"Robin of Sherwood" Robin Hood and the Sorcerer (1984)

Director:

Ian Sharp

Writer:

Richard Carpenter (created and written by)

TV Series:

"Robin of Sherwood" (1984)

Original Air Date:

28 April 1984 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Drama

Plot:

Young Robin watches his home village of Loxley being burned to the ground by Norman soldiers and his father Ailric...

Plot Keywords:

Outlaw | Magic | Cult Favorite | Fencing | Swashbuckler

Cast

  (Episode Cast overview, first billed only)

Toby Lee	...	Young Robin
Wayne Michaels	...	Ailric of Loxley
Betty Francis	...	Much's Mother
Geoffrey Greenhill	...	Miller
Nickolas Grace	...	Robert de Rainault
Clive Mantle	...	Little John
Anthony Valentine	...	Baron de Belleme
Michael Praed	...	Robin of Loxley
Peter Llewellyn Williams	...	Much
Robert Addie	...	Sir Guy of Gisburne
Ray Winstone	...	Will Scarlet
Paul Rainbow	...	Tom the Fletcher (as Paul Duggan)
Mark Audley	...	Dickon
Stuart Linden	...	The Old Prisoner
Philip Jackson	...	Abbot Hugo de Rainault

Country:

UK

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, UK

Trivia:

Nasir was not originally supposed to be a recurring character. He was supposed to be killed by Little John in "Robin Hood & The Sorcerer", but the producers changed their minds at the last minute. It was Mark Ryan's idea for Nasir to be a quiet character.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ailric leaves his village with young Robin he has only about three arrows in his quiver. When he drops off Robin at the mill and rides away, his quiver is full of arrows.

Quotes:

Sir Guy of Gisburne: I don't like liars. especially Saxon liars.

Bad story, bad acting, bad action!

I don't get it! Why on earth so many rate this episode and the series as a whole so high. Maybe because I didn't grow up with this version of the Robin Hood legend, living in Denmark. I was first fascinated by the book of Howard Pyle and later "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1955) series when a neighbour got TV. It was about social justice and injustice, rebellion and brave fighting, taking from the rich and giving to the poor, comradeship, loyalty and patriotism and not least: Humour and never forgetting the joy of life! The mood in this episode is rather dark, mysterious and loaded with the weight of destiny. I could live with that as such, but then accompanied with bad acting, laughable, clumsy fighting and a lame plot, I had to give up!