RoS Trivia

Did you know...

• Michael Praed did do the jump from Ravenscar Cliff in The Swords of Wayland. Well, sort of... He jumped about 10 feet down a cliff and the stunt man, Steve Dent, did another jump @ 30 feet and landed in the water. That's Steve Dent you see lying in the water, not Michael. But MP did do some cliff climbing as well!
• The role of Nasir was created by Richard 'Kip' Carpenter as a henchman/bodyguard of Baron De Belleme just for Robin Hood and The Sorcerer, and was orginally not even a Saracen but some Edmund the Archer. Mark Ryan had created the role of Magaldi in the original production of Evita in the West End and Esta Charkham became Consultant Casting Director on it, replacing people when they left because it ran for years and years. Anyway, Mark was a very action man and could do all the riding and shooting and Ian Sharp - the director - thought he was great and he was cast as Nasir. In Kip's original script for Robin Hood and The Sorcerer, Nasir who was a baddy was killed off (by an arrow shot from Friar Tuck)....but Mark got on so well with everybody and was such good fun, that they decided to keep him on. Paul Knight rung up Richard Carpenter after the shooting in Alnwick Castle saying: "This boy is terrific. He looks wonderful, the girls love him, he looks wonderful in his leather outfit. We can't kill him." And Kip did a quick rewrite and Nasir became a goody. Hence the first time ever there had been a Saracen in the Merry Men. And Mark had to learn how to fight with two swords in just one day...
• Richard Carpenter did not write the Golem in The Time of the Wolf that way. The creature was supposed to have eyes that glowed with a preturnatural light for one brief moment while chasing an animal to eat in the forest, but other than that, look just like Robin. Someone else came up with the fangs and at first Jason Connery thought they were really cool and like a little boy put them in and ran around baring his teeth at fellow cast and crew to scare them. Then someone said, "You look like a moron!" and Jason realized how outrageous the teeth really would look on camera, but the director stuck with them...
• Michael Praed (Robin of Loxley) had been contracted for the first two series, but was expected to return for the next series. When he announced decision to leave RoS to go to the good old US to play a leading role in a Broadway production of The Three Musketeers as D'Artagnan, the production team racked their brains trying to decide what to do. They thought about all sorts of actors:
  • Simon Dutton (Mark) was considered (which is why he didn't drown in the end of The Prophecy - just in case...), but they figured Mark was already so established as a baddy that it wouldn't work and there was also a wonderful wickedness about Dutton that you couldn't quite believe he would be "Robin Hood".
  • Then Paul McGann (Dr. Who) was tested, but he was too short.
  • Jason Carter (Babylon 5) was also too short (even shorter than Judi Trott!). It was Beth Charkham (Casting Director for Series Two and Three) who knew Jason and recommended him to her sister Esta Charkham (the RoS Casting Director / Producer). Jason was considered at a very early stage for Robin of Loxley, even before Kip and Paul Knight went to see Michael, but Esta thought Jason was 'too young' then.
  • The closest contender before Jason was Neil Morrissey. He had long dark hair, brown eyes and a gentle quality. He was so close to it, that the company paid for him to go to a gym to bulk up a bit - he was apparently skinny as ever! There are one or two bad quality snaps around of him testing.
  • Jason Connery was also tested - that was Beth Charkham's (Casting Director on Series 3) idea.
  It was between Neil and Jason. It took forever to make a decision and that decision was based on what Richard 'Kip' Carpenter wrote. Morrissey would have been great to replace Loxley (kind of like in Dallas or Dynasty: same character, different actor), but the decision was made to create a new character as far away from Loxley as possible - hence Robert of Huntingdon: high born, educated, gentle, and very much a team player.
• The Hooded Man who rescues the Merries at the end of The Greatest Enemy is neither Michael Praed nor Jason Connery, but a stuntman. It certainly wasn't Michael because he had already left, nor Jason because he had not yet been cast when they shot the The Greatest Enemy. They had no idea yet who was going to play the Hooded Man for the Third Season, so they tossed a stuntman under the Hood. According to the DVD commentaries to RoS Series 3 Part 2 by Jason Connery and Mark Ryan it was Graeme Crowther (Jason's stunt double in Series 3). And the voice was not MP's or JC's either, it belonged to an actor called Simon Shepherd (of "Peak Practice" fame).
• The ending of The Greatest Enemy was inspired by the classic 1943 movie For Whom the Bell Tolls with Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman.
• Simon Shepherd was also the voice-over for Peter Hutchinson, who played Alan A Dale in the episode of that name. Perhaps because Peter had a thick Northern accent or because his voice was too effeminate... Phil Rose tells he bumped into Peter at a supermarket in London one day. Peter did not know he had been dubbed and was rather taken aback when he found out!
• Michael Praed's real last name is Prince (his parents are Derrick and Kay Prince). He originally wanted to use his real surname, but there was already another actor on the "rolls" by the same name, so he changed his. He took Praed from Praed Street in London where a famous clinic for social diseases is, and he used to introduce himself: "Praed - as in the clinic". Praed is also an old Cornish word for "meadow". Mike himself pronounces 'Praed' as 'Prayed', as one syllable.
• Michael Praed likes a particular brand of cigars: Romeo and Juliettas (the Cuban variety, not the Dominicans). He likes them short and fat.
• In the novelization, Martin dies at the hands of the Templars and it's James who sticks around to the end of the first book, while on screen it is the other way around. It seems that this reversal came about because RoS stunt coordinator Terry Walsh liked Martin West, who played Martin, better than Steven Osborne who was playing James, and he apparently had say in who got killed by the Templars.
• James (book) / Martin (TV) just disappeares after The King's Fool because Richard Carpenter simply forgot about his existence when it came to writing Season Two. 'Kip' had to be shown The King's Fool again to prove he had really written him into the series!
• The chain mail that Robert Addie is wearing in the famous mud wrestling scene between Robin and Guy in Alan A Dale was actually just string spray-painted silver, but as it had not been pre-shrunk it shrunk in the water and almost choked him - Terry Walsh had to cut him out of it quickly!
  Michael Praed nearly drowned after the mud wrestling scene in Alan A Dale from fatigue and the weight of his clothes, and had to be rescued by a stuntman, whom Terry Walsh had prudently positioned in the water.
  To make it even worse, they had to reshoot the whole mud wrestling scene again the next day, because somehow the first tape had got destroyed.
  Michael Praed always got to the shower (which had been provisioned in a near-by cottage) first after the mud wrestling takes, which left Robert Addie with cold water. Robert claims this was because Michael was the star, Michael maintains that Robert went to the bottle of champagne first.
• Jason Connery had to redo the scene in The Inheritance where he is shot and falls into (freezing water of) the castle moat over and over again because the director, Ben Bolt, couldn't make up his mind whether the take was OK or not. Of course, in the end they used the first take after all. It later turned out that this was the director's revenge because Jason had once smashed a pastry in his face.
• The Sheriff's mustache is fake, it is a glued-on one.
• The Sheriff's neck chain was made of of spray-painted, glued together biscuits (cookies:)
• Kip did not like the design of the Silver Arrow that the design team came up with. He wanted it to be more of a regular arrow, but silver, with sigils and runes on the shaft. What they ended up with was what he called, "something resembling a medieval dildo!" There were many cheeky remarks made which you can see in the blooper reel.
  The Silver Arrow was actually wooden, also spray-painted. Like Albion and the other Swords of Wayland, it has runes on it, on all four sides.
  Anthony Shearn, the focus puller, reveiled that a wooden arrow on string was used in The Enchantment for the arrow flying scene.
  There were probably two Silver Arrow props made, although only one has been verified (it belongs to Janet and Dan). Allegedly another one was auctioned off at a US con years ago but the fan who got it is no longer around in the RoS fandom.
• Judi Trott (Lady Marion) had hair extensions for at least part of the show, her real hair was about shoulder length.
• Herne was originally envisioned by Kip Carpenter as a shaman with a deer's skull and writhing snakes in his arms. In a missing scene for Robin Hood and The Sorcerer which actually was filmed but never made it in, Herne puts a sacred dagger to Robin's forehead in order to annoint him. This I believe was in the novel and an early draft of the script. Kip was slightly perturbed when HTV came up with the Herne deer costume which hid the actor completely, which is why he showed John Abineri out of costume from time to time.
• Under the Herne headdress was a motorcycle helmet. And the thing sitting atop the helmet was actually an elk's head rather than a stag, accounting for the funky-looking antlers.
• Jason Connery (Robert of Huntingdon) lost his facial hair and the front of his head hair during the shooting of the scene at the pool at the end of Cromm Cruac when the special effects guy, nicknamed Dr. Death, screwed up with the oxygen and the gas.
• Ray Winstone (Will Scarlet) accidentally destroyed a camera lense worth of GBP2,000 with his arrow. Judi Trott (Marion) was no good at archery (she had to use a super-light bow cast in fibre-glass that had been specially crafted for her) and once missed a target by some 200 metres and hit one of the production vans. She was terrified of doing the flaming arrow scenes.
• "You have stolen my rowboat" is supposedly what Mark Ryan (Nasir) said instead of (as intended) something to the effect of "I am the guardian, none shall pass" when Marion and Tuck are trying to get around him in Cromm Cruac.
• The entire Albion sword changed between Seasons One and Two. The first hilt had "jewels" and was down-curving; the second hilt had the lion pommel and a more rectangular shape. The first sword also does not have the word "Albion" in English on it -- this addition was probably for clarity in The Swords of Wayland episode. The change with the jewels was because they were hurting Michael Praed's hands when he had to use the prop. There were multiple copies of the each of the versions of the sword, props for close-up and props for fighting, as well.
• Judi Trott (Marion) and Mark Ryan (Nasir) went out for a while during the filming of RoS. Jason Connery (Robert of Huntingdon) was dating Claire Parker, who played Will's wife Elena in Cromm Cruac.
• Annabel Lee (Mad Mab in Rutterkin) is Richard 'Kip' Carpenter's -- the creator of Robin of Sherwood -- wife. Kip said where else could he find an actress willing to be dirty all day and carry around a pig that peed down the front of her.
• While Jason Connery (Robert of Huntingdon) was at Gordonstoun School in Scotland, one of his classmates was Prince Edward and Jason directed him in the school production 'Hotel Paradiso'.
• The dance at the feast in Huntingdon Castle in Herne's Son is most likely not an original dance. It was based on the pavanne, but was probably adapted to give the actors (specifically Judi Trott) some lovely moves to focus attention on her. The pavanne does indeed use similar steps and choreography, not the particular series of steps used in RoS.
• While Richard Carpenter had written all the episodes for Series One and Two (6 episodes per series), it just wasn't feasible for him to write all the 11 episodes for Series Three - he managed only five of them (Herne's Son, The Power of Albion, The Cross of St. Ciricus, Rutterkin, The Time of The Wolf). Hence additional writers Anthony Horowitz (5 episodes: The Inheritance, Cromm Cruac, Adam Bell, The Pretender, The Sheriff of Nottingham), and Andrew McCulloch & John Flanagan (1 episode: The Betrayal) were brought in.
• Phil Rose (Tuck) specifically asked Richard Carpenter not to have Tuck address Marion as "Little Flower" any more because he hated saying it -- not sure if it didn't flow trippingly off the tongue or if he just felt it didn't seem like something Tuck would say.
• The RoS music came to be done by Clannad because one day Mark Ryan (Nasir) and Clive Mantle (Little John) were riding out to location in Mark's car and he had a tape with the Harry's Game theme from Clannad. They both agreed it was the kind of atmospheric music needed for RoS and kinda forced Paul Knight (Producer) to listen to it. Paul loved it and contacted Clannad and the rest is history... The RoS soundtrack sold over 150,000 copies and won the BAFTA award for 'Best Original Television Music' in 1984
• Director Ian Sharp left RoS after the first season, because he'd run out of ideas on how to shoot a Norman in a different way by the end of six episodes.
• Michael Praed (Robin of Loxley) has been dyeing his hair for year owing to premature greyness, his beard is white when it grows.
• Peter Llewllyn William's (Much) own hair is black. To contrast with Michael Pread's dark-haired Robin, his hair was dyed ginger.

• Robin Hood and the Sorceror attracked 9.122 million viewers on its first airing day.
• Ailric of Loxley sounds remarkably like Michael Praed during the scene in Robin Hood and the Sorceror where he leaves Robin with the miller ("Look after the boy"), because it actually is Michael Praed voice-overing the actor, Wayne Michaels. Wayne Michael apparently had a rather broad west country accent and the decision was to dub him, as he couldn't be heard distinctly. Michael must have been in the studios at the time and was carted in to do it.
• Jeremy Bulloch had played a role in the Richard Greene Robin Hood when he was eleven. He had written to Esta Charkham before Series One to see if there was any suitable role for him, but he was told he was too old to play one of the Merries. But he did get his chance as the thane of Wickham in Series Two and Three.
• Some of the versions of The Time of the Wolf seem to be missing Gulnar's demise. (The UK TV broadcast didn't have it, the US and NL broadcasts had it, the Network DVD has it.) The Golem is out in the woods and Gulnar, after leaving Grimstone Abbey, comes across him. The Golem picks him up by the neck, strangles him and then throws his body on the ground.
• In order to get into Clun Castle in Herne's Son Robert masquerades as a messenger from King John in the book but as a peddler named Cedric in the TV series.
• Richard 'Kip' Carpenter came up with the idea of making Robert and Guy brothers at a party where the only two blonds in the room were Jason Connery and Robert Addie, and he though to himself that they could be brothers. The idea grew from there and in the end he wrote The Cross of St. Ciricus and made it happen.
• The episode The Cross of St. Ciricus was originally entitled The Girdle of St. Ciricus, and the The Children of Israel was previously called Babes in the Wood.

• There was no fourth season because Goldcrest, the company that bankrolled the show, went bankrupt after huge cinema flops like Revolution and Absolute Beginners. Showtime, the USA sponsor, was having seconds thoughts about financing RoS since the number of viewers was dwindling with the third season. And the residuals bill (a clause in the British TV contracts of that time stipulated that all artists should be paid a fee - know as a 'residual' - in respect of all sales of the program, both in the UK and abroad) was starting to eat away at the series' profitability. In addition to that, writer Richard Carpenter and producer Paul Knight were now also involved in other projects and some of the cast members (e.g. Judi Trott) wanted reduced involvement. At the time the third season ended, everyone thought there would be another season but just days before Series Four was scheduled to start filming, the plug was pulled - hence the unsatisfactory, unfinished ending.
• Richard Carpenter tried to bring the series back in the early 90s. Michael Praed and Nickolas Grace did have a script and were having talks with Sky TV at the time. They agreed to put up a very small amount, not enough to trigger production. They also approached ITV who said that, "people weren't interested in mini-series any more ...!!"
  In this script, Belleme was involved in The Greatest Enemy and his magic had made them see Robin of Loxley's body. As part of his revenge Belleme, aided by the Sheriff, had taken Robin as an injured captive, possibly Robin was even taken out of the country, and his return was some 10 years later...
• In 1989 they tried to get a RoS movie done, written by Kip. It was basically a complete retelling of the whole legend from the beginning, only ommiting Loxley, leaving out Herne and starting from the beginning, set in the Holy Lands. Gone were most of the trappings of the RoS episodes. Herne was going to be changed to a "spirit" rather than a man. People were pretty tight-lipped about this script, but Phil Rose got to see it. It followed on from Series Three, involving the sons of the Barons mysteriously disappearing. Marion was going to be condemned as a witch and there was meant to be some other thing about King John and his treasure too. It is found out that Gisburne is part of a secret order of knights.
• Some of the RoS sword fight moves and stances have become standard in the TV/movie repertoire under the names of "Robin Hood 1", "Robin Hood 2", and "Robin Hood 3". You can watch Mark Ryan perform them in the "Robin Hood 1-2-3 Screen Swordplay short" in the special features section of DVD 5.
• Sean Bean (Boromir in Lord of the Rings) was Richard Carpenter's own choice -- if Jason Connery turned it down -- to play Robin in the once planned (1989) film version of RoS.
• Actress Jenny Seagrove was considered for the part of Marion before Judi Trott, but when they saw Judi with her mane of red hair and pre-raphaelite beauty, she had to be their Marion.
• Richard 'Kip' Carpenter came up with the first script to RoS in 1981, some 2 years before production was triggered. He originally wrote Robin of Loxley as being blonde, and Marion was intended to be dark haired. Funny how things change when you cast...
• Poor Michael Praed is blind as a bat without glasses or contacts, he's really short sighted and has stigmatism. Back in the days of RoS he wore glasses, but of course not while actually filming - hence all the bloopers with him falling down, tripping, etc. He wears contacts now from time to time, but prefers glasses.
• There are rumours that Michael Praed wore 'thigh padding' under his costume, but that's not true. He did wear tights under his trousers, but that was because the rough material was chaffing his legs. Michael made some costume provisions to cater for his skinnyness, though. His green tunic originally was rather ill-fitting: it was very baggy and very long, down to his knees (you can still see this in the wedding scene in Robin Hood and The Sorcerer, which must have been one of the first scenes to be filmed). He took the scissors to it, much to the disatisfaction of Lynette Cummin, the costume designer! And Michael himself came up with the wrappings below his knees to hold up his trousers because they were a little big for him (his legs are stick thin).
• RoS is destined to never be repeated on ITV1 due to legal contracts signed back in 1983: it cannot be shown on terrestrial TV again unless the actors receive close to 100 percent of their original pay! A few years ago they did try to come to an agreement to get the show aired again. Every single person who had a credit had to be contacted to agree to take a lesser sum. Most agreed, thinking that getting something is better than not having RoS shown and getting nothing. Unfortuantely, one bit part actor and Ray Winstone did not agree and that was the end of it. BTW, even to this day people like the directors, Esta Charkham etc. haven't seen any monetry reward for all their hard work on the show, just the main cast seem to receive residuals.
• The much-abused little monster in Cromm Cruac was done by a then little known Bristol company Aardman Animation, now world famous for their "Creature Comforts" creations and "Wallace & Gromit" films!
• The cascading waterfall that forms the backdrop for the fight between Robin and the bewitched Little John in Robin Hood and the Sorceror is remotely controlled (it is located at Bowoord House in Wiltshire).
• The Swords of Wayland involved a lot of black magic and that seemed to influence the filming too...
  • Three female members of the cast had (minor) car accidents and several others were hurt on the shoot (people stumbling/falling over a lot).
  • Michael Praed was filming down in the crypt set in Bristol (in Wells Cathedral) and suddenly was taken sick to the stomach for no apparent reason.
  • The spectacular partial solar eclipse in at the end of this episode as Morgwyn is running from the Hounds was not a special effect, that was real! The 2nd unit filming in Cornwall was about to go back home to Bristol and suddenly it happened. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, the cameraman whipped out his camera and filmed it, probably just as a bit of news, and then they decided to actually use it in the episode.
  • Some of the female crew members became ill after doing the chanting scenes. Kip's incantations were obviously quite real and had been purposely left incomplete just to be on the safe side!
  • Mark Ryan tells that he met a white witch in Penzance at the time of filming who told him that their version of Robin Hood was more of a magical reality than they realised and she was also able to recount the plot of the story they were filming, which had remained a tight secret.
  • Of course, the story revolving around seven swords being magically brought together is one Kip has always maintained was made up by himself, yet that seven sword symbolism crops up throughout history from time to time. (See Andrew Collins "The Seventh Sword" for information re. this. The other RoS angle is that the book, a psychic questing classic, features Mark Ryan!)
• After RoS finished, Phil Rose (Tuck) recorded a song in Manchester. It was never commercially released, however.
• Despite being a man, Herne still managed to magically appear and disappear in a mist, the same type of mist which made the Baron Belleme appear and disappear in The Enchantment. Could there be a significance?
• It was something of a tradition to play gags on all the guest stars coming on to the RoS set. The Merry Men would try to get the guest stars drunk so they couldn't perform that day.
• The Merries were notorious for their tom-foolery (hence all the outtakes!) and would often come onto set slightly inebriated. For the most part Michael Praed abstained. Esta Charkham said he only drunk coke. He had to be bright and breezy to remember his lines, and he was the star of course!
• Robert Addie had to share his trailer with Richard O'Brien (Gulnar) during the 3rd series. He did not know how well they were going to get on, but apparently when he entered the trailer, Richard was there surrounded by a haze of cannabis smoke. Robert is on record as saying, "We got on very well!"
• Michael Praed and Ray Winstone like and respect each other, but they did not always get on together on-set. There was a documented difference of opinion on set of The Prophecy when they were filming at Small's Quarry which almost led to Michael actually being chucked of the cliff!
• Every effort was made in RoS to make things look as authentic and real as possible. Even details such as the heraldry for the banner of Ravenscar Abbey was researched so that it looked like it could be a real heraldic device. Not many shows now would go to that length!
• King Arthur's Round Table in The Inheritance was originally meant to be more ornate. A sketch exists showing celtic spirals and ornate work, but that probably proved to cost too much to do and was dropped.
• The glowing sword effect in The Swords of Wayland was originally meant to have been done using plastic replicas of the swords, but in the end the effect was done in the studio.
• The face of Lucifer in The Swords of Wayland was that of actor Marcus Gilbert, who appeared in "Riders" with Michael Praed. Michael did not realise Marcus had been in RoS, because they had never met as Marcus did all his bits in the studio.
• RoS was the most expensive TV programme of its time. Initially they didn't have an awful lot of cash to get things going, but then they got backing from Goldcrest and Showtime in America after a promotion tour.
  RoS was shot entirely on 16mm film, not video. If you look at double episodes like The Swords of Wayland, it is almost cinematic. The expenses for that episode were double/triple that of the normal episode, and they had more money to give to it. They also shot on location, not on sets at Pinewood etc., so a good deal of money was needed to transport the film units across the country, from Northumbria to Penzance. To give some idea of the costings involved, a single quarterstaff was supplied for £20 each! The golem, the clay model of Robert of Huntingdon, in The Time of the Wolf was brought for a staggering £800 and this was just for a scene where it appears for a minute! Weigh up the costs for little things like hiring dogs, goats, buying apples, bread etc. to dress the sets, and it all adds up to a lot of cash. RoS cost approx. £350K per episode for Series Three.
• Actor Antony Valentine had the nasty habit of dying horribly in a few later acting roles, just like his character Baron de Belleme (Robin Hood and The Sorceror and The Enchantment).
  In an episode of "Pulaski", Anthony played a character who captured a girl and it was Neil Morrissey who had to come to the rescue. Neil, BTW, at that time looked very much like Michael Praed, so much so that he was one of the actors put up for the role after Michael left.
  In "The Return of Sherlock Holmes" with Jeremy Brett, Anthony plays a character whose death almost mimicks the Baron's death. He is rolling around screaming on the floor in agony!
• Casting Director Esta Charkham did a lot of the post-production voice overs when they were needed, including those of small children. She may even have been the one who cried "Father, father, soldiers, soldiers ...!" which you hear a few times!
• The secret behind the effect of a soldier being shot with an arrow is actually quite simple. They used a spring loaded device, worn under their tabards. The arrow was then attached and held down in the folds of the garment or by wire. The stuntman would recoil, releasing the arrow which then flicked upright as if he had been shot!
• They used arrows with different points to do different jobs. For the most part, the points had rubber tips, but there were also special ones designed to be fired easily into trees.
  Michael Praed describes how the Merries would play "chicken" and fire their arrows high in the air above their heads and wait until the last second to move out of its way. A very dangerous game, but fortunately no one got hurt (that time!).
• Thomas Henty, who played Walter Flambard - one of the archers in the Silver Arrow contest - in Robin Hood and the Sorceror, was the son of the British comedian Tommy Cooper.
• John Abineri (Herne the Hunter) was also in another Robin Hood TV series, namely the 1975 "The Legend of Robin Hood" with Martin Potter as Robin Hood. In this BBC miniseries John played Sir Kenneth Neston, Maid Marian´s (Diane Keen) father.
• There were 2-4 drafs made of the RoS episode scripts.
• The old man and Arfur in Nottingham dugeons came about as a consequence of the escape scene in Robin Hood and the Sorceror. To get out of the pit, the future Merries needed someone to help them lift the overhead grille, but that someone had to stay behind. Hence the old prisoner. And to explain why he didn't mind being left behind in prison, they came up with his pet rat.
• RoS creator Richard Carpenter, an actor in his younger years, was offered to do a part in RoS, but he turned it down.
• When Richard Carpenter was at a media convention in Las Vegas(!) trying to sell RoS to the USA, he explained it as "the Dukes of Hazzard with bow and arrows" when they asked who Robin Hood was! (The Dukes of Hazzard was about the number one show at that time.)
• The bewitched Little John is wearing a bandage around his arm when he first meets Robin in Robin Hood and the Sorceror to hide the Chelsea football club tatoo Clive Mantle has there.
• Wayne Michaels (Ailric, Robin of Loxley's father, in Robin Hood and the Sorceror) also played Adam the Carter in that episode and the fake Will Scarlet in The Betrayal.
• In the 60' and 70's John Abineri (Herne the Hunter) lived at "Clifton Woods, Bristol." He lived literally on the edge of Bristol woods, just like any Lord of the Trees would do! Little did he know that over 10 years later he would be back there, with an elk on his head!
• Kip would have loved to put more pagan references in the episodes than there were, but he had to mind the balance. For instance, in some scripts there are missing scenes with the merries worshipping at pagan altars in Sherwood.
• Although The Betrayal was written by Andrew McCulloch and John Flanagan, it was Richard Carpenter who wrote the "conquest" scene with Marion and King John.
• Apart from in Robin of Sherwood, the RoS crew have worked together on a lot of other projects as well:
  • Casualty (TV series): Clive Mantle (Dr. Mike Barratt - regular), Michael Praed (Chris Meredith - guest in episodes "Code Red", "Big Rocks And Very Hard Places", "Waving Not Drowning"), Jason Connery (James Dunham - guest in episode "Hidden Depths"), Mark Ryan (Dave Newman - guest in episode "Flesh and Blood"), Ray Winstone (Terry Brennan - guest in episode "Heartbreak Hotel"), Nickolas Grace (Dennis - guest in episode "The Trap"), Jeremy - Edward of Wickham - Bulloch (Peter Cunningham - guest in episode "Taking Stock"), John - Herne - Abineri (brigadier Matthew Semple - guest in episode " Battling On") and his son Daniel Abineri, Rula - Morgwyn of Ravenscar - Lenska (circus owner - guest in episode "Act Of Faith"), Robert - Hubert de Giscard - Daws (Simon Eastman), Vic - James of Uffcombe - McGuire (Father Frank), Caroline - Mary of Cromm Cruac - Holdaway (Mrs. Rafferty), Ian - forester - Brimble (Mechanic), Charlie - the Sheriff's nephew - Condou (Cal McGregor), David - Reeve - Plimmer (Fergus), Roger - villager - McKern (Factory Worker), Bill - the Sheriff's barber - Wallis (Mr. Smith), Nick - Earl Godwin's captain - Brimble (Bob Taylor), Glen - Sir William Marshall - Murphy (Mike Bowden), Ian - Tom the villager - Redford (Alfred Prufrock), Hywel - King Arthur's voice - Bennet (Paul Lawson), Simon - Siward - Rouse (Roy - guest in episode "Street Life").
  • Darkness Falls (movie): Ray Winstone (John Barrett), Michael Praed (The Hitman), Oliver - Bertrand de Nivelles - Tobias (The Money Dealer).
  • Merlin (TV): Nickolas Grace (Sir Egbert), Robert Addie (Sir Gilbert).
  • Scum (TV): Ray Winstone (Carlin), Philip - Abbot Hugo - Jackson (Mr Greaves), Esta Charkham (casting), James - Gareth of Uffcombe - Donnelly (Whittle).
  • Quadrophenia: Ray Winstone (Kevin), Philip - Prince/King John - Davis (Chalky), Daniel - William Sparrow - Peacock (Danny), Esta Charkham (casting).
  • Dempsey & Makepeace (TV series): Mark Ryan (Jimmy - guest in episode "Extreme Prejudice") & Clive Mantle (Big Ben Davis - guest in episode "Extreme Prejudice"), Ray Winstone (?), Phil Rose (? - guest in episode "The Prizefighter").
  • Pulaski: The TV Detective: Paul Knight (producer), Richard Carpenter (writer several episodes), Ray Winstone (Detective Sergeant Ford - guest in episodes "Ten By Eight Glossy", "And The Killer Of Rose Amelia Bonner"), Valentine - Sarak - Pelka (Shadwell - guest in episode "The Fictional Detective"), Claire - Elena Scathlock - Parker (Cherry Hart - guest in episode "The Price of Fame"), Robert Addie (Townsend - guest in episodes "Tough Guys don't Blink"), Dalles - Peter Verdelet - Adams (Leeson - guest in episodes "Tough Guys don't Blink"), Anthony - Baron Simon de Beleme - Valentine (Gordon Bridges - guest in episode "The Price of Fame").
  • Riders (TV): Michael Praed (Jake Lovell), Marcus - Lucifer - Gilbert (Rupert Campbell-Black), Anthony - Baron Simon de Belleme - Valentine (Colonel Carter), Steve Dent as horsemaster.
  • First Knight: Mark Ryan (Lancelot's challenger & assistant swordmaster), Valentine Pelka (Sir Patrise).
  • The Secret Life of Ian Fleming (TV): Jason Connery (Ian Fleming), Clive Mantle (Marine Sergeant Ellis), Patricia - Queen Hadwisa - Hodge (Lady Evelyn).
  • Hello, Mum (TV series): Clive Mantle (various roles - regular), Jason Connery (?).
  • Face: Ray Winstone (Dave), Philip - Prince/King John - Davis (Julian).
  • Our Boy: Ray Winstone (Woody Williamson), Philip - Abbot Hugo - Jackson (Detective Sergeant Yorke).
  • Thief Takers: Reece - Arthur - Dinsdale (D.I. Charlie Scott - regular), Ray Winstone (? - guest in episode "Remember Me").
  • C.A.T.S. Eyes (TV series): Ray Winstone (Geoff - guest in episode "One Away"), Peter Llewellyn Williams (?), Philip - Abbot Hugo - Jackson (Jarvis - guest in episode "The Double Dutch Deal"), Oliver - Lord Owen of Clun - Cotton (Stefan - guest in episode "Good As New"), Nickolas Grace (? in episode "Powerline"), Simon - Siward - Rouse (? in episode "Powerline").
  • The First Olympics: Matt - Roger de Carnac - Frewer (Francis Lane), Jason Connery (Thomas Curtis), Robert Addie (Grantly Goulding), James - Gareth of Uffcombe - Donnelly (O'Leary, the job foreman), John - Herne - Abineri (Herman Fox).
  • Max Headroom (TV series): Matt - Roger de Carnac - Frewer (Edison Carter/Max Headroom), Nickolas Grace (Grossman).
  • Smuggler (TV series): Richard Carpenter (writer), Paul Knight (producer), Oliver - Bertrand de Nivelles - Tobias (Jack Vincent), Robert Addie (Scott-Ponsonby - guest in episode "The Press Gang").
  • Crossbow a.k.a. The Adventures of William Tell (TV series): Anthony Horowitz (creator), Valentine - Sarak- Pelka (Roland - regular), Nick - Earl Godwin's captain - Brimble (Horst & Prince of the Wasteland), Robert Addie (Brother Arris - guest in episodes "Spirit of Rebellion", "The Touch", "The Moment of Truth" Part 1 & 2), Mark Ryan (barbarian - guest in episode "The Lost City"), James - Grendel - Coombes (Anton, guest in episode "Silver Rider").
  • Alien 3: Clive Mantle (William), Philip - Prince/King John - Davis (Kevin).
  • The Master Of Ballantrae (TV): Nickolas Grace (Dass), Patrick Dromgoole (producer), Esta Charkham (casting), Nick - Earl Godwin's captain - Brimble (Chew).
  • Lords of Discipline: Jason Connery (MacKinnon), Matt - Roger de Carnac - Frewer (Senior), Peter Hutchinson - Alan a Dale - (Senior), Simon - Alan a Dale's voice - Shepherd (Senior), Katherine - Sarah de Talmont - Levy (Teresa).
  • The Professionals (TV series): Michael Praed (terrorist - guest in episode "No Stone"), Nickolas Grace (Joe - guest in episode "Mixed Doubles"), Philip - Prince/King John - Davis (Billy - guest in episode "Old Dog With New Tricks"), Yes - Reynald de Villaret - Beneyton (Rene Lacoste - guest in episode "Blood Sports"), Lewis - sheriff Philip Mark - Collins (William Andrew Philip Bodie), Patricia - Queen Hadwisa - Hodge (Ann Holly, guest in episode "Involvement").
  • Doctor Who (TV series): Jason Connery (Jondar - guest in episode "Vengeance on Varos"), John - Herne - Abineri (Van Lutyens - guest in episode "Fury From the Deep", General Carrington - guest in episode "The Ambassadors of Death" , Richard Railton - guest in episode "Death to the Daleks", Ranquin - guest in episode "The Power of Kroll"), Jeremy - Edward of Wickham - Bulloch (Tor - guest in episode "The Space Museum", Hal - guest in episode "The Time Warrior"), George - Sir Richard of Leaford - Baker (Login - guest in episode "Full Circle"), Dallas - Peter Verdelet - Adams (Prof. Howard Foster - guest in episode: "Planet of Fire"), Rula - Morgwyn of Ravenscar - Lenska (Styles - guest in episode: "Resurrection of the Daleks"), Terry - stunt coordinator - Walsh (stunt double for Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, lots of minor roles), Philip - Prince/King John - Davis (Lucius Petrus Dextrus - guest in episode "The Fires of Pompeii"), Simon - Siward - Rouse (Hindle - guest in episodes "Hindle" 1-4).
  • Tank Malling: Ray Winstone (John 'Tank' Malling), Jason Connery (Dunboyne), Nick - Earl Godwin's captain - Brimble (American).
  • The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne (TV series): Michael Praed (Phileas Fogg - regular), Mark Ryan (swordmaster & stunts), John - King Richard - Rhys-Davies (Porthos/Alexandre Dumas - guest in episode "The Cardinal's Revenge"), Ian Sharp (director several episodes).
  • The House of Eliott (TV series): Anthony - Baron Simon de Belleme - Valentine (Victor Stride), David - Joshua de Talmont- de Keyser (Sir Desmond Gillespie).
  • King Arthur: Ray Winstone (Bors), Mark Ryan swordmaster/fight director, Steve Dent as horsemaster, Moya Brennan (Clannad) soundtrack.
  • Births, Marriages and Deaths: Ray Winstone (Alan), Philip - Prince/King John - Davis (Graham).
  • Who Dares Wins: Mark Ryan (Mac), Lewis - sheriff Philip Mark - Collins (Capt. Peter Skellen), Nick - Earl Godwin's captain - Brimble (Williamson), Patrick - Guillaume - Gordon (Terrorist).
  • Cold Mountain: Ray Winstone (Teague), Steve Dent as horsemaster.
  • I, Claudius (TV series): George - Sir Richard of Leaford - Baker (Tiberius), Ian - Lord Edgar of Huntingdon - Ogilvy (Drusus), John - King Richard - Rys-Davies (Macro), Katharine - Sarah de Talmont - Levy (Young Livilla).
  • Arch of Triumph: John - Herne - Abineri (Fernand), Amanda - Lady Isabel, Martin's mother - Hillwood (Sybil).
  • Minder (TV series): Ray Winstone (Arnie - guest in episodes "The Last Video Show", "A Number of Old Wives Tales", "Goodbye Sailor" and "The Car Lot Gaggers"), Phil Rose (Darren - guest in episode "The Beer Hunter"), Nickolas Grace (Tasty Tim - guest in episode "The Art of the Matter"), Clive Mantle (Berndard - guest in episode "Dreamhouse"), Rula - Morgwyn of Ravenscar - Lenska (Kate - guest in episodes "The Last Video Show", "From Fullham with Love" and "The Birdman of Wormwood Scrubs"), Anthony - Baron de Belleme - Valentine (Maurice Michaelson - guest in episodes "You Lose Some, You Win Some" and "Aces High - And Some Very Low"), George - Sir Richard of Leaford - Baker (Bobby Altman - guest in episodes "Days of Fines and Closures" and "You Gotta Have Friends"), Gary - Hubert Walter - Waldhorn (Alex Rowan - guest in episode "The Son Also Rises"), John - Herne - Abineri (Mr. Marsden - guest in episode "Fatal Impression"), Simon - Siward - Rouse (inspector York - guest in episode "Him Indoors").
  • The Bill (TV series): Michael Praed (Rick Johnson in episode "347"), Ray Winstone (Jack MacKenzie in episode "Mitigating Circumstances" and Simon Fielder in episode "Innocence"), Robert Addie (Julian Pembridge in episode "The Trap"), Nickolas Grace (Richard Stirling in episode "Body of Evidence"), Mark Ryan (Franks in episode "Warnings", Micky Dale in episode "Somebody's Home", John Randall in episode "A Duty of Care"), Simon - Siward - Rouse (DCI Jack Meadows), Nick - Earl Godwin's captain - Brimble (Ray Mullen), Graham - Amos Scathelock - Chinn (clearance man), David - Sheriff of Uffcombe - Trevena (clerk), Paul - Tom the fletcher - Duggan (solicitor), Leo - Moth - Dolan (barman), Keith - little boy in The Prophesy - Bartlett (Dan Collins), Steven - James - Osborne (Bill Martin), Mark - Walther / Arab / Brabancon chief - Lewis (Craig Ronson), Ben - Wickham child - Davis (Colin Benson), Jeremy - Edward of Wickham - Bulloch (Commander Bill Huxley), Stuart - old prison with rat - Linden (man with car), Neville - hay carter - Watchurst (G.P.), David - Jefrrey - Lumsden (David Butler), Gemma - Lillith - Craven (D.S. Heywood), John - Herne - Abineri (Arthur Simmonds), Duncan - Heinrich von Erlichshausen - Preston (Freeze Bob Miller), Stephen - Walter Cloud - MacKenna (John Betson), Cory - Isabella of Angouleme - Pulman (Joanne), Claire - Meg of Wickham - Toeman (Karen Calder), Caroline - Mary of Cromm Cruac - Holdaway (Judith Bolton), Hywel - King Arthur's voice - Bennet (Peter Baxter), Gary - Hubert Walter - Waldhorn (Kenny Roberts), Bryan - Adam Bell - Marshall (Max Weir - guest in episode "Confessions of a Zoo Keeper").
  • Boon (TV series): Ray Winstone (Billy - guest in episode "A Ride on the Wild Side"), Clive Mantle (Eric Wetherby - guest in episode "Trail and Error"), Peter Llewellyn Williams (army corporal bomb squad - guest in episode "Credit Were It's Due"), Hywel - King Arthur's voice - Bennet (Richard Jay - guest in episodes "Charity Begins at Home" 1 & 2), Oliver - Bertrand de Nivelles - Tobias (Jonathan Hillary - guest in episodes "Charity Begins at Home" 1 & 2), Esta Charkham (producer), Simon - Siward - Rouse (James Petherbridge - guest in episode "Special Delivery").
  • Screen Two (TV series): Clive Mantle (Edward - guest in episode "Hard Travelling"), Phil Rose (Richard - guest in episode "Sin Bin"), Gary - Hubert Walter - Waldhorn (Boris - guest in episodes "After Pilkington" and "Shergar"), John - Herne - Abineri (farmer Fowler - guest in episodes "The Burston Rebellion" and "Unfair Exchanges"), George - Sir Richard of Leaford - Baker (Greaves/Valentine Swift - guest in episodes "Coast to Coast" and "Time after Time"), Philip - Prince/King John - Davis (Yeti/Finn - guest in episodes "The Firm" and "Dead Lucky"), Bradley - Marcher Lord - Lavelle (Big Bopper/Pvt. Franklin - guest in episodes "Word of Love" and "Going Home").
  • Dick Turpin (TV series): Richard Carpenter (writer), Paul Knight (producer), Esta Charkham (casting), Lynnette Cummin (costumes), Oliver - Bertrand de Nivelles - Tobias (Noll Bridger - guest in episodes "Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure" 1-5), Annabelle - Mad Mab - Lee (Poll Maggot - guest in episode "The Capture", "The Fox" 1 & 2 and "Sentence of Death" 1 & 2), Bryan - Adam Bell - Marshall (Barnaby Husk - guest in episodes "Sentence of Death" 1 & 2), Simon - Siward - Rouse (Edward Faversham - guest in episode "Deadlier Than the Male").