Tonight, Moviedrome presents Excalibur, the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Known during development and pre-production by a variety of titles, including Merlin, Merlin Lives and Knights, it’s held together partially by the character of Merlin the magician; portrayed by Nicol Williamson in a silver skull-cap. The Monthly Film Bulletin was scathing about Williamson, calling his performance “abysmal”, but I don’t really agree. He has a difficult job, holding together a vast array of unrelated and sometimes incomprehensible elements and I think he does it well. Apparently, Excalibur was conceived by director John Boorman as an alternative to his long-planned but never executed version of Lord of the Rings.