Robin of Sherwood

Robin of Sherwood was part of my whole teen years and in a way after all these years and seeing it again on DVD now, it has not lost anything in all these years. My fascination is still there. I have never seen another Robin Hood story that had all these great color effects, the castles in the mist with red filter, the atmosphere it created. And for sure it is a series that tried to show how it could have been at that time, no beautiful styled castles, but you see the dirt and the fog in it. It has its own charm, and for me will always have. The mystical elements and also the two stories of Robin Hood that are shown here (Robin of Loxley and Robert of Huntingdon)have never been shown that way again. I love both Robins but personally I prefer Jason Connery as actor in this role.

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."

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.

Ok, some facts to get a few potential misunderstandings out of the way: This is an early 80's British production. So, everybody expecting the highest US production standards and a gloss factor 10 should back off NOW! Everybody else will have an HONEST ball of a time rediscovering one of the most underrated, and at the same time most precious gems in Fantasy TV as well as movies. This isn't only the definitive blueprint of the 'modern' conception of the Robin Hood tale, as well as 'modern' fantasy, it's also a 25-part journey through high quality Fantasy story-telling as we've ever encountered it before or after. Too bold? I don't think so. Re-watch the excellent DVD collection (the last part will appear in November) and marvel at the originality laying foundations to almost every similar project going.

Be aware! It's old-fashioned and VERY simple! It's demanding and VERY clever! Contradiction? Not really. It's a child of its time as well as a prototype of what's to come. But everyone who's still kept a sense for the simple, as well as most precious prospects in story-telling, will be delighted. This is a unique gem that can only be surpassed by a greater budget coupled with at least a similarly good script. Let me tell you: That hasn't happened yet.

Re-educate yourself in the unique virtues of early 80's UK television. You won't be disappointed.

Schogger13

My dad taped a bunch of these off TV when they were imported here to the States and he recently re-purchased them off the net in two gift packs dividing the two seasons and two Robin Hoods as "The Praed Collection" and "The Connery Collection". Since I grew up watching this by many fires on misty and snow bound nights, it is probably my favorite telling of the Robin Hood story.

What I liked best about this show growing up and still like best (although I do have more appreciation for Judi Trott) was the mysticism of the show. All the other tellings told of Robin Hood's rise to heroism and then his ultimate triumph and then that was it and while it was certainly fun, this series seemed to have more meat to its bones because of its introducing all those mythical elements. The music was also pretty cool, haunting and beautiful.

After watching this and "Excalibur" one misty day, I noticed that some of the myths here were similar to Arthurian legend. Herne is to both Robin Hoods (Praed, Connery) what Merlin was to King Arthur. And the two Robins are later given a magic sword, Albion (which later became the name of our family dog).

The show ran for about 4 seasons I think, the first two featured Michael Praed as Robin of Loxley, and the last two featured his successor, Robert of Huntington, played by Jason Connery (Sean's son; Sean also played Robin Hood in case you didn't know, in "Robin & Marion" opposite Audrey Hepburn's Maid Marion). But both Michael and Jason's characters become known as Robin Hood and/or the Hooded Man. I was surprised to read in the archives of reviews that many people prefer Jason over Michael, since people often get more attached to the first guy (maybe it's name recognition). I think they're both capable actors and they both brought something different to the show, but while Michael and Jason's Robin Hoods were both likable characters, I think I like Michael better as he had that dark, brooding intensity about him. This is not to say that Jason, while more of a pretty boy, did not have his moments (the best part of Jason's reign was watching him struggle to prove he was a worthy successor). What I find ironic is that Jason's character, Robert/Robin 2, has the noble man who rejects his heritage origin that is often attributed to Michael's character, Robin of Loxley.

The rest of the cast was great too. Judi Trott was a beautiful and believable Marion who had to stand up to have a place for herself in Sherwood. Ray Winstone was an intense and dangerous Will Scarlet. Clive Mantle was a lovable Little John, as was Phil Rose as Friar Tuck, Peter L. Williams as Much, and Mark Ryan as the strong silent type, Nasir. Nikolas Grace was a great Sheriff, Robert Addie an over the top Gisbon.

A great show with great stories and a great cast. To this day I wish they could have gotten Michael Praed or Jason Connery to reprise the Robin Hood role for "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves". I'll take them over Kevin Costner any day.