Robin Hood

An HTV (ITV) production that has stood the test of time very well, and one that even the BBC admired in its day for its high production values.

This was a magic series, especially during the Michael Praed seasons (1 & 2), as the cast and crew really got along well both on and off screen. The chemistry shows in the interaction between the characters, with the acting coming across as natural and not strained.

Combine this with beautiful locations, well written plots and the inimitable Clannad theme and support music and the basis for a cult classic is made.

This is one of the shows that few will ever tire of watching, and for many, forms the definitive version of the Robin Hood legend.

Michael Praed was in his early 20s when he did this role, and he really put his stamp on it - it is doubtful if anyone else can or will command as much on-screen presence as he does playing this character. When he departed the series at the end of season 2, he did so in a way that probably furthered his fan following. Pity then that he did not find many meaty screen roles after doing Robin Of Sherwood until the recent 'Secret Adventures Of Jules Verne', although his stage performances in 'Aspects Of Love', 'Carousel' and others confirm his inherent talent.

The rest of the cast also deserve mention, particularly Nickolas Grace as the Sheriff and Robert Addie as Sir Guy, the hapless fall guy throughout the series. Guest stars read like a who's who of British drama, thus reinforcing the fact that Robin Of Sherwood was a mover and shaker in its day. It remains so today.

Thankfully, the Praed series have now been released on DVD and many be pucrchased through Amazon UK, making them accessible to a whole new generation of viewers.

There is nothing more I can add to what has already been said about the entire series. As well as taking me back to a time in my life when the words "mortgage" and "bills" meant anything to me - and when Saturday night prime-time entertainment didn't involve reality TV, people wanting to be pop stars and hour-long programmes to pick lottery numbers when I could do it myself in ten minutes at the most) - there is no other TV show or movie about Robin Hood that even comes close to being on a par with "Robin Of Sherwood."

Every member of this young cast brings their character to life, and the Merry Men are perfectly written and acted. The Sheriff Of Nottingham breaks away from the usual mustache-twirling, scenery-eating bad guy, and has more in common with a corrupt politician than his previous incarnations.

Michael Praed's Robin Of Loxley was certainly a better Robin than Jason Connery's, but that isn't to take anything away from Connery. Praed's swansong in "The Greatest Enemy" is one of the best episodes of any TV show I have seen in such a long time.

Richard Carpenter's knowledge of both the legend of Robin Hood and beliefs in England at that time clearly show here - and it goes without saying that if the people behind "Prince Of Thieves" had this much insight and knowledge of the source material, their "Raw-bin Hood" would not have been so dismal. Blatantly stealing elements from RoS, and yet ignoring others make this film merely a pale imitation of RoS.

Without wanting to sound harsh, Connery seems to have been chosen to garner a little publicity for this often under-rated show; the son of a former incarnation of Robin Hood playing a modern-day Robin Hood. Connery handles the part extremely well, but isn't the actor Praed was. That said, I do prefer the third season episodes and stories to the first two series'. No one would envy having to follow in the footsteps of a role made famous by someone else for two series, and there is - as in all the series' - an excellent camaraderie and relationships - between Robin, his Merry Men and his Merry Woman.

The addition of the "old religion" trying to continue, while the new religion of Christianty tries its hardest to stamp it out. It's ironic that this reminds me of "Prince Of Thieves" in relation to RoS: borrowing a lot of elements from the original, and tweaking them a little. Still, though, the old version prevails over time.

Clannad's soundtrack works excellently alongside the programme - and I doubt RoS would have been the success it was without it. If you don't already have Clannad's "Legend", go out this weekend and treat yourself.

All of the stars appear on the DVD boxsets and everybody has good memories and making this show. Now a huge star, Ray Winstone seems genuinely pleased to take time out to talk about his experiences and love of the show.

Whoever suggested in this discussion that Carpenter should bring all of the Merry Men back together as older, wiser outlaws is 100% right. Do it now.

"Nothing's Forgotten. Nothing Is Ever Forgotten."

This is THE best fantasy series ever, particularly the first two seasons which are flawless. The scriptwriting is beautiful, the performances never bettered- Michael Praed is the most charismatic Robin Hood yet, and Judi Trott's Marion is head and shoulders over all others, but the acting laurels have to go to Ray Winstone as Will Scarlett- watching his intense performance as a man on the verge of psychosis really drives home the fact that Christian Slater was a pale imitation of him. The direction is, perhaps, consistently better than any other series, and that music...

Above all, it is the fact that it is the only programme that I watched as a kid that seemed BETTER when I saw it as an adult. If there is one TV series that deserves to be released on DVD it is this one.

Unfortunately, only four episodes of this series are commercially available, and it is not often re-run on television. Although the few available episodes can often be found in the children's or family sections of video stores, they deserves much more respect than this; this show is one of those rare incidences of really good television.

The show mixes magic and paganism into the familiar Sherwood tale, and music by Clannad adds to the mystical atmosphere. But the characters are anything but the swashbuckling cardboard heroes that the Robin Hood stereotype embodies, and we have come to expect.

Michael Praed (in my mind, the perfect Robin Hood), plays a fallible, conflicted Robin, who is nonetheless idealistic and strong. All of the Merry Men are fleshed out as full characters, with their own motivations and ideas, and Marion (Judi Trott) is represented particularly well. She avoids many female stereotypes: she is beautiful but not plastic, a fighter but still definitely feminine. The Sheriff of Nottingham (Nicholas Grace) and Guy of Gisburne (Robert Addie) are present as the classic villains, but they both go far beyond the usual limited parameters of these roles.

The characters are all comfortable and unselfconscious, as though they don't realize that they are legends. To me, this is their most appealing trait of all.

The creators of the show also deserve kudos for their brave move in replacing Michael Praed when he opted out after two seasons: instead of recasting another actor in the same role, a different Robin Hood was introduced -- a man of noble background (played by Jason Connery-- yes, the son of *that* Connery)as opposed to the peasant upbringing of Michael's Robin. The show thereby manages to address both accounts of Robin Hood's origin. (Many people prefer Jason's Robin. I personally still gravitate toward Michael. It is an ongoing debate among fans.)

Even after all this time, the show still has a devoted cult following, who gather for yearly conventions with the stars. Their devotion is understandable; "Robin of Sherwood" is the best representation of the Robin Hood legend that has ever been created for the screen.

This retelling weaves myth and magic with the Robin Hood legend and, indeed, Robin becomes associated with the forest god, Herne the Hunter reinforcing the idea that Robin is a medieval incarnation of The Green Man (the 'foliate head' of the old religion which is often found carved on many churches).

The scripts were were well written, the plotting well thought out and the characters - and ensemble cast - excellent. In particular, congratulations to Mark Ryan - who became Nasir the Saracen. Due to be killed off at the end of the the first episode, he was so good, that he remained as a permanent cast member.

Ultimately, though, the series' immediate appeal was due to the amazing on-screen chemistry between its two leads, Michael Praed and the beautiful Judi Trott as (the first) Robin and his Marion. Praed's youthful, dark, good looks had an almost 'fey' quality which made the magical element entirely believable. (And by 'fey' I don't mean to imply any loss of masculinity.) The first two seasons - with Praed - were by far the best.

In the third season, Jason Connery had a hell of a task following an actor so perfect for the Robin role, but he did reasonably well and the strong ensemble cast carried the change of lead well. Richard Carpeneter's wise decision to make the new 'Robin Hood' a completely different character with a completely different background was a very wise move.

I suppose any review should mention the immense debt Costner's Robin Hood Prince of Thieves owes to Robin of Sherwood. Some might say that 'debt' was putting it mildly! Costner not only retained the Saracen (who until Nasir had never been a Robin Hood character at all) but he filmed in many of the same locations; used the same horsemaster (Stevie Dent) and clung to the magical elements - though being a good old American boy stuck to the idea of Christianity good - old religion bad, whereas Robin of Sherwood often showed the political corruption of the Church (historically accurate)and the simple spirituality of the old religion (unrelated to 'black' magic). Alan Rickman's OTT sheriff was a wilder version of Nickolas Grace's sly characterisation.

What more can I say? If you've never seen Robin of Sherwood, rush out and buy the complete thing on DVD - I guarantee you'll watch it again and again for the lovely filmic quality of the camera work, the leisurely but never dull pacing (which invests in the attention span and intelligence of its audience), the acting, the ideas, the very real emotional kick and (much praised) the delightful music by Clannad.

And did I mention Michael Pread...?