In 1981, John Boorman restored some of the mystery and mythology to King Arthur in his epic Excalibur. Three years later, Richard Carpenter, creator of Catweazle (1970-1971), The Ghosts of Motley Hall (1976-1978) and Dick Turpin (1979-1982) among others, did much the same for Robin Hood in the excellent Robin of Sherwood. He deftly combined a realistic period setting with shades of folklore in a way quite unlike any previous representations of the character.
In Carpenter‘s vision, Robin Hood was Robin of Loxley (Michael Praed), orphaned by the brutality of the , who as an adult is chosen by the mystical Herne the Hunter (John Abineri) to fulfil the prophecy of “The Hooded Man”, a hero that will protect the people of Sherwood against the tyranny of The Sheriff of Nottingham (Nickolas Grace) and his sidekick Sir Guy of Gisburne (Robert Addie, who had appeared in Excalibur as Arthur’s bastard son Mordred). Robin gathers around him a band of accomplices (never referred to as the Merry Men) – Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone), Little John (Clive Mantle), Friar Tuck (Phil Rose), Much (Peter Llewellyn Williams), the Saracen Nasir (Mark Ryan) and Lady Marian (Judi Trott). Together they save the people of Sherwood and its forests (the series was actually shot in the forests of Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire) from the brutality of their oppressors while occasionally tangling with supernatural and even Satanic forces (it’s surprising that it’s managed to avoid the “folk horror” tag this far).
Inevitably, the series earned the wire of moral campaigner Mary Whitehouse and her National Viewers and Listeners Association who briefly took time off from persecuting Doctor Who (1963-1989) to take aim at Robin, appalled by what she saw as an uncomfortable amount of violence (in fact it was all relatively low key) and an unhealthy interest in paganism and witchcraft. When Carpenter met Whitehouse in public, he wasn’t impressed and was reported as greeting her with the words “I’m Richard Carpenter, and I’m a professional writer. And you’re a professional… what?”
Praed decided to leave at the end of the second series to try his luck on Broadway (in a 1985 revival of Rudolf Friml’s The Three Musketeers) and in Hollywood (he landed the role of Prince Michael of Moldavia in soap opera Dynasty (1981-1989) and was in the film adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Nightflyers in 1987) so Robin of Locksley was finally cornered by Nottingham’s men and executed. But the programme was far too popular with the public, so Robin was reborn, with Herne choosing Robert of Huntingdon, played by Sean Connery’s son Jason, and half brother of Guy of Gisburne took over for the final year.
Along the way, there were plenty of fantastical elements, from the haunting appearances of Herne, a figure from English folklore though usually associated with the forests of Windsor rather than Sherwood (the earliest recorded mention of him is in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor dating from 1597). His actual origins remain unknown, but he’s proved a popular figure in literature and music since and also appeared in the BBC’s much-loved children’s Christmas classic The Box of Delights (1984). Indeed, the opening story, a two-parter, sets out its stall with Robin and co doing battle with the appalling Baron Simon de Belleme (Anthony Valentine) a devil worshipper who wants to sacrifice Marion. Killed at the end of episode two, his followers resurrect him for the second year.
There were also less wholesome folkloric elements, including a coven of Satanic nuns lead by Rula Lenska in the two-parter The Swords of Wayland, there was a vengeful soothsayer (The Rocky Horror Show‘s Richard O’Brien) who leads Robin and his troupe to the phantom village of Cromm Cruac (named after Crom Cruach, a pagan god from Irish folklore) and a witch (Angharad Rees) who the sheriff tries to use against the outlaws. All this plays out against a backdrop that strives for a more realistic vision of what late 12th century England may have been like, making the regular intrusions of the supernatural and atmosphere feel all the more other-worldly. That unworldly ambience is further enhanced by a memorable and BAFTA-winning score from Irish folk group Clannad, a marvellous mix of traditional Celtic-flavoured themes and songs and modern electronics that enjoyed great success when a selection of cues (others were recorded for series three but the master tapes were reportedly mislaid) as the album Legend.
The cast are all, mostly, excellent, particularly during the first two series with very real chemistry between the younger leads. Praed plays Robin as a slightly naïve idealist who is constantly having to be rooted by his more pragmatic companions and remains one of the most dynamic and the addition of Ryan as the Saracen (made a regular after proving a hit with cast and crew during the shooting of the opening two-parter Robin Hood and the Sorcerer – hence his relative lack of dialogue) surely influenced Morgan Freeman’s character Azeem Edin Bashir Al Bakir in the feature film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) with Kevin Costner in the title role.
Connery was less successful as Praed‘s replacement and the financial difficulties that beset producers Goldcrest Films, makers of a string of high-profile big screen misfires, including Revolution (1985), The Mission (1986) and Absolute Beginners (1986), meant that the third series would be the last, though a fourth was being planned when the plug was pulled. There were still some very fine episodes but there wasn’t enough will from Goldcrest to stump up money for further adventures. And yet the series lived on (“nothing is ever forgotten” was a key line of dialogue from the series), at first in the memory of those who were there at the time and who were still haunted by its winning blend of gritty, down-to-earth action and evocative folklore, and later through cable television repeats and home video releases. It was revived in 2016 for a series of audio plays by Bafflegab Productions, with many of the third series cast returning and Daniel Abineri taking over from his late father as Herne the Hunter. Spiteful Puppet then released their own series of audios featuring both Praed and Connery.
Robin of Sherwood remains a potent and vivid reworking of one of England’s greatest myths, beautifully lit and directed. There have been other versions of Robin in the years since, including the aforementioned Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and the BBC’s Robin Hood (2006-2009) with Jonas Armstrong in the title role but none tapped into the mystical elements that Carpenter brought to his version, adding a mystical edge to the stories which re-invigorated the character and his world. In his 1994 book Robin Hood: A Complete Study of the English Outlaw, historian Stephen Knight hailed it “the most innovative and influential version of the myth in recent times” and it’s a claim that’s hard to argue with.
Crew
Goldcrest Films for ITV; Created by: Richard Carpenter; Music by: Clannad; Costume Designer: Lynette Cummin
Cast
Michael Praed (Robin of Loxley); Peter Llewellyn Williams (Much); Ray Winstone (Will Scarlet); Clive Mantle (Little John); Judi Trott (Lady Marion of Leaford); Phil Rose (Friar Tuck); Mark Ryan (Nasir); Jason Connery (Robert of Huntingdon); John Abineri (Herne the Hunter); Nickolas Grace (Robert de Rainault, Sheriff of Nottingham); Philip Jackson (Hugo de Rainault, Abbot of St Mary’s); Robert Addie (Sir Guy of Gisburne)
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