Maid Marian And Her Merry Men - Series 1 (DVD)

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Maid Marian series 1 was released on DVD in March 2006, and had been sitting on my Amazon wishlist ever since - one of those things I'd quite like, but not at the top of my priorities. At Christmas (2007) I ordered a load of stuff from Amazon from my husband to myself (rather than him buying me presents which I don't really want), and this was one of the things I ordered.

Maid Marian and her Merry Men was originally ...
...still. We often watched Maid Marian together, and sang along to the theme tune - we both enjoyed it.

To be honest I don't remember a great deal about the show (I suppose it was quite a while ago now - I didn't see it when it was rerun in 2001), except for the theme tune - "Why don't you, carry on, with what you're doing, blah blah blah, blah blah, blah, blah, blah blah, blah, blah blah…" It doesn't sound like I even remember ... more

Before I watch

I am starting this review having not watched the DVD.

Maid Marian series 1 was released on DVD in March 2006, and had been sitting on my Amazon wishlist ever since - one of those things I'd quite like, but not at the top of my priorities. At Christmas (2007) I ordered a load of stuff from Amazon from my husband to myself (rather than him buying me presents which I don't really want), and this was one of the things I ordered.

Maid Marian and her Merry Men was originally shown on BBC1 in 1989, and ended with series 4 in 1994. At the time it started I was 8, and I was hooked from the beginning. I suppose I was at exactly the right age to appreciate it. I already knew Tony Robinson from watching Blackadder, and knew I was going to enjoy it, especially since he had written it. At the time it was shown my brother was 19, and lived at home still. We often watched Maid Marian together, and sang along to the theme tune - we both enjoyed it.

To be honest I don't remember a great deal about the show (I suppose it was quite a while ago now - I didn't see it when it was rerun in 2001), except for the theme tune - "Why don't you, carry on, with what you're doing, blah blah blah, blah blah, blah, blah, blah blah, blah, blah blah…" It doesn't sound like I even remember that very well. I remember Maid Marian (played by Kate Lonergan), and I really liked her, and thought she was really pretty and clever. I remember Tony Robinson as the Sheriff of Nottingham, a big scary man with an earring as King John. I remember Robin Hood (who was a bit stupid), and his merry men - a fat bloke who picked his nose, a Rastafarian, and a dwarf. I also remember Guy of Gisbourne, who had a silly voice and a pudding basin haircut (note, after watching this, he does not appear in series 1).

I'm looking forward to the DVD bringing back childhood memories, and I hope it won't disappoint. I have the day off work today as a 'Me' day, so can put it on without hubby moaning about why we are watching such rubbish.

So, I'm opening the cellophane, it's actually quite exciting…the DVD is in a normal plastic case, but has a cardboard outer cover….inside the case are two DVDs, and a comic booklet with Maid Marian cartoons (nice to get a DVD with something actually in the case).

Here goes….the DVD's in, and Robin's on the screen with a short scene of him shooting an arrow (which is from episode 2). Now we're onto the main menu and the theme music is playing, and I'm going to sit down away from the computer with a beer and enjoy!

1. How the Band Got Together

Ahhhh, the memories come flooding back! The episode begins with Rastafarian Barrington (played by Danny John-Jules who starred in Red Dwarf as Cat) introducing the story with a rap about mud. You see, all the poor people have to eat is mud. Of course it was the late 1980s, so rapping was a big thing, and the story is interspersed with this narrative.

We meet all of the characters:

• Maid Marian (played by Kate Lonergan) who has a pet tadpole called Edwina (who eventually ends up Rabies' nose). Marian is intelligent (well, compared to the others!), and the leader of the 'Merry Men'. She also has a girlish side, and although standing up for women's rights, she likes a good-looking man!
• Little Ron (played by Mike Edmonds) who won't let anyone pass over the footbridge.
• Rabies (the disgusting ugly stupid fat bloke, played by Howard Lew Lewis) who gets taken to court for selling raffle tickets (to win a two week holiday in mud).
• Barrington, who is arrested for selling rats a day past their best before date.
• The Sheriff of Nottingham (Tony Robinson) and his two stupid guards (Gary and Graham played by Mark Billingham and David Lloyd)
• King John (played by Forbes Collins).
• Robin of Kensington (Wayne Morris) who gets the name 'Hood' following an incident at the end of the episode. He is not the brave Robin Hood that people knew before this series!

This episode shows how Maid Marian gets her group of merry men together, and the band is formed! And the first thing they do is to give King John and the sheriff of Nottingham a taste of their own medicine, by torture!

2. Robert the Incredible Chicken

The episode begins where we left off, again with an introductory rap from Barrington. Whilst practising archery, the Sheriff of Nottingham's hat (which is was given by his Auntie Margery) was hit. The Sheriff becomes scared of Robin Hood (which is funny as he is not anyone to be scared of).

King John organises an archery competition - this will be his way to catch out Robin Hood. Robin comes in disguise, as a chicken…..called Robert the Incredible chicken. But will he win?

3. A Game called John

It's pancake day, it's pancake day, it's p.p.p.p.p.p.p.p.pancake day (a catchy song from the episode), and the village people are eating copious amounts of pancakes.

King John is upset as his subjects (the peasants) don't know who he is. The Sheriff of Nottingham suggests that if he invented something then people would know who King John is. The sheriff comes up with an idea for a new game - called John, which involves coloured balls, cues, a table, a triangle and chalk.

Robin has designed some uniforms for the merry men, but they don't seem to be working…perhaps some green fabric taken from the sheriff of Nottingham might be useful for something….after all the game called John's never going to take off!

4. The Miracle of St. Charlene

The king's uncle has died, and left him something, but the king is not impressed, and tells the sheriff to sell it. The sheriff reckons he could set veal cutlets to a vegetarian, so selling the unwanted gift to the peasants shouldn't be a problem.

"Gotta get across, gotta get across the river"….Maid Marian and her merry men build a bridge.

And of course the gift from the king's uncle might be more valuable than originally thought!

5. The Sharp End of a Cow

The king is angry that the sheriff STILL hasn't caught Robin Hood.

The problem is that Robin Hood is "popular". There follows a reggae style song about Robin's popularity!

The sheriff is sacked for being as useful as a cheeseburger to a drowning elephant. King John takes matters into his own hands, and goes to kill Robin Hood himself. Will the merry men come to his aid in time? Of course they will! Meanwhile, the Sheriff is in disguise…

6. The White Knight

"He was dressed in white and he was a knight. That's why they called him…ooooh ooooh, the white knight. He had a white horse and of course matching accessories, the white knight." (This is a little jingle which plays intermittently throughout the episode)

But he's actually a 'creamy-beigy' colour, so he becomes "oooh ooh the whiteish knight".

Maid Marian and the merry men are distributing things stolen from the rich to the poor, although the peasants don't seem interested in hats, cuddly toys and table decorations. Meanwhile King John is in a bad mood.

The people of Worksop are in crisis as their children (and Little Ron) have been taken to the castle. But who is this mysterious white knight, and will he save the day?

DVD - extra features - on disc one

Trailer - unrestored original trailer, with clips from the first series. Maid Marian and her merry men, coming to a forest near you soon.

How the Germans saw Maid Marian - Two 4 minute clips of Maid Marian dubbed over in German. It just doesn't sound right without Tony Robinson being the sheriff. Hilarious at first! But gets a bit tedious, after all I don't speak German!

To be honest I'm not really sure what the point of this is, unless you are a German person considering buying the DVD dubbed over in German!

Episode 1 with commentary by Tony Robinson - Although I had only just finished watching episode 3, I watch episode 1 with the commentary, and it was actually pretty interesting. Tony Robinson looks back on the first episode years later. He talks about the inspiration behind the show, and the music - he wanted something with contemporary music in it - although he admits that Danny John-Jules was useless at rapping!

He talks about how casting was done, what the actors have done since, and things he would have done differently. He talks about his itchy wig, costumes, makeup, and how he enjoyed playing a baddy. If anything, I think he's a bit too critical of the first episode.

Maid Marian Karaoke

Now I can tell you all the words!

"Why don't you, carry on, with what you're doing, 'cos theres, always trouble brewing.
You've got to find a way to make a better day. Whoa Marian.
Why don't you carry on with your merry men and make heroes out of each of them.
You've got to find a place to make a better space. Whoa Marian."

Quiz
The quiz consists of multiple choice questions. The first question I got wrong (due to the fact it was referring to something in episode 5, which I hadn't yet seen), to which Tony Robinson informed me that an educationally challenged hedgehog would do better than me. The quiz is a bit glitchy, doesn't work very well, so I gave up.

Conclusion

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to my childhood. I was struck by how the humour appeals to adults and children alike. I don't think this is due to me being biased having watched it as a child. I think it's more down to Tony Robinson's excellent writing, and the jokes - some of which appeal to adults, some to children, and some to both.

I'd certainly recommend this to people who watched this during their childhood, but also to people who like the humour of series such as Blackadder and have a childish side. Despite it being a children's programme, it is suitable for all ages - something the family could watch together.

I have now added series 2 to my Amazon wishlist!

Details of the DVD

Certificate - U
Running time - 146 minutes
Presented and written by Tony Robinson
Directed by David Bell

£10.98 on Amazon, £10.99 on play.com - I can't find it any cheaper. Perhaps in time the price will come down.

So as not to repeat information available elsewhere, some interesting facts can be found on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maid_Marian_and_her_Merry_Men
You can find out information about the cast there, and what they have also appeared in. 

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