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Episode Guide
Main cast
Robin Hood Michael Praed
Robert of Huntingdon Jason Connery
Marion Judi Trott
Little John Clive Mantle
Will Scarlet Ray Winstone
Brother Tuck Phil Rose
Nasir Mark Ryan
Much Peter Llewellyn Williams
Sheriff of Nottingham Nickolas Grace
Guy of Gisburne Robert Addie
Abbot Hugo Philip Jackson
Herne the Hunter John Abineri
Edward of Wickham Jeremy Bulloch
Series One
Robin Hood and the Sorcerer
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Ian Sharp
Robin, captured by Guy of Gisburne and imprisoned in Nottingham
Castle, meets the men who are to follow him into Sherwood Forest.
After his escape, he sets out to rescue the Lady Marion from the
clutches of the evil Baron de Belleme.
Guest cast
Young Robin Toby Lee
Ailric Wayne Michaels
Miller's Wife Betty Francis
Miller Geoffrey Greenhill
Simon de Belleme Anthony Valentine
Tom Fletcher Paul Duggan
Dickon Mark Audley
Old Prisoner Stuart Linden
Clerk Harry Herring
Flambert Thomas Henty
Simon's women Kim Hicks and Gillie Roper
**Watch carefully at the end of the episode as Robin releases Marion from the
pentagram. He hacks the chains with Albion, and a link flies off and hits Judi Trott in the
face.
**As Robin pulls the arrow from Belleme's body there is a loud popping sound.
**At the point when Belleme sets Robin's bow alight, Praed mouths a very rude
word.
**Someone called Robert de Belleme existed and was thrown out of England for sorcery
and devil worship around 1300.
The Witch of Elsdon
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Ian Sharp
Jennet of Elsdon and her husband Thomas are accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death by
Abbot Hugo. The Sheriff of Nottingham offers to spare their lives if Jennet will use her
powers
to render Robin helpless and put him at the mercy of Gisburne and his men.
Guest cast
Gregory David Goodland
Jennet Angharad Rees
Thomas Cornelius Garrett
Martin Martin West
James Steven Osborne
Seven Poor Knights From Acre
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Ian Sharp
Robin faces the wrath of the Knights Templars, seven fighting monks who are among the most
feared warriors in Europe. Led by the fanatical Renald de Villaret, they believe Robin has
stolen
their sacred emblem.
Guest cast
Siward Simon Rouse
Reynard de Villaret Yves Beneyton
Heinrich von Erlichhausen Duncan Preston
Potter Colin Rix
Fat Merchant Peewee Hunt
Alan a Dale
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Ian Sharp
Alan a Dale arrives in Sherwood threatening to kill the Sheriff. The object of his
affections,
Mildred, daughter of the Baron de Bracy, is being forced against her will to marry the
Sheriff of
Nottingham. Robin decides to help the young lovers.
Guest cast
Meg of Wickham Claire Toeman
Alan a Dale Peter Hutchinson
Mildred Stephanie Tague
**In one of the scenes, buzzing bees from a smashed beehive were supposed to
thwart the Sheriff of Nottingham. Horseflies were said to produce a realistic swarm, so a suitable number were put in a box
with a
piece of meat to keep them quiet until their release. When the cameras rolled, only two
flies shot
out to swarm around the Sheriff;
the rest were enjoying the meat. The scene was eventually
completed - without the flies.
**The voice of Alan a Dale was dubbed. Apparently the voice artist used was Simon
Shepherd.
**After spending a full day filming the mudfight scence, Michael Praed and Robert Addie
were less than thrilled to be told that the footage had been destroyed and would have to be
reshot.
**It is said that after filming the mud scenes, Praed and Addie would race back to the shower,
there being only one available. It is said that Robert Addie always got there first.
The King's Fool
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Ian Sharp
Robin rescues a strange knight from an ambush and earns the gratitude of the most powerful
man in England, King Richard, recently returned imprisonment in Europe. Robin readily
accepts an
invitation to fight at the King's side in Normandy, but the relationship soon sours.
Guest cast
King Richard John Rhys Davies
Mercadier Doc O'Brien
Hubert Walter Gary Waldham
What they said about the first series...
ITV triumph with Robin Hood
The extent to which ITV has taken over from the BBC as the producers of high quality
television
is nowhere better illustrated than in it's output of programmes for childen writes
Robert Bennett.
It began with Wurzel Gummage then the triumph of Metal Mickey and now it looks set for
another triumph
with Robin of Sherwood. It must have taken a great deal of self confidence to launch the
new series with
a two hour slot, but that confidence was amply justified. This is a brand new approach to what
had become a very tired tale.
Richard Carpenter, the script writer, has turned his back on the image of Robin Hood and his
Merry
Men. Indeed so far most of Robin Hood's men are positively morose and with very good reason.
The England they live in is a country under occupation. The Normans are the Mediaeval
equivalent
of the Nazi SS and the AngloSaxon people are torn between keeping their heads down or standing
up to them and facing almost certain death.
It is no fun being an outlaw in such a situation and it is not much fun hiding in Sherwood
Forest
which really is a forest. In this version the outlaws lounge around on awkward hillsides among
dense and uncomfortable greenery. Such realism is vital - for Richard Carpenter has also
introduced myth and magic to the story.
Robin, played by Michael Praed, is a man whose destiny is controlled by the forces of light
and
darkness, and in particular by Herne the Hunter, half man, half beast, who haunts the forest
and
turns a Robin who is essentially a young man forced by accident to rebel into a resistance
fighter with a
prophecy to fulfil.
It may owe a great deal to the current fashion for fantasy in children's literature and to
something
like Star Wars, but it is no less effective for that. Sadly, the least successful scenes
were those in which
young Robin rowed across a steaming pond to meet Herne the Hunter - a poor replica of Arthurian
legends - but that was more than offset by the confrontation with the Baron de Belleme,
superbly threatening and superbly played by Anthony Valentine,
as the personal representative of the powers of darkness. With Judi Trott as a stunning
pre-raphaellite Lady Marion, and I am pleased to say a lot of Yorkshire accents around,
it is difficult to see how Robin of Sherwood can avoid becoming a classic of childrens
television. Certainly if the remaining four episodes live up to this standard,
and if Richard Carpenter continues to ignore the traditional version of what is a myth anyway,
we are in for a treat, not to mention the children.
Why on earth British television should spent money buying badly made, unimaginative, poorly
scripted American junk when homegrown talent can produce something like this is beyond me.
Having been a keen follower of Richard Greene's Robin Hood I can't help thinking that
this new
chap 'Robin of Sherwood' went to the wrong school. In days of yore, greenwood outlaws had
a good
tailor of quiet but obvious quality and a barber one could trust.
Michael Praed, as the latest incumbant of Sherwood Forest, has chosen to forego the
niceties one has come to expect of England's premiere legend and associate with a bunch of
yahoos and ne'er-do-wells.
Not that I am complaining. Two hours of Richard Greene would have been enough to plunge
even the hardiest viewer into a deep and dreamless sleep, as much as I hate to say it.
HTV's latest coproduction with Goldcrest (around the £2 mark) gets closer to the period feel.
In those days and in those conditions, Robin and his men would have had little time or
inclination to stop for a wash and brush up.
Writer Richard Carpenter has woven an interesting tale and much of the length of Saturday's
film was needed to set the scene for the rest of the series.
Coming as it does from the producer who made The Professionals, the belief was obvious that
actions speak louder than words. Robin did have his moment when rallying his men with a
stirring speech about feudal oppression - "No voice, no justice, no England," but generally
the dialogue was on the Bodie and Doyle level.
The theme music from the Irish band Clannad who did so well for Harry's Game went for
atmosphere and missed. When Robin faced his sworn enemy, Guy of Gisburne, the music
suggested that they were going to kiss.
But, not wishing to have an arrow (wrapped with a cloth bearing a threat scrawled in blood)
thud into my desk I should add that I will be off to the woods next Saturday to catch
Robin and the lads in pursuit of the Sheriff. It's a great story. HTV have got it 80%
right and there's a long way to go. Neil Clements
Robin Hood and his team of wets
Robin of Sherwood had to be one of the wettest dramas ever, and not just because of the
endless display of damp breeches from all the sitting around on rain soaked location grass.
I missed the first no doubt vital episode because my dear old mum dusted the preprogrammed
video and wiped it off while I was away.
But the rest of the series was so dismally slow and whimsical that it seemed to have been put
together by an ex hippy driven slightly dippy by the mystical cow bells ringing in his ears.
Nickolas Grace, stamping his tiny hoof in a constant state of vexation as the Sheriff of
Nottingham, was good value for money, and I quite took to Herne the Hunter, heavily
disguised as a coat hanger, waving his magic antlers.
And I did feel a certain pang when stupid Guy of Gisburne crashed to the ground with his coat
alight. Anyone that monumentally dopey deserves all the human sympathy he can get.
Robin Hood and his mystical men by Gerard Dempsey
They ushered him in with close-harmony chords and the low croon of the synthesiser...
A Robin Hood for the eighties. Michael Praed is a beardless freedom fighter with the face
and form of a pop star, a fustian figure in drap olive rather than natty Lincoln green.
But he brings a marvellous authenticity to the title role in Robin of Sherwood, a raw
and riveting new look at the old greenwood tale.
This Robin is a spooky specimen, disciple and agent of the Lord of the Trees, who sounds like
Tarzan but is in fact Herne the Hunter, the forest dwelling horned man of ancient legend.
Avenging
So the new Robin is not your regular Sherwood tearaway. He is the avenging spirit of
Herne's prophecy : 'Beware the hooded one.' Hence Robin i the Hood - Robin Hood. Get it?
Well, it was new to me. So, too, was the concept of the Merry Men as manifestations of
something elemental and mystical like characters in a German opera.
It was this excursion into the supernatural which added a thrilling new dimension to Richard
Carpenter's free-ranging new series. In this fearless new version, King Richard is an out
and out villain, Little John a bewitched bother boy, Maid Marion the kind of girl who
invites a ruffianly stranger into her bedchamber, and the outlaws a rabble of dissident
ragamuffins.
Is this the old greenwood? Errol Flynn and Richard Greene wouldn't know the place.
Look In letters
....I liked the series Robin of Sherwood because it was full of sorcery and there was a
lot of action. I think that Michael Praed, Judi Trott and the rest of the gang played their
parts very well.
I was glad to hear that they are making another series....
....My family and I all think that Robin of Sherwood is the best series on TV. All the
characters are brilliant and they could not have chosen a better Robin. It's a shame the
series
wasn't on longer, but I hope there will be a lot more to come.....
....I am writing to congratulate ITV on their series Robin of Sherwood. I think that
it's the
best ITV programme ever. I like the idea of Gisburne being a stupid twit because it adds a
funny touch
to the programme. My favorite outlaw is Robin Hood and my second is Friar Tuck because he's
very funny. I bet it was great fun making the series and I wish I could have been there....
....I thought Robin of Sherwood was great. I like Friar Tuck when he hits the Sheriff's
men on the
head with a big thick stick!....
....I agree that Robin of Sherwood is a brilliant series and was glad to hear there is
soon to be
another series screened. They couldn't have chosen a better Robin than Michael Praed.....
....I really enjoyed Robin of Sherwood and a prime example of terriffic actic was how
anyone as
nice as Robert Addie could play anyone as evil as Guy of Gisburne. I can't wait for the next
series.....
Series Two
The Prophecy
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Robert Young
Prince John descends on Nottingham with a mysterious prisoner whose identity is closely
guarded. Herne prophesises
the death of King Richard and the existence of the strange prisoner. 'One close to you' he tells Robin.
The outlaws devise a plot to free the captive not realising why or what impact his name will have on them all,
especially Marion.
Guest cast
Old Prisoner Stuart Linden
Mark Simon Dutton
De Leon John Nettles
Captain Philip York
Guard Michael Loney
Little Boy David Bartlett
Abbot Hugo Philip Jackson
Sir Richard George Baker
Brother Cedric David Sivier
Messenger Jamie Ripman
The Children of Israel
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Alex Kirby
Joshua de Talmont is owed a great deal of money by the Sheriff, who uses the
precedent of the
Jewish massacre in York to stir up a riot under cover of which he intends to murder the Jewish merchant.
The Sheriff and Gisburne pursue de Talmont deep into Sherwood, to be confronted not only by Robin Hood
but the powers of a sacred book.
Guest cast
Joshua De Talmont David de Keyser
Esther De Talmont Amy Rosenthal
Samuel De Talmont Adam Rosenthal
Sarah De Talmont Katherine Levy
Captain Pavel Douglas
Poacher Paul Wilce
Head Man Daniel Gregory
Servant Odette Bennett
** Esther and Samuel are played by the children of comedienne Maureen Lipman
The Enchantment
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by James Allen
When Baron Simon de Belleme died, his treasure was never found. The Sheriff, spurred on by
greed, has never given up hope of discovering this fortune. There are only two people who can
lead him to it - the strange women who attended the Baron. The sheriff has one these women in
his custody.
Guest cast
Lillith Gemma Craven
Ralph of Huntingdon Trevor Clarke
Young Witch Maria MacDonell
Simon de Belleme Anthony Valentine
Lord of the Trees
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by James Allen
In the Sheriff's absence Gisburne hires a gang of ruthless Flemish mercenaries to help him
destroy Robin and the outlaws. It is the time of the blessing and no blood must be shed in
Sherwood.
Guest cast
Bertrand de Neville Oliver Tobias
The Swords of Wayland (Parts 1 and 2)
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Robert Young
Robin and the outlaws leave Sherwood to defend a distant village
from the Hounds of Lucifer, eerily clad horsemen who terrorise the neighbourhood. They are the servants of a powerful coven ruled by Morgwyn of Ravenscar.
Morgwyn bewitches the outlaws to turn against their leader and Robin is alone locked in combat with the most powerful forces of darkness.
Guest cast
Morgwyn Rula Lenska
AdamNorman Bowler
Earl Godwyn Anthony Steel
Verdelet Dallas Adams
The Greatest Enemy
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Robert Young
At Nottingham Castle, the Sheriff receives a suprise visit from Hubert de
Giscard,
herald
to King John. De Giscard makes it clear that the King is losing patience with the Sheriff's
inability to rid Sherwood of Robin Hood and his band. Lured into a fatal trap, the outlaws
are seperated and Robin finds himself isolated and alone facing an army of soldiers.
Nottingham's triumph spells tragedy for the outlaws, but can the son of Herne the Hunter be
destroyed that easily?
Guest cast
Arabs Mark Lewis and Stephen Dent
Giscard Robert Daws
Matthew Robbie Bulloch
What they said about the second series...
Exit Robin Hood with death blow from Sheriff
Actor Nickolas Grace is to become the first Sheriff of Nottingham to 'kill off' legendary hero Robin Hood.
In the last episode of the current series, 10 million viewers will be reaching for their hankies when the
Sheriff chortles with joy as he finally gives the order of death.
However, there will be a nail-biting cliff hanger as Marion and the others perform a ritual shooting
of arrows into a Sherwood lake through their own tears.
Tonight sees the end of actor Michael Praed's run as Robin of Loxley. But, as if by magic, there
will be another series of Robin of Sherwood in the autumn. Sean Connery's blond son Jason, 22, is
to become the new hero.
Nickolas Grace, who is fast becoming the most 'hated' man in Britain as the evil Sheriff, now gets around
20 letters a week in his 'hate mail.'
Robin and the Naughty Nuns
There's nothing like a good, wholesome adventure story for a holy holiday weekend. And
Robin of Sherwood, featuring a coven of naughty nuns, mass slaughter by the Hounds of Lucifer and
other charming occult customs - blindness, madness, sexy satanic worship - was nothing like a good,
wholesome adventure.
But ITV's extra long Saturday trip down to the woods turned out to be the most exciting drama this Easter,
with red cloaked, horned demons, avening outlaws in their designer greens and even a blue wax Satan.
Rula Lenska as the awful abbess was something else. As the sword stroking lady of the cauldron, into which
a cage load of Robin's not so merry men were due to be dropped, she was ace.
I've never seen her act better. But then I've never seen her act.
Michael Praed, the small, but beautifully marked Robin, had sharp blades waggled under his nose at
every moment, then he had to jump from the cliffs miles down into the drink.
Still, only a few more episodes and the poor lad is doomed to change faces. He drops out to be
replaced by another actor.
Will ITV do a Dynasty - invent an accident and bring in a medieval plastic surgeon? Watch this glen.
Series Three
Herne's Son
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Robert Young
Robin of Loxley is dead. The Merry Men have scattered - Marion having been pardoned by the King,
has returned to Leaford. At Huntingdon castle, the Earl and his son Robert prepare to entertain in order to
arrange a political alliance for the King. Among their guests are the Sheriff of Nottingham, his brother Hugo,
Guy of Gisburne, the Welsh Marcher Lord - Owen of Clun, his followers, Sir Richard of Leaford and his daughter Marion.
Young Robert is captivated by the sadness and serenity of Marion. Lord Owen becomes infatuated with her -
he insults and then abducts her. Robert realises that the must gather his resources to deliver her from this fate -
but he needs 
help from those who love her. With only Tuck remaining in Sherwood the task is
destined to be long and
arduous - but with Herne's help Robert is determined.
Guest cast
Owen of Clun Oliver Cotton
Gulnar Richard O'Brien
Richard of Leaford George Baker
Earl of Huntingdon Michael Craig
The Power of Albion
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Gerry Mill
Robert of Huntingdon has been living in the forest with the Outlaws, leading them as
they
return to their old ways. When Robert is badly wounded in a raid Marion is sent for in order
to offer her medical expertise. On her return to Leaford she is arrested by the Sheriff of
Nottingham. He is anxious to prove the identity of the band's new leader - being referred to as Robin Hood. The Sheriff also confiscates Albion from Marion. Robert of
Huntingdon enters Nottingham in an attempt to dupe the Sheriff, save Marion and retrieve Albion.
Guest cast
Sir Richard of Leaford George Baker
The Inheritance
Written by Anthony Horowitz
Directed by Ben Bolt
In an old castle live a young girl Isadora and her father Agrivaine,
who is the guardian of a priceless treasure. Agrivaine forsees his own death in the Tarot cards, but it is a more immediate danger that troubles him. Raven, a one-eyed ruffian, together with Mortimer, Agrivaineís ex-steward, specialise in pillaging anything of value. Isadora seeks the help of Robin Hood.
Guest cast
Agrivaine Cyril Cusack
Raven Derrick O'Connor
Scully David Rappaport
Isadora Cathryn Harrison
The Sheriff of Nottingham
Written by Anthony Horowitz
Directed by Christopher King
King John is tired of having his taxes stolen so he decides at last to replace the Sheriff. The new Sheriff, Philip Mark, is known as 'The Butcher of Lincoln' and his Saracen sidekick Sarak is not much better. Determined to catch the Outlaws, Philip Mark formulates a ruthless plan. He banishes his predecessor from Nottingham and the castle and leaves him deep in Sherwood Forest...
Guest cast
Philip Mark Lewis Collins
Sarak Valentine Pelka
The Cross of Saint Ciricus
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Dennis Abey
Robin and the Outlaws make their way to Croxden Abbey to give away their loot to Abbot Martin - a fanatical monk and custodian of the Cross of Saint Ciricus, which is said to have healing powers. En route they come across a Lady, a victim of a robbery on her way to Croxden. Thinking she is about to die, the Lady makes a confession to Friar Tuck and reveals a strange connection between herself and Robin.
Guest cast
Lady Margaret Dorothy Tutin
Abbot MartinBrendan Price
Cromm Cruac
Written by Anthony Horowitz
Directed by Gerry Mill
Much has been wounded in a forester's trap. His wound becomes infected and he is very ill. The Outlaws are miles away from any of their known safe villages, but happen across a kindly carter who offers to take them to his village Cromm Cruac. However, Gulnar - formerly the sooth-sayer to Owen of Clun, is not far away and has an old score to settle...
Guest cast
Gulnar Richard O'Brien
John Horsley
Elanor Claire Parker
The Betrayal
Written by John Flanagan and Andrew McCulloch
Directed by James Allen
The Sheriff's incompetence has brought the King himself to Nottingham to collect his taxes. With him he brings Roger de Carnac, a ruthless man who devises a clever plan to destroy Robin's reputation and deal with the Outlaws once and for all. Coinciding with the King's visit, there seems to be a spate of attacks and pillaging in the villages surrounding Nottingham. Could they be connected?
Guest cast
King John Philip Davis
Roger de Carnac Matt Frewer
Adam Bell
Written by Anthony Horowitz
Directed by Gerry Mill
Much is captured by the Sheriff who threatens to hang him. Then Adam Bell, an ageing outlaw, kidnaps Martin, the Sheriff's nephew. The Sheriff seems desperate to get his nephew back and with Much in prison he has something to bargain with.
Guest cast
Adam Bell Bryan Marshall
The Pretender
Written by Anthony Horowitz
Directed by Robert Young
A noble young man, rescued by Robin from the Duke of Gloucester's soldiers, wants to join his band. The powerful Duke and his daughter, ex-Queen Hadwisa, are plotting against the King. There is no natural heir to the throne, only a Pretender, Prince Arthur of Brittany - son of the Kingís brother. Is this the man Robin has just saved?
Guest cast
Hadwisa Patricia Hodge
Arthur Reece Dinsdale
Rutterkin
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Gerry Mill
Little John intends to elope with Meg of Wickham, but their flight is halted by a mysterious mad pig lady who seems to have lost her charges. Lord Edgar, uncle to Robin Hood, comes to Nottingham to visit the King who is ill. While wandering through Sherwood rounding up pigs, Robin encounters his uncle who claims to have been looking for him. It appears that the Earl of Huntingdon - Robinís father - is in great danger...
Guest cast
Lord Edgar Ian Ogilvy
King John Philip Davis
Earl of Huntingdon Michael Craig
The Time of the Wolf
Written by Richard Carpenter
Directed by Sid Roberson
King John is raising an army against the Welsh. He orders all the food from the villages to be collected to feed his army. Robin and his band are unwilling to stand by and see their friends starve, so they prepare the Wickham villagers for action. Meanwhile at Grimston Abbey an old adversary of Robin's is practising his sorcery in most unusual ways.
Guest cast
Gulnar Richard O'Brien