Robin of Sherwood

Production

Overview

Richard Carpenter had previously worked with producer Paul Knight on two other dramas involving historical adventure, Dick Turpin (1979-1982) and Smuggler (1981). For their next project, Carpenter and Knight decided to have their production company Gatetarn do an adaptation of the Robin Hood legend. With the aid of television producer Sidney Cole, Carpenter and Knight were able to create a production deal for the show. Goldcrest Films, the US network Showtime, HTV and Gatetarn agreed to fund the series. Carpenter drew on the 1950s TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood and the 1973 film Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood as inspirations for Robin of Sherwood. Carpenter also used the books Robin Hood by the historian J. C. Holt and The God of the Witches by the folklorist Margaret Murray as sources for the programme. Robin of Sherwood was more expensive than Carpenter and Knight's previous series; each episode of Robin of Sherwood cost around £500,000 to film. Filming on Robin of Sherwood began in 1983. The show premiered in 1984, on ITV in the UK and on Showtime in the United States (re-titled Robin Hood). There were three series, composed of a two-hour opening episode and 24 one-hour long episodes, although the pilot is sometimes screened as two one-hour episodes. The episodes comprising "The Swords of Wayland" were transmitted as one episode in the UK on their original screening, on a bank holiday weekend in 1985. The show was shot on film and almost entirely on location, mostly in the northeast and southwest of England; HTV West in Bristol was the base of operations, and most of the filming was done in and around Bristol and its surrounding counties. Primary locations were the Blaise Castle Estate and Vassells Park. Some of the forest scenes were shot near Bradford-on-Avon.

Robin of Sherwood is one of the most influential treatments of the core Robin Hood legend since the classic film The Adventures of Robin Hood. It featured a realistic period setting and introduced the character of a Saracen outlaw. Carpenter also added fantasy elements to the story, which had not appeared in previous TV versions of the legend. These included Robin's supernatural mentor Herne the Hunter, Robin's mystic sword Albion, and appearances by black magicians and demons.

Michael Praed as Robin

Michael Praed played Robin of Loxley in the first two series. His fellow outlaws consisted of Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone), Little John (Clive Mantle), Friar Tuck (Phil Rose), Much (Peter Llewellyn Williams), the Saracen Nasir (Mark Ryan) and Lady Marian (Judi Trott). He is also assisted by Herne the Hunter (John Abineri). As in the legend, Robin is opposed by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Nickolas Grace) and Guy of Gisburne (Robert Addie), as well as the Sheriff's brother Abbot Hugo (Philip Jackson) (representing all the greedy abbots in the legends).

In the opening story, Robin Hood and the Sorcerer, Robin and Much fall foul of the Sheriff's henchman, Sir Guy of Gisburne, after Much takes Robin's bow and kills one of the King's deer, and are imprisoned in Nottingham Castle. After they manage to escape, Robin is declared a "wolfshead", an outlaw, by the authorities. Robin retreats to the woods, where he is encountered by the human vessel of the forest god Herne the Hunter, and gathers a band of fellow outlaws and rebels to fight back against the Sheriff's authority.

Jason Connery as Robin

At the end of the second series, Robin of Loxley is killed. Robert of Huntingdon (played by Jason Connery) replaces him as the new Robin Hood. The third series had the same episode count as the first two combined, so each incarnation of Robin featured in the same number of episodes.

At the conclusion of Series Three, Goldcrest was forced to pull out of the venture, due to a downturn in the fortunes of their film arm. Goldcrest had been responsible for critical and commercial hits such as Chariots of Fire (1981) and Gandhi (1982) earlier in the 1980s, but had hit a lean period with such films as Revolution (1985) and Absolute Beginners (1986). The series was expensive to produce; HTV could not afford to finance it alone, and so Robin of Sherwood came to an unexpected end. Goldcrest invested £1,289,000 in the first six episodes, £1,944,000 in the next seven and £4,035,000 in the next twelve. Despite the huge popularity of the series, Goldcrest's financial difficulties due to its cinematic investments, prevented further production.

During the course of the third series, the new Robin discovers that he is the half-brother of his nemesis Guy of Gisburne (an idea suggested to Carpenter by the fact that both actors had blond hair). Carpenter had planned to have Guy discover this. This particular story arc was never resolved, as the show's intended fourth (and final) series was never made. Series 4 would have also featured the return of Baron de Belleme. The sudden cancellation also broke off Robin and Marion's intended marriage and left Marion at Halstead Abbey as a novice. Carpenter later said that, if he had known the third season would be last, he would have married Robin and Marion.

Attempts at a revival

After the series ended, Carpenter and Knight tried several times to revive the show. First, Knight attempted to gain funding from US producers for a fourth season, but was unsuccessful. Carpenter then wrote a script for a feature film adaptation of the series, and attempted to gather funding. Carpenter said in a 1990 interview that the film was intended to star the TV series' regular cast, with a new actor playing Robin if Connery was unavailable. Carpenter also said that the film would not be an adaptation of the unmade fourth season, but "a story on its own". The appearance of two Robin Hood films in 1991 (Robin Hood and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) meant that Carpenter and Knight could not interest potential producers in a third Robin Hood film. Coincidently, Jason Connery's father Sean Connery cameoed as King Richard in the second film, having previously played an ageing Robin in Robin and Marian (1976).

Historical dating

Robin of Sherwood takes place in England in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, during the reigns of the Angevin kings Richard I and John, the usual setting of Robin Hood stories. Robin Hood and the Sorcerer, which opens Series One, begins in 1180, then flashes forward fifteen years. In the final episode of Series One, however, King Richard's return to England following his capture and ransom is depicted, which in actuality occurred in 1194. The Series Two episode "The Prophecy" is set in the year 1199, when Prince John becomes King of England. In the Series Three episode "The Time of the Wolf", the Sheriff dictates a legal document dated for the year 1211, and the plot of the episode involves King John raising an army to fight Llywelyn of Wales, an event which, in actual history, took place that same year.

Cast and characters

The outlaws

Robin of Loxley (Michael Praed)Born the son of Anglo-Saxon nobleman Ailric of Loxley, Robin was raised by his foster father, the local miller, after Ailric was killed by the Sheriff of Nottingham's soldiers. As an adult, Robin accepts the charge of Herne the Hunter and becomes the prophesied "Hooded Man", champion of the oppressed. Hiding in Sherwood Forest, he assembles a number of friends and fights for freedom and justice. He is an exceptional archer and a swordsman and often makes his decisions under the guidance of Herne, who bestows the sword Albion upon him. He falls in love with Lady Marion of Leaford and marries her. He is killed at the end of series two by Norman crossbowmen, on the orders of the Sheriff of Nottingham, the same manner in which his father died.

Lady Marion of Leaford (Judi Trott)The beautiful and vivacious daughter of Richard of Leaford, a Saxon nobleman, Marion lives as a ward of Abbot Hugo, who is keen on gaining her inheritance. Intending to enter a nunnery, she enjoys beekeeping, but when Simon de Belleme desires her as his bride (actually intending to sacrifice her), she is rescued by Robin of Loxley and they escape into Sherwood Forest, where they fall in love and eventually marry. She is the band's unofficial healer and becomes a skilled archer. She loves Robin unconditionally and is heartbroken upon his death. She's later rescued from another unwanted marriage by Robert of Huntingdon before falling in love with him towards the end of Season Three.

Much (Peter Llewellyn Williams)Son of the miller who raised Robin, he admires Robin as his big brother. He is dubbed "the half-wit" by Guy of Gisburne, but he is more uneducated and naive than intellectually impaired. Skilled in his portable catapult, he often acts as the groups' messenger and signaller. He loves to play his flute in his leisure time. He matures more after the first Robin's death.

Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone)Originally named Will Scathlock. When his wife, Elena, is raped and beaten by mercenaries and trampled to death by their horses, he changes his name after slaying several of her killers. Hot-headed and filled with hatred of all things Norman, he is contrasted with the more collected Robin, which frequently leads to conflicts. He is a brave fighter and a skillful swordsman and archer. He has a brother, Amos, who owns an inn in Lichfield.

Little John of Hathersage (Clive Mantle)Originally John Little from Hathersage, this giant of a man who stands seven feet tall was taken prisoner and placed under a spell by the Baron de Belleme. When Robin defeats John and frees him from the spell, John becomes a loyal friend to Robin (and later to Robert of Huntington). He often fights with his long quarterstaff made out of a tree branch, but mainly relies on his superhuman strength to dominate over the Sheriff's soldiers. His great stature and strength are contrasted by his soft heart. He is in a relationship with Meg of Wickham, but his outlawry makes marriage not feasible.

Main antagonists

Robert de Rainault, Sheriff of Nottingham (Nickolas Grace)The king's chief representative in Nottingham and Sherwood, he is mainly interested in increasing his own power and wealth, competing with his younger brother, the Abbot. He considers his serfs mere chattels and hates women. He frequently relies on the brawn of Guy of Gisburne, whom he nonetheless disrespects and ridicules for his failures. His ambition results in strained relations with fellow noblemen (who consider him a "dreadful little man"), and with a succession of kings.

Sir Guy of Gisburne (Robert Addie)Steward over the abbot's lands and gamekeeper of Sherwood, he is the chief military commander in the area. Self-identifying "a warrior and not a courtier", he is prone to disregard diplomacy and tact in favour of brute force but he is sometimes also able to use cunning. He resents the Sheriff for frequently taunting him and Robin for being the cause of these taunts. After a rocky start he gained the (limited) respect of Prince John. Later, it is revealed that he is the Earl of Huntingdon's illegitimate son and thus the second Robin's half-brother.

Hugo de Rainault, Abbot of St. Mary's (Philip Jackson)The sheriff's younger brother and highest-ranking church man in Nottingham, his main interest lies in acquiring land, especially that of his temporary ward, Lady Marion, and her father.

Baron Simon de Belleme (Anthony Valentine)A nobleman and also a devil worshipper. As master of the black arts, he controlled both Little John and Nasir, having captured the latter during the Crusades. He desires Lady Marion to sacrifice her to his demons. He is killed by Robin in Series One but his remaining disciples still work towards and actually succeed in his resurrection in Series Two, although he is not heard of or seen in Series Three.

Prince John, later King of England (Phil Davis)John is first mentioned in The King's Fool, where it is stated that the Sheriff and Abbot Hugo supported him against King Richard. King John appears in the episode The Prophecy, where he is depicted as manipulative, bullying and lecherous. John becomes King in The Prophecy after Richard's death.

Gulnar (Richard O'Brien)A pagan sorcerer in the entourage of Lord Owen of Clun, he bewitches Lady Marion. After Owen is killed, he sets out to avenge Owen's death and his own disgrace on Robin and the others in two different episodes.

Other notable characters

Richard the Lionheart, King of England (John Rhys-Davies)Richard is first encountered by Robin's band in Sherwood while returning - in disguise - to Nottingham from the Crusades. The outlaws rescue him from a band of cutthroats and wins his trust. He initially appears to be an ally and says he heard tales about Robin and that all the Sherwood outlaws deserved to be hanged many times over, but for saving his life he pardons them and tries to get Robin to join his army. He subsequently proves to be more interested in warfare than in truly ruling England, and returns to Normandy, where he is killed by an enemy arrow; the news of his death reaches Nottingham while Prince John is visiting, and Gisburne is the first to declare John the new king.

The Old Prisoner (Stuart Linden) – The mainstay of the Nottingham dungeon for over 30 years, he repeatedly refuses to flee, as he will not part with his pet rat 'Arthur', and advises all prisoners that the only way out is "feet first".

Walter Flambard (Thomas Henty) – The official archer of the King of England who is almost as good as Robin and Nasir. He shoots on behalf of the Sheriff of Nottingham in the tournament for Herne's Silver Arrow.

Jennet of Elsdon (Angharad Rees) – a herbalist accused of witchcraft (after she rejects Guy of Gisburne's advances) and imprisoned in the dungeons with her husband. The Sheriff makes a pact with her to poison Robin and the outlaws.

Edward of Wickham (Jeremy Bulloch)The headman of the village of Wickham, he and all of the villagers are sympathetic to Robin Hood's band and assist them occasionally throughout several episodes. His wife and children also appear in the final two episodes of Season three.

Reynald de Villaret (Yves Beneyton) – Leader of seven Knights Templar returning from Palestine, whose holy emblem was stolen.

Richard of Leaford (George Baker)The father of Lady Marion, important Anglo-Saxon landowner and loyal follower of King Richard, he was captured during the Crusades and presumed dead. Later released by Saladin, he is captured and secretly brought to Nottingham by Prince John, but freed by Robin. Later, he is reconciled to King John (by paying a large sum of money, which also bought a pardon for Marion) and returns to his estates, which are still coveted by the de Rainault brothers.

Episodes

Season 3 (1986)

In repeats, episodes have frequently been broadcast out of order, and alternative orders have been suggested. The original running order creates a number of continuity errors, the most notable being Marian's father being referred to as being dead in "The Swords of Wayland" even though he was discovered to be alive in "The Prophecy" and appears in later episodes.

Places of action

Villages

Loxley, burned childhood village of the first Robin – filmed at Mells Park.

Wickham, an important village in the series where the lover (Meg) of Little John lived.

Cromm Cruac, phantom village created by Gulnar (named after the Irish deity Cromm Cruac and seen only in the episode of the same name).

Elsdon, mentioned in the episode The Witch of Elsdon.

Uffcombe, village attacked by Hounds of Lucifer.

Castles and cities

Nottingham Castle – filmed at several other locations.

Castle of Belleme

Castle of Lord Owen (Clun Castle) – filmed at Kidwelly Castle in Wales (exterior).

Castle of Gwydion – filmed at several other locations.

Castle of Huntingdon, childhood home of the second Robin – filmed at several other locations.

Leaford

Caerleon – filmed at several other locations.

Abbeys

Warren – filmed at several other locations.

Thornton – filmed at several other locations.

Ravenscar – filmed at several other locations.

Croxden – filmed at several other locations.

Kirklees – filmed at several other locations.

Grimstone – filmed at several other locations.

Halstead – filmed elsewhere.

Landscape

Sherwood Forest – filmed at several other locations, Greyfield Wood in Somerset was used for scenes by the famous waterfall with lots of dry ice.

Tor of last stand of first Robin – filmed near Burrington Camp.

Music

The music for Robin of Sherwood was composed and performed by Irish folk group Clannad. The show's original soundtrack, Legend, was released in 1984 and won the BAFTA award for Best Original Television Music.

Three singles were released from the album: the theme-tune "Robin (The Hooded Man)", "Now is Here" and "Scarlet Inside". An EP contained a remix of "Robin (The Hooded Man)" from the third series.

While not all of the show's music is found on the Legend album, some additional pieces can be found on Clannad's albums Macalla (released in 1986) and Clannad: Live in Concert, 1996 (released in 2005). In November 2003, Clannad revealed on their official web site that "there were several other pieces of music recorded for the third series of Robin of Sherwood that were not included on the Legend album". On 25 October 2024 Clannad released the Legend Extended 40th Anniversary edition includes eleven previously unreleased tracks taken from the classic TV series. It features eleven previously unreleased tracks. This hopefully completes all the missing tracks.

Crew

Directed by: Ian Sharp and others

Written by: Richard Carpenter, Anthony Horowitz, Andrew McCulloch and John Flanagan

Cinematography: Roger Pearce, Howard Rockliffe, Gary Breckon and Bob Edwards

Music: Clannad

Production design: John Biggs and Ken Sharp

Costume design: Lynette Cummin

Scenic artist: Peter Gray

Editing: David McCormick, Andy Findlay, Robin Inger, and others.

Casting: Esta Charkham and Beth Charkham

Special effects: Ken Lailey

Stunt co-ordination: Terry Walsh

Horse Master: Steve Dent

Reception

A review at rpg.net, written in 2003, opines:

Robin of Sherwood is, for many people, the definitive modern version of the Robin Hood legend. Moody, atmospheric, superbly written and acted, with a haunting soundtrack by Clannad (later released as the album Legend), it was the inspiration for a generation of British fantasy role-players [...] That Robin of Sherwood succeeded is a tribute to the skill of writer, cast and crew. Somehow, despite its fantasy elements, it produced something earthy and captivating. Not history, nor fantasy, but a kind of "mystic history".

Reviewing Robin of Sherwood for SFX magazine, Jayne Nelson stated that "this incarnation of England's most famous outlaw will probably never be bettered". Nelson praised the show's "excellent writing, moody cinematography and haunting score". Nelson called "The Greatest Enemy" the best episode of the show, followed by "The Swords of Wayland" and "The Sheriff of Nottingham".

Richard Marcus, writing on blogcritics.org, wrote in 2008:

Controversy

ITV aired Robin of Sherwood during an early-evening television slot, and promoted the programme as being for a family audience. Mary Whitehouse and the National Viewers and Listeners' Association criticised Robin of Sherwood as being unsuitable for children (as the organisation previously did with Doctor Who). Whitehouse claimed that the show depicted "extensive violence", objected to the depiction of Satanic villains in "The Swords of Wayland", and also criticised the apparent "resurrection" of Robin in "The Greatest Enemy" as being disrespectful to Christianity. Carpenter later met Whitehouse for a public debate, and introduced himself to her and the audience by saying "I'm Richard Carpenter, and I'm a professional writer. And you're a professional... what?" The Guinness Book of Classic British TV defended Robin of Sherwood, stating that the show's "swordplay was strictly zero blood" and that the supernatural elements were the result of Carpenter's "love for the subject matter".

Comic strip

A comic strip based on Robin of Sherwood ran in Look-in magazine from April 1984 (issue 18) to September 1986 (issue 39) It was written by Angus Allan, and illustrated mainly by Mike Noble, with some issues illustrated by Arthur Ranson and Phil Gascoine; colours were by Arthur Ranson. The first 6 stories (32 issues) were in full colour, and the remainder were in black and white, with the exception of the 19th story which marked the change of character from Michael Praed's Robin to Jason Connery's.

In 2022, Rebellion, Chinbeard Books and Spiteful Puppet jointly published "Robin of Sherwood: The Complete Look-In Comics", which collected all of the strips. This was a limited-edition run.

DVD and Blu-ray releases

"Series 1 – Part 1 – Episodes 1 To 3 DVD".

"Series 1 – Part 2 – Episodes 4 To 6 DVD".

"Series 2 – Part 1 – Episodes 1 To 4 DVD".

"Series 2 – Part 2 – Episodes 5 To 7 DVD".

"Series 3 – Part 1 – Episodes 1 To 6 DVD". ASIN B00006L9YS

"Series 3 – Part 2 – Episodes 7 To 13 DVD". ASIN B00006SKVF

"The Complete Series 1 DVD" ASIN B00005Q3VG, ASIN B000L21290

"The Complete Series 2 DVD" ASIN B000066NSI

"The Complete Series" (DVD) ASIN B00439ST3Y

"The Complete Series" (Blu Ray) ASIN B07G1V9PKY

"The Complete Series (NTSC)"

In the US and Canada, the first and second series have been released by Acorn Media in a five DVD set. A second set, containing the complete third series was released on 9 October 2007.

Network DVD released the series in a single Region B Blu-ray set, entitled Robin of Sherwood: Michael Praed (the 3-Disc Blu-ray and DVD bonus disc), on 15 November 2010. In the US and Canada, the first and second series were released on 7 June 2011 by Acorn Media as Robin of Sherwood: Set 1.

Network DVD released Blu-ray set, entitled Robin of Sherwood: Jason Connery, on 31 October 2011.

Bonus features

On The Complete Collection DVD set, there are "seventeen hours of special features", including fourteen commentary tracks, a documentary on the folk group Clannad creating the score for the series, outtakes, bonus footage, a behind the scenes documentary, four documentaries that look back on the making of the show with former cast and crew, and other behind the scenes footage too.

Audio plays and audio books

By July 2015, Bafflegab Productions, the producers of the audio play/comic book series The Scarifyers, and co-producer Barnaby Eaton-Jones were adapting a feature-length script entitled Robin of Sherwood: The Knights Of The Apocalypse, written by Richard Carpenter before his death in 2012. Jason Connery, Judi Trott, Ray Winstone, Clive Mantle, Mark Ryan, Phil Rose, Philip Jackson, and Nickolas Grace (Robert of Huntingdon, Lady Marion, Will Scarlet, Little John, Nasir, Friar Tuck, Abbot Hugo, and the Sheriff of Nottingham, respectively) all agreed to reprise their roles for the project, with Daniel Abineri taking the role of Herne in place of his father, John Abineri, who died in 2000. That December, Barnaby Eaton-Jones took over as sole producer of the audio play, with Spiteful Puppet (the award-winning audio company who produced 'Hood') as executive producers, as approved by ITV Studios and Carpenter's estate. After beginning its crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo in September, the production set a goal of £10,000 within 30 days to cover production costs; due to enthusiastic fan support, however, the goal was reached in just under 24 hours. The audio play was released in 2016, with proceeds going to the Sherwood Forest Trust and the British Red Cross.

The success of the play led to Spiteful Puppet sporadically producing and releasing more full-cast dramas and single-narrator audiobooks, starting in December 2017. Some of these have also been made available through Audible. From 2024 the series has continued with CD releases from AUK Studios (which had purchased Spiteful Puppet), Chinbeard Books and Oak Tree Books.

Books (1980s)

Books (2010s onwards)