Hugo Myatt and Mark Knight were reunited as Knightmare's main adversaries in this raucous finale to the comedy adaptation's 10th anniversary tour.
As occasions go in Knightmare's ever-extending legacy, this one should be very hard to beat.
The two original actors behind Treguard and Lord Fear both returned to face off for the first time in the comedy stage show.
It's a rare foray into the West End for the much-travelled production. In November 2014, a shock cameo by Hugo Myatt at the Lyric Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue brought a standing ovation.
On its latest return to central London, there was no element of surprise. It was heavily advertised that the two would feature.
But that only brings anticipation and an expectant sell-out crowd, which included past contestants, previous winners of the show, and Knightmare's creator himself, Tim Child.
It's a proud moment, seeing Knightmare Live performed at the comedy-centric Leicester Square Theatre. I've seen a bunch of the Sh!t-Faced shows here over the years and always had a good time.
It's a quirky underground venue, with a smallish stage. That meant a few busy moments to navigate when audience members were called up to assist.
Also, a narrow staircase from street level limits what can be taken in and out of the venue. The giant Olgarth cast from previous years might have been a very tight squeeze.
Thankfully, there are some new and portable reaper-inspired costume props in the armoury. These have been freshly commissioned this year from craftsman Greig Johnson.
The most arresting is a ghoulish puppet of a skull with lit-up eyes, known as 'grandmama'. This is animated for us by towering actor Paul Critoph.
He's joined by supporting cast member Cat Davies for the usual multitude of roles. Together, they handle goblins, tavern workers (and warriors), a Wall Monster, Pickle (randomly). It's a real test of versatility.
The Audition
The show's format has become a bit of an institution over the years, and most of the audience seem familiar with its patter.
It begins with a customary showdown from stalwart Tom Bell as Lord Fear, who milks the pantomime hostility from the London crowd.
It's handy that he and Paul Flannery (Treguard) are such experienced improvisers, as you never quite know what's coming.
We see this unpredictability straight away, when the first dungeoneer is summoned to the stage.
He once auditioned for Knightmare in Reading, it turns out. But having told his story (and thrown his friends under the bus), he's not so keen to revisit that wish to compete 35 years on.
Treguard and Fear - who now spend more time on stage together than apart - promise to kill him off quickly. And they do.
The Knight's Tale
The next dungeoneer is more enthusiastic. Colin gets one of the defining moments - a spyglass sequence. Out storms Mark Knight as a relentless Lord Fear.
Completely in his element, Knight immediately owns the stage. He demands silence from the audience and cowers over Tom Bell's 'apprentice' Fear, who apologises nervously for the 'low figures'.
The players are guided this afternoon by the comedian John-Luke Roberts (a former school colleague of mine) and artsy Australian comic Bec Hill, the presenter of CITV show Makeaway Takeaway.
They're a creative and entertaining pair. Hill begins an early instruction, 'With consent…', which brings the house down.
Only, they seem a bit less familiar with Knightmare. It takes some anxious audience prompting before Colin is told to drop the spyglass as Lord Fear closes in.
Tom Bell, as Lord Fear 'lite' on this occasion, seems almost relieved to provide some comic relief and promptly invites his senior counterpart away for a pint.
As ever, there can be too much of a good thing. Now that the audience has his ear, Colin too hastily takes their suggestion as his answer to a riddle.
The Wall Monster summons 'grandmama', and there’s only one outcome from here. Nasty.
After the interval, a youngster celebrating his 18th birthday gets up to some fanfare and is immediately blown up in a bomb room. To his credit, he takes that as quite a triumph.
It turns out a spell was needed from the Wall Monster. So, Colin's exit inevitably meant the next player's downfall too.
A rattled Lord Fear once said, 'Winning isn’t about playing fair, it's about winning'. On this day, his long-time 'apprentice' wears a writer's pride as he explains two losses in consecutive scenes. Bravo.
The Master's Tale
The loss of a third contestant brings about the presence of a hooded stranger. It's the moment so many have been waiting for.
It's late in the day, but out bursts Hugo Myatt into character, to rapturous applause. His resonant voice is as masterful as ever, as he banishes the malignants to Level 3.
Hugo's appearance acts as a bit of a late restart. There's time for his traditional Treguard lines of greeting, and he re-equips young newcomer Emily for the show's closing scenes.
It's not made easy. She must copy a rehearsed goblin dance to escape their lair. Bec gets Emily to move 'jauntily', and she plays the part brilliantly.
For the perilous final encounter, Mark Knight returns to the stage to watch alongside everyone else.
It means we've got two Treguards, two Lord Fears, two supporting cast, the two advisors and five audience members packed into a small space. It's carnage.
The bemused advisors admit they can't see the dungeoneer beyond the human obstacles. Emily can't benefit from tilting her head because she's removed her glasses to wear the helmet.
It needs a miracle. But it's an afternoon of miracles. Somehow, somehow, the Cup is claimed.
In a final twist, there's an eco-based dilemma: recycle the Cup to save the planet. Our new champion selflessly brings over a child to perform the sacrifice together.
The kids are alright
We've been to a lot of shows, we've reviewed it many times. But it keeps on delivering. Knightmare Live has become its own institution that fans want to see repeatedly.
It doesn't always make perfect sense - it didn't always today. Yet, the randomness and unpredictability are precisely what makes the parody work.
For me, the best thing about this event was the number of young people in the audience.
Yes, it's a broadly adult show and there's some mildly inappropriate stuff. But you can easily tailor it to the occasion.
A Saturday afternoon was ideal. Some of the Knightmare crew and former contestants brought along children and grandchildren.
Two youngsters on stage at the end had seen every episode of the original show. That fills me with hope.
As custodians of keeping Knightmare's legacy alive, you want kids to relish the show and take the same joy from it than we once did and have done since.
If this show can entertain a younger generation as well, it's really doing its duty to everyone involved.
Congratulations on a long 10 years, and hats (or helmets) off to that.
Cover photo: Hugo and Mark meet in rehearsal. Credit: Jackie Vance.
