Robin hood the legend of sherwood stage production

#Robin hood the legend of sherwood stage production series

The outlaws didnвЂ™t just rob from the rich and give to the poor вЂ“ they fought oppression and stood for a better, fairer England.

#Robin hood the legend of sherwood stage production series

Robin and his followers were revolutionary heroes to the downtrodden Saxon peasantry, and the series made much of the idea of a true English people striking a blow against the colonising Normans.

In spite of the new elements the show brought to the legend, it stuck to tradition in placing the outlaws in the 12th century, where the backdrop of Richard the Lionheart and the Crusades gave Carpenter the opportunity to explore interesting political themes. It could have spelled the end for Robin Of Sherwood, but CarpenterвЂ™s solution was ingenious вЂ“ the Robin Hood legend had always been hazy on whether Robin was a commoner or a nobleman вЂ“ so what if there were two Robins?ДЄfter Paul McGann, Jason Carter, and Neil Morrissey tried out for the role, Jason Connery was cast as Robert of Huntingdon, son of the Earl of Huntingdon, a young noble called to be HerneвЂ™s new son and take on the mantle of the Hooded Man, and the leadership of RobinвЂ™s former band of outlaws. His departure came in the iconic episode The Greatest Enemy, in which Robin sacrifices himself to save his friends. The idea that Herne would choose a spiritual son to represent him came in handy when, at the end of the second series, Michael Praed decided to leave the show to pursue a career on Broadway.

The pagan flavor of the series has also made its way into the popular imagination вЂ“ Carpenter decided that Robin would not just be a man who decided to fight an oppressive regime, but would be specially chosen for his destiny by Herne the Hunter, an antlered forest god who spoke to Robin via the (consensual) possession of an unnamed shaman, played by John Abineri. The introduction of the Saracen ex-assassin Nasir (played by Mark Ryan) came about more or less by accident, but the characterвЂ™s presence was significant enough that the writers of Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves included their own Muslim character, under the impression that this was a standard element of the Robin Hood legend. Robin Of Sherwood brought new elements to the centuries-old Robin Hood story, and incorporated them so fully that they have become part of the legend itself вЂ“ until Robin of Sherwood, the outlaws never had a Muslim companion. Judi Trott was an intelligent, determined Marion who held her own fighting with the rest of the outlaws, with a pre-Raphaelite look that complemented PraedвЂ™s fey athleticism.

Ray Winstone had already appeared in Scum, Quadrophenia, and the gangland drama Fox, establishing his gritty credentials and bringing a tougher, darker energy to the band of outlaws (no longer in green tights and not called the Merry Men, at least not on screen) as a tormented and vengeful Will Scarlet. Michael PraedвЂ™s charismatic-yet-otherworldly presence as Robin was the perfect match for the showвЂ™s aesthetic, and the more down-to-earth Little John, played by Clive Mantle, was his ideal right-hand man. Much of the success of the show was down to the spot-on casting and the chemistry between the performers. Made by HTV in association with production company Goldcrest Films (which was also behind Chariots Of Fire and Gandhi), its 26 episodes ran on ITV from 1984 to 1986, garnering a positive critical reception and inspiring a fan following thatвЂ™s still enthusiastically active today. The Robin Hood legend has been retold in countless ways, but one of the most memorable of modern times is Richard CarpenterвЂ™s hugely influential 1980s imagining, telling the story of SherwoodвЂ™s band of outlaws with a combination of realism and luminous fantasy with its roots in British folklore.