03 April 2024 , 11:25
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A team of filmmakers, magnet fishers, tech experts and divers have embarked on an outrageous quest to find - the magical sword Excalibur.
The group are searching British lakes to locate the blade said to have been thrown into the water by King Arthur. They say they have identified several possible locations of Excalibur in Britain and trying to find it for part of a new TV series called 'Weird Britain'. Underwater camera operators, drone experts and amphibious archaeologists have joined the hunt for the mythical sword.
Producer Tim Whittard said: "There is much debate about the location of the lake referred to in Arthurian lore. Identifying the lake in question is a riddle which has had historians and researchers arguing for centuries, that is if the lake even still exists or if the legend is even true in the first place. This is the first time we have had the opportunity to use underwater drones or submersible ROVs alongside professional magnet fishers in an expedition of this type.
''I think it's a really innovative and fun application of the drone technology which will make for great TV." One expert from the group added: "It is a legend, or is it?! We don't really know. But Arthur is in our hearts and in our minds, in many parts of the country. His sword could be a flight of fancy, it could be real.
The Northants Magnet Fishing at work (Tim Whittard/SWNS)''In Cornwall, it could be in Dozmary Pool, out on the edge of Bodmin Moor, but it could be up near Alderley Edge in Cheshire. The sword is a magical thing that we are all searching to find, very much like the Holy Grail." Nigel Lamford heads up a group called Northants Magnet Fishing, who have been called upon to join the project.
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Their exploits have earned them notoriety on their YouTube channel, regularly recovering all manner of metallic matter from waterways and canals. Nigel said: "We've not been beaten yet and nobody has the amount of equipment we have. If it's in there and it's magnetic, it's coming out."
The project's director Matt Everett said: "The King Arthur legend is amazing, I'd love for it to be real, and hopefully we can prove that if we do find Excalibur. Weird Britain' premiers today (Wednesday, April 3) on Blaze (Freeview 64) with episode one The Search for the Loch Ness Monster.