From TES issue 68 (March 2011)

Series 4/5/6.
PICKLE

Although generally I do prefer Treguard without an assistant and I don’t think he ever really needed one, my feelings about Pickle himself (and David Learner’s portrayal of him) are nothing but positive. If Treguard had remained on his own in the Great Hall throughout the show’s run, I don’t think the quality would have suffered at all (at least not for that particular reason) but given that Pickle did turn up at the start of series 4, I think he added a lot to the show, and I think David Learner played the part brilliantly and did as much with the role as it was possible and appropriate to do.
Pickle was always suitably subservient (unlike Majida) yet he wasn’t afraid to chip in with helpful and/or funny remarks when he thought it appropriate. Due to the nature of the role, of course, a lot of Pickle’s lines were entirely scripted, yet David did a lot of brilliant work (his best work, undoubtedly) ad-libbing, equally as well with Hugo Myatt (Hugo and David have a great dynamic, I always think) as with the advisors. Part of Pickle’s basic character was that he unashamedly wanted the teams to do well and would surreptitiously try to help them, as well as trying to put them at their ease and make them laugh, and David always carried out this role brilliantly, often scrunching up with the advisors and becoming almost a member of the team (”As Pickle is so keen to join your team…” – Treguard) and striking up a great rapport with many advisors over the three series.

I’d imagine that many teams (particularly the younger ones, like Jeremy’s) appreciated the fact that there was someone in the antechamber who was so obviously on their side, as Treguard was still very ambiguous when Pickle joined the cast, and he didn’t become exactly unambiguous until Majida turned up. I’m sure David Learner himself was just as keen as Pickle was for the teams to do well, which I think is why he was able to maintain the perfect balance between playing the character – always being suitably elvish – and presenting the show; not so much in the sense of presenting it to us at home (although he did that occasionally) but presenting it to the teams, helping them to get into it and guiding them through as best he could. So the big question is, why was he replaced? One of the worst decisions ever!

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From TES issue 8 (September 1997)

SERIES 4-6 : PICKLE

I have always been a big fan of Pickle, ever since his mysterious introduction back in 1990...

To refresh the more forgetful among you, Pickle simply appeared in Treguards throne room at the beginning of series 4, welcoming the first dungeoneer of the series. Other than that, we were given few clues as to how Pickle came to reside with Treguard in Knightmare Castle. However, as series four 'branched' out (ho ho) into the forests around Knightmare Castle, Pickle served an invaluable purpose as a source of information regarding elf paths, secret passages, and the various pitfalls of the greenwood.

David Learner provided a brilliant portrayal of Elvish cunning, as Pickle constantly attempted to aid every quest, much to Treguards annoyance. This assistance took many forms, including advice on which quest to take, sneaking food into the knapsack, and - possibly Pickles finest hour - actually dashing through the dungeon portal and joining a quest !

The rather hapless Simon was the lucky recipient of Pickle's help, after he was ambushed by Fatilla. Leaving Treguard fuming, Pickle convinced Fatilla that Simon was actually the leader of a huge army, all of whom weren't far behind ! Fortunately, this scheme worked, although Pickle wasn't quite so fortunate, earning a severe ticking off from Treguard !

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Pickle's time on Knightmare, was that he was an extremely inflexible character. Apart from the brief excursion mentioned above, Pickle was forced to remain in the dungeon antechamber with Treguard. Clearly this restricted Pickle to being almost entirely scripted - unlike most Knightmare characters. This was particularly apparent in series 4, when both Treguard and Pickle seemed to say almost exactly the same lines at the same point in each and every quest!

Therefore, I feel credit must be given to David Learner for overcoming this, and still making Pickle an interesting character in spite of rather poor material. In fairness, Pickle and Treguard were able to inject a degree of variety at the beginning and end of each episode. A classic example being Pickle's closing line, when he politely asked viewers to "Bog Off" !

The role of assistant to Treguard was, of course, totally uncharted territory prior to series 4. This is clearly another plus point for Pickle, as I feel he was never too intrusive, which would have become merely irritating to Knightmare die-hards. Instead, Pickle became a worthy addition to the whole format. To nervous young teams, the presence of someone clearly trying to help, would undoubtedly aid them in settling their nerves and fears. Yet, during the more scary moments, the tension for the viewer at home could only be enhanced by gasps of fear, or Pickle's urgent voice as hurried the team to safety.

Glowing praise, I'm sure you will agree ! I did try to think of bad points, but Pickle has always been amongst my favourite characters ! I must admit, when series 4 began, and it became clear that Treguard would always have an assistant from that point, I had great doubts. What was wrong with Knightmare before ? Will Pickle make the quest too easy for the teams ? Knightmare fans everywhere may have had similar reservations...

The fact that those doubts were unfounded is a testament to Tim Child, for being brave enough to change the format in that way, by ensuring that Pickle never interfered to an annoying extent.

Fear Factor : 0 Tended to be frightened, rather than frightening!
Humour Rating : 8 Always ready to amuse the team, and to annoy Treguard!
Killer Instinct : 0 Wouldn't hurt a fly!
Oscar Standard : 10 Perfectly Elvish, David Learner - we salute you!

Written by and submitted with the kind permission of Paul McIntosh.

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More than one Knightmare Discussion Forum user has taken Pickle as the basis for his or her username. The first of these was Pickle_the_Elf, who joined on the first day of 2003 and whose first post (on the prospective Knightmare VR theme) was also their last.

In March 2003, pickle joined, and continued to post until September of that year. Real name Neil, his posts included the revelation that he had 'a secret mole within Anglia TV' who supplied him with news of Knightmare repeats on Challenge.

Pickle ^_^ (the emoticon was included in his screen name) became a member in May 2003, and posted more prolifically than either of his predecessors, making nearly 700 before the year was out. Most of his posts had a hedonistic flavour. In one of his earliest, he remarked: 'bet i sound like a total n00b ;D'. As well as spearheading a petition for Knightmare to be released on DVD, Pickle ^_^ became the Administrator of Knightmare Back-Up (dropping the emoticon from his screen name in the process). His most recent appearances in the Knightmare fan community were scattered forum posts in 2004 and early 2005. His Knightmare Back-Up signature was 'S**t Happens! Bored Now.'

grandmasterpickle: Prompted a backlash, chiefly from Pickle ^_^, when he made a post about how 'Knightmare isn't that good' in June 2003. Grandmaster_Pickle, who posted on the forum during that month, was apparently the same person.

Rockin_Pickle: Joined the forum on the 25th of June 2003, and to date has made just a single post.

Picklelover became a member of the forum in July 2003, and despite never posting, provided a username that was sufficient to mark out another Pickle enthusiast. Picklelover's account was deleted by Mystara in 2009.

Wohpickle: A non-poster who registered in 2003 on the 15th of November. Deleted by Mystara in 2009.

cheese_n_pickle: Posted during 2003.

PicklesGirl: joined in March 2007 and two years later, with a Discussion Forum post count of zero, was deleted by Mystara.

Pickle97: joined the forum in September 2011.

Picklemyfav joined the forum in February 2016. Real name Elizabeth, she has made over 180 posts and has been an enthusiastic participant in Knightmare Chat.

[Earlier versions: 2011-09-11 11:17:50, 2006-01-14 03:15:10]

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Pickle the elf was Treguard's first assistant, introduced in Series 4 he was in Knightmare until the end of Series 6. Replacing him was Majida the genie. He was played by David Learner and was mainly a silly sort, often getting confused and referred to as a 'silly sprite' by Treguard. Merlin got his name wrong and called him Tickle, he also had a great dislike for Elita. Notably he told the viewers to Bog Off. Pickle can be seen (he's the one in green) below:

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