There were two types of dwarf tunnel in Knightmare. In series 3, there was a virtual dwarf tunnel, used between rooms. In series 6 and 7, there was a new 'real' format for the tunnels.

Series 3:

Between most rooms in series 3, the dungoneer walked through a dwarf tunnel. The length of these varied, some were short, and some were long. These were often home to animated bats.


The colour of these tunnels changed in each level.
Level 1 was blue, level 2 was red and level 3 was beige.

Series 6/7:

Series 6 saw the birth of a new kind of Dwarf Tunnel, filmed in a 'real' tunnel set.


There would often be inhabited by Raptor and his goblins. You could also find Brother Strange here, as well as various clue objects. The most common object to be found in a dwarf tunnel was a spyglass.

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From TES issue 56 (March 2009)

Series 3/6/7/8. Level 1/2/3.
DWARF TUNNELS

As we all know, dwarfs love nothing better than mining, and with the number of tunnels they dug out underneath Knightmare Castle over the years, the fortress really must have been sitting on a huge gold deposit! We never actually saw any dwarfs in the dwarf tunnels, although there were plenty of other creatures in there. There is some discrepancy over the true purpose of dwarf tunnels, as Treguard described them at the beginning of series 6 as being ”mineworkings”, but later in the same series he informed us that the tunnels were tall enough for humans to use because the dwarfs ”didn’t make them for themselves”.

Dwarf tunnels first appeared in series 3, and I know they are a fan-favourite aspect of this fan-favourite series. Unlike their later counterparts, these particular dwarf tunnels were designed and animated on a computer. Did I say animated? Yes, I did. The truth is, when you see the dungeoneers walking down the dwarf tunnels in series 3, they’re not really moving at all – it’s the film of the corridor that’s moving! As one of Martin’s advisors said, ”…or the corridor’s moving past you”.
Series 3 dwarf tunnels were very long and very straight, with archways along both walls. Level one dwarf tunnels were blue, level two dwarf tunnels were red, and level three dwarf tunnels were either gold or beige, depending on how cool you want to make them sound. Dwarf tunnels were heavily frequented by poisonous bats, which would fly down at the dungeoneers from the ceiling, as well as goblins and Mr Grimwold, who could sometimes be seen following the dungeoneer after Treguard had told the team that he had ”detected footsteps” behind them. The one and only occasion on which the team had to do something about any of these threats was in the final episode of the series, when Hordriss’s SPEED spell was required for Chris to escape from Mr Grimwold.

They added a nice bit of atmosphere to the series and I can see why people like them, but series 3 dwarf tunnels really were just a bit of filler between rooms, to try and give the Dungeon a bit more of a sense of scale, and in this way they were a kind of precursor to eye shield sequences. May the Lord strike me down for publishing such slander about series 3, but it is a comparison that I think is justified.

Dwarf tunnels were back for series 6, but they had been given a major overhaul. This time an actual set-piece had been built, and although the dwarf tunnels sometimes seemed to stretch on forever in multiple directions, it was actually a simple A-shaped arrangement. The tunnels were nicely backlit with soft blue light, but they were still very creepy and provided a nice bit of atmosphere. Again, they really were just a bit of filler between rooms, but with marauding goblins on the loose and putrefying skeletons on the floor and walls, they often provided a very satisfying bit of tension.
The A-shaped dwarf tunnel set returned for series 7, but the tunnels were much darker now, as they were no longer backlit in blue. What little light there was usually pooled up from the floor; as a result, the large glow-light that was often picked up as a clue object in series 7 was frequently used to navigate the darkened dwarf tunnels. Raptor and his goblins habitually haunted the mineworkings, but it was also fairly common to meet Brother Strange in a dwarf tunnel [pictured], which was always an enlightening experience.

In series 7, the dwarf tunnels also took on a new role – fairly frequently, they were used as clue rooms. In series 6 you could occasionally find an item of food in a dwarf tunnel, and once there was a single clue object (a key for Alan), but now dungeoneers would often find clue objects, scrolls and spyglasses waiting for them in the tunnels. The series 7 dwarf tunnels, therefore, were slightly more useful and relevant to the quest as a whole than the ones in series 3 and 6.

Arguably, there was a third and final style of dwarf tunnel in series 8 – those huge green corridors with yellow arches that featured during the early stages of level one were described not only by one of Richard’s advisors as ”dwarf tunnels”, but also by Majida as ”dwarfish tunnels”. If dwarfs really did build those tunnels, they must have used very tall ladders!

Difficulty: 2 They were certainly atmospheric, but not really challenging.
Killer Instinct: 1 All possible threats were really just for show.
Gore Factor: 5 Well, they did have skeletons in them sometimes!
Fairness: 9 Always added to the tension and excitement, but never likely to put the team in unfair danger.

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