English author J.R.R. Tolkien is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord Of The Rings and other tales of Middle-earth. When interviewed by Debbie Glover in 2002, Tim Child said that Knightmare's fantasy world setting was chosen because "I was a bit of a Tolkien and Hobbit freak, and things like that". A number of Tolkien references can be found scattered throughout the programme.

In the most explicit example, Team 9 of Series 3 were asked by the wall monster Golgarach "In another legend, who was the first hobbit to hold the ring?" (answer: Bilbo Baggins) and "In the same legend, what were goblins called?" (answer: Orcs). Note that in the chapter of The Hobbit where he finds the ring, Bilbo himself must correctly answer riddles in order to gain the assistance of - and avoid being eaten by - the creature Gollum.
Knightmare's elf Pickle had a couple of nice lines relating to his counterparts in Middle-earth. When Team 6 of Series 5 arrive in Level 2, he remarks: "Not exactly the Last Homely House, master. Can't believe there'll be much of a welcome here." (Elrond's home in the Elven settlement of Rivendell is a refuge for the adventurers in both The Hobbit and LOTR.) When Team 3 of Series 6 unexpectedly find their dungeoneer on board the Cloudwalker, Pickle exclaims: "Surely only Elves cross the great ocean, and when they do, it's never to return!" This refers to the Elves departing Middle-earth and sailing to the Undying Lands. The name of the vessel's cursed captain, Nemanor, may be a combination of Captain Nemo (from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea) and Númenor, the island realm of Men which was destroyed as punishment for attempting to conquer the Undying Lands.
One of Merlin's first lines in Knightmare was "Now who on earth or under it is responsible for disturbing me?" This expression may have been lifted from The Hobbit, where Thorin asks "Now what on earth or under it has happened?" Hordriss' first speaking appearance was similarly Tolkien-esque, telling Leo "You really cannot pass" on a narrow bridge and insisting that he go back (or go down); LOTR fans may be reminded of Gandalf and the Balrog ("Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass") on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm.

There are numerous similarities between the Dark Lord Sauron and Lord Fear, who complains in Series 6 that "Someone has stolen my Ring of Power!" The twenty Rings of Power are central to the plot of LOTR, and Lord Fear has many of his own. Further comparisons may be drawn between the volcanoes Mount Doom and Mount Fear, the Dark Tower of Mordor and the Black Tower of Goth, their respective titles of the Necromancer and Technomancer, and their use of goblins to defend their territory from small intruders. The volcanic fortress of Sauron's predecessor Morgoth was ruined by one of his own dragons falling dead upon it, just as the shooting down of Red Death destroyed Mount Fear. LOTR also includes an incident where the hobbit Pippin spies on Sauron through a 'palantír' or seeing stone. As with Knightmare's spyglasses, this is highly dangerous as the enemy is able to detect him, but it does prove beneficial to their quest.
Shortly before Team 10 of Series 3 perish at the hands of goblins, Velda gifts them a green beryl, calling it an Elvenstone. This may have its origins in LOTR, where Aragorn is known as 'the Elfstone' because of the green gem he wears (a gift from his Elven fiancée). When Team 1 of Series 7 offer a different green gem to Grimaldine, he calls it an Arkenstone - the name of a precious stone in The Hobbit that is highly valued by the dwarf Thorin Oakenshield. This character's epithet may well be the inspiration for Grimaldine's 'Arken shield', used by Team 6 of Series 7 to defeat Lord Fear.

Other possible Tolkien references in Series 7 include Majida calling Treguard "Treebeard" (the name of an Ent in LOTR who aids the Fellowship), and the Rift of Angar which resembles Angmar, a mountainous region of Middle-earth where evil creatures dwell. Smirkenorff tells Team 3 of Series 7 that "A strange but fell beast hunts for me", which could be a subtle reference to the Ringwraiths' winged steeds in LOTR (described and popularly known as "fell beasts"). Romahna later opens the door to his nest using some magic words that sound like "Dol Gathur". This phrase sounds Elvish (akin to Dol Guldur, one of Sauron's strongholds), and might be translated as "hill of the dark cavern", perhaps describing the threshold to Level 2. It is thought that Velda's battle cry of "Elvandis" may also be Elvish, invoking a saint or departed ancestor.

In Series 8, Treguard's rhyming recap features the line "Through dungeons deep and caverns dark", probably adapted from the chorus of this dwarf song in The Hobbit. Lord Fear's new palaces of Linghorm and Marblehead are first introduced with Maldame pointedly stating "You have two towers" - a reference to the second volume of LOTR?

In the 2013 YouTube episode of Knightmare, a senile Treguard is restored to his youthful vigour by Daisy, recalling Gandalf's rejuvenation of King Théoden who had been prematurely aged and weakened.
Gollum may have inspired both the hissing, devious, fish-eating creep Lissard (particularly the KMVR version who mentions "Orcses") and Bhal-Shebah, whose multiple personalities tend to argue with one another. Ariadne is likely based on Shelob - a legendary giant spider with many descendants, whose perilous lair the adventurers must journey through. The unseen Army of the Dead, who patrol the Great Corridor of the Catacomb, share a name with the fearsome ghost army summoned by Aragorn.
In The Hobbit, a meeting-place of Wargs is referred to as the "wolf-glade", a name also given to the forest on the edge of Wolfenden. The Forest of Dun and Dunkley Wood in Series 4 bear a strong resemblance to the ill-reputed Forest of Fangorn and dark, spider-infested Mirkwood (formerly known as the Greenwood); dungeoneers are given the same advice as Bilbo and the dwarves, about the importance of sticking to the elf-path. Oakley the tree-troll is reminiscent of Tolkien's Ents, the guardians of the forest, and uses similar expressions. Treebeard warns the hobbits against freely giving out their real names, and declines to tell them his own, just as Knightmare's elves conceal their calling name behind an alias.

The Mirror of Galadriel is a basin of water that can be commanded to show many things from the past, present or potential future, not entirely unlike Lord Fear's Pool of Veracity. Galadriel's elven gifts to the Fellowship include cloaks to hide them from enemy eyes, like Stiletta's cloak of invisibility, and a magic rope - Sylvester Hands' weapon of choice.

Treguard's observation that "Some small people are often remarkably fierce and tenacious" also echoes a major theme of Tolkien's hobbit stories.

login to vote