The flames of persecution surround Merlin and his friends when “The Witchfinder” arrives in Camelot in an all-new episode of Merlin airing Friday at 10:00 PM on Syfy.
In his determination to rid Camelot of all magic, King Uther enlists the terrifying Aredian, a witch hunter who’ll stop at nothing to uncover sorcery in the kingdom. When suspicion falls on Merlin, Morgana and Gaius, the race is on to prove everyone’s innocence before at least one of them is burned at the stake.
The episode, entitled “The Witchfinder,” puts a bright spotlight on the internationally renowned acting talents of Richard Wilson as Gaius and Charles Dance as Aredian, much to the delight – and sometimes fears – of the MERLIN cast.
A staple of British stage, film and television as a revered actor and director, Wilson takes a decidedly different turn with Gaius from his popular comedic performances, most notably as Victor Meldrew in the BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave. The Scottish actor, who was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 1994 for his services to drama, is easily recognized by American audiences for his performances in films like David Lean’s A Passage to India, Stephen Frears’ Prick Up Your Ears, and the Bill Murray vehicle, The Man Who Knew Too Little.
But for the audience – and cast – of MERLIN, Wilson has created a new benchmark character as the silent magician, confidante to the King, and mentor/guardian to the young sorcerer.
“You can not imagine Gaius being played by anyone else, absolutely not,” says actress Katie McGrath (Morgana). “Richard is wonderful, and he has created a character so different to everything he’s done before. I think there are going to be whole generations of people who are only going to be able to see him as Gaius.”
Colin Morgan (Merlin) agrees with McGrath’s assessment, though he adds that knowing Wilson’s propensity for comedy constantly keeps the young actor on his toes.
“Because Richard is sort of a national treasure, and a comic genius,” Morgan says, “you find yourself in scenes just trying to keep a straight face and not laugh – because you’re just thinking, ‘That is brilliant!’”
On the flipside of Wilson’s loyal, fatherly character in “The Witchfinder” episode is Charles Dance in another of his trademark villainous roles.
Also awarded the O.B.E. for his services to drama (in 2006), Dance has long been a presence on the UK stage and in television as well as cinema across the globe. He earned international notice in the lead role of Guy Perron in the 1984 television miniseries The Jewel in the Crown, and has been seen in the United States in films including The Golden Child opposite Eddie Murphy, the award-winning Good Morning, Babylon, with Arnold Schwazenegger in Last Action Hero, and in Robert Altman’s Academy Award nominated Gosford Park. He appeared in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, and later starred as Ian Fleming in the British TV biopic, Goldeneye.
Dance gave such a convincing performance as the MERLIN episode’s villain, even the cast felt a wee bit uncomfortable in scenes with the actor.
“He created such a sense of menace and a strange, twisted sense of fun about approaching the suspects – it was very unnerving,” Morgan explains. “You’re sitting there being interrogated, and he’s looking at you. I was genuinely intimidated.”
“Charles Dance – the scariest man ever!” McGrath adds. “I was petrified to work with him, and my first scene was when he interrogated me. I’m sitting down and he’s about to interrogate me, and he just starts messing with all these torture instruments behind me. So the bizarre fear you can see on my face in the scene is completely real. He looked so natural with those props, I thought, ‘You’ve tortured people before, haven’t you?’ ”
Dance appreciates the actors’ compliments. “Well, I’m glad they genuinely felt scared – that means I was doing my job properly,” he says with a laugh. “It’s fun to take rolls like this, because I can just play.”
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