Robin of Sherwood [1984-1986] -- Robin Hood Spotlight of the Month

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May 1999

Robin of Sherwood

[North American title: Robin Hood
or Robin Hood -- The Legend]

Starring Michael Praed and Jason Connery

Created by Richard Carpenter

(An HTV production in association with Goldcrest Television Limited, 1984-6)

For a more in-depth look at this series I conducted two interviews.

Series creator Richard Carpenter shares his thoughts on RoS.

Mark Ryan (Nasir) offers many insights on playing the first Muslim Merry Man, the filming of the series and the Pagan elements of the show.

L to R: Clive Mantle, Ray Winstone, Mark Ryan, P. Llewellyn Williams, Jason Connery, Judi Trott and Phil Rose

Update: It's been a long time coming, but Robin of Sherwood will finally get a proper North American DVD release starting in March 2007. You can now pre-order the first set (all Michael Praed episodes) on Amazon.com.

If imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery, then Robin of Sherwood must be one of the most flattered filmed versions of the legend ever. Oh, the Errol Flynn movie The Adventures of Robin Hood still dominates in the public eye, and all Robin Hood movie makers either borrow from or consciously depart from the Flynn film (oftentimes they do both). Even "Robin Hood and the Sorcerer", the double-length first story of Robin of Sherwood (RoS for short), owes a debt to Flynn. The difference is that most people are aware of the influence of Errol Flynn. I think many of RoS's contributions to the legend are known only to the filmmakers, TV producers and novelists who do the borrowing, and to RoS's dedicated core of fans.

Mark Ryan as Nasir, one of RoS' most notable contributions to the Robin Hood legend. As almost an afterthought, a Saracen warrior named Nasir joined Robin's band in Robin of Sherwood. Mark Ryan's performance as Nasir obviously left an impression as an Arab Merry Man has appeared in many versions since Robin of Sherwood, most notably Morgan Freeman's character in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner.

Also, Ray Winstone's portrayal of Will Scarlet as a near-psychotic, angry rebel influenced Christian Slater's Will Scarlet in Prince of Thieves and was even more completely borrowed in Jennifer Roberson's novel The Lady of the Forest.

And while magic has been a part of the Robin Hood pantomimes for nearly two hundred years, the prominent fantasy element in Robin of Sherwood has inspired the magic in Prince of Thieves, The New Adventures of Robin Hood TV series and many other post-RoS versions.

Yet in the mainstream media, all these innovations have been credited to Prince of Thieves, an inferior and later movie. This makes me feel very protective of Robin of Sherwood. Oh, if you were to say "Robin Hood" to me, I'd most likely see Errol Flynn in my mind's eye, but deep down I feel that Robin of Sherwood is my Robin Hood.

Michael Praed was Robin of Loxley in the first two seasons. This TV series (which, by the way, was not made by the BBC and was instead shown on the British commercial channel ITV -- something that most North American video guides get wrong) was the brainchild of Richard Carpenter, a creator of many notable British children's series. Carpenter wrote all the episodes in the first two series and half of the third series. His writing is one of the show's many strengths.

Robin of Loxley is chosen by Herne the Hunter (a stag-headed spirit first mentioned in Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor, but inspired by various European horned gods and Wild Huntsman legends) to be a protector of the English people. Michael Praed played this role with a beautiful fey quality. You could believe that his Robin was almost messianic, subject to visions and in touch with divine forces.

When Praed left at the end of series two, the show did not merely re-cast the part of Robin of Loxley. Instead Robin sacrifices his life to save Marion (played by Judi Trott) and his foster brother Much (Peter Llewellyn Williams). Herne (John Alberini) summons Robert of Huntingdon, an earl's son, to become the new Robin Hood and carry on the good fight. Jason Connery played the second Robin Hood with a more down-to-earth quality.

The death and sort-of "resurrection" of Robin Hood is one of the most powerful elements of Robin of Sherwood. By making Robin Hood an ideal more than a single person, this series pays tribute to the diverse nature of the legend. (It also gets to include two of the many "origins" that Robin has been given over the centuries.)

The cast is superb. Scenes of the band training or at play (oftentimes this is the same thing) shows a real bond among Robin's band. Clive Mantle's Little John is especially good at silently showing his love for his comrades-in-arms. The series also boasts one of the toughest Marions on film, played by Judi Trott. She can outshoot everyone but Robin himself. And of course, there's Ray Winstone as the loveable tough guy Will Scarlet. Nickolas Grace plays the oily, political Sheriff of Nottingham and the late Robert Addie is his blustering and bullingly lackey Guy of Gisburne. RoS also features many guest villains, played by actors such as Richard O'Brien and Anthony Valentine.

Herne's costume on display -- making Robin the son of a Pagan god gave the series many Pagan fans. And then there's soundtrack by Clannad. Robin Hood historian Stephen Knight calls it "somewhat Celtic, distinctly electronic, vaguely hallucinatory." It's available with the rest of Clannad's albums under the title Legend. (Not to be confused with the soundtrack for the movie called Legend.) The music won the show an award, and on a personal note, sparked my interest in Celtic music.

I discovered Robin of Sherwood on PBS in the late 1980s (it had originally been played on the US cable network Showtime). This show rekindled my interest in all things Robin Hood. (It also kindled my interest in a classmate, a fellow fan, but hey I was young and foolish.) I owe this series a tremendous debt.

I began by saying that the Robin of Sherwood is one of the most imitated versions of Robin Hood. While RoS was influenced by what came before as well -- and not just by old ballads. The once-much reprinted children's novel by Evelyn Charles Vivian contains much that will seem familiar to the fans of Robin of Sherwood. The sheriff and abbot are called Robert and Hugo de Rainault. A villainous "Belame" plots to marry the Kirklees-bound Marian. Marian's father, a secret prisoner, is rescued while Robin saves a captured Merry Man. There are attacks made with beehives, swords on a string, and much more. However, it does lack the true magic of RoS, both literal and metaphorical. This gorgeous edition from Chronicle Books is illustrated with art from woodcuts, centuries' worth of Robin Hood book illustrations, comic book art (the cover art is from the 1950s Classics Illustrated comic book), shoe advertisements and more. It's worth it for the art alone.
Buy it on Amazon.com
Buy it on Amazon.co.uk

Those in Europe were lucky. For years, the series was available from Network Video on both video and DVD. Both the VHS tapes and DVDs were 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 and Sampo 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.

Update!!! December 2006

This show will finally get a proper North American Region 1 DVD release. This first two seasons (starring Michael Praed) will be released in March 2007, and the final extra-length third season (starring Jason Connery) will be available in Oct. 2007. The sets will contain all the features of the British release, except for the absence of a Clannad video.

cover In North America (where the series aired under the title Robin Hood), 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

Visit my RoS timeline, a guide to the confusing continuity of the series.

If you're interested in seeing the series or in joining the official RoS fan club Spirit of Sherwood, please write to Christine Haire at ChrisRHood@aol.com.

Here are some of the many websites dedicated to Robin of Sherwood.

Robin of Sherwood (Website about a fabulous British TV show from the 1980's, and home of the official fan club, Spirit of Sherwood.)
Gisburne's NASTY Knight Page (Come spend an entertaining day in a Nottingham dungeon, courtesy of Robin's enemy, Sir Guy and his secretary, Claire. And don't worry, I'm sure they've forgotten about that mass gaol break I led.)
Scarlet Inside (A superb website dedicated to Will Scarlet, particularly as played by Ray Winstone in Robin of Sherwood. The designer of this page helped redesign my site in 2000.)