ARTHURIAN

THE MISTS OF AVALON (2001 miniseries)

Passion. Mysticism. Adventure. Journey beyond the legend of Camelot.

Official TNT site

Based on a 1983 bestseller by Marion Zimmer Bradley it tells the story of the strong women behind the legend.

Arthur's (Edward Atterton) pagan mother, Igraine (Caroline Goodall), is married to a Christian man, Gorlois (Clive Russell, b. 1945, "Middlemarch", "King Arthur"), but drawn to the rugged pagan Uther Pendragon (Mark Lewis Jones, b. 1964, "Master and Commander", "Troy"), with whom she has a son, Arthur. Morgause (Joan Allen), Igraine's younger sister, Arthur's scheming aunt, falls in love and marries King Lot (Christopher Fulford, b. 1955, "Middlemarch", "King Arthur"). Their son, Gawain (Noah Huntley), is next in line to the throne should Arthur fail to get a son. It's Arthur's half-sister, priestess Morgaine (Julianna Margulies), who secretly gives Arthur that son, Mordred (Hans Matheson), although it's her handsome and brave cousin, Lancelot (Michael Vartan), Morgaine falls in love with. Unfortunately, Lancelot is stricken by Gwenwyfar (Samantha Mathis), the beautiful Christian daughter of a Welsh king, who, unbeknownst to Lancelot, is Arthur's wife-to-be.

Lancelot [farewell words to Gwenhwyfar]: "I pray that there is a heaven. And that when I die, you would be an angel in it, so we can be together at last."

Ladies, hold your breaths for FIVE STARS:

* Edward Atterton (b. 1962, "The Scarlet and the Black", "Sharpe's Honour", "The Hunchback", "The Man in the Iron Mask") as Arthur

* Michael Vartan (b. 1968, "Alias") as Lancelot, Arthur's First Knight

* Hans Matheson (b. 1975, "Les Misérables", "I am Dina", "Doctor Zhivago", "The Virgin Queen", "The Tudors") as Mordred, the illegitimate son of Morgaine and King Arthur

* Ian Duncan (b. 1975, "Julius Caesar") as Sir Accolon, a pagan Knight of the Round Table and Morgaine's lover

* Noah Huntley (b. 1974, "") as Sir Gawain, Morgause's son