Editing Knightmare (TV series) (section)

==Production==
''Knightmare'' was conceived by [[Tim Child]] in 1985, inspired by the two [[ZX Spectrum]] games ''[[Atic Atac]]'' and ''[[Dragontorc]]''.<ref name="BothersBar-Child">{{cite web|title=A Man Walks into a Bar... Tim Child|date = 6 January 2010|url=http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/?page_id=193|publisher=Bother's Bar|access-date=17 March 2010}}</ref><ref name="History1">{{cite web|title=How Knightmare Began|url=https://www.knightmare.com/backstage/history/part-1.html |publisher=Knightmare.com |access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref> Realising that if a ZX Spectrum could do these types of adventure game, then a television programme could revolutionise the genre, he enlisted the help of artist David Rowe to design realistic looking backgrounds with an [[airbrush]].<ref name="H2G2">{{cite web|title=BBC – h2g2 – 'Knightmare' – the Kids' TV Show|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A722288|date=14 May 2002|publisher=[[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] h2g2|access-date=14 June 2009}}</ref> Borrowing the technique used in weather forecasts, Child devised a large blue room, which was set up in Studio A of Anglia Studios.<ref name="History1"/> The advanced computer graphic environments were created by the [[Travelling Matte Company]] using a £85,000 Supernova graphics system made by [[Spaceward Graphics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=Crash/Issue57/Pages/Crash5700068.jpg |title=Computers in TV: Commercial Breaks |magazine=[[Crash (magazine)|Crash]] |page=67 |publisher=[[Newsfield]] | date=October 1988 |via=World of Spectrum |access-date=28 May 2009}}</ref><ref name="spaceward">{{cite web | url=https://www.satoripaint.com/AboutSpaceward.htm | title=About Spaceward Graphics Ltd. | accessdate=20 May 2023}}</ref> Travelling Matte was owned by set designer Robert Harris, who had trained at Central Saint Martin's in stage design and had been working with John Peyre at BBC TV when ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' started to blend digital images with real world studio scenery.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}} Harris had a background in [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]], having trained in 3D animation at [[Middlesex Polytechnic]] under Dr John Vince, and experience in playing out "live" graphics for current affairs programmes like ''[[Newsnight]]'' and ''[[Panorama (British TV programme)|Panorama]]''. Knightmare required CGI inserts and virtual lighting changes, door reveals and animated monsters in real time, within live action against blue screen using Ultimatte.

Eventually, in early 1986, a 15-minute [[Television pilot|pilot]] under the name of ''Dungeon Doom'' was recorded.<ref name="History1"/> Even at this stage it featured Hugo Myatt, the husband of Christine Webber who was a presenter of Anglia's regional news programme ''[[About Anglia]]''.<ref name="History1"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Christine Webber – Television |url=http://www.christinewebber.com/television/ |publisher=ChristineWebber.com |access-date=14 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319001119/http://www.christinewebber.com/television/ |archive-date=19 March 2009 }}</ref> A second 20-minute pilot was filmed on 27 and 28 January 1987, with the name changed to ''Knightmare'',<ref name="Pilot">{{cite web|url=https://www.knightmare.com/backstage/knightmare-made/pilot-script.html |title=Knightmare Pilot Script |publisher=Knightmare.com |access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref> and 'lifeforce' added, an idea borrowed from ''Atic Atac'', which also influenced the show in other ways.<ref name="BothersBar-Child"/> He recruited Robert Harris, who used a Spaceward computer to design an animation of a knight's head that could indicate varying degrees of damage.<ref name="H2G2"/> Child sent this second pilot to the ITV Children's Committee in February, who commissioned a series of eight half-hour episodes.<ref name="History1"/>

The show was an instant hit, and a second series twice as long as the first was commissioned the next year, closely followed by a third the year after that. By the time this third series finished, Child felt the dungeon format was getting too restrictive, and he needed something new.<ref name="History2">{{cite web|url=https://www.knightmare.com/backstage/history/knightmare-evolved.html |title=How Knightmare Evolved |publisher=Knightmare.com |access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref> Because of this, the fourth series saw the introduction of many 'outdoor' scenes, filmed around places such as [[Middle Ages|medieval]] [[castle]]s across the UK, and composited into the blue room using the chromakey technique.<ref name="History2"/> This series also saw the introduction of the "Eye Shield", which acted as an 'eye' for the dungeoneer.<ref name="H2G2"/> Using pre-recorded footage filmed on location, it followed the progress of the dungeoneers as they explored the dungeon.<ref name="H2G2"/> A new onscreen status bar was also introduced, generated by a [[Commodore International|Commodore]] [[Amiga 2000]] computer.<ref name="Amiga">{{cite web|url=http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/fau/corpgov.html|title=Corporations and Government|publisher=AMiga History Guide|access-date=28 May 2009}}</ref><ref name="KMClubAmiga">{{cite web|url=https://www.knightmare.com/fanzone/magazines/the-quest/1.2-dominics.html |title=The Quest 1.2: Dominic's Delight
|publisher=Knightmare.com |access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref>

At its peak in 1991/1992, ''Knightmare'' attracted approximately 4–5 million viewers per episode with many episodes being directed by Martin Cairns (at that time a very high figure for a children's TV series).<ref name="H2G2"/> By 1993, the year which saw the programme's seventh series, it was the most popular non-animated show on [[CITV]].<ref name="Mindscape">{{cite web|url=http://knightmare.com/fan-stuff/products/1093-magazine-and-catalogue-adverts.html |title=Mindscape International Catalogue 1993 |publisher=Mindscape |access-date=6 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222045433/http://www.knightmare.com/fan-stuff/products/1093-magazine-and-catalogue-adverts.html |archive-date=22 December 2010 }}</ref> However, changes had recently occurred. Late in the previous year, the ITV Children's Committee was replaced by a single Controller of CITV, [[Dawn Airey]].<ref name="History4">{{cite web|url=https://www.knightmare.com/backstage/history/end-of-knightmare.html |title=Why Knightmare Ended |publisher=Knightmare.com |access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref> Although she thought well of ''Knightmare'', the average audience age of CITV was now 6–10, down from 6–15 in 1985.<ref name="History4"/> It was believed the older audience was moving to [[satellite television]] and [[video game]]s, and that programmes for a younger audience were needed.<ref name="History4"/> After two meetings, it was agreed that an 8th series of ''Knightmare'' would go ahead in 1994, but it would be a shorter run (ten episodes instead of fifteen or sixteen) and the remainder of the season's timeslot would be taken by ''Virtually Impossible'', a new virtual reality show from Broadsword, the same production company as ''Knightmare'', and aimed at this younger audience.<ref name="History4"/> Shortly after this decision was made, Airey left for [[Channel 4]], and was replaced as Controller by Vanessa Chapman.<ref name="History4"/>

Despite the diminishing older audience, ''Knightmare''{{'}}s eighth series performed well, and gained a higher audience than ''Virtually Impossible'' did later that autumn.<ref name="History4"/> Changes introduced in this series saw a return to the dungeon format of Series 1–3, albeit now completely computer-generated,<ref name="History4"/> and a new piece of dungeoneering equipment was added: the [[wand]] "Reach".<ref name="BothersBar-Child"/> This allowed dungeoneers to push, touch, and open things from a distance.<ref name="H2G2"/> At this point, there was still hope that ''Knightmare'' would return for a ninth series in 1995: a postal address for future contestants was displayed on screen after the end of the final episode.<ref name="EndSeries8">{{cite web|url=https://www.knightmare.com/series/series-8/end.html|title=Series 8: End of Series|publisher=Knightmare.com|access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref> The chances of the eighth series being the last were also strong, however, and so the series ended on an ambiguous note.<ref name="EndSeries8"/>

In the event, ''Knightmare'' was 'rested' for the foreseeable future, partly due to the declining older audience, and partly because Tim Child felt that while ''Knightmare'' should employ high-quality virtual reality in order to remain a cutting-edge show, such technology was not affordable at the time.<ref name="H2G2"/>

===Overseas versions===
Two other versions of ''Knightmare'' were also made: one in France (''[[Le Chevalier Du Labyrinthe]]''), which ran from 19 September 1990 to 31 August 1991, and the other in Spain (''[[El Rescate Del Talisman]]'') which ran from 29 May 1991 to 1994. Both versions were sponsored by [[Sega]]. One of the primary differences with both international versions was that there was no rolling gameplay (i.e. each team/quest was completed in one episode) and prizes were awarded at the end of each episode.

In 1992, Tim Child and Broadsword attempted to sell the series to American broadcasters with a pilot called Lords of the Game. This pilot used characters, settings and the cast from series 6 excluding Hugo Myatt who was replaced with an American actor. There was little interest in the series, primarily due to the potential technical issues with using bluescreen/chromakey and an NTSC recording setup.

===Merchandise===
A number of items of ''Knightmare'' merchandise were produced over the show's run, including seven [[book]]s written by [[Dave Morris (game designer)|Dave Morris]]:

* '''Knightmare: Can you beat the challenge?''' ({{ISBN|0-552-52540-5}}, 1988)
* '''The Labyrinths of Fear''' ({{ISBN|0-552-52608-8}}, 1989)
* '''Fortress of Assassins''' ({{ISBN|0-552-52638-X}}, 1990)
* '''The Sorcerer's Isle''' ({{ISBN|0-552-52714-9}}, 1991)
* '''The Forbidden Gate''' ({{ISBN|0-440-86317-1}}, 1992)
* '''The Dragon's Lair''' ({{ISBN|0-440-86328-7}}, 1993)
* '''Lord Fear's Domain''' ({{ISBN|0-440-86336-8}}, 1994)

The first of these, ''Knightmare'', told the story of how Treguard came to inhabit Knightmare Castle, revealed once to have been Dunshelm Castle, which Treguard owned by birthright. The next four books were intended for older readers, and took the format of half-fiction, half-interactive story. In these, the first half of the book was a novelette about one of Treguard's adventures, serving as a lead-in to the second half which comprised numbered sections where the reader directed the narrative, similar to the [[Choose Your Own Adventure]] books. The next two books retained the interactive format, but were aimed at a younger audience. Throughout the interactive portions of the books, the reader had to keep track of Life Force and objects collected, and some books had additional statistics or special skills to monitor. Finally, ''Lord Fear's Domain'' <!-- (generally considered to be the rarest of the seven) - please add back if you can cite/attribute this --> was a puzzle book.

There were also two ''Knightmare'' computer games released: [[Knightmare (1987 video game)|the first]] was in 1987, released on the [[ZX Spectrum]], [[Amstrad CPC]], [[Atari ST]], and [[Commodore 64]]; and the second [[Knightmare (1991 video game)|Knightmare game]] in 1991, released on the [[Amiga]] and Atari ST. A [[IBM PC|PC]] version was proposed for 1995, but the plan was abandoned when the series finished. The latter game was an RPG similar to the Dungeon Master and Eye Of The Beholder games which, whilst well received at the time, had very little to do with the TV series besides the fantasy setting.

A ''Knightmare'' [[board game]] was also released in 1992, by [[Milton Bradley Company|MB]] Games.