by Rebecca Fisher

Introduction:

Ah, the Eighties. Big hair. Synthesized music. Dodgy special-effects. These were key components of the decade, and all of them can be found in the cult classic Robin of Sherwood, considered by a lot of aficionados as the best version of the Robin Hood legend that film or television has to offer.

Created by Richard Carpenter and running for three seasons between 1984 and 1986, the show’s goal was to reinvigorate the legend for a modern audience, with lengthy action sequences, a band of outlaws that was as small as they were youthful, and a (somewhat contradictory) emphasis on both historical accuracy and a heavy dose of mysticism.

In his pre-production notes outlining the themes and general atmosphere of the show, Carpenter described his vision thusly:

“It’s the image of a man lying buried and bleeding within a suit of armour. It’s panting for breath in the undergrowth with rain lashing down and the soldiers moving nearer. It’s fear of the dark, of ghosts and gods and demons. It is belief in spells and curses, in the power of stones and the evil eye. It is the hope that the tree, blasted by winter, will live again. It is living as part of the landscape itself and sharing a forest pool with deer the young wolves will hunt tomorrow.”

The finished product was a hugely popular retelling of the legend, which – despite its premature cancellation due to budgetary problems in the production company – remains to this day one of the most significant Robin Hood adaptations of all time. It’s difficult to underestimate the influence that the show had on subsequent versions of the story, for many of the familiar attributes that we take for granted in more recent retellings had their origins in Robin of Sherwood. (But more on that in a bit).

Granted, some aspects of the show now seem rather dated, namely its leisurely pacing and rather theatrical (occasionally stilted) acting. But its strengths are still apparent, from its unique take on each of the famous characters, to the immense variety and originality of storylines, to the high production values. Filmed almost entirely on-location in castles and forests across England, the show has a scope that’s impressive even by today’s standards.

Premise:

It feels a bit redundant to outline the premise of a Robin Hood retelling (as you’d have to have been raised under a rock not to know the gist of the story), but whilst King Richard is busy fighting in the Crusades, Prince John rules over England in his absence, raising taxes and inflicting harsh punishments on those that break his tyrannical laws. Various lords and sheriffs rule in his name with an iron fist; one such man is Sheriff Robert de Rainult of Nottinghamshire, along with the brutal Sir Guy of Gisborne as his lackey.

It’s in this unforgiving environment that the man called Robin Hood arises as a hero, fighting on behalf of the suffering peasantry; robbing from the rich to give to the poor, and defeating evil in various forms: from the cruel Sheriff to various demons and sorcerers.

Of all the innovations that Carpenter introduced to the concept of Robin Hood, it would have to be his decision to infuse the legend with its own mythology that stands out most strongly. Here, Robin Hood is not a mere outlaw, but the chosen subject of prophecy, a long-awaited individual known as the Hooded Man. Armed with a magic sword called Albion and mentored by a mystical shaman controlled by the god Herne (each with obvious allusions to Excalibur and Merlin), Robin is guided by visions and dreams and charged with defending the weak and helpless as a spiritual calling.

Would you take advice from this man?

This mystical backdrop resulted in storylines inspired by a wide variety of components from Christian and Judaic folklore, Celtic mythology and Paganism, not to mention Carpenter’s own imagination. As well as the more prosaic evil of the sheriff and his minions, Robin is also pitted against demons, witches, sorcerers, golems – and a group of devil-worshipping nuns, believe it or not. Even the spirit of King Arthur pops in for a visit.

Likewise, many elements of the familiar Robin Hood legends are given an occult twist: for instance, the famed silver arrow that Robin wins at the archery tournament here becomes a relic of Herne, whilst Robin’s legendary bridge fight with Little John is brought on by the latter’s brainwashing at the hands of an evil wizard.

Yet despite these fantastical elements, the show remained committed to historical accuracy. Locations, costuming, weapons, culture – obviously it’s not all 100% correct, but it’s clear that a serious effort was made. One moment of particularly striking attention to detail is pointed out in a DVD commentary, which reveals that a left-handed actress was instructed to write with her right hand so as not to defy the stigma that surrounded left-handed people in the 12^th century. As well as this, there were numerous appearances from famous historical figures, including Prince John, Isabella of Angouleme, Arthur of Brittany, Adam Bell, the Knights Templar – and of course, King Richard, portrayed not as the benevolent king who arrives at the conclusion of the story to grant everyone their just rewards, but far more accurately as a tempestuous and violent man who thinks nothing of draining the coffers of England in a bid to fund his love of warfare.

Story:

Today we are used to our television shows crafting intricate story-arcs that span a number of episodes. As such, it can come as something of a surprise to tune in to older shows and discover that each episode is more-or-less a standalone story.

In Robin of Sherwood the episodes are largely self-contained, and the characters written as archetypes rather than three-dimensional people. Heck, even Robin and Marion’s love story isn’t strung out: they get married at the end of the second episode. The content of various episodes could vary wildly, from faithful adaptations of the old Robin Hood ballads (such as the Allan-a-Dale story in which the outlaws help a lovelorn minstrel rescue his love from an arranged marriage), to stories based on the historical events of the period (like King Richard’s return from the Crusades), to fairly out-there adventures involving Robin and the outlaws battling the forces of darkness (did I mention the devil-worshipping nuns?)

Robin and Marion decide not to waste any time

But an upset occurred on-set at the close of season two, in which Michael Praed (Robin) abruptly decided to pursue a career on Broadway, leaving the show without its lead character. There was no other way around it: Robin Hood would have to die. Yet having already incorporated famous elements of the legend into the show (such as Robin winning the archery tournament by splitting his opponent’s arrow, among other things) Carpenter rather cleverly seized the opportunity to explore the two differing backgrounds of the Robin Hood figure.

Jason Connery as the second Robin Hood

In the earliest legends Robin was a yeoman who was caught poaching by the authorities and became an outlaw as a result. It was only much later that he was rewritten as a nobly-born aristocrat who willingly gave up his wealth and title in order to fight on behalf of the common folk. Having written Michael Praed’s Robin as the former, his replacement Jason Connery was given the backstory of the latter, introduced as Robert of Huntington and recruited by Herne the Hunter as the next Hooded Man, charged with reassembling the scattered outlaws and resuming the fight against corruption and tyranny. Though debate rages to this day as to who made the better Robin, it was an elegant way of replacing the lead actor and continuing the story.

Characters:

As already mentioned, the characters in Robin of Sherwood were very much built on archetypes rather than figures which are built-up and developed over the course of several episodes. People used to character depth and nuance might find them rather flat, but Carpenter’s take on the legendary figures is often considered to be the quintessential portrayal of each one, and their characterization has very much affected later interpretations.

Our complete cast, from left: Will Scarlet, Little John, Marion, Much (kneeling), Robin Hood, Friar Tuck and Nasir. The kneeling older man is Edward, a spokesperson for one of the villages.

Both versions of Robin (Michael Praed and Jason Connery) are the typical heroic figure, earnest and passionate and devoted to the cause. Little John (Clive Mantle) is a gentle giant, easily moved to either tears or fury, whilst Friar Tuck (Phil Rose) is a genial monk, both spirited and intellectual. Much (Peter Llewellyn Williams) is Robin’s foster-brother and something of a simpleton, whilst Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone) is the closest thing this show has to a complex anti-hero. With a backstory in which his wife was raped and murdered by soldiers, Will changes his name from Scathlock to Scarlet to better reflect the red-hot rage that resides within him. Definitely something of a loose cannon who doesn’t hesitate to challenge Robin’s leadership, he’s certainly one of the most memorable characters.

As is Maid Marion (Judi Trott), who manages to encompass innocence, strength, beauty, determination and street-smarts. In some of the earliest ballads featuring Marion, she manages to fight Robin to a stand-still in the forest, yet so often is characterized in various films as a damsel in distress and a “prize” for Robin to claim at the end of his adventures. Carpenter returns to her some of her original independence, allowing her to retain her femininity whilst still being an active and helpful member of what is otherwise an all-boys club.

But Robin of Sherwood is particularly noteworthy for first introducing the concept of a Saracen among Robin Hood’s band of men, an idea that has since been adapted into later versions such as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and the BBC’s Robin Hood. Here the character is called Nasir, whose long-term involvement in the show came about simply because the cast and crew were so impressed by the talent of swordsman Mark Ryan that they talked Richard Carpenter into keeping him on, taking his character from a simple walk-on part to an established component of the Robin Hood mythos.

The new recruit: Nasir the Saracen

Conclusion:

Robin of Sherwood has certainly aged in many respects, though in others it’s still captivating, and it has certainly left its mark on Robin Hood lore. It’s fascinating to compare it to later versions of the tale, taking note of what has been kept and what has been dropped from Carpenter’s vision. His show not led not only to Robin, Marion and the rest of the outlaws (sans Friar Tuck) being portrayed as extremely young, but of the outlaws existing as a very small band of allies living rough in the wilds of Sherwood (rather than a large army of followers).

Its portrayal of an abusive relationship between the Sheriff and Guy is very clearly the inspiration behind the dynamic that exists between the same characters in the BBC’s late-2000’s Robin Hood, as are recent takes on Maid Marion not as a wilting flower, but a warrior in her own right (such as the whip-wielding Marian of The New Adventures of Robin Hood in the Nineties). The Kevin Costner movie and the BBC series each included a Saracen character, and though the BBC and the Russell Crowe film dropped the mysticism angle, all versions since have had a rather passionate Will Scarlet as opposed to the cheerful chap of earlier shows.

However you approach Robin of Sherwood, nostalgically or with fresh eyes, it’s an essential milestone in the continuing tradition of stories about this most famous of outlaws.

Next Time:

At conclusion of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the fanbase was eager to see what was next for the franchise – after all, the fantasy world that had been created was too rich not to be revisited. What emerged was a sequel/spin-off series, The Legend of Korra, starring a headstrong teenage girl (Korra) who takes up the mantle of Avatar after her predecessor’s death, travelling to Republic City in order to help control the growing political turmoil.

.

About The Reviewer:

Rebecca Fisher is a graduate of the University of Canterbury with a Masters degree in English Literature, mainly, she claims, because she was able to get away with writing her thesis on C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. She is a reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com, a large website that specializes in fantasy and science-fiction novels, as well as posting reviews to Amazon.com and her LiveJournal blog.

To read Rebecca’s detailed introduction of both herself and the series, as well as preceding Big Worlds On Small Screens reviews, click on:

Big Worlds On Small Screens