Knights of God
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| Knights of God | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's |
| Creator(s) | Richard Cooper |
| Starring | George Winter Julia Parker John Woodvine Gareth Thomas Don Henderson Patrick Troughton Nigel Stock |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | John Dale |
| Running time | c. 26 min. per episode |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Television South for ITV |
| Picture format | Film |
| Original run | 6 September, 1987 – 6 December 1987 (no episode on 4 October) |
Knights of God was a British science fiction children's television serial first broadcast on ITV in 1987. It was written by Richard Cooper, a writer who had previously worked in both children's and adult telelvision drama. Set in the year 2020, it showed a Britain ruled by the Knights of God, a fascist religious order that came to power during a brutal civil war twenty years previously. It starred George Winter as Gervase Owen Edwards, the Welsh son of a resistance leader (Gareth Thomas), and John Woodvine as the Prior Mordrin, leader of the titular cult. Patrick Troughton played Arthur, the apparent leader of the English resistance, Julian Fellowes played Mordin's ambitious and ruthless second-in-command, Brother Hugo.
The TV Times reported Don Henderson's appearance in the serial in its edition of 14-20 September 1985, accompanied by a photograph of the actor is his character in the programme, stating: "Filmed in Hampshire and North Wales, this vision of a bleak future is set in the year 2020 after Britain has been devastated by civil war." However, the serial was not screened until the Autumn of 1987, two years later, by which time both Troughton and Nigel Stock - who plays an old ally of Mordrin's - had died. Troughton subsequently worked on other television productions, but they had all been broadcast by the time Knights of God was transmitted (i.e. it was his last transmitted role, not his actual last filmed or recorded role). There were two directors credited to the serial, Andrew Morgan (episodes 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12 & 13) and Michael Kerrigan (episodes 2, 3, 6, 7, 10 & 11), and the executive producer was Anna Home. Music for the series was composed by Christopher Gunning.
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[edit] Plot Summary
In 2020, Britain is ruled by the Knights of God, a fascist religious order - founded by the Prior Mordrin (Woodvine) - that came to power during a brutal civil war in the year 2000, during which the Royal Family were supposedly all slaughtered by Hugo (Fellowes). Mordrin has renamed the south of England "Anglia," while the north - which has only now been brought under control - he calls "Northumbria." In between is the "Wasteland", where the remaining resistance fighters are still at large. Winchester is the new capital, as London was largely destroyed in the war.
Gervase Owen Edwards (Winter) has grown up in Wales, which has finally succumbed to the rule of the Knights, although the resistance led by his father, Owen (Thomas) still operates. When most civilians are interned, Gervase is sent to a "re-education and training camp," initially accompanied by Owen disguised as a Knight, who tells him that it is important that he lives. During the journey, Gervase meets an English girl, Julia Clarke (Parker).
Mordrin becomes obsessed with the idea of destroying the leader of all the resistance to him, and when Gervase is identified as Owen's son, Mordrin threatens to execute Julia unless he denounces his father and joins the Knights of God. After he agrees, Mordrin uses mind-altering drugs to place the post-hypnotic suggestion in Gervase's mind that he should seek out and destroy the Prior's "greatest enemy." He is then released, ostensibly to be allowed to find Julia, who has escaped from the camp. Unknown to Gervase, Mordrin needs Julia alive as well, as she is the daughter of Brigadier Clarke, the senior officer in the Coldstream Guards, the last remnant of the British Army, which has been allowed to survive for ceremonial purposes. Meanwhile, Hugo plots to taken over from Mordrin, and sends his own agents to intercept and kill Gervase.
After Gervase finds Julia, they are ambushed and captured by English resistance fighters led by Colley (Henderson). Gervase is then put on trial for killing one of Colley's men during the ambush, and is found guilty and sentenced to death. Owen threatens to use his own men to free his son, but Arthur - who it is revealed is Mordrin's father - intercedes and publicly banishes Gervase to the Wasteland, while secretly tasking him with finding the one surviving member of the Royal Family - a King to unite the country against the Knights. Mordrin becomes increasingly paranoid, and secretly plans to declare himself King, and even has a new crown made.
Realising the threat Hugo represents, Mordrin has him arrested, but he escapes to London as dissident Knights flock to join him. Gervase and Julia travel to Canterbury, an enclave where the Christian Church is allowed to survive. Mordrin issues orders for them to be intercepted, but they are "captured" and taken into the city by Brigadier Clarke and his men, disguised as Knights.
It is revealed that Gervase himself is the King, and it is only his love for Julia that prevents him from obeying Mordrin's command by killing himself. Hugo's faction attacks Mordrin's headquarters, and the resistance - bolstered by the defecting Coldstream Guards - prepares to finish off whoever is left. Owen slips away, having previously vowed to kill Mordrin for what he did to Gervase, but is shot and injured in the battle between the Knights. Hugo corners Mordrin, but is killed himself, and the Prior escapes with his crown into surrounding forest. As he prepared to place the crown on his own head, Mordrin is shot by the mortally-injured Owen, who then himself dies. When the battle is over, Arthur takes the crown from Mordrin's dead hand and presents it to Gervase, telling him to rule wisely.
[edit] Novelisation
Richard Cooper's novel based on the same storyline was published around the time as the UK television screenings, and contains some material not used in the serial. Whether these were scenes originally intended for the television production that were not eventually used, or a subsequent expansion of the storyline on Cooper's part, is not known.
[edit] Broadcast history and availability
The serial was shown only once in the UK, and has not been repeated since. It was shown in France by Canal Plus from 7 October to 30 December 1987 in television under the title Les Épées de feu ("The Swords of Fire"), and subseuently repeated on La Cinq. It appeared in Germany as 2019 - Die gnadenlosen Knechte Gottes ("2019 - The Merciless Servants of God"), and a dubbed 210 minute compilation was released on VHS there. This compilation was also released in Denmark under its original title, although spread over two tapes. As of December 2006, there has been no domestic video release of the series on any format in the UK.
