Sorcery, swords and swashbuckling adventure will come to the
Midlands as FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) in collaboration with
Warwick Castle today announces that Merlin: The Dragon Tower
attraction will open at Warwick Castle in April 2011.
Based on the hit BBC One family drama, Merlin: The Dragon Tower
will be the first ever exhibition inspired by the show. Warwick
Castle are working closely with Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy, the
award winning creators and executive producers at Shine TV Ltd, and
FME who have invested in the series and hold the exclusive
distribution, home entertainment and licensing rights to the show.
Warwick Castle aims to give visitors the chance to experience the
magic of Arthurian legend first hand. At the heart of the
attraction is a magical mirror, which will allow visitors to
interact with The Great Dragon.
Created by Shine TV, Merlin tells the story of the young wizard
as he struggles to survive in a kingdom where magic is banned where
he must protect Camelot and aide Arthur to fulfil his true destiny.
The show stars Colin Morgan as Merlin, Bradley James as Prince
Arthur, Anthony Head as King Uther, Katie McGrath as Morgana, Angel
Coulby as Gwen, Richard Wilson as Gaius and John Hurt as the voice
of the Great Dragon. Series three has seen a host of high-profile
guest-stars including: Emilia Fox, Tom Ellis, Miriam Margoyles,
Warwick Davies and Pauline Collins.
First broadcast in the UK in 2008, Merlin has now been sold to
more than 50 broadcasters in 183 countries including the US on
Syfy, MICO in Japan, Network 10 in Australia and RTL in Germany.
The last series of the show pulled in regular UK audiences of over
seven million viewers per episode on BBC One.
Tim Harrison-Jones, General Manager of Warwick Castle, said;
"This will be an exceptional visitor attraction, completely in
keeping with our reputation as Britain's ultimate castle and
designed to wow visitors young and old. We are the first attraction
globally to have the rights to use the Merlin brand and it will be
perfectly executed. We want people to feel as though they are
walking into the TV show or stepping back in time to a world of
wizardry and wonderment".
Pindy O'Brien, VP Brand Licensing & Retail, FME said, "As
viewing figures continue to grow around the world, fantastic
casting and new guest stars week on week, a growing licensing
programme and now a fantastic new live event, Merlin has become a
truly global brand. We're delighted to be working with Warwick
Castle to give fans a whole new way to engage with Merlin off
screen."
Merlin creators and producers Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy
said, "Merlin has attracted a huge following in the UK and now with
the help of FME and Warwick Castle, we are thrilled that fans can
immerse themselves into this magical enchanted world even
further".
A fourth series of Merlin has been commissioned by the BBC and
will go into production in March 2011.