Term used in Knightmare for the programme's television audience. It was introduced in the very first moments of Series 1, when Treguard delivered the line: "Welcome, watchers of illusion, to the castle of confusion". This laid the foundations for a special relationship between Knightmare and its audience.

Treguard often treated the Watchers as if they were in the antechamber with him, welcoming them at the start of episodes, and acknowledging them with a valediction at the end, as they returned to life in their own dimension during temporal disruption. This was accomplished by nothing more complex than looking or talking into the camera (known to some as breaking the fourth wall), but it was an enduringly effective way of involving the audience. The Watchers aroused a mix of fear, annoyance and curiosity among Treguard and his assistants, Pickle and Majida; but overall, they seemed to perceive the Watchers as a necessary evil: strange and intrusive (in one episode, Pickle told them to "bog off"; in another, the camera retreated as if the Watchers were withdrawing), yet essential to Knightmare, as they give the quests an added purpose through their spectation, and provide a source of future teams to challenge the Dungeon, and justify its existence in turn. Treguard's parting words for Series 5 were:

"I'm afraid it's not up to us, Pickle, it's up to them. Well, you lot, are you going to let him scare you off, or are some of you brave enough to pick up the gauntlet? We'll be waiting for your answer. Don't keep us waiting too long, will you?"

Related to this, Treguard would sometimes challenge the Watchers to consider whether or not Knightmare is truly a game/illusion.

It wasn't always clear whether characters within the Dungeon knew of the Watchers. Mogdred would sometimes give a sardonic address to "you who watch"; and while he may have simply meant the dungeoneer's teammates, the ambiguity makes Mogdred seem even more menacing. Motley acknowledged the Watchers by seemingly breaking the fourth wall on his first appearance in Series 3. And Merlin's opening speech in the same series implied that not only was he fully cognisant of Watchers, but became one himself when awake and 'off duty' (he complained about the painful slowness of some quests, adding, "goodness knows what it's like for your parents" in the presence of Team 2 of Series 3.) Lord Fear also seemed aware of the Watchers at times.

[Earlier version: 2005-04-27 13:11:58]

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