The Adventures of Sir Lancelot
Encyclopedia
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot is a British
television
series first broadcast in 1956, produced by Sapphire Films
for ITC Entertainment
and screened on the ITV
network. The series starred William Russell
as the eponymous Sir Lancelot
, a Knight of the Round Table
in the time of King Arthur
at Camelot
.
The series debuted in the UK on Saturday 15 September 1956, on London
weekend ITV franchise holder ATV
, and on the NBC
network in the United States
nine days later. It is one of the very few British television series ever to have been screened on one of the major broadcast networks in the US
(as opposed to on PBS
or cable television
stations). Its success on NBC led to it becoming the first British television series ever to be produced in colour, the last fourteen of the thirty half-hour episodes being shot on colour stock, although they were seen in colour only in the US. The last episode was shown on 13 April 1957 in the UK and 16 September 1957 on NBC. It later transferred networks in the US to ABC
, who repeated the episodes from October 1957 to September 1958.
As was common with other British television series of the time, the programme employed several American screenwriter
s who had moved to Britain after being placed on the Hollywood blacklist
, often under pseudonym
s. These included Ian McLellan Hunter
and Ring Lardner Jr.
The series was produced by Sidney Cole
, Dallas Bower
and Bernard Knowles
and made at Nettlefold Studios
in Walton-on-Thames
.
boxed set in the UK by Network DVD
in 2004, of the 14 episodes made in colour, only twelve are presented in colour, due to financial reasons, the other 2 colour eps ('The Ugly Duckling' and 'The Missing Princess') are taken from b/w prints. In the U.S., it was released as a DVD
boxed set on August 19, 2008 by The Timeless Media Group with 14 episodes presented in colour, taken from US public domain prints.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series first broadcast in 1956, produced by Sapphire Films
Sapphire Films
Sapphire Films was a British television production company, active in the 1950s. Amongst their best-known series are The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, The Buccaners, and The Four Just Men produced for ITC Entertainment and screened on ITV in the UK, as well as being...
for ITC Entertainment
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
and screened on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network. The series starred William Russell
William Russell (actor)
William Russell is an English actor, mainly known for his television work. He was born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.-Doctor Who:...
as the eponymous Sir Lancelot
Lancelot
Sir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
, a Knight of the Round Table
Round Table (Camelot)
The Round Table is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his Knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status. The table was first described in 1155 by Wace, who relied on previous depictions of...
in the time of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
at Camelot
Camelot
Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the Arthurian world...
.
The series debuted in the UK on Saturday 15 September 1956, on London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
weekend ITV franchise holder ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
, and on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
nine days later. It is one of the very few British television series ever to have been screened on one of the major broadcast networks in the US
Big Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
(as opposed to on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
or cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
stations). Its success on NBC led to it becoming the first British television series ever to be produced in colour, the last fourteen of the thirty half-hour episodes being shot on colour stock, although they were seen in colour only in the US. The last episode was shown on 13 April 1957 in the UK and 16 September 1957 on NBC. It later transferred networks in the US to ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, who repeated the episodes from October 1957 to September 1958.
As was common with other British television series of the time, the programme employed several American screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
s who had moved to Britain after being placed on the Hollywood blacklist
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
, often under pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s. These included Ian McLellan Hunter
Ian McLellan Hunter
Ian McLellan Hunter was an English screenwriter, most noted for fronting for the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo as the credited writer of Roman Holiday in 1953. Hunter was himself later blacklisted.-Roman Holiday:...
and Ring Lardner Jr.
Ring Lardner Jr.
Ringgold Wilmer "Ring" Lardner, Jr. was an American journalist and screenwriter blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studios during the Red Scare of the late 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:...
The series was produced by Sidney Cole
Sidney Cole
Sidney Henry Cole was a British film and television producer and editor.Cole was educated at the LSE, and entered the film industry as a scenario reader for Stoll Picture Productions, a company founded by Sir Oswald Stoll...
, Dallas Bower
Dallas Bower
Dallas Bower was a British film and television director and producer.-Selected filmography:Director* The Path of Glory * Alice in Wonderland * The Second Mrs Tanqueray...
and Bernard Knowles
Bernard Knowles
Bernard Knowles was an English film director, producer, cinematographer and screenwriter. Born in Manchester, Knowles worked with Alfred Hitchcock on numerous occasions before the director emigrated to Hollywood...
and made at Nettlefold Studios
Nettlefold Studios
Nettlefold Studios were located in what is now Hepworth Way, Walton-on-Thames. Cecil Hepworth began film making there in 1899, but the name derives from the subsequent owner, Archibald Nettlefold, who rebuilt the studios on the original site. During the late fifties the studio changed its name to...
in Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames is a town in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey in South East England. The town is located south west of Charing Cross and is between the towns of Weybridge and Molesey. It is situated on the River Thames between Sunbury Lock and Shepperton Lock.- History :The name "Walton" is...
.
Cast and characters
- William RussellWilliam Russell (actor)William Russell is an English actor, mainly known for his television work. He was born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.-Doctor Who:...
as Sir Lancelot - Ronald Leigh-HuntRonald Leigh-HuntRonald Leigh-Hunt was a British film and television actor.His father was a stockbroker and he attended the Italia Conti Academy. He began acting whilst serving in the army...
as King Arthur (Bruce SetonBruce SetonMajor Sir Bruce Lovat Seton of Abercorn, 11th Baronet , better known as Bruce Seton, was a British actor and soldier....
) 1st episode - Jane HyltonJane HyltonJane Hylton was an English actress who accumulated 30 film credits, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, before moving into television work in the latter half of her career in the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
as Guinevere - Cyril SmithCyril Smith (actor)Cyril Bruce Smith was a Scottish actor who began his career as a child in the 1900s and went on to appear in over 100 films between 1914 and his death almost 50 years later.-Career:...
as Merlin - Robert Scroggins as Brian, Lancelot's squire
- David Morrell as Sir Kay
DVD
The complete series, 30 episodes, was released as a DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
boxed set in the UK by Network DVD
Network DVD
Network DVD is a DVD publishing company that specialises in classic British television. In particular, it has the rights to a number of well-known ITV programmes...
in 2004, of the 14 episodes made in colour, only twelve are presented in colour, due to financial reasons, the other 2 colour eps ('The Ugly Duckling' and 'The Missing Princess') are taken from b/w prints. In the U.S., it was released as a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
boxed set on August 19, 2008 by The Timeless Media Group with 14 episodes presented in colour, taken from US public domain prints.