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Is there still any hope of redemption for Morgana by the end of the series, and Katie, is this something you hope for?
KATIE: I don’t think Morgana needs redemption.
COLIN: She does.
KATIE: Morgana is doing what she believes is right. She believes she is fighting to save people like her, and people with magic. And yes, she’s going at it in a way that’s slightly more — don’t look at me like that, Colin — slightly more…
COLIN: …conniving…
KATIE: Conniving, no, committed way than possibly weak-willed Merlin would, but I think she believes she’s doing the right thing, and I think you can’t forget that about her. She’s not an evil person. She is fighting for what she believes, to free people like her. I hardly think you can say that is evil.
What are the chances that Arthur may finally come around to accepting magic?
BRADLEY JAMES: Again, I think what you’re doing there, trying to lead us…
COLIN: We’re on to you.
BRADLEY: …into telling us what’s gonna happen on the show. There are four episodes left!
I would say “watch them,” because what happens in those episodes will continue to surprise audiences. I think that’s something that Merlin has been able to do as a show; it’s surprised audiences in the way that it told the story — a story that’s been told many times over, and I think that this show always does it in a different way.
For those of us who haven’t seen Merlin Series 5 yet, can you tease what is going on with Gwen in the new series?
KATIE: I think what’s been really nice about that storyline, for me and for Angel [Coulby] because she answered the question earlier on today, is that it’s really the first time since Series Two that we’ve actually gotten proper scenes together. It’s also the first time that you really see the equal relationship between Morgana and Gwen. It’s nice to have the dynamic changed. I think for Angel, it’s sort of an added note to her character. She’s been answering all day that she finds it far more fun being bad than being good, which means I’m not the only one. I think from what she said today, she found it challenging and interesting, and she’s really enjoyed the difference in her character and the different notes that she’s been able to play.
What is the biggest surprise you have all had in doing five years of Merlin?
KATIE: The worldwide success of it. I personally could never have imagined that in one day, we’d be speaking to somebody from Malaysia, from Iceland, from Italy, from Canada and America, and everybody who had watched the show and been interested and loved it; I could have never imagined that, and it’s been a privileged.
COLIN: When we first embarked on the show, you’re only ever thinking about day to day, and the future is totally, as it turned out, it was completely far from what we ever thought it could have been. You just work on the show and you’re concerned about doing a good job and doing a good performance and working hard. The fact then, as Katie said, that you end up doing worldwide, it just brings your awareness for a few minutes towards what all of the hard work has done.
BRADLEY: I would say that the success of the show around the world has been very humbling. You don’t really see what that means; you just hear about things. You get a lot of posts from lots of places, so it’s difficult to quantify what that actually means, but to be involved in something that does have that effect on so many different cultures is not something that you can easily achieve. So to have achieved that is, as I say, a humbling kind of experience for myself.
Do you have any hope that you might get to play the characters again someday after the show has concluded?
KATIE: We’ve done 65 hours of TV, and I just… for me, I can’t imagine what story is left that we haven’t told. Also, I said it before and I’ll say it again, the ability to play a character and be able to tell the ending, for me, is rare and very important, and I like the fact that there is a full stop. I’m not sure what there is left after this for Morgana. If somebody can com up with something good, then I’ll think about it again, but I don’t know. What about [the others?]
COLIN: I think we’ve arrived, at the fifth season, it feels like the strongest point yet, and I think it’s important to go out on a high note.
KATIE: Which hopefully we do.
COLIN: You don’t want to jump the shark.
What will you miss the most about doing Merlin?
COLIN: The people, definitely. That’s a big thing. We have worked with a lot of the same people for a majority of the five years, and it’s been a huge highlight for us. That environment was very supportive and very creative.
KATIE: It’s what made the show; the people. It’s a small group of actors, and it’s a small group of crew, and without that unique grouping of people all together… I don’t think Merlin would be the success that it was.
What do you have coming up next?
COLIN: We’re all going to have an awesome Christmas, I think, is the general consensus, and then take it where it comes in the New Year.
Do you have any final words for the fans who have followed the show for so many years?
KATIE: Thank you. Thank you so much.
COLIN: Just a massive, massive thanks for the support over the whole five years. It started out as a scary experience for us all, and it turned into a really enjoyable experience, and a huge part of that has been because of the support of everyone.
Don’t miss the final episodes of Merlin, Saturdays on The BBC and starting in January on the Syfy Channel in the United States! Our thanks to the cast of Merlin for always being a pleasure to talk to….and if you’d like to come talk Merlin with other fans, come by our Merlin forum!