Robin of Sherwood

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.

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...?

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.

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

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.