Robin Hood (1984–1986)
"Robin of Sherwood" (original title)

A forest mystical being appoints two men in succession as the legendary outlaw defender of the oppressed.

Creator:

Richard Carpenter

Stars:

Peter Llewellyn Williams, Ray Winstone, Mark Ryan

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Peter Llewellyn Williams	...	Much (24 episodes, 1984-1986)
Ray Winstone	...	Will Scarlet (24 episodes, 1984-1986)
Mark Ryan	...	Nasir (24 episodes, 1984-1986)
Clive Mantle	...	Little John (24 episodes, 1984-1986)
Judi Trott	...	Lady Marion (24 episodes, 1984-1986)
Phil Rose	...	Friar Tuck (24 episodes, 1984-1986)
Robert Addie	...	Sir Guy of Gisburne (21 episodes, 1984-1986)
Nickolas Grace	...	Robert de Rainault (17 episodes, 1984-1986)
John Abineri	...	Herne the Hunter (16 episodes, 1984-1986)
Jason Connery	...	Robert of Huntingdon (13 episodes, 1986)
Michael Praed	...	Robin of Loxley (11 episodes, 1984-1985)

Storyline

Robin of Loxley is chosen by the mystical Herne the Hunter to become his 'son' and champion the oppressed. Gathering a band of comrades around him he fights a guerilla campaign against their Norman dictators, particularly the Sheriff of Nottingham and his deputy, Guy de Gisburne. Later he is succeeded by Robert of Huntingdon, renegade nobleman. This retelling of the legend introduces a strong fantasy element, with black magic and the old religion.

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Plot Keywords:

magic | outlaw | cult figure | fencing | swashbuckler | 

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Genres:

Action | Fantasy | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 1984 (UK)

Also Known As:

Robin Hood

Filming Locations:

Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Goldcrest Films International, Harlech Television (HTV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (24 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Judi Trott was the producer's second choice for Maid Marian, after Jenny Seagrove.

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Quotes

Robin of Loxley: Nothing is forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten.

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Connections

Version of The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

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Soundtracks

"Battles"
Composed by Ciarán Brennan
Performed by Clannad

User Reviews

Timeless Escapism

As listed and stated in many previous comments, this unique series has many excellent elements and ingredients to its credit. Indeed, more than 20 years after it was originally transmitted, it is still watched, and watched again, and has a huge global fan-following, something which must indicate that the makers of this series undeniably got something right.

The root of the series' brilliance and remarkable appeal has however got to be that it rests on wonderfully written dialogue and timeless characters – all of which are brought to life by marvellous actors. The characters are wonderful in particular because of their complexity. In contrast to many other Robin Hood adaptations, and indeed many other film and TV-productions in general, the good guys in this series often make mistakes and can be seen to have apparent flaws, while the baddies, although put forward as evil and ruthless, frequently can be understood and even on occasion seem quite sympathetic. This very much makes Robin of Sherwood into a story about multifaceted, REAL people – rather than of good and bad people – something which very much adds to its uniqueness and remarkable appeal. Also, although very much being an action-packed series featuring numerous amazing stunts (which are remarkable in themselves seeing as this was made long before today's computer animation, green screens, and so forth. Thus, behind every one of those endless guys falling off castle walls, horses, and catching fire, there actually is a real person who at some point DID fall off a castle wall or a horse or catch fire), there is always amazing dialogue going on between the different characters in each episode. In the final analysis, however, it is generally the series' baddies – Nickolas Grace as The Sheriff of Nottingham, Robert Addie as Sir Guy of Gisburne, and Philip Jackson as The Abbot Hugo de Rainault – who get the very best lines and who more than often steal the show with their arguments full of wit and cant. "It's a wedding, not a celebration!" is just one of their many timeless "pearls of wisdom" which seems to follow one through life :-).

20 years after the fact, it is indeed hard to believe that Robin of Sherwood was originally something made for television – and apparently not with a great deal of money – in order to provide fleeting Saturday afternoon amusement for small children in Great Britain. Filmed in beautiful locations, with clever, amazing scripts and featuring remarkable stunts and fantastic actors – many of whom give the performance of their lives in this show – this in numerous ways seems to be more professionally made and have more production value than many a Hollywood film.