Gibbet (pronounced 'Jibbet') is one of the lesser known Knightmare characters, especially considering he only appeared twice. Why? Because he was the guardian of the wellway to Level 3, the final level of the dungeon, and he only appeared in Series 1. Out of the six teams in that series, only two of them managed to get that far- and Gibbet wasn't a pleasant character, by any means.
The first was Team 3 of Series 1 (Simon, Simon, Jonathan and Steven) in Episode 4, broadcast on the 28th September 1987. They'd already become the first to reach Level 2, and had picked up two spells, ANVIL and LANTERN as they ventured into the pitch black wellway room. They spellcast LANTERN and came face to face with Gibbet, hearing his thick Scottish accent for the first time. Angry that his sleep had been disturbed, he got ready to hit them with his hammer. The correct solution here was to spellcast ANVIL and knock him out... unfortunately, the team instead dispelled LANTERN (ANLTERN) and threw them all into darkness again, meaning Gibbet must have struck the final blow as their quest ended there.
Gibbet fans had to wait until Episode 8 (26th October 1987) to see him again. Team 6 of Series 1 (Richard, Jonathan, Paul and Edward) had braved snakes, catacombites, and an insult contest before reaching Gibbet's lair. Clearly in a better mood, Gibbet simply asked for the password "...or you perish" this time. They gave it, and boldly went where no team had gone before- Level 3. They would perish at the wall of Jericho, coincidentally right at the end of the series.

Not being listed in the credits, the mystery of who played Gibbet remained for quite some time. It took until the middle of 2002 for Richard Wood (the team 6 dungeoneer) to confirm that the actor was Alec Westwood, who also played Folly.

[Addendum by David, 2005-05-12 01:11:02 :

The word gibbet relates to gallows and hanging, making it a fitting name for a character who places people in life-or-death situations.]

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