TOP FIVE COCKY DUNGEONEERS
There’s nothing worse than an unresponsive dungeoneer, like a Douglas or a Duncan, but some dungeoneers took this knowledge to something of an extreme. The following dungeoneers are the five that, I feel, put in the cockiest performances on Knightmare, but I’m not saying whether this was altogether a good or a bad thing. Watching scenes where dungeoneers interact well with the characters, and really throw themselves into the quest, is always fun, but I will say that I honestly feel that at least the top two on my list went a bit too far on more than one occasion.
5. Martin II.
Advisors: Lee, Jamie and Darren.
Time on Knightmare: Series 3, episodes 13, 14 and 15.
Level reached: 3.
Martin wasn’t too cocky by any means, but he always threw himself completely into his interactions with the characters, and always made sure to tell his advisors if he wasn’t happy with what they were doing.
Defining quotes: ”Right, I’ve got a good joke, so I’ll tell him it.”
”Stop whispering, I can’t hear ya.”
4. Nathan.
Advisors: Karen, Stephen and Katherine.
Time on Knightmare: Series 8, episodes 4, 5 and 6.
Level reached: 3.
This was an excellent quest, much more deserving of a win than Dunston’s, and Nathan was a lively, engaging, likeable dungeoneer. His interaction with the characters he met, as well as with his equally likeable advisors, was whole-hearted and fun to watch.
Defining quotes: ”Oh, again!”
”Just look at this gold! Wouldn’t you want this gold?”
3. Matt.
Advisors: Razer, Ben and John.
Time on Knightmare: Series 6, episodes 1 and 2.
Level reached: 2.
Matt seemed to be very full of himself, and swaggered around the Dungeon with annoying overconfidence. He was rather overfriendly with some characters (Ridolfo, Smirkenorff and Hands, for example) and obviously thought his acting and improvisation skills were a match for the actors’, but they very obviously weren’t!
Defining quotes: ”How invisible?”
”Read it carefully; note down everything. Hint!”
2. Ben III.
Advisors: John, Tim and Ben.
Time on Knightmare: Series 7, episodes 8, 9 and 10.
Level reached: 2.
Ben was almost as cocky as Barry, but he wasn’t nearly as charismatic. He was rude and aloof with all the characters he met, and he obviously thought he was going to win, thus making three winning Bens in a row, which made his unpleasant demise at the Trial by Spikes even more satisfying.
Defining quotes: ”Stay there a minute; don’t go anywhere.”
”I dunno, just natural skill.”
1. Barry.
Advisors: Simon, Derek and Daniel.
Time on Knightmare: Series 7, episodes 12, 13, 14 and 15.
Level reached: 3+.
Well, what can I say? Barry is the benchmark against which all cockiness, not only on Knightmare but also in the entire universe, should be measured. He was overfriendly with everyone, brimming with self-confidence, and a complete smart-arse (as Majida noted) but he was terrific fun to watch and managed to do what no other dungeoneer did by actually matching the actors’ improvisation skills. He dug himself into a pit a couple of times, of course, but that’s only to be expected. His advisors were rather good too, particularly the one in the middle, Barry’s brother Derek.
Defining quotes: ”The goblins, are they… troubling you at all?”
”It’s a very nice boat. Yes, it’s a lovely boat.”
So, there we have it. If you have anything to add to what I’ve said here, or you’d like to send me your own list of cocky dungeoneers, then please do get in touch with me here at The Eye Shield – I’m always waiting to hear from you!