JOHN WOODNUTT
1924 - 2006
A tribute by Chris Stallard
The Knightmare community was saddened to hear of the death of John Woodnutt early in January 2006. The name, of course, will evoke warm memories from the majority of Knightmare fans, who remember with fondness John Woodnutt in the role of Merlin, the friendly, slightly disorganised but nevertheless authoritative wizard who played such a seminal role in quests in the early seasons. Fans will also look fondly on his performance as Mogdred, the intimidating alter-ego of Merlin. How many fans can truthfully say that they weren’t just slightly scared by his booming voice and eerie laughter?
John was born on March 3rd 1924, and began acting at a young age. He was a trained Shakespearian actor, and his early roles were in stage-based productions of the Bard’s works. His break into television came in 1956 when, in a role somewhat different from the Shakespeare he had made his staple, he played Victor in a televised adaptation of the David Karp novel One, a novel not dissimilar to 1984 by George Orwell.
After spending the remainder of the 1950s playing similar roles, John received a major boost when, in the mid 1960s, the BBC were so impressed by his consistent performances that he was offered the role of PC Birch in the cult show Z-Cars, alongside household names such as Stratford Johns, Frank Windsor and Brian Blessed. This led to appearances in well-known programmes such as The Avengers, The Tomorrow People, Adam Adament Lives! and Dr Who, in which he appeared four times during the show’s heyday in the 1970s. John also appeared in an episode of The Bill in which he played a rather distressed bank manager! Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, John also continued to play parts in adaptations of Sherlock Holmes novels, as well as performances of his beloved Shakespeare.
However, it is for Knightmare that we will remember John, playing the contrasting roles of Merlin and Mogdred. Mogdred was the dark side of Merlin’s magic, which meant that John was playing both the main force for good and the main force for evil in the Dungeon, seeing as Treguard was strictly neutral in the early series. It is to John’s eternal credit and also a testimony to his talent that he was able to play these contrasting roles with such zest and conviction.
His performance as Merlin is the main reason why I felt compelled to write this article, as he played the part superbly. Merlin was friendly and approachable to all teams who reached him. Who can forget the twinkle in the eye when he spoke to the few teams that reached him in level 3? Whilst some are not fans of John’s stumbling, forgetful approach to the role, I felt this was the most appropriate style for Merlin; a knowledgeable and friendly character, but, due to his age, slightly forgetful and rather disorganised. Despite this, John conveyed well the importance of Merlin, for although he was friendly, he often gave the impression that he had more important business to attend to and could be quite dismissive of teams who failed his challenge, such as Julie in series 3, who was told bluntly to see herself out after failing his riddles. She, of course, soon met up with the goblins. Therefore, in playing Merlin, John played the authority figure perfectly. He was warm and welcoming, but never let business drag on and could be blunt when he needed to be.
In total contrast to this, Mogdred was, to be honest, a frightening proposition! I can still remember being scared totally witless as a young boy in 1988 when Mogdred’s tones boomed out at the dungeoneer. That echoing laughter and deep voice really were intimidating to a youngster, and although Mogdred only used physical violence on rare occasions, the intimidation was often enough to throw the dungeoneer. Even the deep laughter alone was enough, when Mogdred himself was not present. John also played this part superbly, as he showed that, whilst the threat can be intimidating, ”fear lives stronger in the threat than in any deed.”
John left Knightmare after series 4 in 1990, following what many saw as a downgrading of Merlin’s role. The reasons for this were that Merlin became one of the many victims of the stocks in this series, coupled with the famous colourful robes being replaced with tattered clothes, apart from during later appearances with Dickon and Giles. Following his departure, John played Sir Watkyn Bassett in the BBC’s renowned comedy Jeeves and Wooster, and later a judge in the CITV comedy-drama Harry’s Mad.
John’s final major role came in 2000 with the role of a friar in Dragon Heart II: A New Beginning, a production that was certainly similar to Knightmare in its genre! He passed away early in January 2006 after a long illness, at the age of 81. On a personal note, John, wherever you are, thanks for the memories.
3rd March 1924 – 3rd January 2006