Mike the Knight

Irritating CG-animated programme that emphasises, above all else, why feudalism is past its sell-by date. The egocentric Mike lives in the vale of Glendragon in a castle with younger sister Evie (a wizard in training) and two anthropomorphic dragons named Sparkie and Squirt. Each episode sees him embark upon a (typically misguided) knightly quest, going about it in entirely the wrong way and causing chaos and disaster, before declaring "It's time to be a knight, and do it right!", salvaging what dignity he can from the wreckage before taking all the credit. Sadly the reset button approach – coupled with the series' formulism – means the pattern is destined to repeat itself every episode in a never-ending Groundhog Day-esque catalogue of failure, destruction and stupidity. A big mistake – or is it? By taking Mike's father out of the equation and posting him overseas in an unseen war, the show's creators have unwittingly created a wry social commentary on the absence of a supportive, nurturing father. Except for that one episode where Mike's father turned up, and Mike was still a nob. Go figure. — James

We may need an illustration to brighten up the page. Please get in touch if you are interested, but please note that we do not host copyrighted images without permission.