It’s almost three years now since Merlin ended, still pulling in high ratings to BBC One on Saturday evenings after five seasons.

However, those 65 episodes weren’t enough for most fans, with many demanding more time in the world that Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps had created back in 2008.

> Buy the complete Merlin Season 1-5 boxset on Amazon.

Since the conclusion of Merlin, BBC One has tried to find a replacement with the same buzz, but the short-lived Atlantis has already sunk without trace, mercilessly axed before its second season had even finished airing.

With rumours going around that the next season of Doctor Who will be split between 2016 and 2017, there’s likely to be a fantasy drama-shaped hole in BBC One’s Saturday evening schedule. What better solution than to bring back Merlin?

Of course, there are other possibilities and formats worth considering too.

Here guest writer Ross Deakin takes a look at 5 ways in which Merlin could come back…

 

A movie

The potential of a movie was discussed before its fifth season aired, with many people thoroughly excited about the opportunities that could arise, I being one of them. A big screen outing would only really work if they brought back all the original cast, so I believe that it would have to take place between the fourth and fifth seasons as the main characters are still alive.

Big fantasy epics tend to do well at the box office, with constant speculation that Game of Thrones might be heading to cinemas after its final season. BBC TV hits Spooks and Bad Education already crossed over into films this summer, so why shouldn’t Merlin do the same?

 

An audio series

This out of all the possibilities seems the most likely as it would cost the least to be produced and involve less of a time commitment.

However, a lot of the cast have gone onto big things in recent years and I doubt that they would be persuaded to come back to do just an audio story.

On the other hand, audio tales could be set during any time period from the series, making the story ideas virtually limitless. Big Finish has recently brought back Torchwood with great success – and Merlin star Alexander Vlahos has recorded a number of productions with them – so there’s always hope that they might do the same for Merlin and friends.

 

A spin-off

A spin-off based around the Knights of the Round Table is something I’d love to see. This would work best in between the third and fourth seasons, as Lancelot, Gwaine and Elyan would all be alive.

One of the reliable pieces of humour throughout the series was the banter between all the knights and the further exploration of that dynamic has great potential. A combination of sword fights and humour sounds like the perfect combination and has proved popular in BBC One’s The Musketeers (featuring a familiar face!).

The knights would be at the forefront of the stories instead of being secondary characters and it would be interesting to learn more about their characters.

 

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