The Big Knights facts for kids

The Big Knights is a fun British animated TV show. It was made by Astley Baker Davies and first shown on BBC One during Christmas 1999 and 2000. This show was special because it was one of the first to use a new digital animation style called CelAction 2D. It also uses other cool animation types like cutout and traditional drawings.

The show is about two super strong and brave knights, Sir Boris and Sir Morris. They are very big, but also very silly! They try to solve problems, often problems they caused themselves. Their efforts usually lead to lots of funny destruction and chaos.

The World of Borovia

The Big Knights live in Castle Big, which is next to Forest Big, in a land called Borovia. Borovia seems to be in Central or Eastern Europe. The knights are truly huge! The show's opening song says they are "the height of two men, the weight of four, the strength of sixteen."

Borovia is full of dragons, witches, trolls, and tiny people. Besides Castle Big and King Otto's old palace, there's only one small town called Borodzo. In this town, there was a huge gold clock that King Otto spent a lot of money on. But the Big Knights accidentally destroyed it before the King could even see it!

Borovia doesn't have many people, and its economy is not very good. The army mainly consists of Sir Boris, Sir Morris, and their pets. There are other knights, but they are not "big" and prefer to practice manners instead of fighting.

Even though it seems medieval, Borovia is actually in the modern age. It's just very old-fashioned, maybe because it's isolated or people are a bit lazy. They have a basic black-and-white TV system, one car (owned by the King), and a failed power plant that runs on pig manure!

Borovia shares a border with Moridia, a richer and smarter country. Moridia's people are always a step ahead of their neighbors. Borovia also borders a land of vampires. The Big Knights accidentally help get rid of the vampires, which helps tourism. Even though they are lovable, the Big Knights often make life a bit harder for everyone in Borovia.

Main Characters

• Sir Boris - He is known as the best swordsman in the world. Sir Boris is noble, brave, and honorable. While not as silly as his brother, he isn't the smartest knight either. He wears shiny silver armor. David Rintoul provides his voice.
• Sir Morris - He might not be the best swordsman, but he is the most excited about it! Sir Morris is incredibly silly. He once thought that breakfast magically appeared because of the plates. His main way to solve problems is by hitting them with all his strength. He wears glasses and bronze armor. Brian Blessed voices him.
• Sir Horace - This is Sir Boris's loyal dog, who also wears armor. He is a fantastic tracker. He once tracked a flying crow that stole a golden key just by its smell!
• Sir Doris - Sir Morris's pet hamster, who also wears tiny plate armor. She loves to eat and will try to eat almost anything, no matter how big or if it's food! This includes Morris's fingers, a bicycle, and even man-eating plants.
• Mrs. Ethel Minion - She is the knights' housekeeper and acts like their nanny. Without her, the knights would find it very hard to survive. She takes care of them like a mother.
• King Otto - He is the King of Borovia and a single dad. He sometimes tries to make his country more modern, but these plans often go wrong because of the Big Knights' well-meaning actions. He also tries to save money whenever he can. He is a bit dull and not very clever. He has two daughters, Princess Lucy and Princess Loretta, who are very good at getting what they want from him.
• Princesses Lucy and Loretta - These are King Otto's twin teenage daughters. They are excited about everything, a bit naive, and don't always see danger. They love adventure and really look up to the Big Knights.
• Wizard Zabobon - He is the wizard and advisor to King Otto. He is very old and doesn't seem to care much about being clean. He's not a very good wizard, but sometimes he gives good advice, which the King usually ignores.
• Professor von Proton - He is the smart person behind Borovia's plans to modernize. However, he is also completely crazy! Once, he covered the whole country in pig manure while trying to find cheap energy.
• Queen Melissa - She is the Queen of Moridia and very rich. Her amazing wealth makes King Otto very jealous.
• Sorceress Abigail - She is a cleaner, smarter, female version of Wizard Zabobon. Queen Melissa employs her.
• Sir Kiftsgate - He seems to lead a new group of knights. These knights know all about fancy manners, but they are completely useless at traditional knightly tasks like fighting dragons and ogres.

Funny Humor and Cleverness

The Big Knights was shown during Christmas 1999 and 2000. People loved it for its funny humor and smart ideas. For example, the story of Jack and the Beanstalk is told from the point of view of tiny people living in Sir Morris's garden.

In another episode, an asteroid almost hits a new dam. The knights try to save the princesses, but Sir Morris accidentally crashes into the dam from a great height, destroying it! The show's theme song was played by the Rostov Balalaika orchestra.

Voice Cast

• Alexander Armstrong as Narrator
• David Rintoul as Sir Boris
• Brian Blessed as Sir Morris
• Timothy West as King Otto
• Prunella Scales as Queen Melissa and Aunt Lily
• Morwenna Banks as The Old Witch
• Brian Sewell as Sir Kiftsgate
• John Sparkes as Eeuuurgh the Troll, Professor Von Proton, Daring Sir Douglas and Dan Titchy
• Summer Strallen as Princess Lucy
• Scarlett Strallen as Princess Loretta
• Gordon Kennedy as Count Vampire and Ogre
• Kate Robbins as Sorceress Abigail and Aunt Iris
• Enn Reitel as Wizard Zabobon, Mayor Borozo and Jack Tiny

Episode List

There are 13 episodes in The Big Knights:

• Knights in Distress
• Ethel and the Imp
• Knight School
• Time Protonosphere
• The Land of the Vampires
• Sir Morris and the Beanstalk
• The Village Games
• Alchemy
• Lost Doris
• Clockwork Knights
• The Troll Bridge
• Proton Power
• The Royal Escort

International Broadcasters

The Big Knights has been shown in several other countries:

Country	Channel(s)	Local title
Australia	ABC	The Big Knights
Poland	TVP	Wielcy rycerze
Brazil	TV Cultura	Os Grandes Cavaleiros
Finland	Yle TV1, Yle TV2, Yle Fem	Remakat ritarit
Netherlands	Nederland 3	Heren in Blik
Hong Kong	TVB Pearl	The Big Knights

Awards and Recognition

The Big Knights has won several awards for its animation and humor:

• 2000 Best Adult Animation Series – British Animation Awards (BAA)
• 2000 Best Use of New Technology - British Animation Awards (BAA)
• 2001 Best Animation Series - Annecy International Animated Film Festival
• 2001 Grand Prize for Animated Television Programme at the SICAF International Festival in Korea
• 2001 Best Commercial Series Animation Award - FAN International Festival of Animation UK