The Grimwold family was comprised of an ogre, a crone, a three-headed dog, and a son who appeared in a later series.
- Series | 3, 6
- Played by | Bryan McNerney, Tom Karol
The Grimwolds featured in Series 3 as husband and wife with a dangerous pet dog, Festus.
Young Grimwold, most likely their son, is Julius Scaramonger's servant in a later series.
Mrs Grimwold
Mrs Grimwold was a witch, and the main point-of-contact for dungeoneers. She often occupied the wellway room at the end of Level 1.
Mrs Grimwold always had to be handled with care. As Treguard notes, "Anyone who can survive being married to an ogre has got to be considered dangerous".
I am sorry - I must have lost all my sense of directabilities!
Like Mildread in the previous year, Mrs Grimwold was more crafty than hostile. Any dungeoneer that brought a bone for Festus, she would normally help to reach Level 2.
She could be more sinister and opportunistic. She expects payment from two of the teams she meets. Another needs a TRANSFORM spell to evade her.
When the final team of Series 3 meet Mrs Grimwold, she appears to get attacked by Festus. A season of mistreatment comes back to bite her and she is never seen again.
Mr Grimwold
Grimwold is a non-speaking ogre and a different sort of threat to dungeoneers.
He pursues them at various point in Level 1, including the dwarf tunnels and the twisty Vale of Banburn. He sometimes crops up at the wellway room, killing one team that lacks the means to escape.
Though he is brutal and has bitten off one of Festus's heads, the ogre does have a soft spot for Mellisandre.
Actor Bryan McNerney did not receive a credit for the role. Fans later discovered his identity through signed merchandise. He recalls:
I do have some fond memories of some of the cast members who were what I'd term 'proper actors' rather than someone like me who was really only a 'walk-on' or 'lumber on'... They were really fun to be around.
Festus
Festus is arguably Knightmare's most famous 'invisible' character. It is never seen but is heard roaring at Mrs Grimwold as she shouts and throws things at it.
According to Mrs Grimwold, Festus has five tails and two heads - possibly inspired by the mythical dog, Cerberus.
He used to have three, until Grimwold - that's my hubby - bit one of them off!
Mrs Grimwold regularly uses Festus as an implied threat. Often, teams bring a bone for him. While he sounds savage, he is scared away when one dungeoneer uses magic to turn into an armoured behemoth.
Like most dogs, it could snap and turn on its owner. It seems to attack Mrs Grimwold at the end of the series, based on her yells as the dungeoneer escapes.
Young Grimwold
In Series 6, Julius Scaramonger refers to his assistant as Young Grimwold - a 'very eager ogre'. He only appears once and does not speak but is assumed to be the son of Mr and Mrs Grimwold.
Lord Fear complains to Scaramonger that his new red dragon 'eats more than the entire Grimwold family' - so the family may extend beyond the characters we meet.
