Arthur and the Square Knights of the Round Table (c1967 - c1972)

Children's series
39 episodes x 30 minutes

Series synopsis:

Arthur and the Square Knights of the Round Table is based on the English legend of King Arthur. This quirky animated version of the mythical world of Camelot has all the necessary ingredients – a cast including King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, brave knights, Merlin the magician, a court jester, a plotting witch, a black knight and damsels in distress along with the requisite dragons, castles, dungeons, action and adventure – but not quite in the way you’d expect. Led by King Arthur, the pint-size hero, with his unlucky sidekick Sir Lancelot, and his nemesis the witch Morgana and her dastardly assistant, the Black Knight, these comic stories are a wacky take on the world of Camelot.

Curator’s Notes:

Arthur and The Square Knights Of The Round Table is a 1960s 2D animation series particularly noteworthy as the first Australian animation series to be successfully syndicated and sold overseas. Although it has a distinctly British look and feel, it was produced by Walter J. Hucker API (Air Programs International in Australia). The series was directed by Zoran Janjic who had arrived in Australia from Zagreb in 1960 and who later left API to work for the new Hanna Barbera studios in Sydney.

Actors who voiced the characters included the legendary actor John Meillon (1934-1989) as King Arthur, radio, TV and film actress Lola Brooks (On the Beach 1959) as Guinevere and Morgana, and veteran actor John Ewart (1928-1994) voicing various characters.

Arthur and The Square Knights Of The Round Table was written by a team of comics, most notably highly regarded Australian playwright and writer Alex Buzo (1944-2006) who was in his early 20’s at the time, and Rod Hull (1935-1999) who was the compare of an Australian children’s TV show and went on to become a well-known British entertainer.

With a wonderful sense of the ridiculous and an abundance of playful silliness, Arthur and The Square Knights Of The Round Table is a delightful product of its era and remains very viewable today. Each half-hour episode is made up of small self-contained sketches and skits, with a focus on wordplay, puns, slapstick and comic vaudeville exchanges. A one-hour TV special was also produced.

Annemaree O'Brien

Titles in this series