Arthurian Medievalism in Pop Culture: Sky Anytime Plus Adverts

 

About Sky 

Sky is a U.K. television service that, between 2007 and 2010, offered two on demand services: Sky Anytime and Sky Anytime Plus (4). According to Radio and Telly, the Anytime service “[used] space

Sky Anytime Plus Logo (3)

on the Sky box’s hard disk and [captured] a selection of Sky TV [programs] and movies that [were then] downloaded to the box overnight.” An advanced version of Sky Anytime turned into Sky Anytime Plus, which offered “video-on-demand over the Internet” and “over 500 movies and a large collection of TV shows that [could] be viewed on-demand” (4). To attract its audience in the U.K. to buy Sky Anytime Plus, Sky created five short adverts referencing the legendary characters of King Arthur and some of themes in Arthurian romances, for if the advanced television service was good enough for the greatest legendary king of Britian, it must be good enough for the average television viewer. However, only three of the five adverts will be focused on for the purpose of exploring Arthurian Medievalism in pop culture.

The First Advert

               In the first advert, audiences are first introduced to the title, “King Arthur and the Wizard’s Lesson” as a camera pans over Tony Law’s King Arthur, who is standing on what is presumed to be a round table, swinging his sword at the top of a mountaintop surrounded by blue skies. It cuts to King Arthur in his bedroom with Merlin, his legendary wizarding pal, sitting next to each other atop the bed while Merlin shows Arthur how to use Sky Anytime Plus. In the background, there are a few side characters, but what immediately catches the attention of audience members is an unnamed noblewoman and an unnamed knight creeping closer to one another, to the obliviousness of King Arthur, growing increasingly affectionate and bold the longer they go unnoticed. They are, in fact, Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot, two characters who begin an adulterous affair under the nose of King Arthur in the stories. Throughout the advert, King Arthur occasionally spouts comedic exclamations such as, “How engrossing!”, “I’m totally captivated!”, and “I can’t take my eyes off of it!” (5) about Sky Anytime+, which wittingly implies that the television service is so good it becomes the sole reason keeping him from noticing the queen and the knight’s affair.

The Third Advert

Knights of the Round Table (1)

               In the third advert, the Knights of the Round Table are gathered with King Arthur and Queen Guinevere around the Round Table while King Arthur hands off quests to the eager knights. In the Arthurian legends, the Round Table is a symbol of unity and equality, meaning that not one knight is more important than the other, and especially, that the knights are in equal standing to the king. Notably, in the advert, King Arthur is standing on top of the Round Table, rallying his knights and handing out quests instead of letting them seek adventures out on their own. The three knights named by King Arthur, which are very familiar to the stories, are Sir Gawain, Sir Gaheris, and Sir Lancelot. Sir Gawain is told to fight the Green Knight, who is an opponent that Sir Gawain faces in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Sir Gaheris is sent to fight the “bad King Lot,” a king that turns upon King Arthur and is eventually killed in battle by King Pellinore in the legends. In the advert, Sir Gaheris appears less than thrilled to be appointed to this quest because he is one of the sons of King Lot, which represents a theme of a kinship loyalties pitted against fellowship loyalties that reoccur in the Arthurian legends.  Lastly, Sir Lancelot is given the quest of “[fusing] the twin wonders of [King Arthur’s] Sky broadband unlimited and [the] Sky Plus HD bucks to create amazing on-demand entertainment” (6). Sir Lancelot claims he has already done that, promoting Sky Anytime Plus, to which Merlin enthusiastically adds, “Five hundred box set!” and Queen Guinevere cheerfully follows up with, “It will not cost us one penny more, husband!” (6). At Lancelot’s suggestion, King Arthur takes Queen Guinevere to enjoy “on-demand services” together.

The Fifth Advert 

               Finally, the fifth advert opens to King Arthur being cast out across the waters in a boat, which serves as his deathbed after he is mortally wounded in battle. The Knights of the Round Table, Queen Guinevere, and Merlin are all present and grieving. In the legends, there is a specific meaning tied to placing a mortally wounded knight/King in a boat with the intention of setting them out across a body of water, typically a sea, which is that they are in God’s hands now. Whether they live or die, it is God’s will that decides it. However, Merlin steps towards the edge of the shore, calling out to Arthur, “Arthur,

King Arthur vs. Mordred (2)

what of the new Sky Anytime Plus?” (7).  While a dying King Arthur moans that there is nothing left for him there and that the light is glowing dim, Merlin projects a glowing preview of Sky Anytime Plus, and the preview catches the eye of King Arthur, startling him back to life. Clearly, the will of Sky Anytime Plus surpasses that of the will of God. King Arthur stands up in the boat and demands his knights to dislodge the axe from his back, perhaps a subtle reference to the backstabbing of Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot, who are seen comforting each other in the advert. In the Arthurian legend, King Arthur dies to Mordred in the Battle of Camlann, which is prophesized by Merlin. 

               Overall, Sky’s adverts involving the legends of King Arthur are fun ways to promote their services. There are two more short adverts that were not discussed, and you can watch them here and here. Check them out and see if you can catch any more references related to the legends of King Arthur!

Works Cited

1. Espinques, Evrard. Knights of the Round Table. 1475. World History Encyclopedia, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/6631/knights-of-the-round-table/

2. Kappes, Alfred. The Combat of Mordred and King Arthur. 1880. University of Rochester, https://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/image/kappes-the-combat-of-mordred-and-king-arthur

3. Sky Anytime+ Logo. Radio and Telly, https://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/skyanytime.html. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

4. “Sky Anytime – The Sky on Demand Content Service.” Radio Telly UK, www.radioandtelly.co.uk/skyanytime.html. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

5. “Sky Anytime Plus Advert ft. Tony Law as King Arthur [1].” YouTube, uploaded by Tony Law, 12 December 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LJUWm0aq-Y.

6. “Sky Anytime Plus Advert ft. Tony Law as King Arthur [3].” YouTube, uploaded by Tony Law, 12 December 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKXsO3iISw.

7. “Sky Anytime Plus Advert ft. Tony Law as King Arthur [5].” YouTube, uploaded by Tony Law, 12 December 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EOgLj0E_7E&list=PLPmWvku_AzhSL84_WZs2HzwRo8CUWVTA4&index=2.