Episode Freeing the Surfs.Ivanhoe is a British television adventure series first shown in 1958-59. The show stars Roger Moore in his first starring role, as Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe. The characters were drawn loosely from Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe. The series is set in England during the 12th century reign of King Richard, who had gone to fight in the Crusades and failed to return.