Dragon's Lair (TV series)

Lore & Background

The series chronicles the adventures of Dirk the Daring, who is the best knight in the kingdom of King Ethelred. Dirk performs great deeds while protecting the kingdom and his love Princess Daphne from the forces of the evil dragon Singe. Original characters include his stallion Bertram, his squire Timothy, and arrogant knight Sir Hubert Blunt, who is Dirk's rival. Before each commercial break, Dirk faces a cliffhanger situation; the storyteller narrates Dirk's options and asks the viewer 'What would you do?' After the break, the outcomes of the various choices are shown before Dirk acts on the correct idea to advance the story.

Reader's Guide

Dragon's Lair (TV series) represents an early attempt to translate an interactive video game into a linear animated format, preserving the game's choose-your-own-adventure feel through its cliffhanger structure. The series aired on ABC in 1984, lasting only thirteen episodes. Its voice cast included Bob Sarlatte as Dirk the Daring, Ellen Gerstell as Princess Daphne, and Peter Cullen as Bertram the Horse and Sir Hubert Blunt. The show incorporated enemies from the original game, such as the Lizard King, the Phantom Knight, and the Mudmen. In 2011, Warner Bros. released the complete series on DVD via their Warner Archive Collection as a Manufacture-on-Demand release, available only in the US. The series is notable for its direct connection to the groundbreaking laserdisc game and for featuring Peter Cullen, later famous as the voice of Optimus Prime.

Did You Know?

• The series was produced by Ruby-Spears Productions.
• Before each commercial break, the storyteller asks the viewer 'What would you do?'
• Peter Cullen voiced Dirk the Daring, while Bertram the Horse was voiced by Michael Bell.