Series 3

“The battle for Camelot has begun.”

— Kilgharrah

Merlin - 2010
Series:	Merlin
Episode Number:	1-13 episodes
Starring:	Colin Morgan Bradley James Richard Wilson Angel Coulby Katie McGrath Anthony Head
Enemy:	Morgause Morgana Cenred Sidhe elder see more...
Setting:	Camelot
Writer:	Julian Jones Jake Michie Howard Overman Lucy Watkins
Broadcast:	11 Sept - 4 Dec 2010
Format:	1x45
Previous Story:	Series 2
Following Story:	Series 4

Series 1 • Series 2 •Series 3 •Series 4 •Series 5

Series 3 of Merlin premiered on 11 September 2010 and concluded 4 December 2010.

Synopsis

Merlin continues in his destiny to protect Arthur and Camelot from any enemies. He must keep his magic a secret because magic is still banned in Camelot. Dark forces are still threatening Camelot so Merlin must defend the kingdom at any cost.

Arthur’s romance with Gwen grows stronger and new characters and friends are introduced. Characters like the Great Dragon, Lancelot and Freya return to help Merlin and Arthur defend Camelot.

Meanwhile, Morgana finally returns, having survived her poisoning by Merlin, and everyone is relieved and happy. Morgana, however, only wishes to see Camelot’s fall with the help her half sister Morgause, but only Merlin and Gaius know about this. Will everyone see Morgana for who she really is or will it forever remain a secret?

Trailers for Series 3

• Trailer #1
• Trailer #2
• Trailer #3
• Trailer #4
• Trailer #5

Major events

• Series 3 is the first series to open with a two-parter, with finale-equivalent sequences.
• Morgana is evil and is in league with her half-sister Morgause.
• Camelot is overthrown for the first time in any of the series, ruled for a little over a week by the witch Morgana, whose new evil nature and magic is revealed to all of Camelot.
• Merlin rides The Dragon for the first time ever, who is now at his service and helps him in his quest to protect Arthur and Camelot.
• Gaius is possessed by a goblin.
• The Sidhe elder and Grunhilda use a plot to have a Sidhe marry Arthur.
• Arthur and Gwen officially express their feelings towards eachother.
• Merlin disguises himself as an older version of himself called, "Dragoon the Great" to use magic while protecting his identity.
• Cenred, the ruler of Essetir, is introduced. He later dies and Essetir, a kingdom mentioned in previous series, falls.
• Gwaine, Elyan (Gwen's brother) and Percival are introduced, who later become Knights of Camelot.
• Lancelot returns.
• Morgana is revealed to be Uther's illegitimate daughter. This means Morgana is entitled to the throne of Camelot, which becomes her new goal and continues to be her primary reason for attacking Camelot from afar in the following series.
• Excalibur returns in the finale. Freya, a druid girl rescued by Merlin in Series 2, reemerges to give it to him.
• Gaius is revealed to have been engaged for marriage with Alice, a sorceress, before The Great Purge chased her out of Camelot.
• Arthur, Sir Leon, Sir Lancelot, Sir Gwaine, Sir Elyan and Sir Percival form the Knights of the Round Table.
• Morgause is badly wounded by Merlin and Gaius.

Episodes

No.	Title	Director	Writer	Original Air Date	UK Viewers (Million)
1	The Tears of Uther Pendragon (Part 1)	Jeremy Webb	Julian Jones	11/09/10	6.49
It's been a year since Morgana went missing. After a long search, she is finally found wandering in the woods, and nobody but the King can rejoice more. Morgana tries to put the past behind her, and she tries to make Merlin her friend again. But Merlin does not fall for her ploy, as he knows she is not the Morgana he used to know. He soon discovers that Morgana is part of a plot to drive Uther insane, and help a rival king conquer Camelot.
2	The Tears of Uther Pendragon (Part 2)	Jeremy Webb	Julian Jones	18/09/10	6.06
After Kilgharrah comes to Merlin's rescue, Morgana and Morgause step up their plan to take control of Camelot. With Uther still under a powerful enchantment, it's up to Arthur to defend Camelot. But Cenred's men are not the only threat; an army of the dead have been raised by Morgana and Morgause. Merlin knows that the only way to stop this is to defeat Morgana, but how can he defeat her and keep his secrets at bay?
3	Goblin's Gold	Jeremy Webb	Howard Overman	25/09/10	6.22
Merlin stumbles upon a secret chamber beneath the castle and releases the mischievous goblin trapped inside. The goblin brings chaos to Camelot as the King goes bald overnight and Arthur and Gwen embarrass themselves in front of each other. Soon, the goblin has possessed Gaius, who suddenly develops a thirst for gold and ale. Will Merlin be able to capture the goblin and set things right before any serious damage is done?
4	Gwaine	David Moore	Julian Jones	02/10/10	6.42
An enigmatic young man named Gwaine comes to the rescue of Arthur and Merlin when they find themselves outnumbered in a bar. He fights well, and all three escape, but Gwaine is seriously injured. The prince brings him back to Camelot to recover under Gaius' care. Once his strength is regained, Merlin is faced with the task of looking after Gwaine, who causes plenty of trouble for the young warlock by drinking, flirting with the ladies, and running up debts all over the kingdom. Meanwhile, two knights of dubious origin come to the castle, plotting to murder Arthur. Merlin and Gwaine discover their plan, but when the word of two noblemen is pitted against the word of Gwaine, a commoner, all seems lost, and the two friends must use all of their combined powers to save the prince.
5	The Crystal Cave	Alice Troughton	Julian Jones	09/10/10	6.36
Whilst out with Arthur, Merlin encounters an old sorcerer named Taliesin. Taliesin takes Merlin into the birthplace of magic, the crystal cave. Within its halls, Merlin receives glimpses of the future. Though initially seen as a blessing, it becomes a curse when a vision portrays Morgana about to kill Uther. Merlin must try his best to thwart Morgana's plans, or the consequences could be dire. But altering destiny is a risky job, and when the visions are not all that they appear to be, will Camelot have to pay for Merlin's misinterpretation?
6	The Changeling	David Moore	Lucy Watkins	16/10/10	6.40
Princess Elena arrives in Camelot to visit Uther. Uther arranges a marriage between Arthur and Elena, but her nanny Grunhilda is working with the Sidhe Elder, who plans to use this marriage to take over Camelot. Will Merlin be able to stop their wicked plan or will Arthur make the biggest mistake of his life?
7	The Castle of Fyrien	David Moore	Jake Michie	23/10/10	6.82
Gwen is kidnapped by Cenred's men and taken to his castle where she is united with her estranged brother Elyan. Cenred tells Gwen to travel back to Camelot to bring Arthur to him or Elyan will be slaughtered. Will Merlin and Arthur be able to save Elyan or will Gwen lose someone she loves again? meanwhile Morgana and Morgause try to kill them along the way.
8	The Eye of the Phoenix	Alice Troughton	Julian Jones	30/10/10	6.92
Arthur goes on a quest to retrieve the Golden Trident from the Fisher King's Realm. Morgana gives him a bracelet containing an eye of a Phoenix which will drain the life force of Arthur. Merlin (with the help of Gwaine) goes to the Fisher King's Realm to save Arthur. Will he succeed or will Arthur die?
9	Love in the Time of Dragons	Alice Troughton	Jake Michie	06/11/10	6.90
When Alice, a physician and an old love of Gaius returns to Camelot he is once again smitten. However, she does not come alone and brings a Manticore with a plan to kill Uther by poison from its scorpions tail. Merlin tries to tell Gaius but he won't listen. Will Merlin be able to bring Gaius to his senses before it's too late?
10	Queen of Hearts	Ashley Way	Howard Overman	13/11/10	7.37
Morgana has visions in which she sees Guinevere becoming Queen of Camelot. In order to prevent her visions from coming true she plots to have Gwen branded a witch and being burnt at the stake. Merlin must quickly devise a plan to save Gwen but it leads to disastrous results for himself.
11	The Sorcerer's Shadow	Ashley Way	Julian Jones	20/11/10	7.32
A new tournament descends on Camelot, and a warrior known as Gilli sets his sights on victory. Gilli uses magic in the tournament to increase his chances of victory, and by doing so he begins to realize the true nature of his powers. Merlin is torn between two options: will he choose to help Gilli or save Camelot?
12	The Coming of Arthur (Part 1)	Jeremy Webb	Jake Michie	27/11/10	7.12
Arthur and Merlin retrieve a magic artefact on a mission, however they are captured by a slave trader known as Jarl. Rescued by Gwaine, the artefact falls into the hands of Morgause and Morgana, can they be stopped?
13	The Coming of Arthur (Part 2)	Jeremy Webb	Julian Jones	4/12/10	7.67
Morgana has been crowned Queen of Camelot, and brings about its downfall. Arthur forms a resistance against the new monarchy, Merlin believes he'll struggle and goes to retrieve Excalibur. Can the new monarchy be stopped?

Specials

Children in Need

Merlin in Need (2010) – 19 November 2010

Cast

Main Cast

• Colin Morgan as Merlin
• Bradley James as Arthur Pendragon
• Katie McGrath as Morgana (all expect episode 9)
• Angel Coulby as Guinevere (all except episode 11)
• Anthony Head as Uther Pendragon
• Richard Wilson as Gaius

Recurring Cast

• Emilia Fox as Morgause (episodes 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12 & 13)
• John Hurt as The Great Dragon (episodes 1, 2, 5, 11 & 13)
• Rupert Young as Sir Leon (episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 12 & 13)
• Eoin Macken as Sir Gwaine (episodes 4, 8, 12 & 13)
• Adetomiwa Edun as Sir Elyan (episodes 7, 12 & 13)
• Tom Ellis as King Cenred (episodes 1, 2, 7 & 12)
• Michael Cronin as Geoffrey of Monmouth (episodes 3, 6, 9 & 12)
• Calum MacPherson as Evoric (episodes 9 & 11)

Guest Stars

• Santiago Cabrera as Sir Lancelot
• Laura Donnelly as Freya
• Alice Patten as Ygraine de Bois
• Michael Jenn as Sidhe elder
• Trevor Sellers as Iseldir
• Warwick Davis as Grettir
• Tom Hopper as Percival
• Harry Melling as Gilli
• Georgia King as Princess Elena
• Miriam Margolyes as Grunhilda
• Simon Williams as Godwyn
• Mark Williams as Goblin (Voice)
• John Hopkins as Sir Oswald
• Pauline Collins as Alice
• Donald Sumpter as The Fisher King
• Jake Phillips as Ghost Boy
• Philip Brodie as Sir Ethan
• Andrew Vincent as Dagr
• Shend as Ebor
• Karl Johnson as Taliesin
• Eddie Marsan as the voice of the Manticore
• Raul Griffiths as Druid Boy
• Ralph Ineson as Jarl

Previous series: Series 2

Next series: Series 4