2 Episode 10 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Robert Hale]] ''Director:'' [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 6 November 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[Leviathan]] ''Next episode:'' [[Upon a Painted Ocean]] <</sidebar>>''The Planet of the Kwanga'' is the tenth episode of season two of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Robert Hale]] and directed by [[Peter Hopcroft]]. !!!Plot On a distant planet, a peace-loving race of Hantises &mdash; human mantises, live a quiet, monastic life of simplicity and contemplation. Their peace is disturbed by the appearance of a hooded figure. When the figure takes down his hood, it is revealed to be a member of the [[Kwanga]] race, last seen in season 1's [[The Sun Stealers]]. The Hantises fall to their knees, believing their gods to have returned. The Kwanga offers the Hantises the ultimate honour, that of elevation, or oneness with the Godhead. They need only step through a portal. Meanwhile, alarms are going off aboard the [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]]. The ship has detected the Kwanga vessel. An argument erupts among the crew. [[Kray]] believes that they should steer well clear, whereas [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] believes that they have a responsibility to investigate. A vote is taken, and once again Kray's vote is overruled. Kray, Trugg and Zana use the sending chamber to travel down to the planet, while Trellick and Caradoc use the Grimoire to investigate the Kwanga vessel. Between them they are able to fathom the truth. It transpires that the Kwanga, under the direction of the //Cleromancer,// founded the Hantis civilisation millenia ago by super-evolving the Hantises from simple insects. Now, with the Cleromancer having been set into reverse by [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]], they are undoing what they have done. As the Hantises step through the portal, they are transported back to the Kwanga vessel, where they are de-evolved back into simple insects. Meanwhile, [[Wendra]] and [[Yalsa]] have come to Hantidis in an attempt to sieze control of the //Cleromancer//, which would give them power over the near-omnipotent Kwanga. Disguised as Hantises under heavy cowls, they intend to use the portal to gain entry to the Kwanga ship, but are overheard by Zana. Kray, Trugg and Zana follow suit, stealing three cowls and following the witches through the portal. On the Kwanga ship, the gentle Hantises are placidly lining up to be "elevated." Slipping away, the travellers follow the witches to the Cleromancy chamber. Yalsa double crosses Wendra, betraying her to the Kwanga, and attempts to seize control of the //Cleromancer// by herself. Meanwhile back on the //Excalibur//, Trellick uses the power of the [[Wand of Wendra]] to bypass the Kwanga security and send both Caradoc and the Wand directly onto the the Kwanga vessel. While Kray, Trugg and Caradoc keep the Kwanga guard at bay, Zana uses the wand to destroy the //Cleromancer//. Without the instruction of the //Cleromancer//, the Kwanga are lost and confused. The gentle Hantises offer to take them under their wing, and teach them the true meaning of purposelessness, while Wendra and Yalsa are released. As the //Excalibur// departs, Trellick remarks, //"How difficult it is to do things, and how easy to undo them."// !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''WENDRA'': Think of it, daft one! She who controls the Cleromancer, controls the Kwanga! An omnipotent race - under my control! ''YALSA'': (to herself) Daft one! Daft one! We'll see who's daft, when //I// control the Kwanga! ''ZANA'': Wendra, Yalsa //and// the Kwanga &mdash; could this day get any worse? ''TRELLICK'': They do say trouble comes in threes. ''KRAY'': They're reverting them back into animals, that's horrible! ''ZANA'': Let's not forget, it was we who set this course of events in motion. If we hadn't reversed the Cleromancer, none of this would have happened. <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|Upon a Painted Ocean]]</div></center> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!The Exile <<set $s2e6 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Exile [img[images/s2e6.png]] Season 2 Episode 6 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Clifford Carson]] ''Director:'' [[Hugh Goulding]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 9 October 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Secret of Wendra]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Open Maw]] <</sidebar>>''The Exile'' is the sixth episode of season two of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Clifford Carson]] and directed by [[Hugh Goulding]]. !!!Plot Having secured the wand from Wendra, the crew turn their attentions to locating and overthrowing [[Poseidon]], but Poseidon's vessel is using some kind of cloaking device and cannot be located on //Excalibur's// scanners. In desperation, the crew consult the [[Grimoire|The Grimoire]], which aludes to a 'turncoat,' to be found in a nearby asteroid belt. Further research reveals the 'turncoat' to be [[Zyntax]], an alien computer scientist, who formerly worked for [[Poseidon]]. Zyntax is now living in exile on a tiny asteroid. Kray is suspicious of Zyntax, whereas Caradoc is inclined to trust him. This leads to a heated argument on the bridge. A vote is taken, which Kray loses, and the crew set out to seek Zyntax's help. Fearful of reprisals from Poseidon, Zyntax has protected the asteroid with a series of logic puzzles in a maze which must be solved before the scientist can be reached. The puzzles include variants of the Knights and Knaves problem and the River crossing puzzle, and electronics problems involving logic gates. Upon finally meeting Zyntax it is revealed that he, too is a computer, in the form of a humanoid android. One final challenge must be faced before Zyntax will reveal the secret of Poseidon's cloaking device, which Zyntax himself devised - the Mutilated Chessboard problem. Between them, the crew figure out that the problem has no solution, and in anger, Kray threatens to destroy the asteroid. Zyntax relents, and gives them the code to disable Poseidon's cloaking device. !!!Trivia [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''TRELLICK'': It's an AND gate, not an OR gate! ''ZANA'': I don't understand. ''KRAY'': Well, you see, with an OR gate, the door will open if //either// of these switches are on, whereas... ''ZANA'': An AND gate will only open if //both// of them are on! ''KRAY'': Now you're getting it! You'll make an electronics expert yet, Zana! ''TRELLICK'': I don't know about that, Kray! ''ZANA'': (laughing) I think I'll stick to navigation, if you don't mind! <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Open Maw]]</div></center> !!!1 comment <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avishield.jpg]]</div><div class="comment1">And Carson bows out. Pity, this was his best yet. <span class="date">September 9, 2011 by [[INEWELL]] user</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!The Oneironaut <<set $s1e8 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Oneironaut [img[images/s1e8.png]] Season 1 Episode 8 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Clifford Carson]] ''Director:'' [[Melvin LaGomme]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 24 October 1974 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Shadow of Fantasy]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Atavists]] <</sidebar>>''The Oneironaut'' is the eighth episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Clifford Carson]] and directed by [[Melvin LaGomme]]. !!!Plot The Excalibur arrives on the jungle planet [[Yenos]], reputed to be the home of the Oneironaut, an alien whose dreams are displayed on a screen set into his forehead. The Oneironaut is thought to be the only being who knows the whereabouts of the [[Wand of Wendra]], an alien artifact equal in power to [[Poseidon]]'s trident. After trekking through the jungle the crew eventually find the temple of the Oneironaut, but it is guarded by the superstitious Yenosians, a race of humanoids resembling skull-faced clowns. The crew are able to trick their way into the temple by performing 'magic' &mdash; actually simple science. Upon entering the temple, they find the Oneironaut, covered in cobwebs from his thousand-year sleep. The screen in his forehead has gone out of order &mdash; showing only a wild zig-zag of white lines. With feverish haste Trellick restores the switches to normal, and the screen clears to reveal the face of the Oneironaut in infinite recursion. The alien challenges the travellers &mdash; join him in the dreamworld, and he will reveal the whereabouts of the wand. Accepting the challenge, Zana and Kray find themselves projected into the mind-space of the Oneironaut, a ghastly dreamworld of untrammelled fantasy where their own fears and insecurities are made manifest. After battling their own demons, the secret loction of the Wand of Wendra is revealed &mdash; the planet Xobos, but the shock of the revelation causes the Oneironaut to wake up. It transpires that the Yenosians, the jungle, and the atmosphere of Yenos itself are 'tulpas' or thought forms projected by the slumbering mind of the Oneironaut. Once he awakes, they start to disappear, and the crew of Excalibur are forced to race against time to get back to the safety of the ship before Yenos reverts to the barren, lifeless rock that is its true form. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''THE ONEIRONAUT'': You are wasting your time, Kray. ''KRAY'': Coming from a creature who spends all his time asleep, exploring the inside of his own head, that doesn't mean a lot! ''THE ONEIRONAUT'': What is the Universe, if not a dream? The worlds I explore are at one remove from the physical plane, and I require no craft, but in all other respects, Kray, we are the same. <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Atavists]]</div></center> !!!3 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Why is there no entry for this show on IMDB? <span class="date">September 3, 2012 by A FANWIKI user</span></div></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avisock.jpg]]</div><div class="comment2">Because Excalibur is an elaborate HOAX concocted by Ian Newell and Anna Sprague! <span class="date">September 3, 2012 by [[ENEALE]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avieggs.png]]</div><div class="comment1">That's ridiculous, why would I or Ian or anybody else go to the trouble of making all this stuff up? The truth is, I suspect, that //Excalibur// is an example of an //egregore.// <span class="date">September 3, 2012 by [[DameDuLac]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment2">I have to google like half of the things you say. Maybe someone should just go around asking random people on the street if they remember this show too and see what happens. <span class="date">September 5, 2012 by A FANWIKI user</span></div></div></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Poseidon <<sidebar>>\ !!Poseidon ''Species:'' Human ''Age:'' Unknown ''Affiliation:'' Atlantis ''Played by:'' [[Lionel Farr]] (Season 1) [[Michael Neame]] (Season 2) <</sidebar>>\ A recurring arch-villain throughout the plot of Excalibur, Poseidon is the warlock overlord who rules the Earth from a hidden palace known as Atlantis. He employs Atlantean authorities to do his bidding and dispose of dissenters such as those that make up the crew of the Excalibur. Despite his long running feud with the Excalibur's crew, Poseidon rarely deigns to seek out direct encounters with his enemies, preferring instead to rely on audiovisual communication systems, minions, and a wide variety of curses and magicks. A powerful and formidable warlock, Poseidon specializes in curses which rival even those bestowed by his Olympian namesake. His vicious nature leads him to hold grudges and pursue vengeance with aplomb. As Poseidon in some ways mirrors the Poseidon of Greek legend, he considers Kray a kind of Odyssean figure worthy of his ire, presuming as he does to flee on a long and perilous journey from Poseidon's wrath. A number of Poseidon's curses and raving screeds are spoken in dactylic hexameter, the meter in which the Homeric epics are written. Poseidon's affinity for the sea is a recurring theme; many of his minions are based on marine life, his base of operations is a castle located deep undersea, and he is a master of water magic. He has also been known to dabble in alchemy, as well as other fields of more questionable repute, such as necromancy. He greatly resents being referred to a "wizard." It is revealed later in the series that Poseidon is in fact a lich, making him an undead being. Even Poseidon does not remember how long ago he died, only that he originally perished on Earth. !!The Hex of the Eye One of Poseidon's most terrifying powers is the Hex of the Eye, which allows him to kill at a distance. The Hex has limitations, however -- it cannot kill humans except at close range. The first time it is used is in S1E1, [[Escape from Earth]], when Poseidon uses it to kill a rabbit befriended by [[Alfie]]. Its baleful influence is used most effectively in S2E8, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Eye That Scans the Land]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Eye That Scans the Land</a></span><</if>>. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!The Sun Stealers <<set $s1e6 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Sun Stealers [img[images/s1e6.png]] Season 1 Episode 6 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Jean Michel Vaillant]] ''Director:'' [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 10 October 1974 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Bleak Planet]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Shadow of Fantasy]] <</sidebar>>''The Sun Stealers'' is the sixth episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Jean Michel Vaillant]] and directed by [[Peter Hopcroft]]. !!!Plot [[The Excalibur]] crew receive a distress signal from an Earth colony in the Gacrux system. When they arrive, the star is gradually dimming. A vast spacecraft is in orbit around the star. [[Zana]] hails the ship, but receives no reply. The ship belongs to the [[Kwanga]], a race vastly more advanced than mankind. They are using self-replicating robots to create a Dyson Sphere of perfect mirrors, reflecting the star's light back at itself. [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] speculates that if the reflected energy continues to go back into the sun, it would eventually form a Kugelblitz black hole, utterly destroying the star system. He can think of no practical reason for this apparently senseless act. Unable to contact the aliens, [[Kray]] orders the destruction of one of the mirrors, in the hope of getting their attention. The ruse succeeds, with the result that Kray, Zana, [[Alfie]] and Trellick are teleported directly aboard the Kwanga vessel. Trellick demands to know why they are set on destroying the star. The Kwanga find the question meaningless, since action is, for them, an end in itself. The Kwanga have rejected reason, instead they mindlessly follow the instructions of a machine called the //Cleromancer//, programmed to produce directives at random. After trying to reason with the Kwanga, Kray and the others are imprisoned for the ultimate crime, that of //purpose.// Whilst imprisoned, Alfie has the idea that by acting purposelessly, the Kwanga might change their minds and release them. There follows an amusing scene in which the crew chatter like apes, sing songs with random words, and otherwise try to act in unpredictable ways. The ruse is successful, and the prisoners are released. While Kray and Alfie look for a way back to the ship, Trellick and Zana manage to send the //Cleromancer// into reverse, forcing the Kwanga to undo all that they have done. Slowly, the mirrors begin to dismantle themselves. Back aboard the //Excalibur//, the crew race to the colony, but they are too late. Without the heat of its sun, the planet has become an ice-world, and the colonists are frozen solid. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''TRELLICK'' (angry): You're destroying a star - you're destroying the lives of everyone in that colony! Why do it? Why? ''KWANGA'': Your supposition that all action should have a reason is meaningless. Action is action. It exists for its own sake. Does the star need a reason to send out its light? No. It acts without reason, as do we. ''ZANA'': There must be something we can do. Some way to get them to change their minds! ''TRELLICK'': You can't reason with a race that has no concept of reason, Zana. ''KWANGA'': By forsaking reason, we are become gods. What mind steers the wind? No mind. What thought guides the waves? No thought. Our power is too great for those who would use it for their own ends. ''KRAY'': We're too late &mdash; they're dead. Frozen solid! ''TRELLICK'': How easy it is to do things, and how difficult to undo them. <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Shadow of Fantasy]]</div></center> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Escape from Earth <<set $s1e1 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!Escape from Earth [img[images/s1e1.png]] Season 1 Episode 1 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Robert Hale]] ''Director:'' [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 5 September 1974 ''Next episode:'' [[Through the Barricade]] <</sidebar>>''Escape from Earth'' is the first episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Robert Hale]] and directed by [[Peter Hopcroft]]. !!!Plot It is the year 2181. The warlock overlord [[Poseidon]] rules Earth from a hidden palace known as Atlantis. His rule is absolute, and few humans dare to oppose him and his powerful [[Mer-Guards]]. At their secret base near the Telecom Tower in London, a ragtag band of rebels are plotting their next attack on the Atlantean authorities. The base is attacked, and all but a handful of the rebels are killed. The survivors include [[Artur Kray|Kray]], his son [[Alfie]], astronavigator [[Zana]] and a rebellious young fighter named [[Arco]]. The four manage to escape via an underground tunnel, and together they escape to the countryside. Meanwhile, at [[Glastonbury Tor|Location Shooting]], Somerset, a renowned scientist named [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] is in the process of excavating a long barrow; a monument constructed during the Early Neolithic period. He and his team make an extraordinary discovery &mdash; the mound covers an ancient, yet highly advanced, spaceship. Trellick theorises that the spacecraft might have been passed down in legend as the mythical sword, Excalibur. Upon speaking aloud the ancient Welsh name for the sword, "Caledfwlch," the starship activates, allowing him access. Realising that the ship could give the rebels an advantage in the battle against Poseidon, Trellick sends a message to Kray, telling him to make his way immediately to [[Glastonbury Tor|Location Shooting]]. Unfortunately, one of Trellick's team, <span class="inactive"><a>Vernor Carroway</a></span>, is a traitor, and he notifies [[Poseidon]] of the discovery. The freedom fighters arrive at [[Glastonbury Tor|Location Shooting]] in a stolen helicopter, only to find [[Poseidon]]'s [[Mer-Guards]] already surrounding the excavation. Hiding out in the heathland, [[Kray]] concludes that the situation is hopeless. [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]], meanwhile, inside the spacecraft, has managed to establish communication with the ship's computer, Merlin. At [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]]'s request, Merlin sends out an exotronic pulse, which renders the [[Mer-Guards]] senseless. The rebels make a run for it before they have time to recover. Just as they are about to board, [[Kray]]'s son [[Alfie]] finds a rabbit which he plans to rescue from Earth and show to aliens off-world, to demonstrate the goodness of humankind. As the band leave Earth in the strange starship, Poseidon vows to hunt the rebels down and casts //the Hex of the Eye on them,// causing the rabbit to die of fright. The boy accepts this with a stoic attitude, crying only a silent tear. He has been acquainted with death. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] //Trivia about Season One episodes can be found on the page linked above, listed chronologically by episode.// !!!Quotes <<< ''TRELLICK:'' It's a spacecraft! A spacecraft, shaped like a sword! ''CARROWAY:'' But it must be thousands of years old! ''BURROUGHS:'' My God - von Däniken was right! ''TRELLICK:'' Yes... ancient astronauts. Or ancient Britons? ''ARCO:'' You go. I'll hold them off. ''KRAY:'' Arco, we can't leave you. ''ARCO:'' Go. Save Alfie. I'll follow you when I can. <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|Through the Barricade]]</div></center> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Hantises Written by [[Jean Michel Vaillant]] in 1931, //Hantises// is a protracted essay in which the author posits haunting as the true nature of the human condition. Vaillant defines 'haunting' as the ineluctable repetitions of immaterial, atavistic terror birthed by the machinations of human consciousness. In this view, humankind is doomed to face a ceaseless mockery at the hands of its own creations. <<< "We forever repeat our worst mistakes and relive our worst fears, coming to unsatisfying ends. Because our identities are stitched together from these patterns, so long as we desire to be somebody or to do something we contribute to a global haunting and in turn are haunted by it." <<< The best one can do consciously to mitigate the situation, the author suggests, is to surrender our most strongly held beliefs, desires, and histories: an ultimate "Ça ne fait rien." So long as we cling to our hauntings, we will each of us die unfulfilled. //For the half-man, half-mantis creatures of the same name, see the season two episode '<<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Planet of the Kwanga]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Planet of the Kwanga</a></span><</if>>.'// <div class="cbox">Categories: Other</div>!Clifford Carson <<sidebar>>\ !!Clifford Carson ''Born:'' 27 December 1919, Los Angeles, California, US ''Died:'' 5 April 2004 (aged 84), Santa Monica, California, US ''Job title:'' Lead Writer <</sidebar>>Clifford Carson was an American screenwriter and producer who, with Robert Hale, conceived and created the BBC TV series //Excalibur.// Easy-going, charming and dapper, Carson's warmth and charisma won him many friends and admirers A science fiction fan since early youth, Carson had grown up reading pulp magazines such as Amazing Stories and Weird Tales. In the early 1940s he became a member of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, which drew him into the orbit of Forrest J. Ackerman, Ray Bradbury, and the infamous rocket scientist Jack Whiteside Parsons. It was through his association with Parsons that the young writer became interested in the spiritual doctrine of Thelema, developed by Aleister Crowley. Carson cut his teeth as a writer on several science fiction B-movies such as //Amazons from Space (1952), Dr. Brain (1954)// and //Tomb of the Antmen (1956).// He wrote quickly, turning out a screenplay a month between 1950 and 1956. In 1956 Carson abruptly stopped writing screenplays, left Los Angeles, and to all intents and purposes, disappeared. No record exists of his movements between 1956 and 1967, when his name turns up in the credits of //Out of the Unknown,// a British science fiction anthology series. According to [[Peter Hopcroft]], [[Carson|Clifford Carson]] was introduced to [[Robert Hale]] by Irene Shubnik, who produced that series, though no evidence has been found to support this claim. Bound by an shared interest in science fiction and mythology, Hale and Carson soon began working on the series that would become //Excalibur.// In 1975, halfway through the production of Season 2 of //Excalibur,// Clifford Carson returned to California to work on the film //[[Terrorvator]],// a disaster movie about the world's fastest elevator. //The Towering Inferno// had been released the year before and, keen to cash in on the fad for disaster movies, movie producer Irwin Thalberg invited Carson to deliver a screenplay. Enticed by the bigger paycheque, Carson agreed and left London in March 1975. There were still quite a number of //Excalibur// scripts to deliver and Robert Hale was left to pick up the slack. //Terrorvator// was a critical and financial failure. In 1995 it was listed at number 78 in Time Out Magazine's 100 worst movies list, and it was later parodied in an episode of //Mystery Science Theater 3000//. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!Peter Hopcroft <<sidebar>>\ !!Peter Hopcroft ''Born:'' October 10th, 1943 ''Died:'' August 12th, 2016 ''Job title:'' Director <</sidebar>>Peter Hopcroft cut his teeth directing the preschool children's programme Play School, but it was clear from the outset that the young director was itching to work in drama. According to producer Joy Whitby, Hopcroft's episodes were like "white knuckle rides" that left presenter Brian Cant in a "cold sweat" and Hamble "in pieces on the studio floor." When several parents complained that his episodes left their children traumatised and unable to sleep, Whitby sent a note to the Head of Drama, recommending that Hopcroft be transferred to the department as soon as possible, "or we'll be forced to find a stunt double for Humpty." Hopcroft was a natural at directing drama. Strongly influenced by the American New Wave, he directed several memorable episodes of the police drama Z-Cars, as well as the notorious "Bermondsy Bloodbath" episode of <span class="inactive"><a>Dixon of Dock Green</a></span>. On set, Hopcroft was known for his forthright attitude and ripe language. Edna Sullivan, mother of child actor [[Sebastian|Sebastian Sullivan]] ([[Alfie]]), complained that Hopcroft had "broadened her son's vocabulary immeasurably, and not in a good way." Hopcroft's episodes of Excalibur were some of the most exciting, with [[The Broken Piece]] in particular achieving higher ratings than //Gardeners' World//. Even "super-fan" Ian Newell, not known for being generous with praise, said of Hopcroft: "He could turn even the dullest script into something almost watchable." !!!Notes *The doll Hamble was notoriously fragile. According to the BBC website, presenter Chloe Ashcroft "did a terrible thing to Hamble. She just would not sit up...so one day I got a very big knitting needle, a big wooden one, and I stuck it right up her bum, as far as her head. So she was completely rigid, and she was much much better after that." *<span class="inactive"><a>Dixon of Dock Green</a></span>, an early police procedural, was known for being "cosy." Hopcroft's episode, by comparison, was so violent that the BBC felt pressured to move it from its regular 6:30 timeslot. As producer Douglas Moodie recalled, "we pushed it so far after the watershed that it was practically breakfast television." <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div> !Eclosion <<set $s2e1 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!Eclosion [img[images/s2e1.png]] Season 2 Episode 1 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Robert Hale]] ''Director:'' [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 4 September 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[Alone?]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Quest of Sir Caradoc]] <</sidebar>>''Eclosion'' is the first episode of season two of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Robert Hale]] and directed by [[Peter Hopcroft]]. !!!Plot Limping away from Earth after the climactic battle with Poseidon in [[Alone?]], the crew of the starship [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]] struggle to repair the ship's damaged systems without the help of their top scientist, [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]]. [[Zana]], meanwhile, is troubled by a dream in which she is visited by the Oneironaut. The alien whispers a single word, "Vihannes." Using the [[Grimoire|The Grimoire]], and using a potted plant for "teleportation," Zana finds herself standing on a beautiful, garden-like jungle world. She takes note of the position of the stars, and when the vision ends she is able to use that foreknowledge to plot a course using the [[Lodestar Matrix|The Lodestar Matrix]]. The ship soon arrives at [[Vihannes]], the remote jungle world predicted in Zana's vision. Kray reasons that if they discover nothing else, they will at least be able restock the ship's supplies from the abundant vegetable life on the planet. Zana urges caution, but Trugg has already begun harvesting several small pods. He is attacked by blood-sucking vines that attached themselves to his body. When the crew try to free him, they are attacked by plant-like humanoids who drag them back to their village. It transpires that on Vihannes, people are grown in pods, much like peas or beans, and emerge as fully-formed adults, each with a predestined specialisation. The pods that Trugg picked were unripe, containing underdeveloped scientists. The crew are locked up while the council of elders decide their fate. Kray devises a plan to escape, but they are caught. The decision is made that they should be put to death by being fed to a carnivorous plant. Just when all seems lost, one of the pod-people steps forward to intervene. To the crew's amazement, it is Trellick. He explains that when the scientist-plant attacked Trugg, it took a sample of his DNA and was able to extrapolate from it a new pod-grown body, complete with the original's memories, and without the atavistic traits that turned the original Trellick into Trugg. Trellick reasons with the council elders, and persuades them to let the Excalibur crew go. Back on the ship, Trellick oversees the repairs. Alfie comments on how Trellick's skin now has a greenish tinge. Trellick replies that it will fade in time, but that being autotrophic, he will require occasional watering. Trugg responds immediately by pouring water over Trellick's head from a watering can, to everyone's amusement. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''TARO'': You have violated our nursery and torn our children up by the roots. For this, you shall die. ''ZANA'': Please understand &mdash; we had no idea! ''TARO'': Ignorance is no excuse. ''KRAY'': Trellick, is it you? But it can't be! ''TRELLICK'': It is me. At least, I think I'm me. ''ZANA'': But if you're you, then who is Trugg? ''TRELLICK'': Trugg is Trugg. ''ALFIE'': You look different. You've gone green. ''ZANA'': Alfie, don't be rude. ''TRELLICK'': He's quite right. I ran some tests. I seem to have chlorophyll in my blood now. I'm part plant. ''ALFIE'': Ace! <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Quest of Sir Caradoc]]</div></center> !!!1 comment <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">This explains that weird bit in Torrence's novel where Trellick has his feet stuck in a plant pot. <span class="date">August 23, 2014 by A FANWIKI user</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>* [[Escape from Earth]] * [[Through the Barricade]] * [[Sanctuary]] * [[The Unimaginable Threat]] * [[The Bleak Planet]] * [[The Sun Stealers]] * [[The Shadow of Fantasy]] * [[The Oneironaut]] * [[The Atavists]] * [[The Broken Piece]] * [[The Time Scientist]] * [[The Flickering Comet]] * [[Alone?]] !Alone? <center><div class="spoileralert"><div class="avatar">[img[images/shield.png]]</div> This page contains <b>unmarked spoilers</b>. Venture forth with caution!</div></center> <<set $s1e13 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!Alone? [img[images/s1e13.png]] Season 1 Episode 13 !!!!Production ''Writers:'' [[Robert Hale]], [[Clifford Carson]] ''Director:'' [[Melvin LaGomme]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 28 November 1974 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Flickering Comet]] ''Next episode:'' <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Eclosion]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Eclosion</a></span><</if>> <</sidebar>>''Alone?'' is the thirteenth episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Robert Hale]] and [[Clifford Carson]], and directed by [[Melvin LaGomme]]. It is the season finale. !!!Plot Having acquired the Wand of Wendra, and having paid a heavy price (the transformations of [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] and [[Alfie]]) [[Kray]] decides to strike while the iron is hot and use the Wand to attack [[Poseidon]]. [[Zana]] is unconvinced, and suggests waiting until they understand the artefact better. A vote is taken, and this time, Kray's decision is upheld. Zana sets a course for [[Lodestar One|The Lodestar Matrix]], the [[Earth]], and they land the ship on the dark side of the moon to avoid detection. The crew use the sending and summoning chamber to transport themselves to Earth, but something goes wrong. Just as the Pentagram initiates the transfer, the wand activates, and the crew arrive at the same geographical location, [[Stonehenge|Location Shooting]] in Wiltshire, but at different points in time. Trugg arrives in the stoneage, and is immediately attacked by another apeman (played by Alan Carver). Zana arrives in the sixteenth century, and heads for the nearest settlement. Her strange garb and modern technology lead her to be identified as a witch, and she is sentenced to be burned at the stake. [[Arco]] arrives during the second world war, and is immediately arrested on suspicion of being a German spy. The only member of the crew to arrive in the modern day (2181) is Kray, who finds Poseidon and his [[Mer-Guards]] waiting for him. Kray is captured, and the wand seized. The crew are each rescued by a powerful druid named [[Maerlyn]] (played by <span class="inactive"><a>Rufus Catchpole</a></span>), who appears to be a young man in the 22nd century, and a very old man in the stone age. Maerlyn explains that he is of the race that built Excalibur, and also the Wand. He explains that in order to defeat Poseidon, two further artefacts must first be found. But first the crew must be reunited by means of a ritual taking place on the solstice at Stonehenge. Each crewmember is instructed to stand by a different stone, in their own time period, while the different versions of Maerlyn simultaneously perform the rite. The ritual succeeds, and the crew are returned to the Excalibur in the modern day. Back on the Excalibur, the ship has been discovered and is under attack. After a terrible battle, the ship escapes, but badly damaged. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''ZANA'': Thank you, I thought I was going to be burned alive! ''MAERLYN'': Fate has other plans for you. ''ZANA'': Oh, great. That's all I need. ''CAPTAIN BARRACLOUGH'': Who are you, and what are you doing in the restricted zone? I want the truth this time. ''ARCO'': I told you, I'm a member of the resistance! ''CAPTAIN BARRACLOUGH'': You don't sound French. ''ARCO'': The English resistance. ''CAPTAIN BARRACLOUGH'': Last I heard, England wasn't occupied. ''KRAY'': You're telling me &mdash; //you// built Excalibur? ''MAERLYN'': I, and others of my kind. ''TRELLICK'': But why? For what purpose? ''MAERLYN'': We built it for you. <<< <center><div class="nextep"><<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Next Episode >|Eclosion]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Next Episode ></a></span><</if>></div></center> !!!2 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Regarding the theory that ritual used by Maerlyn was the <span class="textchange">//Babalon Working//</span> - you can't tell anything from the audio recording. It sounds like it was recorded underwater! <span class="date">April 14, 2011 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avilabyrinth.png]]</div><div class="comment2">Maybe not, but it's pretty clear from the Peevey transcript. No matter what Robert Hale claims, the words Peevey recorded are NOT those of //The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.// <span class="date">April 14, 2011 by [[VerdantKnight]]</span></div></div> </div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div><<set $anna to "seen">>\ !Anna Sprague Wiccan and self proclaimed 'super fan', Anna Sprague is the author of numerous works of fan fiction (including slash fiction) set in the //Excalibur// universe. With [[Ian Newell]] she was co-editor of the //Excalibur// fanzine [[Shining Sheath]] and she is the originator of a number of [[fan theories|Fan Theories]]. !!Fan Fiction Whilst much of Anna's slash fiction centred around the //Excalibur// characters, as well as those of other TV shows and movie franchises, some of her work strays into speculation about the personal lives of the actors themselves, which has brought her into conflict with [[Kate Gregory]], among others. Embarrassed, she took down all of her fictional work and lapsed into silence. !!Controversy One of Sprague's romantic fictions centred around the disappearance of [[Lohengrin]] front man Dieter Irmler, connecting it with the disappearance of //Excalibur// composer [[Dot Varney]], who dropped off the grid shortly after post-production on season two wrapped in 1975. This in turn led Sprague's then-boyfriend [[Ian Newell]] to speculate (in an article in [[Shining Sheath]]) that director [[Melvin LaGomme]] had murdered Irmler in a jealous rage. A furious LaGomme responded to the article with a letter threatening a libel suit, and the pair were forced to print a retraction in the next issue. Fellow fan and friend of the couple, <span class="inactive"><a>Colin Trenowden</a></span>, said of the pair: <<< "They were the power couple of //Excalibur// fandom, really, and between them they kept the whole thing alive. They were incredibly imaginative, but they enouraged each other to go further and further with these wild theories, building one castle of sand on top of another and straying further and further from reality. Some of their notions took my breath away." <<< !!Fan Theories Sprague herself is the subject of a [[theory|Fan Theories]], first posited by [[Ewan Neale]], that accuses Sprague and Newell of concocting the entire //Excalibur// show as a hoax. Since the early 2000s, Sprague has been an exponant of the theory that the //Excalibur// series might in fact be an example of //The Mandela Effect//, and she has recently gone one further, suggesting that the show might be a tulpa; a being or object brought into actual physical existence by the collective imaginations of its fans. Her influences include the Theosphists Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater, and the Russian esotericist P. D. Ouspensky. * ''Main article:'' [[Fan Theories]] !!!3 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">It's been years now, but I just had to leave a comment to say how much I enjoyed Anna's fic back in the day. Her writing had a certain mystical quality that still came off as authentic rather than terribly affected, if that makes sense. It suited the source material nicely. Hope she's doing well! <span class="date">October 13, 2010 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avieggs.png]]</div><div class="comment2">Oh my goodness! I usually don't check this page too often (unlike a certain someone who is always editing his own), but Colin told me to go and take a look at your comment, and I'm very touched. Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed my fics. That truly brightened my day! <span class="date">December 22, 2010 by [[DameDuLac]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div> <div class="comment1">I'm so happy to hear that! I hope you haven't stopped writing, even if you stopped posting your work. <span class="date">December 28, 2010 by A FANWIKI user</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>Excalibur!Alfie <<sidebar>>\ !!Alfie ''Species:'' Human ''Age:'' 12 years ''Affiliation:'' The //Excalibur// ''Played by:'' [[Sebastian Sullivan]] (S1E1 - S1E11) [[Terrence Lannark]] (S1E11 - S2E7) <</sidebar>>\ !!Background Son of [[Kray]], his mother was killed during the takeover of Earth. Alfie is a "good kid" known by the rest of the crew for his resilience. No matter his age, Alfie still has much to learn and is a child at heart, prone to over-curiosity and over-confidence. In casting, [[Sebastian Sullivan]] (age 10) seemed a natural for the role of Alfie due to his ability to summon convincing tears at will. On set, however, this talent made Sullivan incredibly unpopular and difficult to work with. !!Old Alfie The child Alfie was written out of the show and last appeared in [[The Time Scientist]], to be replaced by elderly Alfie, played by [[Terrence Lannark]]. "Old" Alfie is a hard character to define. His characterisation is somewhat inconsistent, and at times outright bizarre. As a result, his role in the show was largely peripheral, and in the later episodes, he had very few lines. Alfie's final appearance in the show was Season 2 Episode 7, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Eye That Scans the Land]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Eye That Scans the Land</a></span><</if>>. No explanation is given for the character's disappearance, and he is never mentioned again. Halfway through the episode he tells Kray "I'll check the rheostats," leaves the bridge by the main door, and never returns. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!The Broken Piece<<set $s1e10 to "seen">> <<sidebar>>\ !!The Broken Piece [img[images/s1e10.png]] Season 1 Episode 10 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Derek Farland]] ''Director:'' [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 7 November 1974 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Atavists]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Time Scientist]] <</sidebar>>''The Broken Piece'' is the tenth episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Derek Farland]] and directed by [[Peter Hopcroft]]. !!!Plot Having absconded from [[Xobos]], the crew of the Excalibur takes a small amount of time to readjust their course and assess the situation as far as [[Trellick / Trugg]] is concerned. [[Kray]] and [[Zana]] reflect on nearly succumbing to the wand, and they regard Trugg warily, recalling the way he opposed and attacked them in the previous episode. The crew scarcely has time to catch their breath before another conflict rears its head. When the Excalibur briefly stops to investigate an abandoned space station which was pinging the ship's radar, [[Poseidon]] reveals himself &mdash; or rather, a construct of himself which delivers an elaborate monologue via an archaic communication device. Using his monologue as a distraction, he remotely sets loose a monster tasked with taking back the [[Wand of Wendra]]. The monster resembles a massive octopus, though it is unnaturally colored and covered with spikes. Kray manages to sever two of its legs while Trugg, with the help of his brutish strength, ties two together in a punishingly tight knot. Despite their efforts, the octopus manages to grasp the wand in one of its tentacles and nearly succeeds in stealing it. Aware that the crew are fighting against relinquishing the wand, Trugg does his utmost to help, as if some part of him is aware and wishes to regain their trust. He vies with the monster for control of the wand, managing to overpower it while the other crewmembers subdue its remaining arms. Covered in ink, Trugg succeeds in retrieving the wand, but it is worse for the wear after the battle. No longer in control of his own strength, his grip on the wand fractures its shaft and breaks it in two, as it has already been corroded by the octopus minion's ink. While Trugg looks at the broken wand in confusion and dull despair, Kray triumphantly slays Poseidon's monster. Disgusted with the loss of his minion and the damage the wand has sustained, Poseidon vows that his conflict with the Excalibur is not yet over. Before Poseidon can finish delivering his final message, Trugg smashes the communication device in frustration. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''KRAY'': Up for another scuffle, Trellick &mdash; that is to say, Trugg? ''TRELLICK/TRUGG'': Aargh! ''ZANA'': Just don't attack <i>us</i> this time. ''POSEIDON'': Pitiful fools. This swaggering overconfidence will spell your doom! <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Time Scientist]]</div></center> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Eleanor Wirral <<sidebar>>\ !!Eleanor Wirral ''Born:'' February 13th 1942 ''Job title:'' Writer <</sidebar>>Eleanor Foster Wirral was a British fantasy author, best known for her //Kyzmiarz// series of novels. Lead writer [[Robert Hale]] was introduced to her work by [[Clifford Carson]], and they discussed the possibility of approaching her to write an episode //Excalibur//. Wirral was initially reluctant since she had not written for television before, but was eventually persuaded. Her first submission, //The Boarghast of Porcine 9//, was considered too fantastical for the science-based show, but Hale encouraged her to try again and her second script, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Secret of Wendra]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Secret of Wendra</a></span><</if>> is one of the best loved and best remembered episodes of season 2. She would go on to write one further episode, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Leviathan]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Leviathan</a></span><</if>>. !!!Notable Works * The Sweeping Sands of Minearsa Kerack * Soaring Spires of Perpendula Penai * Sycophants of Kyzmiarz !!!Style As a writer, Wirral is known for her vast vocabulary. According to [[Clifford Carson]], "Her prose wasn't purple, it was purpureal &mdash; a word I learned from her books." In an interview with //Starburst Magazine// in 1986, director [[Peter Hopcroft]] said of Wirral: <<< "Eleanor was a novelist, and she had the most wonderful imagination, but it took her a while to understand what could and couldn't be acheived on a television budget. I always suspected that she was disappointed at the way her scripts turned out, but if she was, she was too polite to say so." &mdash; [[Peter Hopcroft]], Director "I would open one of Eleanor's scripts with a mixture of excitement and dread. It's all very well to write things like "Wendra's steely-thewed reptiloid legions," but what that amounts to on a BBC budget is five skinny blokes in loin cloths and green body paint." &mdash; [[Bryan MacAuley]], Production Designer <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!Sanctuary <<set $s1e3 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!Sanctuary [img[images/s1e3.png]] Season 1 Episode 3 !!!!Production ''Writers:'' [[Robert Hale]] ''Director:'' [[Hugh Goulding]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 19 September 1974 ''Previous episode:'' [[Through the Barricade]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Unimaginable Threat]] <</sidebar>>''Sanctuary'' is the third episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Robert Hale]] and directed by [[Hugh Goulding]]. !!!Plot Passing through the barricade, Excalibur emerges into [[Neuronic Space]], a maelstrom of limitless dimensions. [[Zana]] is dismayed to find that the [[Lodestar Matrix|The Lodestar Matrix]], which she has learned how to use for navigation, is no longer functioning. [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]], meanwhile, has discovered a new technology within the ship, a strange, sentient spellbook known as the [[Grimoire|The Grimoire]]. The device requires a blood sacrifice in order to function, and [[Kray]] is concerned that it might be dangerous. Lost, and without any means of navigating through [[Neuronic Space]], Kray decides that they have no choice but to consult it. He offers up his arm for bloodletting, and steps into the casting circle to find himself "teleported" into the living mind of the Grimoire. Kray finds himself in a strange, underground laboratory. To his amazement, Trellick, Zana and the rest of the crew are also present, conversing with an old woman &mdash; [[Yalsa]]. He attempts to talk, but finds he cannot control his actions &mdash; he is in fact looking a few hours into his own future. In this dreamlike state, he hears himself say something about launching a beacon, explaining to the old woman that if they hadn't learned how to launch it, they would never have found [[Yalsa]]'s world. Kray then finds himself abruptly back on the Excalibur. With this new-found knowledge, the crew set about learning how to launch a beacon, and soon locate a small, moon-like world drifting through the neuronic void &mdash; [[Yalsa]]'s world. [[Yalsa]], a space witch, is suspicious and uncooperative when she finds that the Excalibur crew already know her name. Initially distrustful, Yalsa presents the crew with a series of paradoxical questions with which to prove their merits. As they stumble through their answers, debating among themselves before realizing the questions cannot be answered at all, the crew curries Yalsa's favor. She is amused by their attempts, and finds their eventual humility acceptable, though she considers herself to have "won" the exchange. Yalsa informs the crew that their one chance of defeating Poseidon is to obtain the [[Wand of Wendra]], a weapon of fantastical power. The Wand had lain for centuries in the Tomb of Wendra, a powerful sorceress, but has been stolen, its whereabouts now unknown. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''YALSA'': A delightful performance, no doubt! My own capering jesters, for but a while, weren't you? Now, I shall spare you further philosophical struggle, as you've had the good sense to know when you're beaten. Come, then, let us parley! There is little time to waste! <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Unimaginable Threat]]</div></center> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Trellick / Trugg <<sidebar>>\ !!Trellick / Trugg ''Species:'' Human ''Age:'' 47 years ''Affiliation:'' The //Excalibur//, Earth ''Played by:'' [[Michael Neame]], [[Jiří Bobík]] <</sidebar>>\ !!As Trellick Trellick is a seasoned archaeologist responsible for discovering Excalibur. He specializes in Anglo-Saxon archaeology, and is a skilled Latinist, having extensively studied the relationship between Anglo-Saxons and Romans. Rebelling against Poseidon's tyranny along with [[Kray]], [[Zana]], and their companions, Trellick becomes the all-around scientist of the crew. Very cerebral and given to poetic language, Trellick has a tendency toward erudite mannerisms so affected that they border on artifice. Nevertheless, he is truly gifted in his field and provides necessary scientific insights when called upon to do so, though he often arrives at his conclusions after some amount of circumlocution. !!As Trugg In "[[The Atavists]]," Trellick is altered by the Wand of Wendra's power, causing him to regress physically and mentally. The Excalibur crew refers to the changed Trellick, who later becomes his alter-ego, as "Trugg." The Atavists, episode nine of season one, marks the first appearance of Trugg. Trugg, played by [[Jiří Bobík]], is a significant departure from his counterpart: unpretentious, primal, and reckless, often considered a brute. Where Trellick preferred to withdraw and carefully ponder his options when faced with a conflict &mdash; or leave a violent resolution to his compatrions &mdash; Trugg has no such compunctions, sometimes to the crew's detriment. However, Trugg is also courageous, deeply genuine and authentic in his emotions, and loyal. From time to time he also demonstrates lingering cognition that would suggest he still retains some of the knowledge or skills he possessed as Trellick, though they are difficult for him to articulate. After Neame was reinstated as Trellick in S2E1, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Eclosion]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Eclosion</a></span><</if>>, episode one of season two, the character of Trugg remained, forming a "double-act" between Trellick and his alter-ego. Trugg proved to be a more popular character among fans, as well as one of the most popular characters on the show. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!Jerry Newbaum (1936-) <<sidebar>>\ !!Jerry Newbaum ''Born:'' 9 September 1936, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. ''Died:'' 4 April 1996 (aged 60), London, England. ''Role:'' Producer <</sidebar>>Jerry Newbaum was Executive Producer on //Excalibur//. Born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, Newbaum attended St. Probus School where he showed an early interest in acting and theatre. He began his career at the BBC as a television floor assistant in the Light Entertainment Department. One of the most junior jobs in a production, a floor assistant helps the assistant floor manager and the floor manager. According to [[Michael Neame]], Newbaum was employed on the recommendation of director [[Hugh Goulding]], who knew Newbaum’s father. Eager to please, and a hard worker, Newbaum swiftly rose through the ranks and eventually became a producer. Nervous, high-strung, and a little overweight, Newbaum was known for his colourful spectacle frames and jumpers designed by George Hostler, who famously designed jumpers for Gyles Brandreth and Diana, Princess of Wales. Newbaum was affable, kindly, caring and popular, but prone to snap when under extreme pressure. His colourful image seemed calculated to make him seem as harmless and approachable as possible, and Newbaum was known for the extraordinary lengths he would go to to avoid confrontation. He came under much criticism for employing [[Hugh Goulding]], a mediocre director who was unpopular with the writers, but to whom Newbaum felt he owed a favour. Things came to a head when Goulding was assigned to direct <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Eye That Scans the Land]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Eye That Scans the Land</a></span><</if>>, a script that writer [[Derek Farland]] considered his best. When Farland learned of the decision, he stormed into the production office, but Newbaum had seen him coming through the glass door and hid under the desk of assistant producer [[María Gonzalez]]. The unflappable Gonzalez calmly explained that Newbaum was out of the office for important family business, calmed Farland down, and sent him away, whilst all the while conflict-avoiding Newbaum crouched out of sight at her feet. !!Personal Life Newbaum was a very private man, and rarely talked about his personal life, but it was well known among the regular cast and crew that he was a gay man. Homosexuality in the UK was illegal until 1967, and he kept his sexuality hidden for fear that it would damage his career. Michael Neame: <<< "Hugh Goulding was an old army buddy of Jerry's dad's, and he gave Jerry a leg up in the business, so I think Jerry felt beholden to him, to give him all this work. But Hugh was a terrible person, and a terrible director. Just terrible. And it kind of embarrassed Jerry." <<< Robert Hale: <<< "The thing was, Jerry was under no illusions about the sort of director Hugh was, and he did his level best to make sure that every writer got their 'fair share,' if you like, of Hugh's direction. But somehow Derek got it into his head that Jerry was singling him out. He was paranoid. Hugh didn't direct any more of Derek's episodes than anyone else's." <<< Hugh Goulding: <<< “Without Jerry there’d have been no show. It was all Jerry.” <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!Lohengrin <center><div class="spoileralert">This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Excalibur Wiki's deletion policy. It is only tangentally related to the //Excalibur// TV series.</div></center> <<sidebar>>\ [img[images/Lohengrin.png]]<</sidebar>>The Anglo-German Spacerock band //Lohengrin// named their third album after the season 2 //Excalibur// episode //<<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Planet of the Kwanga]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Planet of the Kwanga</a></span><</if>>//. The starship Excalibur can be seen in the top right hand corner of the album cover, and the lyrics of two tracks on the album make reference to events and characters within //Excalibur// itself. The title track includes the lines //The stars still shine But Alfie's lost his mind His mindless grin Makes mockery of time// and //I've danced across the seas of space The infinities I've crossed But memories are all I have Excalibur is lost// In the third track, //Poseidonis//, we get: //And Poseidon sounds his iron horn And a thousand silent stars are born Reflected in the shadows of the sea We'll learn to live like Hantises In a world of lost Atlantises And purposelessness will be our philosophy// !!The Man Who Didn't Come Back Lohengrin made one further album, //The Man Who Didn't Come Back//. During the recording of the album the band went on tour in England. The afternoon before they were due to perform in Totnes, Devon, lead singer Dieter Irmler asked roadie Robbie Marsh to stop the van on the B3387 near [[Hay Tor|Location Shooting]] in Dartmoor so that he could relieve himself. The moor was covered in thick fog at the time. Irmler wandered into the fog, and disappeared. The band searched for him for two hours before returning to the van and driving on to Ponsworthy, where they called the police. Despite a thorough search, Irmler was not found. Various theories have sprung up to account for the disappearance, but the most likely is that the singer had simply grown tired of performing with the band, and had hidden out in the fog and waited until the van pulled away before hitch-hiking back to Germany. In 1980 music journalist Nic Humbolt wrote to a vetinary surgeon named Dieter Irmler in Harsewinkel-Greffen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, to ask him if he were the missing band member. He received no reply. A well-thumbed copy of [[Jean Michel Vaillant]]'s book, [[Hantises]], was left behind by Irmler in the tour van. His disappearance became the subject of a fan fiction by [[Anna Sprague]]. <div class="cbox">Categories: Other</div>!Dorothy 'Dot' Varney <<sidebar>>\ !!Dorothy 'Dot' Varney ''Born:'' 14 June 1950, Canterbury, Kent ''Role:'' Musician, Sound Designer <</sidebar>>Petite, with long red hair, freckles and intense, pale blue eyes, Dot Varney was known to her friends as Microdot. An electronic music pioneer, she is often described as a protégé of Delia Derbyshire, whereas in fact she joined the Radiophonic Workshop in 1973, long after Derbyshire's departure, and it is not known whether the two ever met. She left the workshop soon after the completion of //Excalibur,//and her present whereabouts are unknown. Whereas the music of her contemporaries, Dick Mills and Paddy Kingsland, tended to be minimalist and staccato, Dot's wild, meandering compositions showed the clear influence of her friends in the world of psychedelic rock and free jazz, who included such luminaries as Gong's Daevid Allen and Mike Ratledge of Soft Machine. During the editing of [[Sanctuary]], director [[Hugh Goulding]] was heard to exclaim, "This isn't music, it's a Jackson Pollock in sound form!" [[Melvin LaGomme]], by contrast, was a great admirer of her work. In 1975, not long after post-production on season two wrapped, Varney left the BBC Radiophonic Orchestra. It is thought that she joined a commune, most likely Tipi Valley, a tent commune near Llandeilo in the hills of South-West Wales. This seems likely, owing to her known association with the Hyde Park Diggers, an environmental group whose leader, Sid Rawle, was one of the founders of the South Wales commune. Varney remains a rather enigmatic figure, and the subject of much speculation among fans. In 1996, [[Anna Sprague]] wrote a fanfiction in which Dot had a secret tryst with Dieter Irmler of the band [[Lohengrin]], but it has since been removed from her website. Sadly, only a short excerpt of Varney's work survives. Kate Gregory: <<< Dot knew everybody in the Canterbury scene. She was present at Gilli Smyth's party in Maida Vale when Robert Wyatt fell from the window and lost the use of his legs. I believe she even dated Steve Hillage for a while. <<< Peter Hopcroft: <<< On the first one, ([[Escape from Earth]]), we had one day before broadcast, and still no soundtrack. So I went down to the (BBC Radiophonic) Workshop, to see how she was getting along. When I opened the door, there was Dot, standing in the middle of the room with her hands full of magnetic tape, masses of it, like spaghetti, and she was staring at it saying 'It sparkles! It sparkles!' I just closed the door and tried not to think about it any more. And the next morning, there was this neatly wound roll of tape on my desk, and it was all there, and it was all in sync, and it was perfect. <<< Kate Gregory: <<< Dot was really intense. Just this really, intense person. One time she saw me in the corridor at Television Centre, and just walked up to me without saying a word and looked me straight in the eye. I was a bit hungover, I think. I said 'hello Dot.' She said, 'your pupils are like pin-dots.' And she turned around and walked away. She didn't do small talk. <<< Hugh Goulding: <<< If you ask me, she was one sandwich short of a full picnic. <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!The Time Scientist <<set $s1e11 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Time Scientist [img[images/s1e11.png]] Season 1 Episode 11 !!!!Production ''Writers:'' [[Clifford Carson]] ''Director:'' [[Hugh Goulding]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 14 November 1974 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Broken Piece]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Flickering Comet]] <</sidebar>>''The Time Scientist'' is the eleventh episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Clifford Carson]] and directed by [[Hugh Goulding]]. !!!Plot Seeking a way to repair the Wand of Wendra, the crew of //Excalibur// comes across a rumor that a scientist named [[Algra Voonis]], living alone on the fortieth moon of [[Klisstra]], has found a way to reverse the effects of time. Trusting that this could be the key to restoring the Wand, [[Zana]] sets a course for the moon. After scanning the surface and discovering that the only bio-signals come from deep underground, [[Kray]] takes [[Trugg|Trellick / Trugg]] and his son along to look for a way under the moon's barren crust. [[Alfie]] finds it first after falling through a trapdoor disguised as a crater. Unfortunately, in his fall he passes through an invisible time accelerating field that turns him into a fully grown man. His new body is strong, and he tries to climb out of the hole, but as his hand passes the invisible line again it ages visibly. Setting off along a tunnel, Alfie finds himself in a strange alchemical laboratory filled with clocks; the workshop of Algra Voonis. Meanwhile back on the ship, an electrical storm depowers the ion conversion engine. [[Arco]] and [[Zana]] try to fix it as fast as they can. On encountering Algra, Alfie learns that her experiments have failed. The field is the result of her failure, a disturbance in time that continues to grow. Despite all of her work, Algra Voonis has succeeded in proving that time can only go forward. In her attempt to set it backward, she created a temporal shockwave which threatens to consume the starship. In due course, it will take over the moon, other moons, and finally Klisstra itself. The scientist promises Alfie and his friends means to escape the doomed world, on the condition that he marries her. Alfie agrees, and they leave by a secret passage. Unfortunately, [[Poseidon]] has been listening in and curses the time stabilizing rings they wear. The field has expanded and almost reaches the ship. When they cross it onto the gangplank, Alfie ages again into an old man and Algra Voonis falls dead. The starship takes off, but the field continues to expand in their wake. Calculations show the only way to prevent it from overtaking them is to blow up the moon. The crew argues over whether this is the right course or not, but Kray sees no other choice and fires everything they have, destroying the fortieth moon of Klisstra forever. Zana muses that it will make a fine ring around the planet, given time. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''KRAY'': To turn back time. Can you imagine it, Zana? We could recapture our youth. Start all over again! ''ZANA'': Yes, but think of all that we'd lose &mdash; all those memories, the things we've done together. ''KRAY'': I suppose you're right. But there are some memories I wouldn't mind losing. 'Memory is a strange Bell &mdash; Jubilee, and Knell.' <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Flickering Comet]]</div></center> !!!1 comment <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avicrossing.png]]</div><div class="comment1">"oh he comes he comes and he'll lead them a merry dance he will" <span class="date">September 15, 2011 by [[wyrdwarrens]]</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Leviathan <<set $s2e9 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!Leviathan [img[images/s2e9.png]] Season 2 Episode 9 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Eleanor Wirral]] ''Director:'' [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 30 October 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Eye That Scans the Land]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Planet of the Kwanga]] <</sidebar>>''Leviathan'' is the ninth episode of season two of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Eleanor Wirral]] and directed by [[Peter Hopcroft]]. !!!Plot Damaged in the previous episode, Excalibur desperately needs to put down for repairs, but the only habitable planet within range is almost entirely covered with water. [[Zana]] eventually locates a small island, and the spacecraft is at last able to land. The repairs are almost completed when the island begins to sink beneath the water. It transpires that the island is in fact, a sea-monster. It dives beneath the water, leaving the Excalibur (still unfit for space-flight), floating on the ocean. With some modification, the engines are made to propel the craft like a boat, and the crew begin to search for a suitable beach on which to land. It is brought to a halt, however, when the engines become clogged with sea-weed. While [[Kray]], [[Caradoc|Ector Caradoc]] and [[Trugg|Trellick / Trugg]] are outside the vessel, trying to clear the engines, they are attacked by [[crab-men|Crab-People]], who capture them and carry them away through a forest of gigantic algae to a city inhabited by similar beings. The crab-men, who have never encountered mammals before, are curious about the biological make-up of their captives, and subject the men to various scientific tests. They are blasted with rays of extreme heat and cold, and subjected to centrifugal force, among other tortures. The men finally escape with the assistance of [[Aerwyna]], a female crab-being inside one of the cybernetically altered squid-like creatures the crab-people use for transport; and they return to search for Excalibur. They find it beached at low tide on a sort of reef, where Zana and Trellick have just completed the necessary repairs; and the voyage through space is now resumed. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''KRAY'': You're a walking coincidence, Trugg. ''TRUGG'': Urgh? ''CARADOC'': Don't listen to him, Trugg, I think his brain must be waterlogged. ''ZANA'': Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink. ''TRELLICK'': Actually, the oceans on this planet are not saline. It's quite drinkable. ''ZANA'': I'll stick to the bottled water, thank you. <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Planet of the Kwanga]]</div></center> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Ray Torrence <<sidebar>>\ !!Ray Torrence ''Born:'' 23 July 1934, Guildford, Surrey, UK ''Role:'' [[Kray]] <</sidebar>>Born into a well-to-do family in Guildford, Surrey, Raymond Howard Torrence was educated at the prestigious St John's Boys School in Leatherhead. Tall, good-looking and amiable, he was a popular student and a skilled cricketer. After a spell in Hollywood, Torrence returend to Britain and took various parts in television before being cast in //Excalibur//, including as a charming con-man in Z-Cars. Throughout the sixties, Torrence continued to be offered leading man roles in TV and theatre. He was briefly considered for the role of James Bond, but was considered too young. !!Personal Life Ray met his wife-to-be, model Patricia Haynes, at a party in Mayfair hosted by fellow actor Patrick MacNee, and they remain happily married to this day. Patricia Torrence, known as 'Patti,' was very glamorous, fond of wearing kaftans and loose, fashionable pieces by Halston. A passionate advocate of reiki and yoga, Patti very much embodied the spirit of the early 70s. The couple would hold parties at their home, Oakshott Hall near Box Hill in Surrey, and at some point in the evening, car keys would be placed into a bowl on the table. [[Kate Gregory]], invited to one of these parties, had never been to a 'swingers' party before and was horrified by the idea. Despite Patti's efforts to persuade her to stay, Gregory's car keys remained firmly in her pocket and she took off early, thankful that she had only had two small glasses of wine. Torrence has written an autobiography, //Yes, That's Right, It's Me!// and a novel //[[The Eye of Poseidon]]//. Kate Gregory: <<< "Ray was terribly sensitive about his appearance. On //Excalibur,// his hair was starting to thin, so he got make-up to paint the bald patch so that you wouldn't see it. Unfortunately it was still pretty obvious when it caught the light. When hair transplants came along, Ray was one of the first to do it &mdash; an early adopter, if you like &mdash; and it didn't look great, like the hair on a doll's head. He couldn't bear it when the leading man roles started to go to younger men. It broke his heart." <<< Hugh Goulding: <<< "Ray was an outrageous name-dropper. He was forever talking about how he'd met Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth, Clark Gable, all the big Hollywood stars. Complete tosh, of course, God bless him!" <<< Peter Hopcroft: <<< "Ray had worked as an extra in Hollywood. The walls of his house were covered in photographs &mdash; Ray with Rita Hayworth, Ray with Humphrey Bogart, Ray with Audrey Hepburn. He'd met them all." <<< Michael Neame: <<< "Ray was incredibly gregarious and generous to a fault. He and Patti would host these sensational parties, and you would never be allowed to sit there with an empty glass. You learned to drink slowly, if you didn't to wake up with a shocking hangover." <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!The Open Maw <<set $s2e7 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Open Maw [img[images/s2e7.png]] Season 2 Episode 7 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' <span class="inactive"><a>Clive Wilson-Davies</a></span> ''Director:'' <span class="inactive"><a>Clive Wilson-Davies</a></span> !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 16 October 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Exile]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Eye That Scans the Land]] <</sidebar>>''The Open Maw'' is the seventh episode of season two of //Excalibur.// It was written and directed by <span class="inactive"><a>Clive Wilson-Davies</a></span>. !!!Plot After deactivating Poseidon's cloaking device, the Excalibur crew locate what appears to be Poiseidon's vessel and set off in pusuit of it. What they find is a derelict space station seemingly devoid of all life. As they explore in search of Poseidon, the crew is pursued by sea-fiends far more vicious and deformed than even Poseidon's [[Mer-Guards]]. These hideous creatures chase half of the crew back to the Excalibur, where they regroup before returning to rescue the others: Zana, Trellick, and Arco are still trapped with the sea-fiends. At one point in the episode, Kray is overwhelmed by the fiends and is nearly strangled to death by one before he manages to cut off its amorphous limb. After battling the fiends and rescuing the remainder of the crew, the space station is revealed to be a trap laid by Poseidon specifically to waste the crew's time while he fled to a new lair and hid away his most precious and vulnerable relics. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''HOLO-POSEIDON'': Greetings, hapless fools. I do not doubt you have toiled here, and bled, and struggled. That is all well and good &mdash; but you have done so for naught! <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Eye That Scans the Land]]</div></center> !!!2 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avishield.jpg]]</div><div class="comment1">Fantasic episode! Why did they not get this guy to direct more? <span class="date">October 3, 2010 by [[INEWELL]]</span></div> <div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment2">This episode always felt to me like it was retrofitted from a different show. The tone is just rather "off." It's not bad at all &mdash; I'd eat up a movie like this. It's just not quite //Excalibur.// But I suppose this kind of thing happens when your show starts hemorrhaging writers... <span class="date">July 3, 2012 by A FANWIKI user</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Kray <<sidebar>>\ !!Kray ''Species:'' Human ''Age:'' 35 years ''Affiliation:'' The //Excalibur//, Freedom Fighters, Earth ''Played by:'' [[Ray Torrence]] <</sidebar>>\ !!Background Artur Kray is a human freedom fighter from Earth, revolting against Poseidon's tyranny. Following an attack on the rebel base, Kray becomes the unofficial captain of a mysterious sword-shaped spaceship from the past, the [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]]. He leads the crew through many adventures on alien worlds, gathering the means to return to [[Earth]] and ultimately defeat [[Poseidon]]. !!Personality Bold and belligerent, Kray prefers to be a hero, sometimes to his own detriment. He behaves like a king, but the //Excalibur// is run like a democracy, and his suggestions are frequently overruled by the crew. Kray's allegiance is to the Earth, and he prefers to avoid getting involved with the politics of other planets. This frequently brings him into conflict with [[Zana]] and [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]], who take the view that //Excalibur// should try to help out wherever they can. Even [[Arco]], who initially takes Kray's side in everything, is eventually forced to admit that helping strangers has brought them advantages more often than not. Kray's closest relationships are with his son, Alfie, and with Zana. A romantic relationship between Kray and Zana is hinted at in some episodes, but is never developed. Kray is distrustful and jealous of [[Ector Caradoc]], but this feeling is not reciprocated, and Kray gradually warms to the newcomer as season 2 progresses. Despite these faults, Kray, is determined, brave, and morally upstanding, and always willing to sacrifice himself rather than risk the lives of his crew. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!Jiří Bobík (1935-) <<sidebar>>\ !!Jiří Bobík ''Born:'' 19 April 1935, Prague, The Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia) ''Role:'' [[Trugg|Trellick / Trugg]], Various Monsters <</sidebar>>Bobík fled his native Czechoslovakia in 1968 in the aftermath of the Prague Spring, settling in London. A classically trained actor in his own country, Bobík found it difficult to find acting work in England, and instead found himself taking a variety of non-speaking 'monster' roles, most notably Frankenstein's monster in Hammer's //'The Satanic Blood of Frankenstein / Die, Mutant, Die!'// (1972), for which his 6' 6" stature was a great advantage. Jiří also created his own costumes, and his imaginative designs are one of the most memorable features of //'Excalibur'//. The episode '[[The Atavists]]' found Bobík taking a regular role in the show as Trugg (formerly Trellick, played by [[Michael Neame]]), when the character is permanently transformed into an ape-man. Trugg remains one of the most popular characters among fans of the show. Bobík retired from acting in 1990. Despite the fall of the Iron Curtain he never returned to his country of origin, instead settling in Lewes, Sussex, with his wife Marion and their two children. Every year at the famous Lewes Bonfire Night celebrations he would delight the crowds by attending in one of his increasingly moth-eaten monster costumes, many of which had originally appeared in //Excalibur//. In 1998, whilst he was wearing the costume of the Kwanga (from [[The Sun Stealers]]), a stray rocket became entangled in the creature's antennae, and Bobík spent two days in hospital with superficial burns. Since 2010 he has been a familiar face at the Lewes Friday Market, where he runs a stall selling traditional Czech soups (polévka). In his autobiography //'Yes, That's Right, It's Me',// [[Ray Torrence]] described Jiří Bobík as 'a gentle giant, one of the nicest guys you could meet. He could drink the rest of us under the table.' <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>Anonymous!The Bleak Planet <<set $s1e5 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Bleak Planet [img[images/s1e5.png]] Season 1 Episode 5 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Jean Michel Vaillant]] ''Director:'' [[Hugh Goulding]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 3 October 1974 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Unimaginable Threat]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Sun Stealers]] <</sidebar>>''The Bleak Planet'' is the fifth episode of season one of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Jean Michel Vaillant]] and directed by [[Hugh Goulding]]. !!!Plot On the run from the unnamed threat from the [[previous episode|The Unimaginable Threat]], the //Excalibur// takes refuge in a distant planet called [[Lothan]], protected by interstellar storms. There they are greeted by jubilant crowds. They feast with the Lothans, an advanced human people of exceeding beauty who accept them readily and promise to repair the //Excalibur//. The crew go back several times to check on the repairs, but every time they return as if hypnotised, reassured only that the repairs need more time. Time passes and they find themselves growing comfortable on Lothan. It is as though they have been lulled into a trance. It turns out that hypnotism is close to the truth. While the unstoppable force pursuing our intrepid crew cannot reach Lothan because of interstellar storms, [[Poseidon]] still watches and has executed a spell on the long-dead planet of Lothan, imbuing it with the illusion of prosperous life. Since he cannot kill the rebels, he has deigned to crush their wills to fight. Slowly, everyone settles into a place of happiness with the Lothans, not wholly forgetting Earth, but allowing it to pass from their minds for a while. Just as slowly, everyone has their turn facing their own private hell. For Zana, it is a fear of ridicule, as she imagines herself transformed into a clown. Kray sees himself aged into an old man, enfeebled and ignored. Alfie imagines himself replaced with a lookalike, and left behind on Lothan. Trellick envisions losing his mental faculties, and for Arco it is the loss of all capacity for feeling. Individually, they realise mutation and decay are inevitable. When the curse has fully run its course, Lothan appears as it really is &mdash; wholly destroyed &mdash; a dead and barren world. None of the crew can understand how they have been able to survive on the planet. As Lothan crumbles around them, the crew fall through the crust into a secret, dreamlike place where they rediscover their ship, now repaired. A Lothan flower lies at the gangplank, a symbol of rebirth. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''ZANA'': If one of us is spared, it won't be a mercy. ''TRELLICK'' (weeping): //[inaudible]// unbearable, tragic desolation... ''ARCO'': It's strange... I know what I should feel, but... I feel nothing. ''TRELLICK'': You feel nothing? ''ARCO'': Like I'm... empty... inside. ''TRELLICK'': Nothing!? ''ARCO'': Keep shaking me and I'm going to feel sick. <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Sun Stealers]]</div></center> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season One Episodes|Episodes]]</div><div id="story"> <div id="header"> <div class="logo"><img src="images/logo.png"><br></div> <div class="column"> <div class="stretch"><h2><span style="font-size: 1.5em;">The Excalibur Encyclopedia</span></h2></div> <nav> <div class="inflexible" data-passage="Navigation"></div> </nav> </div> </div> <div id="passages"></div> </div>[[Home|Start]] [[Characters]] [[People]] [[Episodes]] [[Planets]] \ <span class="hl2"><<link "Save/Load">><<script>>UI.saves()<</script>><</link>></span> \ <<randomPage "Random Page">> <span class="hl2">[[Help]]</span> <<if state.index(0)>><</if>><<if state.index(1)>><span class="hl3"><<return "Back">></span><</if>><<widget randomPage>><<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>><<link $args[0] `Story.lookup("tags", "wiki-page2").random().title`>><</link>><<else>><<link $args[0] `Story.lookup("tags", "wiki-page").random().title`>><</link>><</if>><</widget>> !The Soul of Wit <<set $s2e4 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Soul of Wit [img[images/s2e4.png]] Season 2 Episode 4 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' Clifford Carson / Robert Hale ''Director:'' Hugh Goulding !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 25 September 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Labyrinth of Likeness]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Secret of Wendra]] <</sidebar>>''The Soul of Wit'' is the fourth episode of the second season of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Robert Hale]], from an unfinished script by [[Clifford Carson]]. It was directed by [[Hugh Goulding]]. !!!Plot Aboard the Excalibur, the crew begin receiving a series of correspondences from a civilization which communicates exclusively in iambic pentameter. In order to engage directly with the group's envoys, the crew are tasked with decoding a series of cryptic clues. Trellick and Zana prove particularly astute when rising to the challenge, securing an audience with their poetic interlocutors. Upon meeting the beings responsible, the crew of the Excalibur discover that the human-sounding voices they've been interacting with actually belong to a wholly alien species: large bat-like creatures who speak through unique voice synthesizers. The chief diplomat, Molossus, greets them with a series of couplets, and Zana replies in kind so as not to offend him. After a series of carefully-composed sonnets, the //Excalibur// crew manage to explain their plight to [[Molossus]], who has heard of Poseidon and has recently become aware of a group known as the Cult of Wendra. He advises the //Excalibur// crew to take care, and beware of further jaunts into deep Neuronic Space, before leaving the ship. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''MOLOSSUS'': Be cautious, lest thy precious blood be spilt / Yet heed this counsel, knights: do as thou wilt! ''TRELLICK'': I notice they didn't fully embrace decimalisation on the world of Iambus. ''CARADOC'': What do you mean? ''TRELLICK'': Well, poetry's measured in meters //and// feet. ''TRELLICK'': In iambic pentameter, you see, there are five metrical feet... ''ARCO'': I'm sorry, but you've lost me. I got an E in English. ''TRELLICK'': But isn't English your first language? ''ARCO'': It's my only language. Doesn't mean I'm any good at it. <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Secret of Wendra]]</div></center> !!!3 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avieggs.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Molossus is such a fun character, shame he didn't appear again but I suppose he served his purpose! Still, here's one of my other favorite couplets: //The sea-lord heralds doom for humankind; Let not the lich's tongue poison thy mind.// <span class="date">August 1, 2010 by [[DameDuLac]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avilabyrinth.png]]</div><div class="comment2">How about this one: //Be cautious, lest thy precious blood be spilt; Yet heed this counsel, knights: do as thou wilt.// Carson wrote that for SURE, haha. <span class="date">August 1, 2010 by [[VerdantKnight]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avieggs.png]]</div><div class="comment1">I had forgotten about that one. That's pure Carson, no doubt about it. <span class="date">August 1, 2010 by [[DameDuLac]]</span></div> </div></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Wendra <<sidebar>>\ !!Wendra ''Species:'' Human<span class="textchange">?</span> ''Age:'' At least 1050 years; appears 35 ''Affiliation:'' The Cult of Wendra ''Played by:'' [[Heather Kincaid]] <</sidebar>>\ Wendra is an ancient and arcane sorceress of unknown origin. She specializes in sorcery capable of abrading space and time, and has had centuries if not millennia to refine her skills. She wields the [[Wand of Wendra]], an alien artefact equal in power to [[Poseidon]]'s tridant. Poseidon covets the Wand, but Wendra has no interest in his "pitiful pitchfork." She may have some history with Poseidon; they are both centuries-old beings who practice dark arts and have discarded their humanity over time. [[Yalsa]], who previously appeared as a space witch in [[Sanctuary]] turns out in <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Secret of Wendra]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Secret of Wendra</a></span><</if>> only to have been Wendra's court fool. Wendra awakes from her thousand year slumber, having retired into unconsciousness in the depths of Neuronic Space in order to regain power, and is amused by her fool's antics. She finds Yalsa's newfound powers quaint, calling her "but a pale imitation of my grace." Though she doesn't appear often in the flesh (as [[Heather Kincaid]] was only sparsely available), much of Wendra's character is communicated via other characters' knowledge and, in some cases, gossip. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!Heather Kincaid <<sidebar>>\ !!Heather Kincaid ''Born:'' 23rd June, 1958, Manchester, England ''Role:'' [[Wendra]] <</sidebar>> Vivacious and intense, Kincaid has been described as an actress with a "powerful, dark magnetism." Finding her previous roles unfulfilling, as she felt that they forced her into the role of an ingénue or a "girl next door," Kincaid happily joined //Excalibur// as very different character archetype. Despite her limited screentime, her immense charisma onscreen as the sorceress [[Wendra]] has made her performance a fan-favorite. As much of Wendra's early development before her first appearance in season two was based on rumors and dialogue established by other characters, Wendra herself was required to have a truly compelling presence in the flesh. Showrunners [[Hale|Robert Hale]] and [[Carson|Clifford Carson]] felt they had found this in Kincaid, a charismatic and daring actress, and Wendra's debut was a success. Although Kincaid was able to appear as Wendra in only [[a single episode|The Secret of Wendra]], her performance impressed [[Robert Hale]] so much that he wrote the character into a second episode, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Planet of the Kwanga]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Planet of the Kwanga</a></span><</if>>. She also appears in the finale, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[You Can't Go Home Again]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>You Can't Go Home Again</a></span><</if>>, in a flashback. Of Kincaid's relationship with co-star [[Netta Skarsgard]], Robert Hale said: <<< Heather and [[Netta|Netta Skarsgard]] were a great double act. They had a whale of a time on [[that episode|The Secret of Wendra]]. It would have been mad not to bring them back. <<< Kincaid was reportedly devastated by Skarsgard's death, and spoke fondly of her dear friend and colleague, saying: <<< She died exactly as she lived, and it was an unimaginable pleasure to share even part of the ride with her. <<< Kincaid now resides and performs in New York, and is known to also live and work in Vancouver, Canada. Her contemporary work consists largely of voice acting for animated television shows, advertisements, and video games. Notable roles include a popular antagonist in the //Digital: Maelstrom// series of games, beginning with //Digital: Maelstrom #3 - The Rise of The Mechanoids Part #2: Salandra's Crusade: Retribution// (2019) and its sequels. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!The Entropic Force <<set $s2e12 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Entropic Force [img[images/s2e12.png]] Season 2 Episode 12 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Robert Hale]] ''Director:'' [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 20 November 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[Upon a Painted Ocean]] ''Next episode:'' [[You Can't Go Home Again]] <</sidebar>>''The Entropic Force'' (aka ''The Sleeping Giants'') is the twelfth episode of season two of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Robert Hale]] and directed by [[Peter Hopcroft]]. !!!Plot Hell-bent for Earth, the //Excalibur// crew ready themselves for the moment that they have all been waiting for &mdash; the final showdown with [[Poseidon]]. As Excalibur enters Earth's atmosphere, the lights dim on the bridge, and a new, crystaline console emerges from the floor, lit by a spotlight from above. There is a slot in the console which matches the shape of the [[Wand of Wendra]]. At Trellick's urging, Kray inserts the wand into the slot, causing an autopilot program to activate. The new course is set for Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano near Edinburgh, Scotland. As the ship approaches the ancient mountain, a docking bay opens up in the side of the hill. Entering the docking bay activates an ancient army of giant robots, the "sleeping giants," who rise up around the world and begin destroying Poseidon's outposts. Poseidon watches helplessly as his bases in Africa, Asia and Australia, are destroyed. With his forces scattered and destroyed, Poseidon is at last defeated. When the //Excalibur// crew leave the ship they are attacked by wave after wave of demoralised [[Mer-Guards]], but are able to use the //Time Grail// and Caradoc's magic shield to repel them. The remaining Mer-Guards scatter, and the crew at last march into Poseidon's throne room to confront him. The sorcerer has one last trick up his sleeve, the [[Lethe Ray]], a device that will cause the adventurers to be erased from history. When activated, reality itself seems to fragment around them... !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''TRELLICK'': "There were giants in the earth in those days..." ''KRAY'': Incredible! ''CARADOC'': My shield, it is glowing! ''ZANA'': You don't think... ''CARADOC'': I think... my destiny is at hand, my Lady. ''POSEIDON'': Activate maximum defence capabilities! ''G'LOB'': I regret to inform you that... ''POSEIDON'': Regret? Regret what? ''G'LOB'': ...that defence capabilities are already at maximum, Majesty. ''POSEIDON'': You seem to have me at a disadvantage, Kray. But hear this: you are already too late! <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|You Can't Go Home Again]]</div></center> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Algra Voonis <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> <<sidebar>>\ !!Algra Voonis ''Species:'' Humanoid ''Age:'' 35 years ''Affiliation:'' ??? ''Played by:'' <span class="inactive"><a>Una Spence</a></span><</sidebar>>\Algra Voonis was a brilliant //temporal engineer// or "time scientist," who had for years been working from her laboratory on the fortieth moon of [[Klisstra]]. It seems apparent that the years of isolation have affected her mind. Unused to speaking, her speech patterns are eccentric, peppered with malapropisms and spoonerisms. When [[Alfie]] (whom she calls her "little runny babbit") is accidentally aged into a full-grown man, she steps into a closet for a moment, reappearing in a garishly coloured wedding dress, and proposes marriage to him. Alfie accepts, but the wedding is cut short when [[Poseidon]] curses their time stabilizing rings and Algra Voonis is aged to death. It is hinted that Algra Voonis wishes to turn back time in order to reverse a tragic mistake made earlier in her life. !!Quotes <<< ''ALGRA VOONIS'': It can't be done! You can't roll a hock up a rill. ''ZANA'': Well, quite. ''ALGRA VOONIS'': Oh, what wouldn't I give to be back in the good old days! <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!Upon a Painted Ocean <<set $s2e11 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!Upon a Painted Ocean [img[images/s2e11.png]] Season 2 Episode 11 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' Robert Hale / Derek Farland ''Director:'' Hugh Goulding !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 13 November 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Planet of the Kwanga]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Entropic Force]] <</sidebar>>''Upon a Painted Ocean'' is the twelfth episode of season two of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Robert Hale]] and directed by [[Hugh Goulding]]. !!!Plot Returning to [[Earth]], the Excalibur is driven off course by a large asteroid, which forces it off the [[Lodestar Matrix|The Lodestar Matrix]] into an uncharted area of space. Not only is the starship lost, but it is also without power, since the ship is unable to draw power from the interstellar Ley Lines that are its usual power source. [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] discovers that the ship has a secondary power source, that of solar power, but since the ship is many lightyears from the nearest star, it will take many weeks before the solar drives have absorbed enough starlight for the ship to continue. The Excalibur and its crew are effectively becalmed. Frustrated at their lack of progress, [[Kray]] begins to have nightmares about what might be taking place back on Earth, and [[Zana]] begins to become concerned about him. Fortunately the crew's spirits are kept up by the cheerful presence of a crewmember called [[Shantih]]. All of the crew seem familiar with him, and accept him as a regular part of the crew complement. Curiously, however, Shantih appears to be in several places at once, working with Trellick on the engines whilst at the same time talking on the bridge with Zana and Kray. Though all seem to remember Shantih, none can agree on where or when they took him on board, with Kray describing him as a member of the Earth resistance and [[Caradoc|Ector Caradoc]] as a fellow knight from [[Gwyllion]]. Zana is the first to notice the discrepancy, and realises that something is amiss. She manages to convice Kray and the others. When Kray asks Trellick where Shantih is, he replies that he left him working on the engines. The crew rush to the engine room and confront Shantih, supposing him to be a saboteur from Atlantis who has somehow altered their memories. Shantih explains that he is in fact a kind of mass halucination brought about by the isolation, and fades into nothingness. However, upon examining the engines it is discovered that they have been modified. Their capacity to absorb starlight has been increased by several orders of magnitude, allowing the ship to resume its course to Earth. Nobody could have done this other than Shantih. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''KRAY'': Who are you, and how did you get aboard our ship? ''SHANTIH'': Oh, Kray, for shame! Haven't you worked it out yet? I'm not really here! ''SHANTIH'': I'm disappointed in you. Where is your sense of trust? ''CARADOC'': Trust? How can we trust you? Everything you've told us about yourself is a lie! ''SHANTIH'': But I haven't told you anything! You made it all up, each one of you, in your heads, to explain my presence among you! <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Entropic Force]]</div></center> !!!2 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avishield.jpg]]</div><div class="comment1">This is NOT the right screenshot for this episode. Shantih was human, otherwise how would Kray and the others have mistaken him for someone they knew from Earth? <span class="date">March 1, 2011 by [[INEWELL]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/aviphone.png]]</div><div class="comment2">I know it doesn't fit what we know about the story, but this one had "Upon a Painted Ocean" on the back in Geoff Peevey's handwriting, and it doesn't really fit any other episode either. <span class="date">March 3, 2011 by [[CTrenowden]]</span></div></div> </div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Lionel Farr (1916-1974) <<sidebar>>\ !!Lionel Farr ''Born:'' 17 June 1916, Finchley, London, England ''Died:'' 23 December 1974 (aged 58), Margate, Kent, England ''Role:'' [[Poseidon]] (Season 1) <</sidebar>>Tall and thin, with a lofty forehead and aquiline nose, Lionel Farr seemed born to play villains, and was frequently cast in roles requiring a refined and imperious bearing. In the 1960s he played Cardinal Richelieu in two //Three Musketeers// adaptations, and was a mainstay of pantomimes across the country playing such villains as Captain Hook and the grand vizier from Aladdin. He was an ideal choice, therefore, to play the villain Poseidon, in //Excalibur//. !!!Death On 23rd December 1974, during a performance of the Pantomime //Aladdin// at Theatre Royal Margate, Farr suffered a massive heart attack. He was rushed to hospital, but died before the ambulance arrived. The death of the actor playing //Excalibur//'s main villain did not affect the production as much as might be expected. As lead writer Robert Hale said later <<< "When I looked at the episode outlines we'd drafted for [season 2], Poseidon didn't really figure in any of them. It was as though we knew, somewhere at the back of our minds, that Lionel wouldn't be coming back for the second season." <<< The decision not to recast Poseidon came quite late on. <<< "It was easier to make more of the character [[Wendra]], who was a popular character anyway. So we beefed up her role. And then, when it came to the big finale, where Poseidon //had// to appear, [[Cliff|Clifford Carson]] came up with this Wizard of Oz idea, where you'd hear him but you wouldn't see him. We got Michael [Neame] to do the voice. Michael was a great mimic." - Robert Hale <<< Farr was 58 when he died. He had never married, had no children, and his extended family consisted only of a brother in Canada who could not be contacted. His only dependents were a pair of long-haired Chihuahuas named Pyramus and Thisbe. The funeral was attended by the cast and staff writers of //Excalibur//, and several members of the cast of //Aladdin//. <<< "Because he was tall and elegant, and well spoken, he always got cast as the villain. He was playing the villain in panto, I think, when he died. But he was the sweetest man, the loveliest man, in real life. It was heartbreaking to see how few people showed up for his funeral. But most of us (cast members) were there, and Robert (Hale) was there, holding these two little dogs, one under each arm, with me holding the umbrella." - Kate Gregory. <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!People A list of cast, crew, writers, and other significant people involved in the television series //Excalibur// and its spin-off media. <<category "people">> <div class="cbox">Categories: Cast and Crew</div>!The Grimoire "The Grimoire" was a sentient spellbook aboard Excalibur that the captain and crew consult. Trellick knows most about its workings. An individual has to allow themselves into the casting circle with a drop of their own blood, so the crew before entering the circle to teleport must always prick their finger. If they are already wounded, that blood counts. !!!Running Gag: "For teleportation." In every episode, aside from blood to activate the circle, The Grimoire requires a different material component for casting, depending on location and destination and a million other variables; presence of life, atmospheric conditions, meta or magical magnetism, etc. (Believed to have been "metal or magical" in the original script, Trellick may have misread the line, but everyone rolled with it.) Trellick is almost once an episode seen carrying something mysterious or out of context (even if in the background). If confronted about it, he simply asserts, as if obvious, that it's "For teleportation," sometimes (especially early in the series) offering an explanation. After transformation, Trugg never had to explain anything he was carrying exactly. He also carried more items in the background than previously. In at least one episode, he crosses the screen in the background no less than five times. His misadventures while off screen are detailed toward the end of the episode, and allow them to escape the planet. !!!Variants: <<< !!!Season 1 Episode 4: The Unimaginable Threat ''KRAY'': "What's that?" ''TRELLICK'': (holding an armful of root vegetables) "Material components for teleportation. We're heading for fertile ground, so we'll need roots from fertile soil." ''KRAY'': "Very good." (exit Trellick) !!!Season 1 Episode 9: The Atavists ''KRAY'': "Hold on. What's that?" ''TRELLICK'': (barely containing a long, reflective streamer) "It's for teleportation. We're heading for a land of wind and shadow, we'll need to measure and reflect." ''KRAY'': "Very good." (exit Trellick) !!!Season 1 Episode 11: The Time Scientist ''KRAY'': "Hey, stop. What are you hiding?" ''YOUNG ALFIE'': (caught red-handed) "Nothing. It's... for teleportation!" !!!Season 2 Episode 4: The Soul of Wit ''KRAY'': "Ah, Professor. Is that for teleportation?" ''TRELLICK'': "Only into my stomach. It's my lunch!" (exit Trellick) !!!Season 2 Episode 11: The Planet of the Kwanga ''KRAY'': "What have you got there?" ''TRUGG'': (holding a boot) "Ugg-ugg!" ''KRAY'': "Right. Teleportation." (exit Trugg) !!!Season 2 Episode 12: The Entropic Force ''TRUGG'': (struggling to contain a snake) "Ugg! Ugg-ugg-ugg!" (exit Trugg) ''KRAY'': "Very good, Trugg." (turning to Arco) "For teleportation." ''ARCO'': "Are you sure?" ''KRAY'': "We've faced worse." <<< -- In every episode, The Grimoire has a different message for the crew. Some surviving scripts suggest these may have been displayed in close-up shots and appeared as if by magic across otherwise blank pages. In every episode but one, some character will read the text aloud at some point. Only in the final episode, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[You Can't Go Home Again]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>You Can't Go Home Again</a></span><</if>>, are we left to wonder just what horrible thing The Grimoire reveals that is never repeated by the crew. <div class="cbox">Categories: Technologies</div>!The Quest of Sir Caradoc <<set $s2e2 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Quest of Sir Caradoc [img[images/s2e2.png]] Season 2 Episode 2 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' [[Robert Hale]] ''Director:'' [[Hugh Goulding]] !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 11 September 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[Eclosion]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Labyrinth of Likeness]] <</sidebar>>''The Quest of Sir Caradoc'' is the second episode of the second season of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Robert Hale]] and directed by [[Hugh Goulding]]. !!!Plot After consulting [[the Grimoire|The Grimoire]], the crew decode a riddle which leads them to the planet [[Gwyllion]] in search of the next material required by the Grimoire: one scale from the hide of a certain beast. Upon arrival, the crew explore until they happen upon a village where automatons and humans cohabitate. Kray is received coldly by the locals, but Zana has more luck in winning the trust of the villagers, who tell her that there is indeed an infamous scaled beast which a certain knight has sworn to hunt. Setting off in seach of the knight, the group comes to a castle, seemingly abandoned and decrepit. They venture inside and find a slumbering knight amid the rubble. After many attempts to wake him, Trugg does so accidentally. The knight thanks the crew for breaking the curse laid upon him by a dread sorceror &mdash; who sounds increasingly similar to Poseidon. Introducing himself as [[Ector Caradoc]], the knight swears to aid the crew of the Excalibur in exchange for helping him. Caradoc reveals that the crew seeks the same creature he does: the Questing Beast, a monster with the head and neck of a snake, the body of a leopard, the haunches of a lion, and the feet of a stag. Caradoc leads the crew into the depths of a strange cave. Kray distrusts Caradoc and is determined to slay the beast before he can, but his actions enable it to escape the den; however, Caradoc does manage to take several of its scales. Much to Kray's chagrin, Zana offers Caradoc a new purpose on the Excalibur, seeing as he no longer has a home or a King to serve. Caradoc accepts her proposal. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''CARADOC:'' I have rested long enough! My lady, I am still fit enough to hold my sword and do battle &mdash; a knight's training is bone-deep, and never falters! ''KRAY:'' Perhaps the curse was placed on him for a reason! ''ZANA:'' Oh, please. All curses are placed for some reason or another. ''KRAY:'' But perhaps he deserved it. ''CARADOC:'' I confess, I feel a great and powerful sorrow here. This castle was once my home. I had hoped to dwell here always, by the side of my King and his Queen. But now... now, they... ''TRUGG (solemnly):'' Ugg-ug... ''CARADOC:'' Thank you, my friend. I appreciate your kind words. <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Labyrinth of Likeness]]</div></center> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!The Labyrinth of Likeness <<set $s2e3 to "seen">>\ <<sidebar>>\ !!The Labyrinth of Likeness [img[images/s2e3.png]] Season 2 Episode 3 !!!!Production ''Writer:'' Derek Farland ''Director:'' Melvin LaGomme !!!!Chronology ''Airdate:'' 18 September 1975 ''Previous episode:'' [[The Quest of Sir Caradoc]] ''Next episode:'' [[The Soul of Wit]] <</sidebar>>''The Labyrinth of Likeness'' is the third episode of the second season of //Excalibur.// It was written by [[Derek Farland]], and directed by [[Melvin LaGomme]]. !!!Plot Some time after leaving Gwyllion, Caradoc has become a member of the crew in earnest; he is well-liked by all but Kray, who still finds him suspicious. While navigating through space, the //Excalibur//'s course begins to gradually adjust itself toward a specific coordinate &mdash; and it cannot be corrected by any of the crew. Kray accuses Caradoc of tampering with the navigation system, but he has an alibi. The designated coordinates lead to a desolate outpost stationed above a massive gas planet whose surface undulates with psychedelic colors. Kray, Trugg, Zana, and Caradoc enter the outpost, with Trellick staying behind and advising the group over the comm system &mdash; and the entrance seals shut behind the group. A voice over the outpost's intercom declares that the group must navigate the labyrinth within, or perish &mdash; but that they will be rewarded handsomely if they succeed. Kray sallies forth with the rest of his companions in tow. Upon entering the labyrinth, they discover that it is entirely composed of mirrors: corridor after corridor of floor-to-ceiling mirrors. As they progress through the labyrinth, Caradoc begins to seem noticibly unwell. He reveals that he has a debilitating fear of mirrors, finding it inexplicably frightening to watch his reflection and those of his companions moving about in the many refracting panes of glass. Indignant and impatient, Kray rushes further into the labyrinth &mdash; led on by his own reflection, which he finds quite captivating. As he runs through the labyrinth, he contemplates his feelings for Zana at length. The two parties search for each other before eventually meeting in the center of the maze. Zana embraces Kray. Having rejoined into a single group, they have a comparatively easier time navigating to the endpoint, where they discover the mastermind behind the maze: a warlock called the <span style="inactive"><a>Chanticleer</a></span>, who wears a mask fashioned in the likeness of his namesake, a rooster. The Chanticleer claims to have never looked upon his true face in a mirror, and considers it a humbling punishment to do so. Impressed that the group managed such a feat, he offers them a curio in the form of an ancient shield reinforced with magic. He then teleports them back to the entrance of the maze, unlocking the outpost and allowing them to return to the //Excalibur//. !!!Trivia * ''Main article:'' [[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] !!!Quotes <<< ''TRELLICK:'' Do not panic! ''CARADOC:'' Sir Trellick, we are faced with but one challenge. ''TRELLICK:'' Yes? ''CARADOC:'' I am already panicking. ''KRAY:'' Afraid of //mirrors?// You must be joking. ''CARADOC:'' I would not find such a joke very funny, Sir Kray! ''ZANA:'' It's alright, Ector &mdash; here, take my hand. ''TRUGG:'' Uh! Ugg! ''CARADOC:'' And yours, Sir Trugg? Very well! We shall all walk hand-in-hand! ''KRAY:'' Unbelievable... ''THE CHANTICLEER:'' I have no interest in what you see in the mirror. I wonder only this: what does a mirror see? <<< <center><div class="nextep">[[Next Episode >|The Soul of Wit]]</div></center> !!!1 Comment <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avishield.jpg]]</div><div class="comment2">That's nice, dear! Hahaha! <span class="date">July 4, 2012 by [[INEWELL]]</span></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Season Two Episodes|Episodes]]</div>!Geoffrey Parr (1946-) <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> <<sidebar>>\ !!Geoffrey Parr ''Born:'' 12 May 1946, Loughborough, Leicestershire, England ''Job title:'' Camera operator <</sidebar>>Geoff Parr was a camera operator on //Excalibur// season 1 and 2. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div> !Terry Mann (1941-) <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> <<sidebar>>\ !!Terry Mann ''Born:'' 1941, England ''Job title:'' Editor <</sidebar>>Terry Mann was an editor on Excalibur season 1 and 2. Pragmatic to a fault, Mann was known for his catchphrases "It is what it is" and "What is it? It's a living nightmare." He was often accompanied to work by his dachshund, known only as "the sausage." <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div><<set $ewan to "seen">>\ !Ewan Neale <center><div class="spoileralert">This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Excalibur Wiki's deletion policy. The subject does not meet the guidelines for notability criteria.</div></center> A prominent member of the //Excalibur// fan community who sent shockwaves through said commununity with his earth-shattering theories. It was Neale who first postulated that //Excalibur// had never existed, but was in fact an elaborate hoax perpetuated by none other than so-called "super-fan" [[Ian Newell]] and his then-girlfriend [[Anna Sprague]]. !!!3 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avishield.jpg]]</div><div class="comment1">Typical of Ewan Neale to create a page about HIMSELF! <span class="date">July 16, 2010 by [[INEWELL]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avisock.png]]</div><div class="comment2">Oh, but it's okay for the great Ian Newell to have his own page! <span class="date">July 16, 2010 by [[ENEALE]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avilabyrinth.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Talking to yourself again, Ian? LOL <span class="date">July 21, 2010 by [[VerdantKnight]]</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!Spencer Patrick <<sidebar>>\ !!Spencer Patrick ''Born:'' 3rd August, 1949, Norwich, England ''Role:'' [[Ector Caradoc]] <</sidebar>>Spencer Patrick was born in West London in 1949 to Samuel and Ava Patrick, who were among the first migrants to have arrived in Britain from Jamaica aboard MV Empire Windrush. When fifteen-year-old Spencer announced to his parents his intention to become an actor they were initially alarmed that he would choose such a precarious profession. However they soon relented and gave him all the support they could. Patrick did his training at the Theatre Workshop, based at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, London. Early roles included a stint as Hud in the musical //Hair,// but by and large decent roles were hard to come by for a young black actor in the early 1970s. His first break came in his mid-twenties, when he was cast in the role of [[Ector Caradoc]]. His first appearance was in episode two of season two, titled <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Quest of Sir Caradoc]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Quest of Sir Caradoc</a></span><</if>>. Having explored the character of [[Kray]] throughout the previous season, writer [[Robert Hale]] was interested in creating a foil to the original leading man. Caradoc's role was originally not planned to span more than two episodes, but after filming <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Labyrinth of Likeness]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Labyrinth of Likeness</a></span><</if>>, Hale lobbied to expand the role, and Patrick became a permanent cast member until the end of Excalibur's syndication. The rivalry between Kray and Caradoc was reflected in the real-life relationship of the two actors. Patrick and Torrence were often at odds, both onscreen and offscreen. Patrick was a decade and a half younger, a talented emerging actor, and well-liked by the rest of the crew. Torrence, already sensitive about his age, felt upstaged by his co-star. On the actors' strained professional relationship, fellow co-star [[Kate Gregory]] Gregory ([[Zana]]) commented: <<< I mean, Ray had a chip on his shoulder. Absolutely. You don't need to read his book to figure that much out. I think he tried, sometimes, to be welcoming to Spencer, but it was in this "I'm the veteran actor here; //I'll// show you the ropes," sort of way. Very alienating. <<< In an interview years after his work on Excalibur had finished, Patrick discussed director [[Hugh Goulding]]: <<< It wasn't a secret to anybody on set that the director wasn't fond of me, or of filming me. I was told, "Hugh's from a different generation," very often. I don't think it excuses his racism, or the way he spoke to [[Kate|Kate Gregory]], or his work-ethic &mdash; but it does explain some of that, I suppose. <<< Patrick did not have a body double, and as a result was responsible for many of his own stunts, sometimes resulting in injuries on-set. He often shared action scenes with Torrence, but was expected to perform more strenuous movements because of his age. Caradoc does not appear in much of the episode <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Exile]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Exile</a></span><</if>> due to Patrick receiving treatment for a broken wrist sustained while filming the battle with the dragon in [[The Secret of Wendra]], but he returned for the remainder of the season. His cast can occasionally be seen beneath Caradoc's armor in [[The Eye That Scans the Land]]. After Excalibur, Patrick went on to become a respected dramatic actor, known for his nuanced performances on film. He is now best-recognized for his theatrical exploits. Since the 1990s, he has frequently performed on-stage in numerous original plays by a variety of modern playwrights, as well as critically-acclaimed performances in classics such as //The Crucible// and //Hamlet//, in which he has played starring roles. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!Yvonne Evans <<sidebar>>\ !!Yvonne Evans ''Born:'' 4th March, 1956, Liverpool, England ''Job title:'' Stunt double <</sidebar>> An English performer who served as Kate Gregory’s stunt double throughout seasons one and two of Excalibur. She was injured in the season two episode <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Labyrinth of Likeness]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Labyrinth of Likeness</a></span><</if>> when a prop chandelier fell on her, resulting in a concussion, but no other serious injuries. She returned to the show after her recovery, and is present in her capacity as Gregory's stunt double as early as [[The Secret of Wendra]]. Evans originally intended to study mathematics, but pursued a career as a stunt performer in her early twenties. Over several years, she developed a reputation as a vivacious but rough and somewhat jaded professional in a time where stuntwomen were uncommon. After her work on Excalibur concluded, she also appeared as a stunt double for heroines in other shows on the same network. In one interview, she has commented regarding Excalibur: <<< I didn't always have a lot to do on that show. It was more body double stuff than stuntwork, but I did get to do some practical effects. Mostly falls, sometimes hanging from ledges. Combat, now and then, but they were quick shots. It was great for me when I was just starting out, though. <<< Evans retired from stunt work in the 1990s. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!The Excalibur The starship //Excalibur// was discovered buried in a long barrow close to [[Glastonbury Tor|Location Shooting]], where it had been waiting for England's (and the Earth's) hour of greatest need. Visually, the star ship resembles a sword, with star drives in the quillions. The interior of the craft, designed by visual effects artist [[Bryan MacAuley]], draws its inspiration from Gothic architecture and Celtic art, while retaining a futuristic appearance. !!Power Source The //Excalibur// combines ideas from science fiction with ideas from magic and folklore, including black magick. The ship navigates by Ley Line energies distributed throughout space and has come to rest at a special nexus on Earth. In the episode [[Escape from Earth]], the scientist [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] speculates that generations of Humans have been subconsciously signaled to bury their dead above the ship, and that it has been absorbing dark energy (or black magick) fuel from the decaying bodies. This rather macabre idea is never mentioned again, and in the episode [[Sanctuary]] it is confirmed that the //Excalibur// draws its motive power from the Ley Lines themselves. !!Technologies The //Excalibur//, built by a long-dead civilisation of ancient Earth, contains many arcane technologies which the crew have to learn. These include [[The Lodestar Matrix]], a navigation system, [[The Grimoire]], a kind of sentient spellbook used for divination, and the [[Magick Star]] which is used for sending and summoning. !!Weaponry In [[Through the Barricade]] it is implied that the //Excalibur// is not heavily armed, but in [[The Time Scientist]] it is capable of destroying an entire moon, suggesting that the crew were not aware of the ship's capabilities in the earlier episode. <div class="cbox">Categories: Other</div>!Ector Caradoc <<sidebar>>\ !!Ector Caradoc ''Species:'' Human ''Age:'' 25 years ''Affiliation:'' The //Excalibur//, Gwyllion ''Played by:'' [[Spencer Patrick]] <</sidebar>>\ A human character who is introduced in <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Quest of Sir Caradoc]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Quest of Sir Caradoc</a></span><</if>>, Ector Caradoc (or Sir Caradoc or Lord Caradoc) comes to occupy a major role in the cast as a member of the //Excalibur// crew. !!Background He originally served the King of Caer Airgetlám on [[Gwyllion]]. A warlock, heavily implied to be Poseidon, cursed Caradoc to slumber for more than a decade, during which the King was killed and the castle decayed. !!Personality Well-liked by the crew with the exception of [[Kray]], Caradoc gets along especially well with [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] and [[Alfie]], the latter of whom looks up to his quick charisma and able swordsmanship. Kray particularly resents this. Initially, Kray expresses a belief that Caradoc could be in league with Poseidon, no more than a puppet placed in the castle ruins for the crew to find, but this is proven false. Caradoc is dauntless and dashing, but prudent in conflict and generally not hot-headed. He serves as a foil to Kray in some respects. Both in and out of costume, Kray and Caradoc never got along particularly well. Though he appears at first glance to be the picture of a knight in shining armor, Caradoc does have his shortcomings: he is sometimes too quick to trust a stranger if confronted with a compelling enough sob-story, he can be excessively suspicious of magic, and he has a particular debilitating phobia: ''eisoptrophobia,'' the fear of mirrors. !!Trivia Fans have identified parallels between Caradoc and Lancelot and Kray and King Arthur. Though Caradoc shares his name with a number of different Welsh figures, including one semi-legendary member of the round table, the character himself is more closely associated with the Galahad archetype. Another parallel is the increasing closeness between Caradoc and Zana &mdash; Guinevere, in this analogy &mdash; a further source of resentment between Caradoc and Kray. Caradoc and Zana share a brief embrace in the final episode <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[You Can't Go Home Again]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>You Can't Go Home Again</a></span><</if>>. The musical cue that serves as a //leitmotif// for Ector Caradoc is //The Lincolnshire Poacher//, a traditional English folk song. Composer [[Dot Varney]] uses the same few bars of the song that are repeated in the E03 Numbers Station of the same name, which was thought to have been broadcast by the British Secret Intelligence Service. Following the break-in at the BBC Radiophonic Orchestra, it was discovered that Varney had amassed hundreds of hours of recordings of the numbers stations, including //The Lincolnshire Poacher.// <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div><<set $start to "true">><<set $s1e1 to "unseen">><<set $s1e2 to "unseen">><<set $s1e3 to "unseen">><<set $s1e4 to "unseen">><<set $s1e5 to "unseen">><<set $s1e6 to "unseen">><<set $s1e7 to "unseen">><<set $s1e8 to "unseen">><<set $s1e9 to "unseen">><<set $s1e10 to "unseen">><<set $s1e11 to "unseen">><<set $s1e12 to "unseen">><<set $s1e13 to "unseen">> <<set $s2e1 to "unseen">><<set $s2e2 to "unseen">><<set $s2e3 to "unseen">><<set $s2e4 to "unseen">><<set $s2e5 to "unseen">><<set $s2e6 to "unseen">><<set $s2e7 to "unseen">><<set $s2e8 to "unseen">><<set $s2e9 to "unseen">><<set $s2e10 to "unseen">><<set $s2e11 to "unseen">><<set $s2e12 to "unseen">><<set $s2e13 to "unseen">> <<set $cancellation to "unseen">> <<set $s1trivia to "unseen">><<set $s2trivia to "unseen">><<set $theories to "unseen">> <<set $counter to 0>> <<set $banned to "false">> <<set $fourohfour to "false">> <<set $anna to "unseen">><<set $ewan to "unseen">><<set $interviews to "unseen">> <<set $convention to "unseen">><<set $cancellation to "seen">>\ !Cancellation Excalibur was not renewed for a third season. By the end of the second season, ratings for the show had slipped from 7.5 million at its height to just 4.5 million. //Excalibur// was an expensive show to make, and with such low viewing figures, the BBC decided that the money would be better spent elsewhere. In early 1976, Assistant Producer [[María Gonzalez]] called [[Robert Hale]] to pass on the news from the high-ups: //Excalibur// had been cancelled. "We knew the writing was on the wall. I'd left the ending open, just in case we were commissioned for a third season, but in my heart I knew it was over. [[Cliff|Clifford Carson]] had gone, [[Derek|Derek Farland]] had moved on, and my heart wasn't in it any more, to be honest. When María phoned me with the news, it was a relief, more then anything." &mdash; Robert Hale Since the early 1980s, a rumour has been circulating that an early draft of a Season Three episode exists. <div class="cbox">Categories: Other</div> !Shantih <<sidebar>>\ !!Shantih ''Species:'' Unknown, possibly a Tulpa ''Age:'' 40 years (approx) ''Affiliation:'' The //Excalibur//, Freedom Fighters, Earth <</sidebar>>\ Shantih was a being whom the [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]] crew seemed to recognise as one of their own number, but who turned out to be a mass hallucination (or possibly a Tulpa, see //[[The Oneironaut]]//) brought on by the isolation of space. [[Zana]] and [[Kray]] clearly remembered Shantih as having been part of the resistance group on [[Earth]], whereas [[Caradoc|Ector Caradoc]] recognised him as a fellow knight from [[Gwyllion]]. [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]], meanwhile, claimed that he had met Shantih whilst studying for his Master's degree at Oxford. Zana is the first to realise that something is amiss and alerts Kray, fearing that Shantih might be an Atlantean saboteur, who has somehow altered the memories of the crew. When confronted, Shantih explains that he is nothing more than an hallucination and fades away, but it later transpires that Shantih has made improvements to the engines which none of the crew could have managed. Trellick speculates that in fact Shantih may have been a Tulpa, or thought-form, such as those the crew encountered on [[Yenos]]. In appearance Shantih resembles a short, chubby, humanoid male with balding, auburn hair. His relentless cheerfulness carries the crew through a difficult period when they are effectively becalmed following a collision with an asteroid. In an interview with [[Shining Sheath]], writer Robert Hale explained that the character had been inspired by a magazine article about Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton believed that an incorporeal being had joined him and his team during the final leg of their journey to the South Pole. The explorer described the phenomenon as follows: <<< "During that long and racking march of thirty-six hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers of South Georgia, it seemed to me often that we were four, not three" <<< Similar experiences, collectively known as the //Third Man syndrome//, have been reported by modern explorers such as Reinhold Messner and Peter Hillary. It is related to the concept of a guardian angel or imaginary friend. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!Zyntax <<sidebar>>\ !!Zyntax ''Species:'' Humanoid Android ''Age:'' Unknown ''Affiliation:'' ??? ''Played by:'' <span class="inactive"><a>Eddie Welsh</a></span> <</sidebar>>\ Zyntax is an alien computer scientist, who is himself an android. A former employee of [[Poseidon]], he now lives in exile on a small asteroid. Fearful of reprisals from Poseidon, he has protected his asteroid base with a series of fiendish logic puzzles. He was played by Eddie Welsh. See also: <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Exile]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Exile</a></span><</if>> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!Aerwyna <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> Aerwyna was a female <span class="inactive"><a>crab-person</a></span> who helped [[Kray]], [[Ector Caradoc|The Quest of Sir Caradoc]] and [[Trugg|Trellick / Trugg]] escape from the ocean planet Oannes in S2E9: <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Leviathan]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Leviathan</a></span><</if>>. She was played by <span class="inactive"><a>Jane Humbolt</a></span> She belongs to a race of crab-like beings who exhibit a high degree of sexual dimorphism, the males being bulky with huge claws, whereas the females, such as Aerwyna, are more humanoid in appearance. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div><div class="cbox">Categories: Television Series, ???</div>!Comments/Spoilers/Stub Demo <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by expanding it.</div></center> <<sidebar>>\ !!Sidebar Season 1 Episode 1 !!!!Production Writer: [[Robert Hale]] Director: [[Peter Hopcroft]] !!!!Chronology Next episode: [[Through the Barricade]] <</sidebar>>Page for testing out comments, alerts, and other features. Under construction! Colors will definitely change at some point. !!!Plot ???????? <span class="inactive"><a>This is an inactive link.</a></span> The player can't click on it, or if they do, it will <span class="inactive"><a>redirect</a></span> to an empty page that instructs them to go back, because they don't have the user privilege to create a new page. That could either be a separate passage, or maybe a popup window. <div class="spoileralert"><div class="avatar">[img[images/shield.png]]</div> This area contains spoilers. Hover over the text if you want to see them.</div> <span class="spoiler">This is a spoiler! Wow. I can't believe they did THAT in that one episode.</span> <span class="spoiler2">This is an alternate way to display and reveal spoilers.</span> <div class="spoileralert">Spoilers end here.</div> ????????? !!!Notes *????? *???? *???????? Back to: [[Start]] !!!6 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Why did Guts left the Hawks? <span class="date">November 8, 2019 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment2">This isn't the Berserk wiki jerk <span class="date">November 8, 2019 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">F*ck you <span class="date">November 9, 2019 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment2">You're allowed to say fuck online bro <span class="date">November 10, 2019 by A FANWIKI user</span></div></div></div></div> <div class="avatar">[img[images/aviphone.jpeg]]</div><div class="comment2">This episode was so tragic... Honestly I see a lot of parallels between this and the season finale. <span class="date">September 18, 2012 by Username</span></div> <div class="avatar">[img[images/avibooks.jpg]]</div><div class="comment1">Super cool of Ian to just delete comments he doesn't agree with lol. Keep up the good work mods! /s <span class="date">December 18, 2011 by Username</span></div></div><<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>><center><div class="stub">Links to Season Two have been fixed.</div></center><<else>><center><div class="spoileralert">Links to Season Two are currently being fixed. Please check back later to view Season Two.</div></center><</if>><table><td><span style="font-family: 'Marvin Visions'; font-size: 24px; border-bottom: 1px solid #cccccc; text-shadow: 0px 0px 5px #186FB2; color: #fff;">Season One Episodes</span> <tr><<display 'Season One'>></tr></td> <td><span style="font-family: 'Marvin Visions'; font-size: 24px; border-bottom: 1px solid #cccccc; text-shadow: 0px 0px 5px #4e2576; color: #fff;">Season Two Episodes</span><<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>> <tr><<display 'Season Two'>></tr><<else>><tr><span class="inactive"><<display 'Season Two Inactive'>></span></tr><</if>></td><<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen") and ($s2e1 is "seen") and ($s2e2 is "seen") and ($s2e3 is "seen") and ($s2e4 is "seen") and ($s2e5 is "seen") and ($s2e6 is "seen") and ($s2e7 is "seen") and ($s2e8 is "seen") and ($s2e9 is "seen") and ($s2e10 is "seen") and ($s2e11 is "seen") and ($s2e12 is "seen") and ($s2e13 is "seen")>><td><span style="font-family: 'Marvin Visions'; font-size: 24px; border-bottom: 1px solid #cccccc; text-shadow: 0px 0px 5px #703530; color: #fff;">Season Three Episodes</span><<display '3link'>></td><</if>></table> <div class="cbox">Categories: Television Series</div>!Shining Sheath <<sidebar>>\ [img[images/Fanzine_Page_Final.png]]<</sidebar>>Shining Sheath was an //Excalibur// fanzine produced and edited by [[Ian Newell]] and [[Anna Sprague]]. It ran for eight issues between 1996 and 1997. It is the only known //Excalibur// fanzine. !!Inception Newell and Sprague met at the [[Lodestar One (Convention)]] //Excalibur// convention in 1996. They attended a Q&A session with writer Robert Hale, and immediately became embroiled in a heated argument about the nature of [[Neuronic Space]]. An exasperated Hale walked out of the interview, but for Newell and Sprague, it was love at first sight. They began a relationship, and later the same year published the first issue of //Shining Sheath//, an //Excalibur// fanzine. The magazine contained episode reviews by Newell, artwork and fanfic by Sprague, interviews with the cast and crew as well as articles by other fans. Sprague, who worked as a technician in the art department of a local high school, was able to make use of the school’s reprographic equipment to duplicate the magazine, which Newell distributed by mail order. !!Circulation At its height, //Shining Sheath// had a circulation of around fifty die-hard fans, but even some of those found the magazine baffling. "Newell claims to be a super-fan of //Excalibur//," wrote one, "but his episode reviews are invariably excoriating. Going by those, you'd think he hated the show." One regular subscriber was [[Ewan Neale]], who wrote frequent letters to the zine denouncing //Excalibur// as a hoax. !!Title The name "Shining Sheath" was taken from [[Linda Peevey's transcript|The Peevey Archive]] of the final episode, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[You Can't Go Home Again]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>You Can't Go Home Again</a></span><</if>>, but there was an error in the transcript; the phrase never appears in the actual episode. <<< "When I first met Ian, I thought he was great. We met up at my place and he brought round an old VHS of [[Terrorvator]], and we spent the whole evening watching and taking the piss out of it. We had a few disagreements over things like trade unions, but generally we got on well. //Shining Sheath// came out of a conversation we had on our second date." - Anna Spragg <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Derivative Works]]</div>* [[Read more|Cancellation]]* <a>Eclosion</a> * <a>The Quest of Sir Caradoc</a> * <a>The Labyrinth of Likeness</a> * <a>The Soul of Wit</a> * <a>The Secret of Wendra</a> * <a>The Exile</a> * <a>The Open Maw</a> * <a>The Eye That Scans the Land</a> * <a>Leviathan</a> * <a>The Planet of the Kwanga</a> * <a>The Entropic Force</a> * <a>The Erasers</a> * <a>You Can't Go Home Again</a> !The Lodestar Matrix !!Ley Lines The starship Excalibur navigates by ley lines. Ley Lines are lines of Earth energy, or magnetic force, connecting historic monuments on Earth. In esoteric tradition it is believed that Ley Lines serve as guides for alien spacecraft. Glastonbury Tor, where the starship was first discovered, is believed to be located at an intersection of powerful Ley Lines. In the //Excalibur// Universe, these lines also extend between planets, providing not only a means of navigation but also a source of motive power, like the electrified rails of a railway network. !!The Lodestar Matrix When setting course for a new planet, astronavigator [[Zana]] uses a device called a Lodestar to scan for Ley Lines in space. There is not always a direct route from Excalibur's current position to its destination. In The Atavists, [[Zana]] is unable to use the Lodestar to locate [[Xobos]], since [[Xobos]] is not in fact a planet at all, but a vast, fungal growth with no magnetic field. In [[Neuronic Space]], the Lodestar is unable to function due to interference from neuronic transduction waves, and the crew are forced to rely on the [[Grimoire|The Grimoire]]. When not travelling along ley lines, Excalibur uses solar energy. The idea for incorporating Ley Lines and the Lodestar into the mythology of Excalibur came from lead writer [[Robert Hale]], who was a keen member of the Earth Mysteries movement and the Ley Hunters' Club. The concept originated in a book called //The Old Straight Track// written by Alfred Watkins. Whilst out riding one day, Watkins reigned in his horse to look at the Herefordshire landscape. There he saw a network of lines, "standing out like glowing wires all over the surface of the countryside." These lines intersected at various nodes, upon which stood churches, prehistoric ritual monuments and other sites of "traditional sanctity." Whether by coincidence or by design, many of the [[shooting locations|Location Shooting]] for //Excalibur// took place at the intersections of Ley Lines. <div class="cbox">Categories: Technologies</div>!Shooting Locations !!Glastonbury Tor In S1E1 [[Escape from Earth]], scientist [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] discovers the starship [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]] buried under a long barrow near to Glastonbury Tor in Somerset. The Tor was once called //Ynys yr Afalon// ("The Isle of Avalon") by the Ancient Britons and is believed by some, including the 12th and 13th century writer Gerald of Wales, to be the Avalon of Arthurian legend. It is located on the 364 mile St Michael's [[Ley Line|The Lodestar Matrix]]. !!Hay Tor, Dorset Hay Tor, also known as Haytor Rocks or Haytor, is a granite tor on the edge of Dartmoor. It is located on the 219 mile Aish Ridge [[Ley Line|The Lodestar Matrix]]. In 1953, Hay Tor was used as a filming location for the feature film //Knights of the Round Table// starring Robert Taylor and Ava Gardner. Possibly because of this association, and possibly because it was located on a [[Ley Line|The Lodestar Matrix]], Haytor was also chosen as a location in //Excalibur//, standing in for the planet [[Gwyllion]] in the season 2 episode <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Quest of Sir Caradoc]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Quest of Sir Caradoc</a></span><</if>>. Coincidentally, it was on or around Hay Tor that Dieter Irmler, lead singer of the Spacerock band [[Lohengrin]], disappeared in 1977. !!Bosistow Cliffs Much of the location shooting for S2E9, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Leviathan]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Leviathan</a></span><</if>>, was done at Bosistow Cliffs, near Nanjizal, Cornwall. This location was well known to the BBC and had previously been used in the 1966 Doctor Who story //The Smugglers.// Curiously, the nearby Higher Bosistow Cliff Tumulus, a round barrow, was not featured in the episode. Like [[Excalibur|Erasure]] no episodes of //The Smugglers// are known to have survived. !!Puzzlewood S2E1, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Eclosion]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Eclosion</a></span><</if>>, was shot in Puzzlewood, an ancient woodland near Coleford in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The natural woodland was embellished with some of the alien plant props that had been created for S1E9, [[The Atavists]], including some of the surviving bioluminescent sporangia. For obvious reasons, the sporangia were not lit on this occasion. Puzzlewood has since been used as a location in //Doctor Who// and the //Harry Potter// films. !!Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. It was used as a location in S1E13, [[Alone?]]. In the episode, a druid named [[Maerlyn]] performs a ritual which reassembles the crew, who have been displaced across time, and returns them safely to the [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]]. The actual ritual performed during the production of the episode is the source of much discussion, and a somewhat farfetched [[fan theory|Fan Theories]] holds that the demonic nature of the ritual unleashed a curse upon the cast and crew, causing accidents and misfortune and ultimately resulting in the erasure of the series itself. !!Arthur's Seat In S2E12, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Entropic Force]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Entropic Force</a></span><</if>>, //Excalibur//, guided by an autopilot activated by the [[Wand of Wendra]], heads for Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano in near Edinburgh. Arthur's Seat is located on the "Rose Line," a leyline which supposedly runs around the entire world, passing through the Gnomon de Saint-Sulpice in Paris, Glastonbury in England, and Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh in Scotland. Referred to as "a source of pulsating telluric energy," the Rose Line was popularised by the Dan Brown novel //The Da Vinci Code// and does not appear as a [[Ley Line|The Lodestar Matrix]] on most maps. In //Excalibur//, Arthur's Seat is represented by a combination of stock footage (from "If These Walls Could Speak," a 1966 documentary about Edinburgh Castle) and a model shot designed and built by [[Bryan MacAuley]]. !!Peckforton Castle The scenes of [[Kray]] and [[Arco]] in S2E13, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[You Can't Go Home Again]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>You Can't Go Home Again</a></span><</if>> were shot on the Cheshire Plains and in the grounds of Peckforton Castle, which stood in for Camelot. The 19th century gatehouse of nearby Beeston castle was used for the scene where Kray falls off his horse. <div class="cbox">Categories: Other</div>!Neuronic Space Neuronic Space is an area of space in which the normal laws of physics do not apply. In the episode Sanctuary, it is described as "a maelstrom of limitless dimensions," and depicted onscreen as an ever-changing web of colours. In The Secret of Wendra, it is depicted slightly differently, taking the appearance of a Moray pattern. The planet [[Euxxithique]], home to space-sorceresses Yalsa and Wendra, is located in Neuronic Space. The presence of neuronic transduction waves in Neuronic Space renders the [[Lodestar Matrix|The Lodestar Matrix]] inoperable. Confusingly, in Season 1 Episode 8, [[The Oneironaut]], whilst trapped in the inner world of the Oneironaut's mind, [[Kray]] comments that he and [[Zana]] are "traversing neuronic space," suggesting that [[Euxxithique]], Yalsa and Wendra's world exists only in the mind of the Oneironaut, which makes no sense in terms of continuity. When questioned about this at a Q&A session during the [[Lodestar One Convention|Lodestar One (Convention)]] in 1996, [[Hale|Robert Hale]] replied the phrase was "was merely a convenient bit of bullshit," prompting an hour long heated discussion amongst the audience. !!!1 comment <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">As I argued at Lodestar One, why shouldn't Euxxithique exist only in the mind of the Oneironaut? It's possible that everything that happened after that episode was just part of the Oneironaut's dream. Or perhaps the entire series is. <span class="date">November 17, 2019 by [[INEWELL]]</span></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: Other</div>!Xobos <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> Visited by [[the Excalibur|The Excalibur]] in the season 1 episode [[The Atavists]], Xobos is not a planet at all, but a "vast fungoid bulk hanging motionless in the ether." Without a sun, the world produces its own warmth and light, which it emits via bioluminescent sporangia. The Xobos set was the most elaborate ever built for //Excalibur//, and Production Designer [[Bryan MacAuley]] was nominated for (but did not win) an award for his work on it. Many elements of the set were re-used in the less impressive set for the planet [[Vihannes]], in the season 2 episode <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Eclosion]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Eclosion</a></span><</if>>. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Planets]]</div> !Euxxithique <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> The homeworld of the space sorceress [[Wendra]] and her court fool, [[Yalsa]]. Euxxithique exists in [[Neuronic Space]]. The [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]] is inexorably drawn to Euxxithique in S2E5, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Secret of Wendra]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Secret of Wendra</a></span><</if>>, when the titular sorceress hexes Merlin, the ship's computer. The surface of Euxxithique is never seen, only a series of underground caverns. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Planets]]</div>!Gwyllion <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> A planet visited by [[the Excalibur|The Excalibur]] in the season 2 episode <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Quest of Sir Caradoc]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Quest of Sir Caradoc</a></span><</if>>. Gwyllion was the medieval-themed homeworld of [[Ector Caradoc]]. Location shooting for this episode took place at [[Dartmoor National Park|Location Shooting]] in Devon, England. Gwyllion's primary seat of fiefdom, Caer Airgetlám, had fallen by the time of the Excalibur crew's arrival. Caradoc appears to have been the only survivor, with the remaining court having fled and dispersed after the death of the King and many of his knights. After many years, much of the mountanous planet devolved into flooded marshland and swamps within its many valleys. The village people encountered by the Excalibur crew imply that automatons and humans have always coexisted on Gwyllion. They also imply that automatons may house the spirits of deceased humans. !!!Notes *"Gwyllion" is a Welsh word meaning "ghosts" or "spirits." *It is unknown whether the Questing Beast survived the wound inflicted upon it by Kray. *It is theorized by some fans that the automaton headman of the swamp-village is actually the deceased King of Caer Airgetlám &mdash; Caradoc's liege. !!!2 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">It's kind of funny that the castle is named for a mythical Irish guy's epithet (it's Nuada's), but the rest of Gwyllion is all so heavily Arthurian. Maybe Airgetlam, "silver hand/arm," is meant to invoke the automaton village and the king becoming their headman...? <span class="date">June 8, 2014 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avieggs.png]]</div><div class="comment2">This is such a clever connection. Good catch! <span class="date">June 12, 2014 by [[DameDuLac]]</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Planets]]</div>Changelog 23 July 2020 Expanded page "Ewan Neale" Added wiki page "Neuronic Space" Added wiki page "The Lodestar Matrix" Added wiki page "Location Shooting" Expanded page "Lohengrin" Added wiki page "Euxxithique" Added wiki page "Gwyllion" Added categories "Planets" and "Technologies" Amended page "The Bleak Planet" (tidying up) Added rough notes to "The Sun Stealers" and "The Planet of the Kwanga" Added section "The Hex of the Eye" to page "Poseidon" Added wiki page "Excalibur (TV Series)": This will be the dedicated page about the series itself Expanded page "Escape from Earth" - completed synopsis Expanded page "Sanctuary" - completed synopsis Expanded page "Kate Gregory" - minor changes, notes converted to prose Changelog 21 August 2020 Added page "The Peevey Archive" Completed page "Jerry Newbaum" Completed page "Terrence Lannark" Completed page "María Gonzalez" Completed page "Sebastian Sullivan" Completed page "Eclosion" Expanded page "The Eye That Scans the Land" Expanded page "Lothan" Added stub page "The Cult of Wendra" Added stub page "Zoe Ramsdell" - could be deleted in favour of a dead link Expanded stub page "Euxxithique" Added menu page "Planets" Added airdates to all episode sidebar info boxes Expanded rough notes to "The Sun Stealers" Changelog 1 September 2020 Implemented chapel’s text input mechanic Created custom, smaller text field styling for password input Customized text field for comments — also added icon, username, button; now looks much more “wiki” than Twine’s default textarea Added simple 404 page; can customize more later Added & styled an “empty” tag for when the wiki has been deleted Added a demo of the deleted wiki Added Help page Added Credits page Implemented new images Started implementing variables for endings — Newell is the current default for testing purposes Changelog 9 September 2020 Completed page "Through the Barrier" Completed page "The Quest of Sir Caradoc" Completed page "The Labyrinth of Likeness" Completed page "The Soul of Wit" Expanded page "The Open Maw" Formatting on character pages Made "Geoffrey Parr" an inactive link Changelog 16 September 2020 Completed page "Peter Hopcroft" Completed page "Derek Farland" Completed page "Hugh Goulding" Completed page "Dot Varney" Completed page "The Excalibur" Completed page "The Planet of the Kwanga" (draft) Expanded page "Kate Gregory" (added quote from "Stopcocks") Amended page "Heather Kincaid" (to reflect Wendra's appearance in S2E10) Expanded page "The Sun Stealers" (added note) Expanded page "The Bleak Planet" (added note) Added page "Earth" Added page "Lodestar One (Convention)" Added page "Shining Sheath" CSS: Changed the rust-red colour in the CSS to a more harmonious purple CSS: Widened the main #story text window JS: Replaced the code for category lists with Josh's corrected version Edited my own episode synopses (first go, probably need more work) Changelog 19 November 2020 Completed episode page "Alone?" Added (and completed) character page "Maerlyn" Changed S2E12 title to "The Entropic Force" (from "The Erasers") Changed S2E11 title to "Upon a Painted Ocean" Added (and completed) episode page "Upon a Painted Ocean" Added (and completed) character page "Shantih" Expanded notes on page "The Wand of Wendra" Changelog 4 February 2021 Added Trivia passages for S1 & S2 Moved "Notes" for each episode to Trivia passages Made each episode's trivia entry collapsable with a link-based toggle + CSS + HTML Added page "Remaster" + page comments Added page "Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur" + page comments Removed sidebar hover state; doesn't seem necessary Added subheadings like "Background" "Personality" "Trivia" to a few character pages (Alfie/Kray/Zana/Caradoc/Trellick/Yalsa) to experiment with breaking up the text; character pages will need to be edited further and pared down a bit more Added page "Interviews" + notes/plans Separated character & place/thing/concept passages Removed empty passage "Excalibur" Added "stub" message to "G'lob," "Mer-Guards," "Algra Voonis" Combined "Crab-People" with "Aerwyna"; made "Crab-People" an inactive link & removed passage (but I do love the idea of it still remaining linked) Changelog 14 February 2021 Expanded Trivia notes for S1E12: The Flickering Comet Expanded Trivia notes for S2E1: Eclosion Expanded Trivia notes for S2E4: The Soul of Wit Completed page "Kwanga" Completed page "Hugh Goulding" Expanded episode page "The Soul of Wit" - added quotes Added (and completed) page "Molossus" (there's room for more) Updated and expanded page "Ian Newell" Added page "Fan Theories" - please go to town on this. Anything goes - the crazier the better. Expanded page "Ector Caradoc" Expanded page "Arco" Added (and completed) page "Gene Taylor" (Arco) Expanded episode page "The Entropic Force" - mostly complete. It still needs quotes and a tiny bit more fleshing out - see notes. Expanded episode page "You Can't Go Home Again" - mostly complete. See notes. Completed page "Terrovator" Added page "The Excalibur Annual" Added links to the trivia pages on all episode pages Designed cover art for Excalibur IFDB page etc. Changelog 05 March 2021 Expanded and reorganised page "Erasure" Expanded page "Anna Sprague" Expanded and reorganised page "Ian Newell" Expanded and tidied up page "Shining Sheath" Created a page of "Shining Sheath" artwork & added to wiki page Added quotes to all episode pages that didn't have them Changed the director of "The Time Scientist" to Hugh Goulding (from Peter Hopcroft) Changed the director of "Alone?" to Melvin LaGomme (from Peter Hopcroft). This ties in with LaGomme's biography, which states that he directed three episodes. Amended page "Melvin LaGomme" to add "Alone?" to his list of directed episodes. Added screenshot for "You Can't Go Home Again" Added screenshot for "Alone?" Corrected references to Trellick in "The Time Scientist" to Trugg Added song lyrics to "Lohengrin" Added improved cover art for Lohengrin album Replaced the text in the "Entries Info" sidebar on the main page with an image Completed page "Vihannes" Completed page "Xobos" Tidied up page "Bryan MacAuley" - though this page could still do with an edit. Tidied up page "Lodestar One (Convention)" Expanded page "Kray" - first draft. Could do with some weird notes or something incongruous or odd. Started to expand page "Zana" Changelog 11 March 2021 - Reformatted stub pages - Redesigned spoiler & messages - Replaced spoiler & stub message images - Reworked "Marked for deletion" messages (now uses the spoiler template) - Added spoiler message to season finale pages and theories - Added placeholder user pages for Newell, Neale, Sprague, and VK; linked usernames found in comments, etc - Initialized all variables - Set up ending sequence - Wrote ending comments -- but feel free to rework/edit these - Expanded on Fan Theories (Mer-Guards) - Made randompage widget conditionally include S2 episodes if S1 has been viewed (to do this I added a new tag called "wiki-page2" to all "wiki-page" passages plus passages that should open up after s1, and included some extras (Lohengrin, Hantises, Audio Recordings, Color Separation Overlay, Peevey Archive, Lodestar One) in the wiki-page2 pool) - Added Derivative Works category - Edited Wendra - Expanded G'lob, who I became strangely attached to in the process - Expanded Mer-Guards - Made Alone?'s link to to S2 pilot inactive unless all S1 episodes have been viewed - Made Recent panel a conditional PassageHeader thing so it will appear on more pages without having to copy and paste it! - Implemented conditional Recent Activity updates - Implemented conditional Featured Article changes - Reviewed cast & crew pages - Fixed comment formatting on Maerlyn page - Removed Oneironaut episode link from Characters category - Deleted empty Rufus Catchpole passage Changelog 13 March 2021 - Completed page "Algra Voonis" - Completed page "Wand of Wendra" - Added "Return to Episode >" links at the end of every section of S1 and S2 Trivia - Added a few bits to S2 Trivia - Completed page "Cancellation" - Created category page "Derivative Works" - Added the individual fears to page "The Bleak Planet" - Added conditionals to all Season 2 episode links - Added contitionals to Gwaith Camlan link in S1 Trivia - Added page "The Eye of Poseidon" - Kray's novel - Added wiki-page2 tags to pages "The Wand of Wendra" and "Lethe Ray" - Added "Peckforton Castle" section to "Shooting Locations" - Completed character page "Zana" - Added "Credits" - may write this up in more detail later Changelog 14 March 2021 - Completed page "Remaster" - Completed page "Gwaith Camlan" - Added comments to "Gwaith Camlan" - Completed page "Interviews" - Added quote to "The Soul of Wit" - Fixed a few typos - Added spacing & category elements to a few pages - Made "wiki-page3" tag to include Activity tab on pages that won't be included in the randompage pool - Fixed link to Terrence Lannark on Alfie page - Updated theories page - Updated "ending" comments!Lothan Lothan is a distant planet, visited by the [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]] crew in the episode [[The Bleak Planet]]. Lothan is protected, and kept concealed from outsiders, by interstellar storms. At first, Lothan appears to be a garden-like paradise, but it is eventually revealed to be a barren wasteland, incapable of supporting life. The Lothans, and their beautiful world were nothing more than a hypnotic illusion created by the sorcerer [[Poseidon]]. In the January 1985 edition of Shining Sheath, the //Excalibur// fanzine, <span class="inactive"><a>Colin Trenowden</a></span> speculates that the story of Lothan may have been inspired by the Greek myth of the Lotus-Eaters, from Book IX of The Odyssey. Lothan also bears strong similarities to [[Yenos]], the planet of the [[Oneironaut|The Oneironaut]]. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Planets]]</div> !G'lob <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> A vicious Mer-Guard Commander who served Poseidon. He is one of the few named Mer-Guards who survives the series. The "G'lob" costume is unique among Mer-Guards; he consistently wears the same uniform, and while his right arm resembles a human limb, his left arm has been replaced by a tentacle capable of seizing and strangling his opponents. His eyes have horizontal pupils similar to that of an octopus, and his lower face is dominated by a "beard" of writhing tentacles. It is unknown who portrayed G'lob; it is possible that several different actors and even anonymous crew members may have worn the costume. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!Arco <<sidebar>>\ !!Arco ''Species:'' Human ''Age:'' 21 ''Affiliation:'' The //Excalibur//, Freedom Fighters, Earth ''Played by:'' [[Gene Taylor]] <</sidebar>> !!Background Arco is a member of Kray's band of resistance fighters on Earth. Rebellious and hot-headed, yet solid and reliable, the young fighter becomes a valued member of the Excalibur crew, helping Kray and the others out of many scrapes. Unlike most of the others, Arco has a broad knowlege of weaponry, and can always be relied upon in a fight. In [[Escape from Earth]], it is Arco who holds off Poseidon's Mer-Guards while [[Kray]] and the others escape through the secret tunnel, and the young soldier only just makes it as a result. Of all the crew, Arco has perhaps the least to lose, as is revealed in [[The Bleak Planet]] that all of Arco's family have fallen to Poseidon's Mer-Guards. !!Personality Bravery is Arco's stand-out quality, preferring fists to negotiation and leaving the deep thinking to others. Arco is always the first to volunteer for a mission, much to the relief of the rather cowardly [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]]. Yet the character is not without compassion and there are many moments when we see Arco's softer side. When [[Kray]] and [[Zana]] clash, it is Arco Zana turns to for advice, and on the many occasions when [[Alfie]] loses one of his animal companions, it is Arco who is ready with a comforting arm. Arco has little time for flights of fancy, preferring a straightforward answer to a complicated explanation. Perhaps because of this, Arco is less susceptible to illusion. In [[The Shadow of Fantasy]], the young soldier is seemingly immune to the influence of Phantasia, and in <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Upon a Painted Ocean]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Upon a Painted Ocean</a></span><</if>> Arco is the first to agree when Zana suggests there is something amiss about [[Shantih]]. !!Notes It is never made clear whether Arco is the character's first name, or surname. Arco is portrayed by [[Gene Taylor]]. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!Excalibur (TV Series) <<sidebar>>\ !!Excalibur [img[images/s1e1.png]] Title card from "Escape from Earth" !!!!Details ''Genre:'' Science fiction ''Created by:'' [[Clifford Carson]], [[Robert Hale]] ''Starring:'' [[Ray Torrence]], [[Kate Gregory]] ''Original language:'' English ''No. of seasons:'' 2 ''No. of episodes:'' 26 ([[list of episodes|Episodes]]) !!!!Production ''Running time:'' 30 min. ''Production company:'' Arturia Entertainment ''Distributor:'' Round Table Enterprises !!!!Release ''Original network:'' BBC ''Original release:'' September 4, 1974 &mdash; November 27, 1975 <</sidebar>> ''Excalibur'' is a British science fiction television series that ran on the BBC television network from September 1974 to November 1975. The program had two seasons, spanning twenty-six episodes. Main article: [[Episodes]] !!!Concept It is the year 2181. The warlock overlord [[Poseidon]] rules Earth from a hidden palace known as Atlantis. A ragtag band of rebels hiding from Atlantean authorities, with nothing but their names and the clothes on their backs, searches for a way to fight back. They are the daring Kray and his son Alfie, astronavigator Zana, the renowned scientist Trellick, Arco, a rebellious young fighter. They are later joined by the ape-man, Trugg, and the chivalrous knight, Caradoc. * ''Main article:'' [[Characters]] The show incorporated classic science fiction elements, including space travel, alien planets and their inhabitants, and futuristic devices, while also integrating these elements with aspects of early medieval Arthurian literary tradition. The eponymous starship Excalibur, as an example, derives its name from the legendary sword of King Arthur. Many other characters, places, and things in the television series follow a common thread into Arthuriana, but there are other influences on the series as well, such as classical Greek mythology. !!!Production Production began on //Excalibur// in 1973, with the first episode broadcast on 5 September 1974. The show ran for 13 episodes and was renewed for a second season, which aired in September 1975. Unfortunately, due to the BBC's policy of re-using video tapes, the entire series was erased sometime in 1977. Not a single episode survives. This website is dedicated to recreating the series from the remaining information; transcripts, photographs, and the memories of fans and the surviving cast and crew. * ''Main article:'' [[Erasure]] <div class="cbox">Categories: <a>Television Series</a></div>!Mer-Guards <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> The Mer-Guards were servants of [[Poseidon]] tasked with enforcing his whims through military might. They are amphibious bipedal creatures implied to have once been humans transformed by Poseidon. While they occasionally have been observed demonstrating free will, they appear to have been "reprogrammed" to ensure that their needs are subserviant to their master's bidding. The Mer-Guards vary in appearance, but most have scales, widely-spaced eyes, and lack hair. Some, like [[G'lob]], have a tentacle in place of an arm or a leg. Others have noticible dorsal fins, webbed fingers, and fluked tails. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!The Wand of Wendra The Wand of Wendra was an alien artefact of incredible power. It was created by same the Druidic race who constructed the starship [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]], a race of which [[Wendra]], [[Maerlyn]] and [[Yalsa]] are all members. In the episode [[Alone?]], it is hinted that Wendra and Maerlyn were among those who supervised its construction, but that Wendra decided to steal it for her own purposes. !!Yalsa The Excalibur crew first learn of the Wand from Yalsa, a space witch dwelling in [[Neuronic Space]]. Though Yalsa describes Wendra as "a fellow witch, who was almost my equal," we later learn that Yalsa was actually Wendra's court fool. According to Yalsa, the Wand lay for centuries in the Wendra's tomb, but has since been stolen, its whereabouts unknown. (Episode: [[Sanctuary]]) !!The Oneironaut By using the [[Grimoire|The Grimoire]], the crew divine that there is only one who knows the location of the Wand, a mysterious alien called [[The Oneironaut]] (Episode: [[The Bleak Planet]]). After several false leads, they eventually track the Oneironaut down to the planet [[Yenos]]. He challenges the crew to join him in the dream world, in return for which he will tell them the location of the Wand. The crew accept the challenge, and the location of the Wand is revealed: the planet [[Xobos]]. (Episode: [[The Oneironaut]]) !!Xobos On the planet [[Xobos]] the crew finally locate the Wand. Stolen centuries ago by <span class="inactive"><a>Melmoth of Zorn</a></span> the wand has been used as a power source for the city of <span class="inactive"><a>Zorn</a></span>, now little more than a ruin. After a battle of wits with the supercomputer <span class="inactive"><a>Vizier</a></span>, the crew manage to obtain the Wand. (Episode: [[The Atavists]]. However, it is later damaged in a battle with a giant octopus sent by [[Poseidon]]. (Episode: [[The Broken Piece]]) !!Klisstra Hoping to restore the Wand, the crew seek the help of [[Algra Voonis]], a noted temporal engineer who has been experimenting with ways to reverse the flow of time. Unfortunately her experiments have failed, and the resulting temporal backlash not only destroys the moon but causes [[Alfie]] to age into an old man. Since the damage to the Wand is never mentioned again, it is to be assumed that the crew found some other way to repair it. (Episode: [[The Time Scientist]]) Actor [[Ray Torrence]] attempted to rectify this omission in his novel [[The Eye of Poseidon]]. !!Powers and Abilities The true power of the Wand can be seen in <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Planet of the Kwanga]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Planet of the Kwanga</a></span><</if>>, where it is used to destroy the //Cleromancer//, and in <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Entropic Force]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Entropic Force</a></span><</if>> where it finally comes into its own... <div class="cbox">Categories: Technologies</div>!Ian Newell <center><div class="spoileralert"><div class="avatar">[img[images/shield.jpg]]</div> This article contains unmarked spoilers &mdash; but nothing that most fans are not already aware of.</div></center><span class="textchange">Ian Newell</span> is a coward and a hack who has never actually demonstrated solid proof that he holds the rights to //Excalibur//. For decades, Ian the despicable scab has taken every possible opportunity to rub his acquisition in the faces of other fans, but has consistently failed to back up his increasingly ludicrous claims. !!!Trivia Ian's notable and verifiable achievements include: * Stalking Kate Gregory * Anonymously flaming his girlfriend's fic using a sock-puppet account * Deriding other fans' zines on his blog * Writing fanmail to Kate Gregory * Deleting comments he doesn't like from the wiki * Living in Kate Gregory's garden shed * Being ejected from conventions Ian is not an especially talented liar, nor is he a skilled plagiarist, despite having engaged in both activities constantly throughout his adult life. He is also not a great artist. His art is better than you'd think, but worse than you'd hope. !!!References <span class="inactive"><a title="He'll delete this right away">Ian's blog</a> <a title="He's proud of all of this shit though">Ian's comment history</a> <a title="In case you didn't believe the stalking">Backgroundchecker.net</a></span> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!The Cult of Wendra <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> The all-female Cult of Wendra are [[Wendra]]'s acolytes. For countless generations they have guarded the preserved body of their mistress until the long awaited day of her resurrection. There were twelve members of the Cult of Wendra, Wendra herself making thirteen. The Cult of Wendra are represented as having silver faces and antennae on their heads, leading some to speculate that they might be [[androids|Fan Theories]]. According to director [[Peter Hopcroft]]: <<< "There was nothing in the script to suggest that they were robots. The silver faces, that came from (costume designer) [[Zoe Ramsdell]]. I have no idea why, I guess she just thought it would look good. And it did." <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: Alien Races</div>!Zoe Ramsdell (1946-) <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> <<sidebar>>\ !!Zoe Ramsdell ''Born:'' 1946, England ''Role:'' Costume Designer <</sidebar>>Zoe Ramsdell was costume designer on //Excalibur// season 1 and 2. She was responsible for designing the [[Mer-Guards]]. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!María Gonzalez <<sidebar>>\ !!María Gonzalez ''Born:'' 1918, Montgat, Catalonia, Spain. ''Died:'' 1998 (aged 80), London, England. ''Role:'' Assistant Producer <</sidebar>>María Gonzalez (nee: Gormis - no relation to ‘El Sievero’s director, see note below about early employment) was born in Montgat a few miles north of Barcelona to fishmonger parents. From an early age her aptitude with mathematics meant she was asked to help with the bookkeeping of her parents’s shop. Excelling at school and in social life she became editor of the school magazine, which led ultimately to a job in 1934 as a journalist at the populist magazine “El Sievero.” Taken under the wings of co-founder Rosa Bofill, she quickly rose through the ranks as one of the magazine’s brightest new employees. Unfortunately, Europe-wide tensions &mdash; including the rise of Fascism, and more locally, Falangism &mdash; led (indirectly) to the Spanish civil war in 1936. Maria’s progressive and liberal articles in //El Sievero// meant she was a target and had to go underground. She left the paper, cut her hair, and quickly became part of the secretive “Federación Anarquista Ibérica” (Iberian Anarchist Federation). Soon a trusted anonymous writer of their publications, she also fought &mdash; gun-in-hand &mdash; against Franco’s troops in the Ejército del Este (Eastern Army). As the rest of Europe fell into war with Nazi Germany, Maria made her way across France by foot to England and by 1940 was on British soil. Her husband Lorenzo did not survive the Civil War and she never remarried. A job as a clerk almost 20 years later at the BBC proved she was smart and good with numbers. She organised people with military precision, stood her ground, looked people in the eye when giving them a dressing down and was under all circumstances reliable, stoic, firm and calm. These last skills [[Jerry Newbaum]] held in particularly high regard, quoting her in his Biography: <<< "This? You’re worried about this!? This irrelevant. This is a flappy-walled, ad-libbed television program. I’ve seen my friends, my husband, die in my arms because of indecisions that actually mattered. Pick the blue one and move on, the red tie doesn’t go with your shoes." <<< <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!The Peevey Archive The Peevey Archive was an important record of Excalibur made by fans Linda and Geoff Peevey. Linda, a trainee courtroom stenographer, practiced using her stenotype machine by writing transcripts of the show's dialogue. Her husband Geoff, a keen amateur photographer, took photographs of the screen to go with the transcripts. The records, kept in a box file in the couple's garden shed for twenty-five years, were eventually donated to the Excalibur fan club in 1999. !!The Transcripts The Peevey transcripts are considered an imperfect record of the show's dialogue, and have been used in the creation of this website only where audio recordings were not available. Particularly in the early episodes, Linda Peevey was forced to drop words in order to keep up: <<< "Some scenes were more difficult than others, particularly scenes with a lot of characters. Sometimes I had to drop words to catch up to where they were at. It was really just a fun way to practise stenography, and I had no idea that my transcripts would one day be the only record of the show." <<< As a beginner stenographer, Peevey made numerous mistakes, and there has been considerable debate over how the stenographic chords should be interpreted. Consequently there is some doubt as to the exact wording of certain lines of dialogue. !!The Photographs Linda's husband Geoff was a keen, though not particularly talented, amateur photographer. He took precisely one photograph of each episode, which were found paperclipped to the transcripts. The photographs, though a unique record, are not particularly representative of the show as a whole, since hardly any of them feature the regular characters. They are nevertheless the only extant visual record of many of the episodes. Three transcripts were missing from the archive when the box was discovered; [[The Sun Stealers]], [[The Broken Piece]] and <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Eye That Scans the Land]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Eye That Scans the Land</a></span><</if>>. The latter was also missing its photograph. Both the transcripts and photographs suffered damage during storage; some had gone mouldy, and others had being nibbled by mice. The final page of the transcript for [[Through the Barricade]] was irretrievable; it had been turned into a nest. See also: [[Audio Recordings]] <div class="cbox">Categories: Other</div>!Yenos Yenos is a jungle planet visited by [[the Excalibur|The Excalibur]] crew in the episode [[The Oneironaut]]. The impressive jungle set, designed by [[Bryan MacAuley]] was one of the most expensive in the show's run. Much of the set was recycled as the planet [[Vihannes]] in the season 2 episode <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Eclosion]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Eclosion</a></span><</if>>. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Planets]]</div>!Earth The planet Earth lies at an important nexus in the network of Ley Lines which thread the Universe. As such, it is a powerful source of Magickal energy, is known to offworlders as Lodestar One. At the start of the series, Earth has been conquered by the warlock overlord [[Poseidon]], who rules from a hidden, undersea fortress known as Atlantis. In ancient times, Earth was inhabited by a powerful civilisation. It was they who built the great monuments such as Stonehenge, and they who buried the powerful spaceship [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]] beneath Glastonbury Tor, awaiting the hour of Earth's greatest need. This ancient civilisation was the origin of the Arthurian legends, and other Earth mythology. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Planets]]</div>!Planets A list of planets visited by the starship //Excalibur// or mentioned in the series. <<category "planets">> <div class="cbox">Categories: Television Series</div>!About the Wiki <center><div class="spoileralert"><div class="avatar">[img[images/shield.png]]</div> This page is to help readers understand how //Excalibur// is best experienced. As a result, this page may contain <b>spoilers</b>, but they can be viewed or ignored at the reader's discretion.</div></center> <<sidebar>>\ !!Excalibur !!!!Production ''Created with:'' Twine 2, SugarCube 2.34.1 ''Created for:'' Spring Thing 2021 !!!!About * Hypertext * Interactive Fiction * Digital Artifact Simulation <</sidebar>> The ''Excalibur Wiki'' is an encyclopedia of information about the television program //Excalibur//. It is experienced in your browser, and can be downloaded to view offline as well. It is most compatible with Firefox and Chrome. Our site is ''not optimized for small resolutions.'' !!How to Progress Progress through the history of //Excalibur// by visiting different pages as you would on an ordinary wiki site. If you want to go ''back'' a page or ''undo'' something, use the ''BACK'' link in the header, ''not'' the Back button on your browser, to go back by a single passage. //Excalibur// ''keeps track'' of when you encounter certain pages. Depending on the pages you visit, new content may appear throughout the wiki. !!Walkthrough <span style="display: inline-block; width: 50%; padding: 5px; background: #ebe8e8; border-left: 15px solid #dd3b2a; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; border-top: 1px solid #ccc; border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; color: #000; text-align: left; font-style: italic;">This area contains spoilers. To view spoilers, hover over them with your mouse cursor.</span> !!!Unraveling //Excalibur// Looking at ''certain pages'' will open up the following ''new paths:'' <span class="spoiler2">&bull; After the "Lodestar One Convention" page has been viewed, a new series of comments will be revealed on the "Ian Newell" page. &bull; After ''all season one episodes'' have been viewed, ''season two episodes'' will become available. &bull; After ''all season two episodes'' have been viewed, more information about ''the future of Excalibur'' and ''the efforts of fans to unravel it'' will appear. &bull; After ''all 26 episode synopses'', ''both'' trivia pages, the ''fan theories'' page, and the "Gwaith Camlan" ''interviews'' page have been viewed, the ''comments'' on the "Gwaith Camlan" page will be ''updated''. &bull; When the "Gwaith Camlan" page has been updated, you'll see an option to ''leave a comment'' on that page, which will initiate a ''new sequence''.</span> !!!New Sequence <span class="spoiler2">&bull; During the comment sequence triggered by the conditions listed above, you must type on your keyboard until the full comment is revealed, at which point two buttons will appear next to the text field. &bull; You can alter the ''content'' of the comment by clicking on the ''"Rewrite Comment"'' button that appears after the full text has been typed out. &bull; There are ''two possible'' comments that can be submitted, each leading to a different ''result.'' &bull; ''Alternatively,'' you can choose to log out and ''refrain from commenting'', leaving the wiki as it is and continuing to browse.</span> <span class="spoiler2">Although there are different possible outcomes depending on the information you encounter, //Excalibur// ''does not necessarily "end."''</span> <span style="display: inline-block; width: 50%; padding: 5px; background: #ebe8e8; border-left: 15px solid #dd3b2a; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; border-top: 1px solid #ccc; border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; color: #000; text-align: left; font-style: italic;">Spoilers end here.</span> !!Other Hints * The "Random Page" link will take you to a large selection of randomized pages on the wiki if you feel stuck or can't decide where to go next. * You can save your place in the wiki at any time by using the "''Save/Load''" function in the header. * Bear in mind that //Excalibur// is not meant to be won or lost. * Navigate the wiki in whatever way feels natural to you. You can use the links in the header to look at different categories, return to the ''homepage'', or go ''back'' a single passage, among other things. The back button can only revert by one passage, not several in succession. * You can return to the wiki and continue browsing even if you reach what appears to be a conclusion. * The "Featured Article" section on the homepage and the "Recent Activity" panel will be periodically updated. * The "Recent Activity" panel does not appear on every page. !!Credits Several [[contributors|Credits]] have had a hand in creating The Excalibur Encyclopedia. We are immensely grateful toward those who have collaborated with the maintainers in order to make this wiki the best that it can be. !!Disclaimer //Excalibur// is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events and incidents are the products of the authors' imaginations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Certain long-standing institutions are mentioned, but the characters involved are wholly imaginary. <div class="cbox">Categories: Community</div>!Input password <<typesim "••••••@••••••.com">><</typesim>> <<typesim "••••••••••••">><div class="typesimbutton">[[Submit|NewellComment]]</div><</typesim>>!Error 404: Page Not Found The page you are looking for is [[not available]].!Leave a Comment <center><div class="commentstyle">[img[images/avishield.jpg]] INEWELL</div><<typesim "VK, did you go to Lodestar One? I wonder if we ever met and didn't realize. It doesn't matter. It's a shame you let so many sources slip through your fingers. Or did they ever exist? Pot-kettle-black, I guess, but I'm not convinced any of you are real. All I know is that I'm here, and I always have been, and I'm not going anywhere.">><div class="typesimbutton">[[Post Comment|IP Ban]]</div> <div class="typesimbutton">[[Rewrite comment|SpragueComment]]</div><</typesim>> <div class="logout">[[LOG OUT|Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur]]</div> </center>!Leave a Comment <center><div class="commentstyle">[img[images/avieggs.png]] DameDuLac</div><<typesim "I'm starting to think that Camlan is a lost cause, VK. There was never a battle to begin with, was there? ... Even so, I think I would rather be Bedivere than Mordred. Do you think it's time to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake? Do you think that's even possible at this point?">><div class="typesimbutton">[[Post Comment|404]]</div> <div class="typesimbutton">[[Rewrite comment|NewellComment]]</div><</typesim>> <div class="logout">[[LOG OUT|Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur]]</div> </center>!Credits <center><div class="stub">Thank you for visiting the Excalibur Wiki. It wouldn't exist without the work of the following contributors.</div></center> !!Writing J. J. Guest G. C. Baccaris Duncan Bowsman !!Additional Material Mark Bailey D. G. Hughes !!Code G. C. Baccaris Josh Grams !!Images J. J. Guest !!Testing Hanon Ondricek Vee Hoffman Mark Bailey Greg Buchanan Thanks are owed to Chris Radcliffe for suggesting the "Stopcocks" show and to Laura Barber for giving it a name. Thanks also to Nils Fagerburg for some last minute help with a French translation. !!Image Attribution 1970s cosplay photos by Ron Miller http://www.black-cat-studios.com/ Used with permission. By garethwiscombe - https://www.flickr.com/photos/garethwiscombe/1071477228/in/photostream/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13278936 By andy dolman, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13574790 By Frédéric Vincent - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=146623 Jim Champion / View of Mill Bay from a cave, Nanjizal https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Mill_Bay_from_a_cave,_Nanjizal_-_geograph.org.uk_-_526248.jpg Space Mountain Mike at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons Other images have been taken from the public domain films "Planet of the Prehistoric Women" and "Cosmos - War of the Planets". All images have been remixed or modified. <div class="cbox">Categories: Credits</div><<set $fourohfour to "true">><center><div class="blink">???????</div> <<typesim "At this point, there are so many theories, I don't know what I actually believe. A computer virus. A lie. A curse... No, I suppose there's still one belief I can't shake.">><div class="typesimbutton">[[What is it?|404b]]</div><</typesim>></center>!The Kwanga The Kwanga were a race of almost omnipotent, immortal beings. They first appeared in the episode [[The Sun Stealers]] and later returned in [[The Planet of the Kwanga]]. The Kwanga were a highly advanced race, their level of technological advancement far exceeded that of [[Earth]], and they were more powerful even than [[Poseidon]]. !!The Cleromancer Reasoning their power was too great for those who would use it for their own ends, the Kwanga abandoned reason and purpose, and created the //Cleromancer,// a device programmed to produce directives at random. From that point on, they mindlessly obeyed the will of the Cleromancer. The Kwanga philosophy became that action should be taken for its own sake, and greatest crime a Kwanga could commit was the crime of purpose. !!Reversal of the Cleromancer [[The Excalibur]] crew first encountered the Kwanga after answering a distress call from an Earth colony on a distant planet. Following a directive from the //Cleromancer,// The Kwanga were constructing a Dyson Sphere of mirrors around the planet's sun, plunging the colony into icy darkness. Unable to reason with the Kwanga, the crew succeeded in sending the Cleromancer into reverse, giving the Kwanga no option but to undo all their work. Sadly, they were too late to save the colonists. !!Destruction of the Cleromancer In the episode <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Planet of the Kwanga]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Planet of the Kwanga</a></span><</if>>, [[Wendra]], a space sorceress of dubious morality, attempts to steal the //Cleromancer,// hoping to use it to control the omnipotent beings. However, she is double-crossed by her servant [[Yalsa]], who wants the //Cleromancer// for herself. The //Excalibur// crew eventually succeed in destroying the //Cleromancer,// partly to prevent it from falling into the hands of the space witches, and partly because the Kwanga were in the process of regressing a peaceful race of insectoid people, the [[Hantises]], back into a more primitive state. The //Excalibur// crew realise that by setting the //Cleromancer// into reverse, they have inadvertently undone not only the Kwanga's bad deeds, but their good ones as well. Without a sense of morality to guide them, the Kwanga have spent millenia creating and destroying in equal measure. !!Post-Cleromancer Without the //Cleromancer// to instruct them, the Kwanga are lost and confused. It has been millenia since they had wills of their own, and without clear directives to follow they find themselve paralysed by indecision. The gentle Hantises offer to take them under their wing, promising to teach them the true meaning of purposelessness. <div class="cbox">Categories: Alien Races</div>!Klisstra <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> A gas giant with a large (but unspecified) number of moons. The fortieth moon is home to the [[time scientist|The Time Scientist]] [[Algra Voonis]]. In the episode <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Planet of the Kwanga]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Planet of the Kwanga</a></span><</if>>, [[Wendra]] speaks of Klisstra as having been “spun from the astral dust by the omnipotent [[Kwanga]]”. Klisstra is blue, the same colour as a robin’s egg. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Planets]]</div>!Vihannes <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> The planet Vihannes is visited by the Excalibur crew in S2E1, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[Eclosion]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Eclosion</a></span><</if>>. It is a world of intelligent, humanoid plants, presided over by their leader, <span class="inactive"><a>Taro</a></span>. The set, designed by Production Designer [[Bryan MacAuley]], re-used parts of the set of season one's [[The Atavists]], mixed in with a lot of potted plants. In some shots it was possible to see that the plants were sitting in pots, and the recycled elements looked rather battered, giving the set a rather ludicrous appearance. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Planets]]</div><<set $convention to "seen">>\ !The Lodestar One Convention //Lodestar One// was a fan convention in Stockton on Tees, organised by <span class="inactive"><a>Colin Trenowden</a></span>. Special guests included writers [[Robert Hale]] and [[Derek Farland]], and actors [[Ray Torrence]] ([[Kray]]), [[Michael Neame]] ([[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]]), [[Jiří Bobík]] ([[Trugg|Trellick / Trugg]]), [[Heather Kincaid]] ([[Wendra]]) and <span class="inactive"><a>Eddie Welsh</a></span> ([[Zyntax]]). It was a financial failure, selling just twenty-five tickets. <<< “I always knew it was a risk, but looking back, I think I must have been out of my mind. Ticket sales were so low, I came within a hair’s breadth of cancelling, but then Ray Torrence called me and told me how much he was looking forward to it, and I didn’t have the heart. I lost a lot of money that weekend, but Ray, Heather and Jiří very kindly waived their fees, and I got through it.” &mdash; Colin Trenowden <<< Among the attendees were Linda and Geoff Peevey, who brought along a box of //Excalibur// photos and transcripts of the episodes they had made twenty years earlier. The couple were unaware at the time that the box contained the only record of many the episodes. The Peeveys later donated the box to the //Excalibur// fan club. It became known as [[The Peevey Archive]]. Also attending were super-fans [[Anna Sprague]] and [[Ian Newell]], who would later go on to found the //Excalibur// fanzine [[Shining Sheath]]. Unfortunately, Newell had to be ejected from the convention following an altercation with Ray Torrence. <<< "I'd met Ian before, and he was a nice enough lad most of the time. But he was also capable of quite appalling behaviour. It didn't help that Anna found the whole thing hilarious. It just encouraged him." &mdash; Colin Trenowden <<< Eddie Welsh, who played [[Zyntax]] in S2E6, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Exile]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Exile</a></span><</if>>, found the convention a somewhat baffling experience. <<< “I remember sitting there in the green room with all these people, most of whom I hadn’t seen for twenty years, thinking what the hell am I doing here? Nobody will remember the character I played. I barely remembered it myself! But Ray Torrence said to me, ‘Don’t worry Eddie, the fans remember, they never forget anything! Just nod and smile and sign autographs, and you’ll be fine.’ I found the whole thing nerve-wracking, but I did at least get paid for it.” &mdash; Eddie Welsh <<< Several fans who attended the convention and had photos taken with members of the cast later found that their pictures had been 'photobombed' by an elderly lollipop man (crossing guard), complete with "STOP - CHILDREN" lollipop sign. The identity of the interloper is not known. !!!2 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avieggs.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Ultimately, Lodestar One was a great time and I have many fond memories of it, but you'd think Ian getting thrown out would have been a reg flag to me at the time... Oh well. <span class="date">January 10, 2011 by [[DameDuLac]]</span></div> <div class="avatar">[img[images/avicrossing.png]]</div><div class="comment2">to travel overland outside ones burrow is a terrible risk but oh the sights we saw <span class="date">December 21, 2012 by [[wyrdwarrens]]</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Derivative Works]]</div>!Magick Star The process of "sending & summoning" connects scenes and characters through the ship, much like teleportation in other science fiction. However, each sending or summoning required particular alchemical reagents keyed to a person's essence, each of which the ship's laboratory only had a limited supply. They also required at least one person to stay behind and perform the proper casting sequence from [[The Grimoire]]. The "Magick Star" on the ship which is used for summonings was clearly intended as a pentacle at the beginning of the show. However, all references to it as such were scrapped for fear backlash against the show by religious communities. <div class="cbox">Categories: Technologies</div>!Maerlyn <<sidebar>>\ !!Maerlyn ''Species:'' Human ''Age:'' Various ''Affiliation:'' The //Excalibur//, Druids, Earth ''Played by:'' <span class="inactive"><a>Rufus Catchpole</a></span> <</sidebar>>Maerlyn is a powerful Druid whom the [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]] crew encounter upon their return to [[Earth]] in the season 1 finale, [[Alone?]]. Maerlyn is shown to grow younger as time goes on, appearing as a very old man in the stone age and a young man in modern times. In this respect he is similar to his near-namesake Merlin in Arthurian legend, at least, as he is depicted in T. H. White's //The Once and Future King//. It was Maeryln's race that constructed the [[Wand of Wendra]] as well as the starship [[Excalibur|The Excalibur]], both in the service of protecting Lodestar One - the Earth - from attack from outside. It is heavily implied that [[Wendra]], (and by extension [[Yalsa]],) were also of this ancient race, and that Wendra was involved in the construction of the wand, but that she later stole it for her own nefarious purposes. This would explain why Wendra appears so youthful after her thousand-year-long slumber on [[Euxxithique]], but does not explain Yalsa's aged appearance. It could be argued that Yalsa is younger than Wendra, if not for the fact that Yalsa complains about her age in every episode she appears in, and the fact that Wendra continually refers to Yalsa as "old woman." It could be, as super-fan [[Anna Sprague]] suggested in [[Shining Sheath]] volume 3, that only magic users have the ability to reverse the flow of time, and that Yalsa was forbidden from using magic throughout her tenure as Wendra's court fool. !!!1 comment <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">This page needs editing. Most of this is speculation and hardly any of it has to do with Maerlyn! <span class="date">March 12, 2010 by A FANWIKI user</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div>!Terrorvator <center><div class="spoileralert">This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Excalibur Wiki's deletion policy. It is only tangentally related to the //Excalibur// TV series.</div></center> <<sidebar>>\ [img[images/Terrorvator.png]]<</sidebar>>''Terrorvator'' is a 1975 disaster movie written by //Excalibur// lead writer [[Clifford Carson]]. It was produced by Irwin Thalberg and directed by Richard Bayer. !!Background In early 1975, movie producer Irwin Thalberg wrote to [[Clifford Carson]] with an idea for a disaster movie about a space elevator. //The Towering Inferno// had been released the year before to critical and financial success, and Thalberg was keen to jump on the disaster movie bandwagon. According to Carson, Thalberg's idea had been sparked by a scientific paper he'd stumbled upon a few days before. The paper was probably //The orbital tower: a spacecraft launcher using the Earth’s rotational energy// by Jerome Pearson, which had been published in the journal //Acta Astronautica// in January, but the idea of an space elevator had been around since the sixties. !!Story The plot of the film focuses on the inaugral ascent of an space elevator connecting Dallas, Texas with a base located in the Copernicus crater on the moon. The elevator, capable of reaching speeds of 500 mph, has been sabotaged by a Russian agent. The terrorist has destroyed the braking mechanism, causing the elevator to accelerate and placing it in danger of being destroyed by impact with the moon. Among those trapped in the elevator are its original designer, a millionaire oil baron and his wife, the wife of the American President, a retired astronaut and the Russian saboteur responsible for causing the malfunction. !!Reception //Terrorvator// was a critical and financial failure. According to writer Clifford Carson: <<< "I think the very concept was flawed. The action all took place either in the confines of the elevator or at mission control back on Earth, which made for a very static, set-bound story. It relied on the special effects to build tension, and we just didn't have the budget. The space walk sequence was pretty good, though, I thought." <<< In 1995 it was listed at number 78 in Time Out Magazine's 100 worst movies list, and it was later parodied in an episode of //Mystery Science Theater 3000//. !!Notes *Super-fans [[Ian Newell]] and [[Anna Sprague]] watched an old VHS of //Terrorvator// on their first date, having met at the [[Lodestar One (Convention)]] a few days earlier. <div class="cbox">Categories: Other</div> <<set $s1trivia to "seen">>\ !Season One Trivia The first season of //Excalibur// ran from September 5, 1974 to November 28, 1974 and contained 13 episodes. This page lists lesser-known facts relating to each episode in Season One. Each episode's trivia sections can be expanded and collapsed by clicking the "+/-" link beside the title. !!!Escape from Earth <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e1" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e1" class="hidden">&bull; This episode is loosely based on a flight from occupied France by then-consultant for the show [[Jean Michel Vaillant]]. &bull; Audience response to the episode was overwhelmingly positive, especially the last scene. The show's writers seized on this as a way to manipulate audiences: the pattern of Alfie rescuing something, only to have it die would eventually be reduced to a running gag in the show. &bull; No animals were harmed in the making of the episode. &bull; The theme tune and incidental music were composed and orchestrated by [[Dot Varney]]. ''[[Back to Episode >|Escape from Earth]]''</span> !!!Through the Barricade <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e2" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e2" class="hidden">&bull; Poseidon quotes Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." &bull; "Grendel" and its damaged thruster are reference to the Old English epic poem, //Beowulf//, which Poseidon also quotes. ''[[Back to Episode >|Through the Barricade]]''</span> !!!Sanctuary<<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e3" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e3" class="hidden">&bull; //Sanctuary// was one of the first uses by the BBC of [[Colour-Separation Overlay]], otherwise known as Chroma-key. The technique was not without its problems, as can be seen in this episode, where in several shots, Yalsa appears to have no arms. &bull; The elaborate and expensive lab set is later re-used in the episode [[The Time Scientist]]. &bull; Dot Varney's incidental music is used very sparingly in this episode. It is well known that director Hugh Goulding was not a fan of the young musician's work. &bull; //Sanctuary// was the first episode to feature [[the Grimoire|The Grimoire]]. &bull; A sub-plot involves Alfie befriending a small furry creature known as a Dweeble. He begs Kray to be allowed to bring it aboard, but the g-force experienced upon take-off is too much for it, and it dies in Alfie's arms. This scene, included at the insistence of [[Jerry Newbaum]], has been the cause of much criticism, with some fans claiming it was simply a re-run of the rabbit scene in [[Escape from Earth]]. ''[[Back to Episode >|Sanctuary]]''</span> !!!The Unimaginable Threat <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e4" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e4" class="hidden">&bull; After many design false starts, the visual look of the Threat itself was achieved by video feedback (pointing a camera at the monitor of its output). This, the makers decided, was the best they could hope for in portraying something that was literally unimaginable. It also accounted for several migraine attacks in the original viewing audience. The eerie and memorable sound FX that accompanied the Threat's various appearances was achieved by slowing down a recording of a bowed saw. &bull; The "two-stories-in-one" feel of this episode is explained by the fact that it started life as literally two stories. [[Derek Farland]] submitted a script about the scientifically accurate exploration of an alien world called "Brave New Planet." It was only when shooting commenced that it was decided that the pace of the episode was perhaps too "peaceful" for a prime-time tv show. Hence [[Clifford Carson]] was asked to 'punch up' the plot. This he famously did over one night, with the aid of a bottle of scotch, and by completely ignoring Farland's original story. With a tight shooting timescale, further re-writes were impossible and the resulting narrative mess was bolted together in the edit suite in the hopes that it would hang together somehow. This explains the extended scenes of unconnected characters screaming in fear as they are devoured by the Threat which take up approximately half the running time of the episode. ''[[Back to Episode >|The Unimaginable Threat]]''</span> !!!The Bleak Planet <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e5" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e5" class="hidden">&bull; Child actor [[Sebastian Sullivan]] was particularly obstreperous during the production of this episode, and would only work if bribed. ''[[María Gonzalez]]:'' //"[[Jerry (Newbaum)|Jerry Newbaum]] says to me, 'María, get more Fizz Wizz! We need more Fizz Wizz for Sebastian!' I said to him, 'that boy doesn't need Fizz Wizz, he needs a smack bottom.'"// ''[[Hugh Goulding]]:'' //"I don't know what he was doing with all that popping-candy. Snorting it up his nose, probably. Ha!"// ''[[Back to Episode >|The Bleak Planet]]''</span> !!!The Sun Stealers <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e6" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e6" class="hidden">&bull; It has been suggested that //The Sun Stealers// was intended as a satire of Luke Rhinehart's 1971 novel //The Dice Man//, but [[Robert Hale]] denies this, stating in an interview that the story emerged from the [[Jean Michel Vaillant]]'s own belief in "the futility of intention." &bull; When asked by [[Clifford Carson]] if he wouldn't mind making the ending a bit more upbeat, Vaillant picked up his script and hurled it out of the window of Television Centre, shouting "L'optimisme naïf des Américains!" A production runner was duly dispatched to gather up the pages, Vaillant was placated with whiskey and Gauloises, and the story was left as it was. ''[[Back to Episode >|The Sun Stealers]]''</span> !!!The Shadow of Fantasy <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e7" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e7" class="hidden">&bull; [[Ray Torrence]] was actually put to sleep and awoken by a hypnotist several times for the purpose of this episode. He claims not to remember any of the lines he was made to say. &bull; <span class="inactive"><a>Jane Murphy</a></span> confirmed that all of Kray's lines were ad-libbed, save for one &mdash; and that the script was written in such a way as to allow for this. She admits that this method required a number of re-takes, but the director insisted on keeping several takes where Torrence was authentically incoherent. &bull; This episode is takes place exclusively on the //Excalibur//, but because it also takes place in the subconscious of each character, it features many different sets &mdash; most of which were constructed under notable budget constraints. &bull; Fans have speculated whether the creature encountered in this episode is in any way related to the Oneironaut, due to their mutual association with dreams. This has not been confirmed. ''[[Back to Episode >|The Shadow of Fantasy]]''</span> !!!The Oneironaut <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e8" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e8" class="hidden">&bull; //The Oneironaut// was the first of three episodes directed by [[Melvin LaGomme]]. It is notable for its experimental, psychedelic special effects. &bull; According to [[Michael Neame]], Director [[Hugh Goulding]] left most of the work of directing this episode to assistant director Alfonso Brescia, and furthermore, was absent from the set for much of the production. The result was an episode that was "markedly superior" to any other credited to Hugh Goulding. (Source: An interview with Michael Neame, [[Shining Sheath]] Issue 4) ''[[Back to Episode >|The Oneironaut]]''</span> !!!The Atavists <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e9" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e9" class="hidden">&bull; During production of the previous episode, [[The Oneironaut]], actor [[Michael Neame]] was offered the role of MacBeth at the Old Vic theatre in Bristol. He jumped at the chance, and breaking his contract with the BBC, demanded to be written out of the show, dying "as heroically as possible." Furious, writer [[Derek Farland]] instead had the intelligent, articulate character of [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] transform into the oafish ape-man Trugg, (Played by [[Jiří Bobík]]) who spoke only in grunts. Neame and Farland did not speak for twenty years. &bull; The planet Xobos was realised entirely in the studio, with an impressive set designed by [[Bryan MacAuley]]. The bioluminescent sporangia were created by wadding ordinary light-bulbs with kapok, a fibrous material used for padding cushions. Kapok is highly flammable, and several of the sporangia caught fire during production. Fire damage to the outer walls of the city can be seen in several of the [[surviving shots|Erasure]] from this episode. &bull; This episode was a particular favourite of [[Kate Gregory]]'s, who praised its realistic dialogue. ''[[Back to Episode >|The Atavists]]''</span> !!!The Broken Piece <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e10" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e10" class="hidden">&bull; [[Derek Farland]]'s writing of Trellick-turned-Trugg is notably rather vindictive throughout the episode, geared especially toward further reducing the role of an actor he considers to have spurned him professionally. In a sense, Farland is "vandalizing" Trellick as a character, but although the change was sudden, only a few fans took particular issue with it. &bull; In the credits, the role of "Trellick" is replaced with "Trugg" from this point forward. &bull; The octopus monster's blood is never shown, but copious amounts of blue ink are used instead. The hairy Trugg costume was particularly difficult to clean, and bore a faint blue tint ever afterwards. According to an interview in //Shining Sheath//, Special Effects Artist [[Bryan MacAuley]]'s hands were stained blue for more than a week. ''[[Back to Episode >|The Broken Piece]]''</span> !!!The Time Scientist <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e11" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e11" class="hidden">&bull; The decision to recast Alfie was taken, reluctantly, by producer [[Jerry Newbaum]], after complaints from [[Peter Hopcroft]], [[Hugh Goulding]] and [[Kate Gregory]] that child actor [[Sebastian Sullivan]] had become impossible to work with. 'Old' Alfie was played by veteran actor [[Terrence Lannark]]. &bull; Algra's underground lab is the same set from episode three, much rearranged. All of the staff brought every clock they owned to fill it and some were sacrificed for their parts. &bull; This episode has been the source of much debate over just how powerful <i>Excalibur</i> really is. [[Derek Farland]] was especially critical of the choice to make the starship seem too strong, which he felt risked ruining the show by giving away the crew's essential underdog status. &bull; The shot of the moon exploding was achieved by detonating a papier mache ball filled with custard powder. The resulting fireball, much larger than expected, set fire to the studio lighting rigs, destroyed an elaborate matte painting intended for use in episode 13, and burned off both of [[Bryan MacAuley]]'s eyebrows. ''[[Back to Episode >|The Time Scientist]]''</span> !!!The Flickering Comet <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e12" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e12" class="hidden">&bull; The impressive shot of the comet was achieved by mounting a large chunk of dry ice in a home made wind tunnel. The dry ice sublimated quickly, meaning that there was only time for one take. Consequently the same shot was used several times over. This became rather obvious after the third showing, so editor [[Terry Mann]] tried flipping the shot upside down. Special effects man [[Bryan MacAuley]] burned his fingers while carelessly adjusting the position of the dry ice block. In 2011, he was detained for an hour at John F. Kennedy International Airport when a biometric scanner was unable to recognise his fingerprints. (Source: An interview with Bryan MacAuley, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen") and ($s2e1 is "seen") and ($s2e2 is "seen") and ($s2e3 is "seen") and ($s2e4 is "seen") and ($s2e5 is "seen") and ($s2e6 is "seen") and ($s2e7 is "seen") and ($s2e8 is "seen") and ($s2e9 is "seen") and ($s2e10 is "seen") and ($s2e11 is "seen") and ($s2e12 is "seen") and ($s2e13 is "seen")>>[[Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur</a></span><</if>>) &bull; The comet was inspired by a phenomenon sighted in the sky over [[Glastonbury Tor|Location Shooting]] while shooting the pilot. Writer [[Clifford Carson]], who normally gave a free hand to the interpretation of his scripts, was reportedly EXTREMELY specific about how the comet should be depicted. "He had a real bee in his bonnet about it," said Bryan MacAuley, "which was odd, because he normally took quite a laissez-faire attitude to production and rarely came on set." &bull; The comet seen by Carson at Glastonbury Tor was most likely 1973f (Kohoutek), first sighted on 7 March 1973 by Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek. Kohoutek was promoted by the media as the "comet of the century". In the United States, cult leader David Berg, founder of the Children of God, predicted that the comet fortold a colossal doomsday event. The event, he claimed, would take place in January 1974, the same month that location filming for [[Escape from Earth]] commenced. Due to partial disintegration, Kohoutek's display was considerably fainter than expected, and the name Kohoutek became synonymous with spectacular disappointment. Needless to say, the predicted doomsday event never came to pass. ''[[Back to Episode >|The Flickering Comet]]''</span> !!!Alone? <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s1e13" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s1e13" class="hidden">&bull; Make-up was used to age 36 year old Rufus Catchpole to a very old man for the earlier historical eras. According to casting agent <span class="inactive"><a>Irene Sloper</a></span>, "It would be easier than de-ageing an old fella." &bull; From the [[audio recording|Audio Recordings]] it seems apparent that the ritual performed by Maerlyn was the //Babalon Working,// a Thelemic ritual famously performed by Jack Whiteside Parsons and based on the ideas of Aleister Crowley. Writer Robert Hale denies this, claiming that it was in fact the //Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram,// a ceremonial magic ritual devised by the Order of the Golden Dawn. &bull; <i>See also:</i> ''Main article:'' <span class="textchange">[[Excalibur Was Cursed|Fan Theories]]</span> ''[[Back to Episode >|Alone?]]''</span> <div class="cbox">Categories: Trivia</div><<set $s2trivia to "seen">>\ !Season Two Trivia The second season of //Excalibur// ran from September 4, 1975 to November 27, 1975 and contained 13 episodes. This page lists lesser-known facts relating to each episode in Season Two. Each episode's trivia sections can be expanded and collapsed by clicking the "+/-" link beside the title. !!!Eclosion <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e1" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e1" class="hidden">&bull; Following the disastrous run of //MacBeth// at the Old Vic theatre in Bristol, actor [[Michael Neame]] went back to producer [[Jerry Newbaum]] with his tail between his legs, begging to be reinstated as Trellick. Despite objections from [[Derek Farland]], Newbaum agreed, and the character was reinstated, alongside his alter-ego Trugg. In subsequent episodes the two became a kind of double-act. &bull; The idea that Trellick is now autotrophic and will "require occasional watering" was intended as a running joke at the expense of actor [[Michael Neame]]. Trellick received a dousing in two further episodes, but the gag was dropped after production designer [[Bryan MacAuley]] received an electric shock caused by puddles of water on the set. &bull; Many fans have pointed out the similarities between //Eclosion// and the Star Trek movie, //The Search for Spock//, though writer Robert Hale has claimed that the episode was inspired by a story from //Singular Travels, Campaigns, Voyages, and Sporting Adventures of Baron Munchausen// by Rudolph Eric Raspe (1785). &bull; While the sets were in storage between filming the two seasons, a winter gale blew the roof off one of the storage hangars used to store the sets. As a result, part of the bridge set of the //Excalibur// was damaged by rain entering through the hole in the roof. ''[[Back to Episode >|Eclosion]]''</span> !!!The Quest of Sir Caradoc <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e2" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e2" class="hidden">&bull; The Quest of Sir Caradoc was the first episode in the shooting schedule for Season 2. &bull; Caradoc, his quest, and his homeworld Gwyllion are all inspired heavily by Arthuriana, a subject in which writer Robert Hale was particularly well-versed. The most obvious and direct example of this inspiration is the Questing Beast or Beast Galtisant, named and designed after the monster by the same name from Arthurian legend. &bull; Between the filming of Season 1 and Season 2, lead actor Ray Torrence, ever self-conscious about his appearance, had his uneven teeth capped. His new teeth, now perfectly straight and white, had the unfortunate tendency to glow white under UV light, much to the annoyance of (and the source of much ridicule from) director Hugh Goulding. In the end, their whiteness had to be reduced by the make-up team, which was very upsetting for Torrence. ''Goulding:'' //"Whiter than a clown's greasepaint, they were. I would rather have worked with a clown, in fact. Or a mime. It would have been easier. Better actors."// ''[[Back to Episode >|The Quest of Sir Caradoc]]''</span> !!!The Labyrinth of Likeness <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e3" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e3" class="hidden">&bull; [[Derek Farland]] was furious about the finished episode, insisting that director [[Melvin LaGomme]] had ruined the story with spurious special effects and overt sylisation. &bull; Michael Neame said of the episode, "I'm not sure why the writers decided to give Spencer's character this fear of mirrors. It was Ray (Torrence) who had the mirror obsession. He couldn't walk past one without checking his face in it for a line or a grey hair!" (Source: Shining Sheath Issue #2, 1997) &bull; Ray Torrence was 6' 1" tall, but Spencer Patrick was an inch taller at 6' 2." From the next episode onwards, Torrence wore hidden wedges in his shoes in order to gain an extra inch. ''[[Back to Episode >|The Labyrinth of Likeness]]''</span> !!!The Soul of Wit <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e4" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e4" class="hidden">&bull; One of the last episodes to be written by [[Clifford Carson]], who by this point was beginning to lose interest in the series and has his eyes on other projects. With Carson losing interest and Farland entering the throes of a nervous breakdown, the brunt of the writing work in season two fell to [[Robert Hale]], assisted by [[Eleanor Wirral]] and one-off scripts from new writers. Carson's script for [[The Soul of Wit]] was five pages too short, and with Hale busy with the other episodes, producer [[Jerry Newbaum]] told director [[Hugh Goulding]] "just make something up." &bull; According to [[Hugh Goulding]], [[Carson|Clifford Carson]]'s decision to move back to the United States was more than a matter of money: "Carson didn't go back to the States because he was tired of //Excalibur//, or because he'd had a better offer. He left because things were getting too bloody //weird.// Ever since they did that film shoot up at Glastonbury Tor, things had been going wrong. They performed some sort of ritual up there. Messing with things they shouldn't have. And there were consequences." &bull; //The Soul of Wit// includes, for no reason at all, a four minute long scene of Alfie performing a solo Morris dance for the entertainment of the Iambans. With the episode running short, editor [[Terry Mann]] was forced to leave it in. When asked about the scene, director Hugh Goulding explained: "I was chatting with Terrence (Lannark) and he happened to mention that he'd been a member of the Blackhorse and Standard Morris dancers group. So I thought, well, let's have some of that in the episode! Why not? Perhaps the old boy had been a Morris dancer back on Earth." Goulding had presumably forgotten that Alfie was meant to be a prematurely aged version of Kray's young son, and was unlikely to have practiced folk dancing. Speaking of the scene, fellow director Peter Hopcroft said "It was bloody ridiculous. That's what happens when you employ someone from Light Entertainment to direct drama!" &bull; The Iamban diplomat [[Molossus]] was played by Shakespearean actor <span class="inactive"><a>Richard Braban</a></span>, famous for playing MacBeth in a very succesful run at the Swan Theatre in Stratford. [[Michael Neame]], whose run in the same role had recently been cancelled after just eight shows, was resentful towards Braban, blanking him on set and refusing an invitation to attend post-rehearsal drinks. (Source: "The Play's the Thing: A Life in Theatre" by Richard Braban, 1996) ''[[Back to Episode >|The Soul of Wit]]''</span> !!!The Secret of Wendra <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e5" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e5" class="hidden">&bull; The actors clearly found Eleanor Wirral's names difficult to pronounce. [[Heather Kincaid]], who played Wendra, pronounced [[Euxxithique]] "Zootheek," whereas [[Netta Skarsgard]] pronounced it "You-ithick." Since neither character mentions the name of the planet in the presence of the other, the discrepancy was never noticed. &bull; Unusually, the regular cast do not appear until nearly 20 minutes into the episode. &bull; A sequence in which [[Yalsa]] uses a cockerel for divination was inspired by the sensational documentary film //LEGEND OF THE WITCHES (1970)//. Fortunately for younger viewers, Yalsa does not eviscerate the cockerel. According to production designer [[Bryan MacAuley]], "The bird wandered off during a break in filming. It was never found. It turned out I was allergic to chickens, so I didn't waste too much time looking for it." ''[[Back to Episode >|The Secret of Wendra]]''</span> !!!The Exile <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e6" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e6" class="hidden">&bull; //The Exile// was the last complete episode to be written by [[Clifford Carson]], sent in the mail from California where Carson was already working on his [[next project|Terrorvator]]. The manuscript was ten pages short of the full length for an episode (one page equals roughly one minute), and the result is a rather slow-moving story, not helped by the fact that [[Hugh Goulding]] was assigned to direct. Some additional dialogue was added by [[Derek Farland]] at the behest of [[Robert Hale]]. Farland particularly hated the fact that code to the cloaking device is obtained by threatening [[Zyntax]] with violence, but it was too late to change it. The episode is considered one of the worst episodes of //Excalibur//. ''Robert Hale:'' //"Cliff was phoning it in by this point. When the manuscript arrived in the post I could tell it was short before I even opened the envelope. He'd moved on to bigger and shinier things, and left it to me to pick up the slack."// ''Derek Farland:'' //"The single most unimaginative episode in the show's entire run. Bar none."// ''Jerry Neubaum:'' //"I was in the room when Robert opened the envelope. There was the script, which was short, and three tarot cards, the magician, the chariot, and the tower. Robert picked them up and left the room without a word."// &bull; During the making of //The Exile,// Kate Gregory expressed her dissatisfaction with the quality of the writing for the female characters, Zana in particular. ''Kate Gregory:'' //"Cliff's scripts were on the level of Boy's Own Adventures. None of the female characters were written with any sort of depth. My character was supposed to be an intelligent, capable woman, an astronavigator, for God's sake. In this one she's little short of an idiot. There was no consistency."// &bull; This episode ranks at number two in [[Ian Newell]]'s top ten episodes list (//Shining Sheath,// issue three, 1998). ''[[Back to Episode >|The Exile]]''</span> !!!The Open Maw <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e7" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e7" class="hidden">&bull; Clive Wilson-Davies, a playwright known for his unconventional productions, wrote and directed the episode. Head writer Robert Hale was forced to call upon untried writers owing to the increased unreliability of Carson and Farland. &bull; The last episode to feature Alfie, played by [[Terrence Lannark]]. No explanation is given for the character's disappearance, and he is never mentioned again. Halfway through the episode he tells Kray "I'll check the rheostats," leaves the bridge by the main door, and never returns. When asked about this at a convention, [[Ray Torrence]] (Kray) replied, "Who?" &bull; A somewhat divisive episode; some viewers greatly enjoyed its horror elements, but the general consensus has strayed toward dissatisfaction with its positioning as a filler episode. &bull; This episode noticibly departs from the plot begun in the previous episode, and openly purports to have wasted the crew's time; some fans and viewers felt that their time was wasted as well. &bull; Conservative activist Felicity Homestead criticised this episode heavily for its violence and its "horrific" nature. ''Homestead:'' //"I found it to be a terrible, terrible intrusion into my evening. This glorification of violence, the strangulation and dismemberment &mdash; my word, the obscene sounds! And the creatures &mdash; abominable, surely against the will of God. It's utterly ghastly. It should be pulled from television and disposed of entirely."// ''[[Back to Episode >|The Open Maw]]''</span> !!!The Eye That Scans the Land <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e8" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e8" class="hidden">&bull; //The Eye That Scans the Land// was originally meant to have been episode 3 of season 2, but was recorded and inserted into the series later due to late delivery of the script. &bull; //The Eye That Scans the Land// was the cause of a major falling-out between writer [[Derek Farland]] and producer [[Jerry Newbaum]]. According to [[Robert Hale]], Farland considered this episode his best, and was furious when he learned that [[Hugh Goulding]] had been assigned to direct. &bull; //The Eye That Scans the Land// was never broadcast. In 1974, the generation of electricity was severely restricted owing to industrial action by coal miners. To reduce electricity consumption, and thus conserve coal stocks, the Central Electricity Generating Board lobbied for a staggered shutdown on BBC and ITV, alternating nightly, and the government agreed. The scheduled broadcast of the episode just happened to fall on one of those evenings. Derek Farland, an ardent supporter of the miners, was conflicted, since he considered the episode to be his masterpiece. Jerry Newbaum requested that the episode be rescheduled, but the sci-fi show was not considered a priority by the BBC, and the idea was dropped. As a result, //The Eye That Scans the Land// is the only episode for which neither an [[audio recording|Audio Recordings]] nor a [[transcript|The Peevey Archive]] exists. &bull; Farland remains bitter, and has never spoken about the episode. His next script for the series, his last, would never be completed. ''[[Back to Episode >|The Eye That Scans the Land]]''</span> !!!Leviathan <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e9" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e9" class="hidden"> &bull; [[Location shooting|Location Shooting]] for the episode was done at Bosistow Cliffs, Nanjizal, Cornwall. &bull; The working title for the episode was 'Oannes,' the name of an amphibious being in Mesopotamian mythology, which writer [[Eleanor Wirral]] intended for the name of the planet. Due to edits in the script, the planet is never named in the final episode, and script editor [[Robert Hale]] took the decision to rename the episode Leviathan, after the more familiar biblical sea serpent. &bull; The episode used an unusual number of special effects and model shots, and [[Bryan MacAuley]] had his work cut out for him. ''MacAuley:'' //"I blew half the effects budget for the season on that one, and I still don't think I did the script justice."// &bull; During the scenes where Trugg is being 'tested' by the crab-men, Trellick, back on board the //Excalibur//, feels a telepathic echo of Trugg's pain. This is described by Trellick as 'sympathetic resonance,' a symptom of the fact that the two are essentially the same person. ''[[Back to Episode >|Leviathan]]''</span> !!!The Planet of the Kwanga <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e10" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e10" class="hidden">&bull; The Anglo-German Spacerock band [[Lohengrin]] named their third album after this episode. The starship Excalibur can be seen in the top left hand corner of the album cover, and the lyrics of two tracks on the album make reference to events and characters within //Excalibur// itself. &bull; The 'hantises' - human mantises, were named in honour of the 1931 [[essay|Hantises]] by [[Jean Michel Vaillant]]. The name is a pun &mdash; 'hantises' means hauntings in French. ''[[Back to Episode >|The Planet of the Kwanga]]''</span> !!!Upon A Painted Ocean <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e11" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e11" class="hidden">&bull; Episode 11 was supposed to have been written by [[Derek Farland]], but his "That’s Nice Dear" breakdown forced Robert Hale to hurriedly write a replacement. He based this story upon a rejected script from season one, originally entitled "The Third Who Walks Beside You," which had originally been rejected for being too similar to season 1's [[The Shadow of Fantasy]]. There is a kind of uncanniness about the finished episode that divides the opinion of the fans. &bull; The episode title is from //The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere// by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The original title referenced T. S. Eliot's //The Wasteland//. &bull; The episode references the Third Man Factor, a phenomenon in which an unseen presence such as a spirit provides comfort or support during traumatic experiences. The phenomenon was famously reported by the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. &bull; This episode completely contradicts S1E11, [[The Time Scientist]], in which it is revealed that the //Excalibur// is equipped with an ion-conversion engine. ''[[Back to Episode >|Upon a Painted Ocean]]''</span> !!!The Entropic Force <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e12" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e12" class="hidden">&bull; In an interview for [[Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur]], writer [[Robert Hale]] and director [[Peter Hopcroft]] spoke candidly of the difficulties involved with the making of this episode: ''Robert Hale:'' //"I was in a bind, because Derek had been contracted to write episodes 11 and 12, but for various reasons he was in no fit state to do so, and Cliff had gone back to the US to deal with some [[film project|Terrorvator]] he was involved in, so it was all down to me, you see. I had to write Derek's episode and then I had the penultimate one to do as well. But the last episode was already written, so I turned it into a two-parter. There wasn't really enough material for two episodes, but what else could I do?"// ''Peter Hopcroft:'' //"This episode and the next one came in seriously underlength, because Robert had essentially taken what was intended to be a single episode and stretched it out into a two parter. Anyway, there was this effect that happens, this super-weapon that erases history, and [editor] [[Terry Mann]] says to me, why don't we use some of this? And it's this huge leftover reel of one-inch videotape containing Melvin LeGomme's unused experiments, and there are //hours// of this bloody stuff. So I said, fuck it, why not? And that's how all that weird shit ended up in the episode. We took all the best bits, and threw it all in there, boom!"// &bull; This episode was listed in the Radio Times as "The Sleeping Giants," and not "The Entropic Force." It seems likely that "The Entropic Force" was Derek Farland's original title, and Robert Hale intended to change it, but that some miscommuincation occurred and the final episode went out with the original title. &bull; In this and the following episode, [[Poseidon]] is voiced by [[Michael Neame]], an excellent mimic who was able to give a fair impersonation of the late [[Lionel Farr]]'s resonant tone. Footage of Farr's face was used to give a sort of Wizard of Oz mirage effect. ''[[Back to Episode >|The Entropic Force]]''</span> !!!You Can't Go Home Again <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#s2e13" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="s2e13" class="hidden">&bull; //You Can't Go Home Again// takes its title from the 1940 novel by Thomas Wolfe. It also shares its title with a 2005 episode of //Battlestar Galactica.// &bull; The scenes with [[Kray]] and [[Arco]] on the moors were the last to be filmed. There was little in the way of a script, so the actors improvised the scene, and its comedic tone jarrs somewhat with the rather bleak scenes which follow. ''Gene Taylor (Arco):'' //"It was very cold, so [[Ray|Ray Torrence]] got out this huge hip flask and said to me, 'Let's have a little nip of something, to warm us up.' Well, we had a lot of little nips of something, and by the time the shooting was finished we were quite pissed. And of course we got the crew to drop us off at a pub on the way home, so the rest of the evening was a complete blur."// &bull; When the crew consult the Grimoire in this episode, what it reveals is too horrible to relate, and its words go unspoken. &bull; Asked about the strange, disjointed feel of the last two episodes, writer Robert Hale instead commented on the series as a whole: ''Robert Hale:'' //"In the end, I think we were all just pulling in different directions. Carson and I wanted this quite serious Space Opera, if you like, edgy, with political undercurrents and elements of folklore. Jerry (Newbaum) wanted a children's show to compete with //Doctor Who//, and Derek Farland, well, he really should have been writing kitchen sink dramas. In the end, the show just sort of tore itself apart."// ''[[Back to Episode >|You Can't Go Home Again]]''</span> <div class="cbox">Categories: Trivia</div>!Excalibur: The Complete Digitally Remastered Series A proposed DVD re-release of //Excalibur//, otherwise known as //Excalibur Remastered//. !!Production In 2001, rumors of a digitally-remastered DVD set of the full Excalibur series began to surface online, following the discovery of several rolls of film, beleived to be from the series, in the storeroom of a television relay station in Nigeria. However, after several months without further announcements, the DVD remaster was reported to be cancelled &mdash; without ever having been explicitly confirmed to begin with. !!Suspicion of Hoax It is possible that the Remaster was a hoax conducted by a fan or a group of fans, as it was never confirmed by Arturia Entertainment or any other companies associated with production. While episodes of many BBC TV shows were transferred to film prints for syndication overseas, it is not believed to have been the case with //Excalibur.// Due to the amount of footage that has been lost, erased, or otherwise damaged beyond repair, it may be impossible to remaster the series in earnest. Many cast and crew members are also no longer alive, and those who are alive are rarely available or willing to comment on //Excalibur//. Others, like [[Gene Taylor]], have withdrawn from public life. [[Sebastian Sullivan]], who may have been willing to discuss //Excalibur// several decades after his involvement, is rumored to have disappeared in 2001, occurring shortly after the //Excalibur Remastered// rumors surfaced. In response to the series cancellation, remaster rumor, and other //Excalibur//-related curiosities, a project called [[Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur]] was started in 2006 by an anonymous fan of the series. !!!3 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Huge shame if this was a hoax. It would have been great to see some footage or at least audio restored if they actually still had it lying around somewhere. <span class="date">July 27, 2010 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment2">Didn't Sebastian turn up in Hungary a while ago? <span class="date">September 15, 2011 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Nope, that was confirmed to be somebody else. <span class="date">September 21, 2011 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment2">Huh. Weird to think it's been 10 years now. <span class="date">September 26, 2011 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: <a>TV Series</a></div><<set $interviews to "seen">>\ !Interviews As part of the [[Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur]] project, VerdantKnight and HandOfBedivere were able to secure several interviews with people connected to //Excalibur//, including cast and crew members. These interviews were primarily conducted via telephone, email, and text. Some interviews were recorded &mdash; however, because HandOfBedivere was in possession of certain unedited files, many have been lost. Certain interviews and documents have been transcribed here, in an abridged format. !!!Spencer Patrick (Transcript) <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#i1" "hidden show">><</link>> <i>HandOfBedivere conducted a ''telephone interview'' with [[Spencer Patrick]] ([[Ector Caradoc]]) in 2011.</i> <span id="i1" class="hidden">''B:'' Hi, Mr. Patrick. It's wonderful to get to speak to you. Thank you so much for chatting with me. ''SP:'' Thank you, [HandOfBedivere]. It's my pleasure. ''B:'' Since you were cast in season two, I was curious if you ever had the opportunity to visit [[Glastonbury Tor|Location Shooting]], where the pilot was shot? ''SP:'' I did, in fact, though not while shooting. [[Carson|Clifford Carson]] insisted, once it was agreed that I'd be a regular. It was, in fact, in my contract — in all of our contracts. I recall when Ray's and Kate's were amended to match. ''B:'' That's interesting. Do you know if that was true of every core cast member, or if that applied to extras and crew as well? ''SP:'' I'm afraid I don't have all the details. I don't believe the extras and all of the crew were obligated, no, but certainly those of us whose "purpose" was to be found on the ship Excalibur. Cliff's reasoning was somewhat… obtuse, but I followed it; the site of the pilot, the place the fictional ship was unearthed — our sword in the stone, so to speak. ''B:'' When did you visit? ''SP:'' Shortly before filming began. I visited with Cliff, initially, then again with a few others, further into shooting the season. We viewed St. Michael's, the mist… it's a picturesque place, certainly ethereal in its own right, though I know Ray found it rather unsettling. ''B:'' Did he say why? ''SP:'' Not to me, but I do seem to recall him blaming the place for the state of his hairline. His logic eludes me, but he did seem to lose more hair as filming went on.</span> !!!Peter Hopcroft's Assistant <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#i2" "hidden show">><</link>> <i>VerdantKnight engaged in a brief correspondence with [[Peter Hopcroft]]'s assistant via ''text messages'' in 2009. This is an abridged transcript of their conversation.</i> <span id="i2" class="hidden">''VK:'' Does he ever talk about [[Mr. Carson|Clifford Carson]]? ''A:'' the [[Terrorvator]] guy? ''A:'' now and then, yeah ''VK:'' They also worked on Excalibur together ''A:'' wikipedia says he died five years ago but I've only been doing this for the last year and a half ''A:'' so I don't hear much ''A:'' but he's told me carson got back in touch and sent him loads of weird letters near the end ''VK:'' Weird how? ''A:'' he called it "proselytizing" ''A:'' all the letters were invitations on some trip ''A:'' but they were always signed "do as thou wilt" ''A:'' sounds like carson joined some cult ''VK:'' He was into a specific mystic belief system since he was young. That was like a commandment of it ''A:'' maybe he wanted to get straight with his god before the big guy beamed him up ''VK:'' I'm... not sure that's exactly how his beliefs worked ''VK:'' But if he knew he was dying that could have prompted him to want to reconnect, yeah ''A:'' that's what my boss figures ''A:'' it sounds like he knew it was coming ''A:'' and he knew where he wanted to be ''A:'' idk though I'm just some bloke</span> !!!Professor N. Galen <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#i3" "hidden show">><</link>> <i>VerdantKnight spoke ''in person'' to a Classics professor about the basis of Clifford Carson's spiritual beliefs in 2012. Dr. Galen is a professor of Greek descent and teaches in America.</i> <span id="i3" class="hidden">''VK:'' Can you tell me about "thelema?" ''Prof. G:'' The word itself is an English transliteration of the Koine noun meaning "will." ''VK:'' Can you elaborate a little more? ''Prof. G:'' Koine Greek was common during the period between 336 BC to 300 AD. "Koine" itself means "common," but unless one is a classicist or a Greek Orthodox devotee, I suspect one doesn't often hear of it. If you've heard of "Biblical Greek" or "Alexandrian dialect," however, it's the same. ''VK:'' So, transposed into another religious context, we have this doctrine of Thelema that Aleister Crowley and my guy Clifford Carson were into. ''Prof. G:'' I can't claim to be an expert on Crowley, and you'll find more accomplished musings on theology in another department&mdash; ''VK:'' I couldn't get any of them to talk to me. ''Prof. G:'' <i>(laughs)</i> Be that as it may... I can tell you that <i>thelema</i>, the word itself, appears several times in both the Old and New Testaments. ''VK:'' It seems like, for Thelemites like Crowley and Carson, this idea of "will" or "True Will" is more individualized, wherein each person has a kind of "calling" &mdash; a purpose. Does that track? ''Prof. G:'' Not quite. The Biblical usage is always employed as a way to designate the will of God &mdash; divine will. ''VK:'' That has interesting implications for an individual's purpose being "divine" in this alternative belief system. Maybe. ''Prof. G:'' Perhaps. Do you have a theory about Mr. Carson's sense of purpose? His will &mdash; or what he felt he was destined to do? ''VK:'' Still working on it, to be honest. I think he bailed on Excalibur for a reason, but then it seems like he wanted to revisit "Avalon" again at the end of his life. That could be part of it. ''Prof. G:'' Very few of us reach the end without unfinished business.</span> !!!Robert Hale <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#i5" "hidden show">><</link>> <i>In 2015, VerdantKnight spoke ''in person'' to Excalibur lead writer [[Robert Hale]].</i> <span id="i5" class="hidden">''VK:'' I'm so pleased to have finally caught up with you. ''RH:'' I'm 87 years old, I must be getting slower. ''VK:'' You're a hard man to track down. ''RH:'' And yet here you are. ''VK:'' Haha! Ahem. Can I just begin by asking, what do you think of all the renewed interest in //Excalibur?// ''RH:'' You mean the website? ''VK:'' Well, yes &mdash; the wiki &mdash; and //Gwaith Camlan//. ''RH:'' I find it all rather amusing, and bemusing, and if I may say so, I think you're all rather missing the point. ''VK:'' I'm sorry? ''RH:'' Do you remember what the last one was called, the last episode? ''VK:'' "You Can't Go Home Again". ''RH:'' "You Can't Go Home Again". Thomas Wolfe. "You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to the escapes of Time and Memory ..." There seems to be a mania for nostalgia at the moment. For recreating the past. And that's a very dangerous thing. Do you know why? ''VK:'' I can't say I do. ''RH:'' Because it never really existed. ''VK:'' Excalibur? ''RH:'' The past! The good old days. A great deal of harm has been done in the name of recreating a glorious past that never really happened. Do you realise that there's no convincing evidence that King Arthur ever existed? ''VK:'' I'm aware it was a myth... ''RH:'' That's all it was. A patriotic myth. The romanticisation of Britain's past. And we're doing the same thing today. Do you know what the nineteen-seventies were really like? ''VK:'' Only what I remember. ''RH:'' Strikes, shortages, sexism, and the Black and White Minstrel Show. Yet the way people talk now, anyone would think they were Britain's glorious heyday. And that's the point, you see. You can't go back to the way things were, because they never were like that in the first place. We create our own past, we invent it. We make it whatever we want it to be. But the reality of it is, there is only //now.// The eternal //now.// ''VK:'' That's exactly what Bedi keeps telling me! Sorry &mdash; Hand of Bedivere &mdash; a... friend of mine. ''RH:'' I had a dog called Bedivere once. A Bearded Collie, hair right down over his eyes. We never knew whether he was coming or going. ''VK:'' I'm starting to feel the same way... </span> !!!Bedivere at Avalon <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#i4" "hidden show">><</link>> <i>In a trip that was part fandom pilgrimage and part continued research into [[Clifford Carson]]'s beliefs and superstitions, HandOfBedivere visited Glastonbury Tor in late 2012. He and VerdantKnight communicated during the trip via ''text message.''</i> <span id="i4" class="hidden">''VK:'' How's it going? ''B:'' Really great, the fog is something else ''VK:'' Fata Morgana! ''B:'' For real. ''VK:'' Are there a lot of tourists? ''B:'' Not tons, but I'm staying off the path, want to explore a bit where the actual scenes were shot ''B:'' I think I found one of our scenes ''B:'' It's a similar vista when you look at it from behind a camera ''B:'' Do you ever feel like we're reverse engineering this whole show? ''VK:'' That's one way to put it. ''VK:'' Excalibur is older than both of us. ''VK:'' I wasn't even a fetus yet by the time it was cancelled. ''B:'' Right lol ''B:'' We never got to see it in that context ''VK:'' Camlan is our context. ''B:'' omw home. Took a lot of photos! ''B:'' I wanted to kind of capture why Carson felt that people HAD to come here ''B:'' It's special to us because we're into the show and the myths and all, but that's different ''VK:'' I still can't really place why Carson felt that way if I'm being honest ''VK:'' It seems deeper than just superstition. Right? ''B:'' I'm not sure how to describe it, but I'm glad I came. ''VK:'' Next time we'll go together. ''B:'' I don't know. ''B:'' Of course I want to see you but ''B:'' I wouldn't feel right going back. <i>VerdantKnight lost contact with HandOfBedivere six months later.</i></span> * ''Main article:'' [[Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur]] <div class="cbox">Categories: Other</div>!Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur <<if ($s1trivia is "seen") and ($s2trivia is "seen") and ($theories is "seen") and ($cancellation is "seen") and ($interviews is "seen") and ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen") and ($s2e1 is "seen") and ($s2e2 is "seen") and ($s2e3 is "seen") and ($s2e4 is "seen") and ($s2e5 is "seen") and ($s2e6 is "seen") and ($s2e7 is "seen") and ($s2e8 is "seen") and ($s2e9 is "seen") and ($s2e10 is "seen") and ($s2e11 is "seen") and ($s2e12 is "seen") and ($s2e13 is "seen")>><<if ($fourohfour is not "true") and ($banned is not "true")>><center><div class="stub">Users may once again comment on this page. Please be courteous.</div></center><</if>><</if>>\ //Gwaith Camlan// is an independent documentary project which is "focused on uncovering the behind-the-scenes mysteries of //Excalibur//, including fallouts between cast and crew members, little-known technical difficulties, and strange occurrences on and off set." //Gwaith Camlan// was originally pursued as a hobby project by an American fan called "VerdantKnight" and published as a combination of video essays and blog posts. The project was initially titled "The Battle of Camlann: Excalibur Explained." It was later changed after gaining more traction and a co-contributor: fellow //Excalibur// fan, video editor, and photographer "HandOfBedivere," based in Western Europe. HandOfBedivere elaborated on the project's changing title in 2009: <<< ''HandOfBedivere:'' //"Excalibur Explained" is a bit more of a lofty promise than we really want to be making. I don't know if "explaining" it all is possible, but we can still pull on a lot of threads and see where they lead. Also, we honestly just think the Welsh version sounds a bit cooler!// <<< !!Hiatus //Camlan// has been in-progress irregularly since 2006. HandOfBedivere joined the project in 2008. Due to the absence of HandOfBedivere since 2013, development of the project has stymied, but creator VerdantKnight plans to continue working on it independently when he is able. !!Material //Gwaith Camlan// analyzes information from various sources, including: *Excalibur [[Episodes]] 1-26 *[[The Peevey Archive]] *[[Shining Sheath]] (Newell & Sprague) *[[Lodestar One|Lodestar One (Convention)]] Recollections *[[Fan Theories]] *[[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] *[[Season Two Trivia|S2 Trivia]] *<<if $interviews is not "seen">><span class="hl">[[Interviews]]</span><<else>>[[Interviews]]<</if>> with various cast and crew members !!Trivia *VerdantKnight's pseudodym is a reference to the eponymous character in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." He has revealed that his real name is Vince Bertilak, but he prefers to go by VK. *HandOfBedivere's pseudonym references Sir Bedivere, the one-handed knight of the round table known for casting King Arthur's famed Excalibur back into the lake from whence it came. His real name is not known. He is from Switzerland. !!!6 comments <<if ($s1trivia is "seen") and ($s2trivia is "seen") and ($theories is "seen") and ($cancellation is "seen") and ($interviews is "seen") and ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen") and ($s2e1 is "seen") and ($s2e2 is "seen") and ($s2e3 is "seen") and ($s2e4 is "seen") and ($s2e5 is "seen") and ($s2e6 is "seen") and ($s2e7 is "seen") and ($s2e8 is "seen") and ($s2e9 is "seen") and ($s2e10 is "seen") and ($s2e11 is "seen") and ($s2e12 is "seen") and ($s2e13 is "seen")>><<if ($fourohfour is not "true") and ($banned is not "true")>><div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment2"><center><div class="logout">[[LEAVE A COMMENT?|Login]]</div><br></center> <span class="date"><span class="blur">Ä̴̗p̷͓̜͐r̴͚͒̓ĩ̷̳̼l̶̹͋̂ ̸̫͆͛2̶̧̃ͅ,</span> 2021 by <span class="blur">a FANWIKI user</span></span></div></div><</if>><</if>> <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avishield.jpg]]</div><div class="comment1">Cross-posting this entry I saved from VK's old blog since I think it's worth knowing and it looks like he let his domain hosting lapse lately. More details on the hiatus: <i>"Regarding recent activity on the Gwaith Camlan project, or lack thereof: As you probably know, my collaborator and companion HandOfBedivere has been invaluable in compiling information and securing interviews for the project. If you also follow Bedi, which you should, you know that he recently took a trip to visit our own Glastonbury Tor. I wish I could have gone with him, but distance has always been an obstacle for us, with me being in the US and him in Europe. However, I was in contact with him during the trip, and he had plenty of interesting observations. He also shot some great footage. What I do know is that he returned home safely. What I don't know is where he is now. This is, to put it bluntly, a huge source of anxiety to me. We used to be in touch almost daily, but I haven't heard from him in a few months. When I hear from him, and I hope to, I'll be sure to update everyone. Until then, I will be taking a break. Thank you for understanding."</i> I really am sorry to hear about this, VK. Hope all is well with Bedivere. (And I do hate to say "I told you so," but this is one of many reasons why you shouldn't let Excalibur drag you into a relationship. I sure learned my lesson...) <span class="date">November 8, 2014 by [[INEWELL]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avieggs.png]]</div><div class="comment2">I wasn't going to reply to this and start drama, but that's so insensitive, Ian. I don't even care if you're going to bring me up, since you can't resist apparently, but leave VK alone. I know you don't respect ANYBODY'S privacy, but if (God forbid) something did happen to Bedi, the least you can do is not smugly comment on their relationship. Grow an ounce of tact! VK, if you're reading this, I'm sorry and I hope you hear from him soon, and not just because I loved your blog. <span class="date">February 8, 2014 by [[DameDuLac]]</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avishield.jpg]]</div><div class="comment1">Ask Colin to change your username to WhiteKnight already. You two can match! <span class="date">February 8, 2014 by [[INEWELL]]</span></div> <div class="avatar">[img[images/avilabyrinth.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Thank you very much, Anna. I know this is... a very late response, but still. Ian, since I did lose my domain and spend a lot of time offline, I appreciate you cross-posting for posterity, but I hope you'll leave out the commentary on my personal life in the future. My approach to my relationship was a far cry from yours, and that's all I'll say about that. <span class="date">November 9, 2015 by [[VerdantKnight]]</span></div> <div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment2">I hate to say it, but maybe he just moved on. I'm into the show too, and I thought this blog was great, but you can only make some show your whole identity for so long. It's weird to ghost somebody instead of just explain that though, so who knows what happened to him. Sorry, I guess that's kind of bleak. <span class="date">May 23, 2014 by A FANWIKI user</span></div></div></div> <div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">I can't seem to find any links to the first few vids anymore. Did VerdantKnight take them down? <span class="date">September 28, 2013 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avieggs.png]]</div><div class="comment2">It looks like VK was hosting those on his own site, but it's down right now. I'm sure he'll have it up and running again soon! <span class="date">October 3, 2013 by [[DameDuLac]]</span></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: Theories</div> !Molossus <<sidebar>>\ !!Molossus ''Species:'' Iamban / Batlike Humanoid ''Age:'' Unknown ''Affiliation:'' Iamban Diplomat ''Played by:'' <span class="inactive"><a>Richard Braban</a></span> <</sidebar>>\ Molossus was the Chief Diplomat of the Iambans, a race of bat-like creatures encountered by the [[The Excalibur]] crew in S2E4: <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Soul of Wit]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Soul of Wit</a></span><</if>>. The Iambans spoke entirely in iambic pentameter, using special speech synthesisers to make them sound human. Molossus is charming and witty, and Zana finds his rich, resonant voice attractive, leading [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] to comment, "Why, Zana, I do believe you're falling in love with a bat!" Molossus was played by Shakespearean actor <span class="inactive"><a>Richard Braban</a></span>, famous for his portrayal of MacBeth at the Swan Theatre in Stratford Upon Avon. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Characters]]</div><<set $theories to "seen">>\ !Fan Theories <center><div class="spoileralert"><div class="avatar">[img[images/shield.png]]</div> This page may contain <b>unmarked spoilers</b>. Venture forth with caution!</div></center> Many theories, interpretations and speculations about the show //Excalibur// have been propounded over the years; some of the more popular are listed below. !!!Alfie was Written Out in S2E8 <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#theoryA" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="theoryA" class="hidden">Whilst it's generally supposed that the character of Alfie, played by [[Terrence Lannark]], disappears without explanation midway through S2E7, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Open Maw]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Open Maw</a></span><</if>>, there is evidence to suggest that the character was in fact written out in the following episode, <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Eye That Scans the Land]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Eye That Scans the Land</a></span><</if>>. A photograph published in the Waltham Forest Echo, to accompany a story about Lannark's tunnel digging activity, appears to show Lannark with other members of the //Excalibur// cast on a set that is not seen anywhere else in the series. The cast are standing against a brick wall, with the numbers "0-2-5-8-8" painted on it. The theory holds that this is part of a set built to represent the occupied city of London, which is commonly supposed to be the setting of the lost episode. When shown the photograph, director [[Peter Hopcroft]] denied this, stating that the wall was simply the back wall of Television Centre Studio Two, and that the photograph was probably taken on a cigarette break during the filming of <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>>[[The Secret of Wendra]]<<else>><span class="inactive"><a>The Secret of Wendra</a></span><</if>>. The number 02588 is a German phone code representing Harsewinkel-Greffen in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Harsewinkel-Greffen is located on //[[Heilige Linien|The Lodestar Matrix]]// number 30.</span> !!!Excalibur was Cursed <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#theory0" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="theory0" class="hidden">This theory was based on a comment made by director [[Hugh Goulding]] in issue #2 of [[Shining Sheath]], regarding [[Clifford Carson]]'s decision to leave the show: ''Hugh Goulding:'' "Carson didn't go back to the States because he was tired of //Excalibur//, or because he'd had a better offer. He left because things were getting too bloody weird. Ever since they did that film shoot up at Glastonbury Tor, things had been going wrong. They performed some sort of ritual up there. Messing with things they shouldn't have. And there were consequences." The ritual Goulding refers to took place not at Glastonbury Tor, but at Stonehenge, during the filming of the season 1 finale, [[Alone?]] Prior to writing //Excalibur//, Carson had become interested in the spiritual doctrine of Thelema, developed by Aleister Crowley, and it is believed that he may have taken part in some of the Thelemic rituals performed by the rocket scientist Jack Whiteside Parsons at his home on South Terrace Drive, Pasadena. Robert Hale, meanwhile, was a practising Wiccan, and it was their shared interest in the occult that drew the two writers together when they met in the late 1960s. For reasons best known to themselves, the writers decided to incorporate a genuine Thelemic ritual into final episode of season 1, [[Alone?]]. Although Robert Hale claims that the ritual performed was the //Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram,// a ceremonial magic ritual devised by the Order of the Golden Dawn, evidence from the [[Audio Recordings]] suggest that it was in fact the //Babalon Working//. By performing this ritual, it has been suggested, the makers of the show brought down a curse upon themselves and on the show. Various incidents, including the death of [[Lionel Farr]], injuries sustained by cast members [[Spencer Patrick]] and [[Yvonne Evans]], [[Derek Farland]]'s nervous breakdown, the disappearance of Dieter Irmler and the [[erasure|Erasure]] of the show itself, have been cited as incidences of the curse. </span> !!!The Mer-Guards are reanimated corpses <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#theoryB" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="theoryB" class="hidden">It is suggested in [[Through the Barricade]] that the [[Mer-Guards]] were once human before being transformed into Poseidon's amphibious minions. However, it is never confirmed whether these humans were alive or dead before being transformed. Some fans have cited the extremity of the Mer-Guards transformations and their general lack of free will as evidence that they may be reanimated corpses. As a <span class="spoiler2">lich</span>, Poseidon is familiar with necromancy and would presumably be capable of utilizing the bodies of drowned sailors and other unfortunates as a basis for his army.</span> !!!Excaliur was Erased Deliberately <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#theory5" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="theory5" class="hidden">This theory originates in a leaked employee roster from the BBC Film and Television Library, dated 1977, which lists one S. Sullivan among the staff. [[Sebastian Sullivan]], who played [[young Alfie|Alfie]], is believed to hold a grudge against the series, having been being ousted from the show by producer [[Jerry Newbaum]]. There are two reasons why this theory is unlikely to be right. One is that the process of erasing old programmes had been discontinued by 1977. The other is that in 1977, Sullivan would have been just 16, and still at school.</span> !!!Excalibur Never Existed <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#theory1" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="theory1" class="hidden">A theory propounded by [[Ewan Neale]], a prominent and well respected member of the //Excalibur// fan community, is that the show //Excalibur// never existed at all. His theory states that the show is in fact an elaborate hoax, invented by [[Ian Newell]] and [[Anna Sprague]]. &bull; No IMDB page exists for the show //Excalibur//, nor for any of the actors, crew, or writers associated with the show. &bull; Scarcely any of [[Geoff Peevey|The Peevey Archive]]'s screenshots of the show feature members of the regular cast. "It's mightily suspicious." argued Neale on the //Excalibur// Usenet group rec.arts.excalibur. Ian Newell countered with the argument that Peevey had already admitted he was a terrible photographer, and that Linda Peevey had agreed, describing how Geoff had somehow managed to cut her head off on every holiday snap he'd ever taken. &bull; That the circumstances of //Excalibur's// [[deletion|Erasure]] were just a little too convenient. "Very few shows were erased in their entirity," Neale argued, "and what's more, nearly every copy of the [[annual|The Excalibur Annual]] was pulped, as well! What a coincidence!" [[Anna Sprague]] responded with the suggestion that perhaps the show was erased deliberately, possibly because it contained sensitive or contraversial material, or that the show had fallen victim to a //curse//. Neale goes on to say that none of these counter-arguments stand up to close scrutiny, and that he intends to continue searching for evidence that //Excalibur// is a hoax. </span> !!!Excalibur is an example of the Mandela Effect <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#theory2" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="theory2" class="hidden">In a lengthy <span class="inactive"><a>blog post</a></span>, super-fan [[Anna Sprague]] propounded the theory that //Excalibur// was an example of the //Mandela Effect//, and that, furthermore, it was proof of the existence of a parallel universe. The term "Mandela Effect" refers to a false memory that can be shared by multiple people. It was first coined in 2009 by paranormal expert <span class="inactive"><a>Fiona Broome</a></span> when she published a website detailing her experience of the phenomenon. Broome had been at a conference talking with other people about how she remembered the tragedy of former South African president Nelson Mandela's death in a South African prison in the 1980s. In reality &mdash; at least in //our// reality &mdash; Mandela passed away in 2013. It turned out that Broome was not alone in mis-remembering the event, and she further speculated that the differences in peoples' memories might by explained by movement between parallel realities. Anna Sprague, intrigued by Broome's theories, suggested in her blog post that the parallel universe explanation would account for the lack of IMDB pages for the actors involved in //Excalibur//, and indeed for the lack any evidence whatsoever outside of this wiki that the series ever happened at all. She compared //Excalibur// with the movie <span class="inactive"><a>Shazam</a></span>. Opponents of Sprague's theory, including [[Ewan Neale]], have suggested that fans who claim to remember //Excalibur// might in fact be recalling similar shows such as //Space 1999// or //Blake's 7//, and confusing the memories.</span> !!!The Lethe Ray Virus <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#theory4" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="theory4" class="hidden">In 2009, a person calling themselves "YoungAlfie" and claiming to be the actor [[Sebastian Sullivan]], posted on the now defunct rec.arts.excalibur newsgroup. YoungAlfie claimed to have created a computer virus capable of erasing every reference to the TV show //Excalibur// from the internet. YoungAlfie named the virus "Lethe Ray," after the weapon used by [[Poseidon]] to erase the crew from time in the [[final episode|You Can't Go Home Again]]. YoungAlfie was treated with derision by members of the community, and responded aggressively resulting in a lengthy flame war. Eventually, the matter was forgotten. Recently, however, a small group of fans have postulated that perhaps YoungAlfie had indeed used his virus, and that this would explain the lack of information about //Excalibur// available online. The technical difficulty in writing such a program leads most fans to dismiss the theory as nonsense.</span> !!!Excalibur itself is a tulpa <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#theory6" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="theory6" class="hidden">A theory spawned by the events of [[The Oneironaut]], in which the titular character causes several tulpas to manifest. This theory posits that the TV series //Excalibur// itself is not merely a result of the Mandela Effect, but a tulpa that has been actualized by the collective beliefs of its fans. A tulpa is said to be brought into existence by spiritual or mental power, such as an individual's imagination giving life to a specific concept. In this case, the tulpa in question would not be a personified intelligent being, but nevertheless an autonomous &mdash; and perhaps sentient &mdash; entity. In discussing this theory, [[Anna Sprague]] has cited influences including the Theosphists Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater, and the Russian esotericist P. D. Ouspensky.</span> !!!Excalibur is a work of interactive fiction <<link "+/-">><<toggleclass "#theory3" "hidden show">><</link>> <span id="theory3" class="hidden">One of the stranger theories surrounding the show is that the //Excalibur// fan wiki is not a fan wiki at all, but a work of interactive fiction created using Twine, an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories. Names connected with the theory are <span class="inactive"><a>J. J. Guest</a></span>, an author normally associated with comedic parser fiction, <span class="inactive"><a>G. C. "Grim" Baccaris</a></span>, known for thought-provoking multimedia Twine games, and <span class="inactive"><a>Duncan Bowsman</a></span>, whose idiosyncratic works include the "shake and nod" choice-based game //The Ascot//. Among the theory's opponents are super-fan [[Ian Newell]], who described it as "frankly laughable," not least because, by extension, the theory would seem to imply that he himself did not exist, whereas "I was definitely here the last time I looked." Fellow fan [[Anna Sprague]] on the other hand, has stated that the theory held "intriguing possibilities in the light of parallel universes. One world's fiction might be another's reality." The three authors named by the theory were not available for comment.</span> <div class="cbox">Categories: Theories</div>!The Excalibur Annual The //Excalibur Annual// was an annual published in 1974 by World Distributors. Annuals are hardbound books priced at pocket money prices and released in time for the Christmas market. They normally contain a mixture of prose and comic strip stories, along with puzzles, quizzes, games and a varying amount of filler material usually having little connection with the television show they were tied in with. //Doctor Who// annuals were been printed every year between 1965 and 1985. Owing to the cancellation of //Excalibur//, only one //Excalibur Annual// was ever published. It appears that clearance was only obtained for the likenesses [[Kray]] and [[Zana]], with the other characters looking nothing like their onscreen counterparts. [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]] is depicted with a beard, Trugg has two heads, and [[Alfie]] is a girl. !!Contents !!!Prose Stories Terror on Terravornia Visit to Outerebus The planet of Tarrax Biscuits of Evil !!!Comic Strip Stories The Time Toddler Spaceship of Hope Mind Rabbits of Mirrolos The Sentient Sponge 2280: Moonman Plague !!!Features The Real Poseidon Telstar - A Modern Miracle To The Moon and Back The Knights of the Round Table !!!Puzzles Double Trouble! (spot the difference) Spaceword Puzzle (crossword) Escape From the Pink Dimension (board game) !!Distribution Due to an administrative error, nearly every copy of the //Excalibur Annual// was accidentally pulped, leaving only library and review copies actually distributed. As of this time (2011), only two copies are known to exist. One is in the possession of super-fan [[Ian Newell]], who reproduced some of the illustrations in issue five of [[Shining Sheath]]. In 1997, [[Anna Sprague]] asked to see his copy of the annual, and noticed that it contained a library stamp for Hatfield Library, indicating that it had been withdrawn in 1977. Two years later, after their breakup, Sprague phoned Hatfield Library and reported Newell, giving his current address. Newell subsequently received an overdue book fine for £2,920, along with a written demand for the return of the book. Rather than return the annual, Newell moved house. He did not give Anna Sprague his new address. The other copy resides at the Science Fiction Museum of Wales, Betws-y-Coed (visits by appointment only). <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Derivative Works]]</div>!Gene Taylor (1953-) <center><div class="stub"><div class="avatar">[img[images/sword1.png]]</div> This article is a stub. You can help the Excalibur Wiki by <span class="inactive"><a title="Editing privileges revoked!">expanding it</a></span>.</div></center> <<sidebar>>\ !!Gene Taylor ''Born:'' 04 April 1953, Suffolk, England ''Role:'' [[Arco]] <</sidebar>> Gene Taylor played the character of [[Arco]] in //Excalibur//. Taylor is described as being a quiet individual who kept a low profile on set and disliked the attention that came with being a television star. According to [[Kate Gregory]], Taylor had quite a striking appearance, with "hair that was unfashionably short for the time, almost punky, and these big bovver boots. It was a look that was ahead of the times, really." When shooting wrapped on season 2 of //Excalibur//, Taylor left the acting profession and returned to work on the family farm. !!!2 comments <div class="comments"><div class="avatar">[img[images/avatar.png]]</div><div class="comment1">Didn't Taylor mention raising plenty of hogs on that farm? A wise man called Bricktop once said, "Be wary of anyone who keeps a pig farm." It only takes sixteen pigs eight minutes to chew up a body. <span class="date">October 13, 2013 by A FANWIKI user</span></div> <div class="indent"><div class="avatar">[img[images/aviphone.png]]</div><div class="comment2">Alright, Snatch was indeed a great movie, but this is a little much. I'd say "Take it to the [[Fan Theories]] page," but we don't encourage accusing random cast and crew of felonies for fun! In fact, we've had more than one libel hullabaloo in this fandom, and we really don't need more. I'll bet this is exactly why Taylor never cared for fame. <span class="date">October 15, 2013 by [[CTrenowden]]</span></div></div> <div class="cbox">Categories: [[People]]</div>!The Lethe Ray The Lethe Ray was a weapon developed by [[Poseidon]] that <span class="spoiler2">erased the //Excalibur// and its crew from history</span>. * //See also:// [[The Lethe Ray Virus|Fan Theories]] <div class="cbox">Categories: Technologies</div><<if ($s1e1 is not "seen") or ($s1e2 is not "seen") or ($s1e3 is not "seen") or ($s1e4 is not "seen") or ($s1e5 is not "seen") or ($s1e6 is not "seen") or ($s1e7 is not "seen") or ($s1e8 is not "seen") or ($s1e9 is not "seen") or ($s1e10 is not "seen") or ($s1e11 is not "seen") or ($s1e12 is not "seen") or ($s1e13 is not "seen")>><div class="recenth1">Recent Activity</div>[[Escape from Earth]] <span class="date">A FANWIKI user • January 4th, 2014</span> <div class="divider"></div> [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] <span class="date">[[ENEALE]] • December 12th, 2013</span> <div class="divider"></div> [[Excalibur (TV Series)]] <span class="date">[[CTrenowden]] • August 14th, 2013</span><</if>>\ <<if ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen")>><<if ($s2e1 is not "seen") or ($s2e2 is not "seen") or ($s2e3 is not "seen") or ($s2e4 is not "seen") or ($s2e5 is not "seen") or ($s2e6 is not "seen") or ($s2e7 is not "seen") or ($s2e8 is not "seen") or ($s2e9 is not "seen") or ($s2e10 is not "seen") or ($s2e11 is not "seen") or ($s2e12 is not "seen") or ($s2e13 is not "seen")>><div class="recenth1">Recent Activity</div>[[Episodes]] <span class="date"><span class="hl">[[CTrenowden]] • NEW</span></span> <div class="divider"></div> [[Escape from Earth]] <span class="date">A FANWIKI user • January 4th, 2014</span> <div class="divider"></div> [[Season One Trivia|S1 Trivia]] <span class="date">[[ENEALE]] • December 12th, 2013</span><</if>><</if>>\ <<if ($s2e1 is "seen") and ($s2e2 is "seen") and ($s2e3 is "seen") and ($s2e4 is "seen") and ($s2e5 is "seen") and ($s2e6 is "seen") and ($s2e7 is "seen") and ($s2e8 is "seen") and ($s2e9 is "seen") and ($s2e10 is "seen") and ($s2e11 is "seen") and ($s2e12 is "seen") and ($s2e13 is "seen") and ($cancellation is not "seen")>><div class="recenth1">Recent Activity</div>[[Cancellation]] <span class="date"><span class="hl">[[CTrenowden]] • NEW</span></span> <div class="divider"></div> [[Fan Theories]] <span class="date">[[DameDuLac]] • NEW</span> <div class="divider"></div> [[Escape from Earth]] <span class="date">[[INEWELL]] • January 4th, 2014</span> <div class="divider"></div><</if>>\ <<if ($cancellation is "seen")>><<if ($theories is not "seen") or ($interviews is not "seen") or ($s1trivia is not "seen") or ($s2trivia is not "seen")>><div class="recenth1">Recent Activity</div>[[Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur]] <span class="date"><span class="hl">[[VerdantKnight]] • NEW</span></span> <div class="divider"></div> [[Remaster]] <span class="date"><span class="hl">A FANWIKI user • NEW</span></span> <div class="divider"></div> [[Cancellation]] <span class="date">[[CTrenowden]] • NEW</span> <div class="divider"></div><</if>><</if>>\ <<if ($s1trivia is "seen") and ($s2trivia is "seen") and ($theories is "seen") and ($cancellation is "seen") and ($interviews is "seen") and ($s1e1 is "seen") and ($s1e2 is "seen") and ($s1e3 is "seen") and ($s1e4 is "seen") and ($s1e5 is "seen") and ($s1e6 is "seen") and ($s1e7 is "seen") and ($s1e8 is "seen") and ($s1e9 is "seen") and ($s1e10 is "seen") and ($s1e11 is "seen") and ($s1e12 is "seen") and ($s1e13 is "seen") and ($s2e1 is "seen") and ($s2e2 is "seen") and ($s2e3 is "seen") and ($s2e4 is "seen") and ($s2e5 is "seen") and ($s2e6 is "seen") and ($s2e7 is "seen") and ($s2e8 is "seen") and ($s2e9 is "seen") and ($s2e10 is "seen") and ($s2e11 is "seen") and ($s2e12 is "seen") and ($s2e13 is "seen")>><div class="recenth1">Recent Activity</div><<if ($fourohfour is not "true") and ($banned is not "true")>>[[Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur]] <span class="date"><span class="hl">COMMENTS REOPENED • NEW</span></span><</if>><<if ($fourohfour is "true") or ($banned is "true")>>[[Gwaith Camlan: Unravelling Excalibur]] <span class="date">COMMENTS CLOSED • NEW</span><</if>> <div class="divider"></div> [[Remaster]] <span class="date">A FANWIKI user • NEW</span> <div class="divider"></div> [[Cancellation]] <span class="date">[[CTrenowden]] • NEW</span> <div class="divider"></div><</if>>\<center><span style="font-family: 'Marvin Visions'; font-size: 50px;">Excalibur</span> "And reigning with one will in everything Have power on this dark land to lighten it, <<if ($fourohfour is "true") or ($banned is "true")>><b><i>And power on this dead world to make it live.</i></b><<else>>And power on this dead world to make it live.<</if>>" &mdash; Alfred, Lord Tennyson, <i>Idylls of the King</i> <<if $start is "true">><i>Type into the address bar below to begin.</i><</if>><<if $fourohfour is "true">><i>No ritual can unmake it.</i><</if>><<if $banned is "true">><i>But it's all still at your fingertips.</i><</if>> <<typesim "excalibur.fandom.com/wiki/Excalibur-Wiki">><div class="typesimbutton2">[[Go|Start]]</div><</typesim>></center><div class="userimg"><img src="https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-3cqxcmkgmq/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/12683/39553/king-arthur-excalibur-gold-damascus-steel-medieval-sword_4__34382.1587827421.jpg?c=1"></div> <span style="font-family: 'Marvin Visions'; font-size: 30px;">Username</span> 1 edits &bull; 0 posts !User:Username This user has not filled out their profile page yet. !!!Favorite pages * 1 * 2 * 3 <<if tags().includes("wiki-page2") or tags().includes("wiki-page") or tags().includes("wiki-page3")>><div class="recent"><<display 'Recent'>></div><</if>>!In Other Media A list of derivative works based upon, or taking place in the //Excalibur// universe. <<category "derivative-works">> <div class="cbox">Categories: Excalibur Wiki</div><<set $banned to "true">>\ !Help:IP Blocking <center><div class="spoileralert">If you are blocked because of something you've done, you should not create a new account to file an appeal or continue editing. This is considered sockpuppetry and block evasion and the new account will usually be blocked. Appeals related to an existing block should be submitted as described below.</div></center> <b>Your IP address has been blocked.</b> You may still <b>view</b> the wiki, but you may not edit it. A block is a measure used to protect wikis from possible improper activity in breach of editorial policies. It prevents users from editing, renaming, creating, or otherwise contributing to pages. Blocks can apply to a user account, an IP address, or a range of IP addresses that is deemed responsible for or related to problematic activity. The reason for your block may be found below: *Problem with your editing or wiki behavior (under any account or IP address) - your account or a connected IP has been used in a problematic way or there is a concern about your editing. *Sockpuppetry and ban evasion *Harassment <b>Please note:</b> While this block may be upsetting or unexpected, abuse of appeal processes, repeatedly using the unblock template when denied, personal attacks, or impolite conduct may lead to the removal of your ability to edit your talk page and/or the widening of existing blocks. <center><div class="logout">[[LOG OUT|Address Bar]]</div> </center><div class="userimg">[img[images/avishield2.jpg]]</div> <span style="font-family: 'Marvin Visions'; font-size: 30px;">INEWELL</span> 102 edits &bull; 20 posts !User:INEWELL Ian. Excalibur enthusiast and current rights holder. Yes, it's legally legit. Yes, I own two original tapes. No, I won't mail them to you so you can verify them! Seriously, stop asking. If you PM me about it I won't hesitate to block you. !!!Favorite pages * [[The Open Maw]] * [[Ian Newell]] * [[Neuronic Space]] <div class="userimg">[img[images/avisock2.jpeg]]</div> <span style="font-family: 'Marvin Visions'; font-size: 30px;">ENEALE</span> 13 edits &bull; 10 posts !User:ENEALE //This user has not filled out their profile page yet.//<div class="userimg">[img[images/avilabyrinth2.png]]</div> <span style="font-family: 'Marvin Visions'; font-size: 30px;">VerdantKnight</span> 31 edits &bull; 6 posts !User:VerdantKnight I'm VK, or Vince if you absolutely must. I can't really play favorites with articles on this site. The whole thing is a great resource. Thanks to everyone who helps keep it up and running. It's nice to see others who remember this show.<div class="userimg">[img[images/avieggs2.jpg]]</div> <span style="font-family: 'Marvin Visions'; font-size: 30px;">DameDuLac</span> 21 edits &bull; 12 posts !User:DameDuLac Hi all. ^_^ I'm Anna and I've been an fan of Excalibur for a looonggg time now. Since I found Excalibur, I've developed a lot of my own fanon ideas that fill in some of the blanks many of us are still puzzling over, but I'm always open to others' theories! !!!Favorite pages * [[Fan Theories]] * [[Euxxithique]] * [[The Shadow of Fantasy]] !The Eye of Poseidon //The Eye of Poseidon// is a 2002, self-published novel by [[Ray Torrence]], set in the //Excalibur// universe. Its events take place sometime during season 2, after [[Trellick|Trellick / Trugg]]'s restoration and before [[Alfie]]'s departure. It attempts to rectify a significant continuity error in the series, that the crew are never seen to repair the [[Wand of Wendra]]. However, in doing so it introduces several more. There were significant differences in the way the characters were depicted in the novel when compared with their onscreen counterparts. The character of [[Kray]] is cast in a much more heroic light than in the series, with the rest of the crew deferring to his judgement. [[Ector Caradoc]], by contrast, is depicted as craven and ineffectual. [[Zana]] is fawning, licentious and clearly besotted with Kray, while Trellick has become an absent minded dodderer. In a marked departure from established continuity, Alfie is once again depicted as a young boy of ten years old. Torrence was encouraged to write the novel by [[Ian Newell]], who had held the rights to the show since the early '90s. After reading the novel, Newell changed his mind, accusing Torrence of a breach of copyright and forcing the author to change the names of the characters. Kray became "Bray," Zana "Xena," and Trellick "Trallick." Torrence's co-star [[Michael Neame]] said the changes had "rendered the novel even more ludicrous than it was to begin with." !!Plot Searching for a way to repair the Wand of Wendra, the //Excalibur// crew arrive at the Zagron system, where Lucricia, a powerful thaumaturge is said to dwell in a castle on an asteroid. Upon entering the castle, the crew are held in a freezing beam, and only Kray is allowed to proceed. After attempting to seduce Kray, Lucricia turns out to be [[Wendra]] in disguise. Kray escapes, freeing the captive crew as he goes, but they are persued by an army of robots. Everyone escapes but Caradoc, who is captured. Kray goes back to rescue Caradoc, only to find he has been robotised. After a swordfight, Kray manages to return Caradoc to normal. Together the crew succeed in turning Wendra's robot army against her, forcing her to repair the Wand. !!Reception The book received mainly negative reviews on its release, with most critics deriding its overblown style and the fact that Torrence had chosen to incorporate several poems by his wife, Patricia. As Michael Neame pointed out, Torrence would "never use one adjective where three would do." Certain phrases, notably Kray's "iron will" and his "nerves like chilled steel" occur over and over again, sometimes more than once on a page. <<< "Kray set his jaw, firmly, resolutely, frowning. His eyes were like ice blue chips, his nerves like chilled steel. No one, not even this sultry, sexy, seductive space witch would ever get the better of Artur Kray." <<< The incorporated poems by Patti Torrence have little to do with the story, either stylistically or thematically. This, for example, appears at the start of chapter three, "Kray Bravely Battles the Rampant Robots": <<< //How happy are your flowering sobs! Do sobs make you shiver? Do they? How happy are your cunning chuckles! Chuckles are artful. Chuckles are adroit. Now cockamamy is just the thing, To get me wondering if chuckles are wacky.// <<< The novel has been out of print since 2003. <div class="cbox">Categories: [[Derivative Works]]</div><div class="userimg">[img[images/aviphone2.png]]</div> <span style="font-family: 'Marvin Visions'; font-size: 30px;">CTrenowden</span> 357 edits &bull; 44 posts !User:CTrenowden Hello, I'm Colin and I'm the maintaner of this wiki. Thanks for visiting. There used to be a few others, but at the moment it's just me, so please bear with me. Although the activity here in general is sometimes a bit on the slower side, since we're a small group, I try to update and fix things in as timely a manner as I'm able. !!!Favorite pages * [[The Open Maw]] * [[Ian Newell]] * [[Neuronic Space]] <div class="userimg">[img[images/avicrossing2.png]]</div> <span style="font-family: 'Marvin Visions'; font-size: 30px;">wyrdwarrens</span> 0 edits &bull; 0 posts !User:WyrdWarrens //This user has not filled out their profile page yet.//<center><div class="blink">Do as thou wilt</div> <<typesim "No matter what, Excalibur really didn't exist at one point. Someone had to dream it up. No matter who did that, or when, Excalibur has existed since then — and now it's real. It always will be.">><div class="typesimbutton">[[Delete|Address Bar]]</div><</typesim>></center>