RICHARD CARPENTER
Conducted
and transcribed by Allen W. Wright
Richard
"Kip" Carpenter was the main writer and creator of Robin of Sherwood,
the 1980s British television series that added Herne the Hunter and an
Arab Merry Man to the legend of Robin Hood. He has created other popular
fantasy series like Catweazle, and has written scripts for many other shows,
movies and books (some based off Robin of Sherwood). He has written a television
series and movie based on real-life Yorkshire outlaw Dick Turpin. His current
series "Out of Sight" recently earned him a Writers Guild of Great Britain
award. His Scarlet Pimpernel movies starring Richard E. Grant were shown
on A&E in 1999 and are available on video and DVD.
I'd
like to thank Christine Haire of Spirit
of Sherwood for arranging this interview.
This
interview was conducted in e-mail conversations during February, 1998.
AWW:
How did you come to create Robin of Sherwood?
RC:
My partners were looking around for a family viewing subject to exploit
and Sidney Cole suggested Robin Hood as he had been one of the executives
behind the Richard Greene Robin Hood [The Adventures of Robin Hood TV series] which was shot in black and white thirty
years before and was still being shown in America. We felt that a
new approach was needed.
AWW:
What was your first exposure to the Robin Hood legend?
RC:
I had a very nice Robin Hood book when I was eight with lots of pictures.
Funnily enough I can still remember that the book had a peculiar smell
- not unpleasant - in fact quite like dried flowers.
AWW:
What were some of your influences in creating Robin of Sherwood?
RC:
The games I played as a child . The English woodland. The Errol
Flynn movie.
AWW:
Why did you incorporate mystic elements like Herne into the series?
RC:
Robin Hood is one of the few perennial legends with no magic in it.
There is a fragment of a ballad called Robin Hood and the witch I believe
- but tantalisingly breaks off after a stanza. The Middle Ages were extremely
superstitious and much remained of the old pre-christian fertility and
tree worship religions. You must remember that the country was largely
based on agriculture: and the crops and the turning year were extremely
important to everyone. Vestiges of this still remain throughout Europe.
Although the Mother Goddess was supreme - the male principle was considered
equally important. The question is whether Herne is a shaman or if
he - like shamans do - ‘becomes’ the god at certain times after practising
certain rituals.
AWW:
How did the character of Nasir, the Arab Merry Man, come about?
RC:
By accident. I had created a character who was an arab servant of
Belleme (the evil sorcerer in the pilot). A man he had brought back from
the Crusades which were having a huge cultural influence on Europe.
In the first episode this man attempts to kill Robin and is killed by Little
John. It was decided that Mark Ryan would survive the fight and befriend
Robin and - because he hated Belleme - would join the band - provided
he remained almost silent throughout the series.
AWW:
Why did you make Will Scarlet so angry and rebellious?
RC:
I think if you'd seen your wife raped and then trampled under the hooves
of the rapists' horses you'd be angry and rebellious.
AWW:
How did you come up with the idea of there being two Robin Hoods?
RC:
Again this was very much a question of necessity. Michael left the
show to play D’Artagnan in The Three Musketeers on Broadway and we need
a new Robin or the series would come to an end. So I revived the
sixteenth century idea that Robin Hood was the son of the Earl of Huntingdon.
And created the idea that Robin Hood was a kind of title - which it probably
was anyway.
AWW:
Could you please explain briefly how you saw all the merry men, and the
sheriff and Gisburne? (Including a comparison of the two Robins.)
RC:
Robin
- a young man who believed in freedom to take deer for food and suddenly
having his destiny thrust upon him. Aware of his extra sensory perceptions
and finally certain that what he represented was the truth.
Robert
of Huntingdon. Gets called by Herne - fights against it and then
accepts it - and of course falls in love with Marion. Despite his
privileged upbringing he has a sense of injustice.
Scarlet
- a rough ex-soldier - slightly crazy - and out for revenge.
Much
- a gentle slightly simple young lad.
Little
John absolutely loyal to Robin and a sort of early socialist.
Tuck,
devoted to Marion but believing that Jesus was right when he said ‘In my
Fathers house there are many mansions.’ Tolerant and balanced.
Nasir
- a loner but loyal. Ruthless in combat and not given to long speeches!
A Muslim and a prince in his own country.
Marion.
Gentle and deeply in love. Compassionate and loyal.
Gisburne.
A fascist. Intolerant, cruel, unimaginative and arrogant. A
soldier.
The
Sheriff. Devious, a politician. Witty, amusing and cynical.
AWW:
Why did you make Gisburne the second Robin's half-brother?
RC:
I was at a party and the only two blondes in the room were Robert Addie
and Jason Connery. I suddenly thought - those two could be brothers
and the idea was born. It helps to explain why Robin - who knows
- doesn't kill him.
AWW:
What are some of your favourite episodes and why?
RC:
The first double episode ["Robin Hood and the Sorcerer"] because it established everyone and used the silver
arrow in a new way. The King Richard episode, - oh I really can't
remember after all this time. ["The King's Fool"] But generally the first series episodes
were among my favourites.
AWW:
You incorporated a lot of real history in the series, particularly in the
King Richard episode. What do you think the importance of history in such
a series is?
RC:
It gives the story an authentic background and helps to make it more believable.
AWW:
And one question a friend asked me to ask, although it was on my mind too...
Why did you make such huge leaps in the shows time period? (Early 1190's
in the first series, end of the 1190's in the second, 1209-1211 in the
second?) Also, I have an old Robin Hood book by Henry Gilbert. One of the
bad guys in it is Sir Isenbart de Baleme. Was Simon de Belleme a reference
to this character? [Isenbart later appeared in E. Charles Vivian's early 20th century Robin Hood novel as well. And that novel has other names which were recycled in RoS. - AWW]
RC:
I was not writing a history lesson. Dates are unimportant in a fantasy.
Robin Hood is a fantasy. He never existed. Funnily enough
Belleme did which was why both Henry Gilbert and I used the name.
AWW:
What do contributions do you think Robin of Sherwood has made to the Robin
Hood legends?
RC:
Chiefly by introducing a mystic element and making the characters younger
and tougher and questioning the decisions made by Robin.
AWW:
Why did you make the outlaws so young?
RC:
Because rebels generally are young. There is something faintly sad
if not ridiculous about an old rebel.
AWW:
Robin of Sherwood has a strong fan following after 15 years. Why do you
think this is? And what do you think about the fans?
RC:
I think - because so many ends were left untied when the series was cancelled
- it provided the fans with a what happened next element which is always
intriguing. Many fans have used Robin of Sherwood very creatively
with stories poems costumes and art-work. Robin Hood lends itself
to this kind of follow-up.
I welcome the fans and have made many of them my friends. The Robin
of Sherwood fandom is generally intelligent and imaginative.
AWW:
Could you please list some of the most positive experiences in working
on Robin of Sherwood?
RC:
Not really. It was just a very happy time working with a very talented
and enthusiastic bunch of guys. They all worked extremely hard.
They played extremely hard too - but I won't go into that!!
AWW:
Could you please list some of the elements that came out better than you
expected? And some ones that did not work out the way you intended?
RC:
I think Gisburne and the Sheriff worked particularly well together.
I would have like to have built up the Marion / Robin relationship but in
this country we had a five thirty slot and so the romance - or rather the
sexual element in the romance - had to be cut right down.
AWW:
I'm told you wanted to do a fourth series of Robin of Sherwood. What things
would have happened in that series?
RC:
As I've said earlier, we assumed we were to do a fourth series and many
loose ends would have been resolved. Gisburne would have discovered
that he was Robin's half brother - there would have been more dissension
within the band. It is possible the Sheriff would have been replaced
and Much murdered. Who knows?
AWW:
Why was the show ended prematurely?
RC:
Television politics.
AWW:
Could you please give some information on your proposed Robin of Sherwood
movie?
RC:
As it is never likely to happen I don't see the point. The story
is quite complicated but contains all the usual elements.
AWW:
I read once that you were working on doing a Bronze Age Arthurian series.
What became of this?
RC:
Nothing so far but I haven't given up.
AWW:
What projects are you currently working on?
RC:
At the moment I have two projects. Three feature length scripts for
the BBC based very loosely on The Scarlet Pimpernel books by the Baroness
Orczy - due to start shooting in a month's time. [This series starred Richard E. Grant.] And the third series
of Out of Sight - a series about an invisible boy which won the Writers
Guild of Great Britain award last year- also due to start shooting in April.
AWW:
Why do you think the legend of Robin Hood has endured for so long?
RC:
It has elements of anarchy in it which I think everyone finds appealing.
It is romantic and swashbuckling. Robin shares a dare-devil
cheek with characters like Till Eilenspiegel. He is an archetype
of the man fighting against injustice and that makes him immortal.
AWW:
Would you like to do more Robin Hood stories at some point?
RC:
No. A writer must always move on.
AWW:
Is there anything you would like to add?
RC:
Only that I amazed that there are still people watching a series made so
long ago! Thank you for your interest and I hope the answers make sense
and help to illuminate my approach to the subject.
AWW:
Once again, thanks for taking time out to answer my questions. Oh,
and in case I haven't said it before, I really like your version of the
legend a lot. Thank you for creating such a wonderful show.
RC:
Thank you for your kind words about the show. It was a team effort
and I was a privileged part of that team.
In the
Europe, Network Video has released the series on both
video and DVD. Both the VHS tapes and DVDs are recorded in
PAL format which cannot be viewed on most North American DVD players
or VCRs. However, the DVDs are "Region 0" and so if you have
a player capable of playing PAL format (some models of Apex, Sampo and JVC
as well as many DVD-ROMs), then you don't have to worry about the Region
code differences. Network did produce a limited run of VHS tapes in NTSC
North American video format, but now those can only be found on places
like Ebay. In 2007, Acorn Media released the series for Region 1, North America with nearly all the same special features as the UK versions.
Robin of Sherwood: Set One. This North American release contains all the Michael Praed episodes and most of the special features found on the European releases.
Buy
the North American DVD (Region 1, NTSC) on Amazon.com
Robin of Sherwood: Set Two. This North American release contains all the Jason Connery episodes and most of the special features found on the European releases.
Buy
the North American DVD (Region 1, NTSC) on Amazon.com
Buy Robin
of Sherwood on PAL-format DVD (Not Playable on most North American
DVD players) on Amazon.co.uk. The DVDs include special features like documentaries, blooper reels and commentary tracks with the writers, directors and (on episodes from the 3rd series) cast.
Robin
Of Sherwood: The Complete Series PAL DVD This boxed set features all 26 episodes from the three seasons and includes a bonus disc.
Robin
Of Sherwood - The Complete Series 1 PAL DVD
Robin
Of Sherwood - The Complete Series 2 PAL DVD
Robin
Of Sherwood - Series 3 - Part 1 PAL DVD
Robin
Of Sherwood - Series 3 - Part 2 PAL DVD
Buy the following PAL VHS (Europe, not playable on
most North American VCRs) tapes on Amazon.co.uk
Robin
Of Sherwood - Series 1 - Episodes 1 to 3
Robin
Of Sherwood - Series 1 - Episodes 4 to 6
Robin
Of Sherwood - Series 2 - Episodes 1 to 4
Robin
Of Sherwood - Series 2 - Episodes 5 to 7
Robin
Of Sherwood - Series 3 - Episodes 1 to 3
Robin
Of Sherwood - Series 3 - Episodes 4 to 6
Robin
Of Sherwood - Series 3 - Episodes 7 to 10
Robin
Of Sherwood - Series 3 - Episodes 7 to 13
In North America, four two-hour episodes have
been released on VHS by Playhouse Video. This series, called "Robin
Hood ... the Legend", features the episodes "Robin Hood and the Sorcerer",
"The Swords of Wayland", "Herne's Son" and "The Time of the Wolf".
However, these tapes have been discontinued.
Buy Robin Hood and the Sorcerer on North American format VHS on
Amazon.com
Buy The Swords of Wayland on North American format VHS on Amazon.com
Buy Herne's Son on North American format VHS on Amazon.com
Buy
The Time of the Wolf on North American format VHS on Amazon.com
Legend by Clannad. The soundtrack
from the Robin of Sherwood TV series. This music by
one of Ireland's finest bands won a BAFTA award. It's
mystical Celtic music with a touch of rock.
Buy it on Amazon.com Buy
it on Amazon.co.uk
If
you're interested in seeing the series or in joining the official RoS fan
club Spirit of Sherwood, please write to Christine Haire Alexander at ChrisRHood@aol.com.
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