erastes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/merlin/

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Merlin

Well. It's not quite as bad as Robin Hood - being a little better acted for a start but it's not that far off. You really have to suspend any knowledge of ANY Arthur myth, no matter who told it and start from scratch - pretend that you know nothing about the legends at all.

What concerns me is that kids will be watching this that will think that this IS the story, and their parents wouldn't know any better one way or the other. 

T E White, Malory, Monmouth and Tennyson are spinning - SPINNING - in their graves.

The Good: 
*  Merlin is a bit hot. So is Arthur.  I see much slash in the future and perhaps fanfic.  I'm sure this has been done deliberately by the writers. Merlin and Arthur hate each other and Merlin has been given the job of Arthur's manservant.  They are the same age.  *rolls eyes*  No turning him into a minnow then, I'm guessing.
* The Cast: Richard Wilson, John Hurt, Anthony Head (camping it up beautifully)
* Special effects look promising and they've chucked a lot of money at it.
* Gwen from Torchwood dies twice!  Hurrah!

The Bad:
* Makes the Sam Neill version (started well, got a bit floundering) look like The Definitive Version
* Guinevere is a serving wench and black. And no, saying that doesn't make me racist. But really - if she had even existed how bloody likely was it that she'd be black?  What is this? Retroactive Scriptwriting?  "OK Tarquin, we have a Muslim woman as a Merry Man, and a black Guinevere, do you think that'll make up for the Crusades and Slavery?"
* People throw perfectly good food at the Pillory.
* And they throw tomatoes. TOMATOES!!!
* When is this supposed to be set?  It's a hideous mish mash of eras and - like many a Hollywood version seems to be "sort of" set sometime around the 12th? century?  There's the knights dressed in plate armour and chain mail, someone saying that they can't find their glasses - metal hand rails set into stone castle staircases - and the architecture??? PLEASE don't get me started. Film in France apparently (and Wales) because obviously England doesn't have any castles. 

I'm ashamed.

Anyone else see it?

ETA: There's a new BBC version of Tess of the D'urbevilles on now. Let's hope there's no computers and spaceships.