Camelot

Camelot, Saturdays from 11th June 2011, 9pm, Channel 4

Camelot is a brand new ten-part medieval drama boasting an all star cast including Jamie Campbell Bower (The Twilight Saga: New Moon), Joseph Fiennes (Luther, Flash Forward), Eva Green (Casino Royale, The Golden Compass), Tamsin Egerton (St Trinians, Chalet Girl) and Claire Forlani (Meet Joe Black).

Based on Thomas Malory's 15th century book, Camelot takes a new and contemporary approach to the classic telling of this historic and legendary tale. The modern retake on Camelot entwines politics, romance and magical encounters as we follow King Arthur on his struggle to create a better kingdom under his rule - brought to us from the creative team behind landmark series ‘The Tudors' and ‘Life on Mars' as well as critically acclaimed film ‘The Departed'.

Camelot begins in a land of turmoil - Briton during the Dark Ages. King Uther Pendragon (Sebastian Koch) is a capable and well-regarded King who rules a land that is constantly at war - defending borders and negotiating tenuous alliances with bloodthirsty warlords. Mysteriously poisoned in the midst of a party in his own castle, Uther is attended to at his death bed by the sorcerer Merlin (Joseph Fiennes). Merlin elicits from the King a royal order to appoint Uther's legitimate but publicly unknown son, Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower), as the King's successor. At the hand of Merlin and for his own protection, Arthur was sent from birth to grow up as the son of Uther's loyal subject, Ector (Sean Pertwee).

The royal order comes as a surprise to Arthur, who has no knowledge that the Ectors are not his birth parents. Stunned, Arthur accepts his destiny with his brother Kay (Peter Mooney) at his side. Along the journey to Camelot, Arthur and Kay are shocked at the level of violence and destruction that they encounter in the kingdom, which has descended into chaos following news of Uther's death. The magnitude of Arthur's sudden stature and the number of individuals eager to destroy him - abruptly and viciously - become all too apparent.

Paramount on Arthur's list of enemies is his own half-sister, Morgan (Eva Green), who, intending to claim her father's crown, installs herself in Castle Pendragon and forms an allegiance with a sworn enemy of Uther, King Lot (James Purefoy). The first encounter between the half-siblings is deeply tense, and Morgan storms away with threatening reprisals. Morgan embarks on a personal mission to destroy Arthur through her dark powers.

Will Arthur, this carefree boy summon the strength to unite all of Briton? Challenged each week - inside and outside the walls of Camelot - his only pervasive weakness remains the ethereal Guinevere (Tamsin Egerton), who is betrothed to one of Arthur's loyal champions, Leontes (Philip Winchester).