Robin Of Sherwood - Series 3 - Part 1 - Episodes 1 To 6 (DVD)

...be replacing Michael Praed as Robin of Sherwood. Then when it was announced that Jason Connery would be taking over the role, there was yet more speculation over whether he would be able to bring anything new to the character, or even fit in with the existing cast members.

At the time, I wasn't really bothered who played Robin, only that the series continued, but now 20 years on and owning the DVD boxsets of all three series I feel ...
...rather huge problem, in that Robin of Loxely had gone to meet his maker, how therefore would the writers manage to continue with the legend??

The answer was pure genius. You see as you might know if you ever read any of the stories of Robin Hood (or watched the films) there are two versions of who Robin actually was. One, as in the previous two seasons, is that he was a peasant named Robin of Loxely, and the other is that he was the ... more

When I was a teenager there was a great deal of media speculation over who would be replacing Michael Praed as Robin of Sherwood. Then when it was announced that Jason Connery would be taking over the role, there was yet more speculation over whether he would be able to bring anything new to the character, or even fit in with the existing cast members.

At the time, I wasn't really bothered who played Robin, only that the series continued, but now 20 years on and owning the DVD boxsets of all three series I feel I'm ready to say whether it worked or not.

~~~The Storyline~~~

Obviously the storyline had to continue from season 2, which posed a rather huge problem, in that Robin of Loxely had gone to meet his maker, how therefore would the writers manage to continue with the legend??

The answer was pure genius. You see as you might know if you ever read any of the stories of Robin Hood (or watched the films) there are two versions of who Robin actually was. One, as in the previous two seasons, is that he was a peasant named Robin of Loxely, and the other is that he was the dispossessed Robert of Huntingdon. So what better way to revive the series than to introduce the second of these legends.

And so we begin....

After the cataclysmic events of the last season the band of outlaws have gone their separate ways and scattered around the country. Marion has been pardoned and has returned to her father's home, Much and Little John have taken up shepherding, Will spends his time getting drunk in Lichfield, Nasir has vanished and only Friar Tuck remains in Sherwood.

In an attempt to appease Lord Owen of Clun (a brutish Welsh Clan leader) King John has commanded The Earl of Huntingdon to host a feast in his honour. It is at this feast that Robert intervenes in Owen's rather uncivilised attempts to woo Marion, which only succeeds in enraging him. The next morning as Marion and her father return home they are waylaid by Owen who takes Marion to be his bride....

Now it's upto Robert to re-unite the outlaws and rescue Marion.....

This is of course only how the season begins, and as it progresses we are treated to adventures full of heroes, villains, magic and even the round table.

~~~The Characters~~~

~Robert of Huntingdon (Robin) - Played by Jason Connery~

As the only son of the Earl of Huntingdon, Robert has lived a privileged life never knowing the hardship that the majority of people faced in the Middle Ages. Now all that is changing as he is called by Herne to be his new son and help bring balance back to the land.

I was a little sceptical over how Jason would play the part, having been well and truly smitten by Michael Praed, but he did a pretty good job, and made the role his own. I think the fact that he didn't try to emulate Michael and the fact that he was playing a completely new Robin is what made it work.

~Marion of Leaford - Played by Judi Trott~

After being pardoned by the king Marion has returned to her father's house, where she is trying to cope with the demands of her new lifestyle, and the reputation she acquired during her time in Sherwood.

As with previous seasons Judi brings a feistiness to the role that has never been matched (although Prince of Thieves gave it a good try). Although there didn't seem to be the same chemistry between her and Jason, as there was with Michael, somehow this actually worked in the programs favour. After all Marion was still mourning her first love, so it was only right that she was a little cooler towards his replacement.

~Little John - Played by Clive Mantle~

John Little, the gentle giant of the group, has taken Much under his wing and rather ironically is now collecting pennies for wolfsheads (outlaws were often known as wolfheads). As the season progresses he once more takes up his role of “big brother” within the group, and often seems the sensible one.

Clive (perhaps better known now for his role in Casualty) plays his role to perfection. He catches the the essence of the massive but somehow sensitive John to a tee.

~Will Scathlock - Played by Ray Winstone~

Hot-headed Will has to be one of my favourite characters, his hit first, ask questions later mentality leads him into quite a few entertaining scrapes. He might always speak his mind, but he's incredibly loyal (even when he's trying not to be).

This is a character that Ray seems to have made his own, you only have to watch the film King Arthur and there he is playing an almost identical character. And yet he does it so well, it's almost as if he must be like that in real life.

~Friar Tuck - Played by Phil Rose~

The portly Friar Tuck is the peacemaker of the group and fiercely protective towards his “Little Petal”, Marion. His religious garb provides excellent cover for his fighting skills, and his sense of humour shines through.

As with many of the characters, Phil Rose simply is Friar Tuck, he is comfortable in the role and has developed the character in his own way over the years.

~Much - Played by Peter Llewellyn Williams~

Ah sweet Much, with his almost childlike outlook, he brings a touch of innocence to the program. You see Much is (as he describes himself) simple and has such a wonderful naivety about him that you can't help but want to mother him.

Peter plays this role with incredible sensitivity, it would have been only too easy for him to overplay Much's simplistic nature and turn him into a fool. Instead there is just the right balance and he has truly breathed life into Much.

~Nasir - Played by Mark Ryan~

As a Saracen, Nasir would have been an outsider and feared even if he hadn't joined Robin and his men. An accomplished swordsman with a hint of a dark past, Nasir has found acceptance among this group of outcasts.

I can only imagine the amount of practise it must have taken for Mark to master all the weapons that Nasir wields, for he seems almost perfect. Although I would say his acting is perhaps a little wooden, his skill with the swords is what made him perfect for this role.

~Herne The Hunter - Played by John Abineri~

The mysterious creature that is Herne, has his home deep in Sherwood Forest. And it is from there that this half man, half spirit guides and mentors his spiritual son, Robin in his adventures.

You don't actually get to see that much of John is his role of Herne, but from what you do see he manages to keep an air of mystery that is essential for such a character.

~The Sherif of Nottingham - Played by Nickolas Grace~

For every hero you have to have a villain, and in this program our villain is the Sherif of Nottingham. He is a cruel, greedy man who delights in abusing his position of power, but lucky for the local villages, Robin acts as a thorn in his side.

Nickolas seems to take so much delight in his role, that he almost overplays the dastardly Sherif. You can almost imagine that he's going to start twirling his moustaches while he performs an evil laugh, but the overall effect is just perfect. You couldn't find a more villainy villain if you tried.

~Guy of Gisbourne - Played by Robert Addie~

Poor old Guy, forever the bumbling idiot, he just can't get anything right and seems to be the butt of all the Sherif's abuse. As the Sherif's right-hand man he has a fair amount of power and authority, if only he knew how to use it.

Robert has done a fantastic job of building on Guy's character, you can almost share his sense of frustration as Robin gets the upper hand yet again. He also has excellent sense of comic timing as is shown time and time again.

~~~The atmosphere~~~

From the glorious forest backdrops to the dingy castles, the scenery is wonderfully atmospheric and realistic. And this is what sets the program apart from the many film versions, they truly weren't afraid to show Middle Age England warts and all.

Then to complete the atmosphere we have the haunting background music provided by Clannad. With a wonderful Celtic feel it fits in perfectly with both the action and scenery.

~~~The Boxset~~~

The first half of Season three is presented over two DVD's, each of which are enclosed in a standard DVD case. These two cases then fit into a cardboard slip case which is decorated with a picture of Robin and his crew on the front and episode details on the back. Each of the DVD's is printed with a montage of characters from the program (rather poorly if you ask me) and contains three episodes.

~~~The extras~~~

As well as the three episodes, each DVD is packed full of extras, which are in the main fascinating.

~~Mono Track~~

On both discs you have the chance to play the programs with the original mono track, I'm not sure why anyone would actually want to do this though, as it sounds so much better in stereo.

~~Commentaries~~

Jason Connery (Robin), Mark Ryan (Nasir) and Clive Mantle (Little John) provide commentaries to episodes 1,2,4 and 5. These were great fun to listen to, as they relived their memories, and shared jokes with each other.

~~Music Only Tracks~~

Three episodes can be viewed with only the music playing (episodes 1,3 and 5), these showed just how wonderfully atmospheric the music is and how important it is to the actual program.

~~Stills Gallery~~

A vast collection of photos from the season spread over the two discs. The pictures aren't bad quality, but there are far too many to sit through.

~~The Making of Robin Of Sherwood~~

This documentary is spread over the two discs and gives a fascinating insight into the cast members, writers and directors memories of how the season progressed. It's also quite amusing seeing just how old favourites look now.

~~Robin Hood 1-2-3~~

A fascinating short featurette where Mark Ryan demonstrates the swordplay which he used so expertly in his role as Nasir. Just make sure you don't try to copy any of it.

~~Biographies~~

Written biographies of the main cast. A bit boring this one.

~~It's Showtime~~

In this promotional short from 1985, aimed at the American market, OK to watch once, but that's about it.

~~~Picture and Sound Quality~~~

The picture and sound quality is fantastic, especially considering the series is 20 years old. The fact that it's been digitally enhanced really shows.

~~~Technical bits~~~

Original Airdate : 1985
Rating : PG
Feature Running Time : 300 minutes (approx.)
Region : 0 (PAL)
Picture : 16:9 and 4:3
Sound : Dolby Surround
Languages : English
Subtitles : None

Price : £11.99 from Play.com

~~~Final Words~~~

As Robin of Sherwood moved into it's third season it experienced many changes, not least the number of episodes it contained. There were more episodes for the simple reason, that it was now so popular that it was marketed to an American audience, who preferred their seasons to last a few more weeks. Throw a new Robin into the mix and there was the very real possibility that this would just fail to hit the high standards that previous seasons had met.

So the question is, is it worth buying this? And the answer, yes, most definitely. Where else would you find such an amazing mix of drama, comedy, romance and magic, set in the most glorious forest backdrop. Forget all the other versions, this is THE Robin Hood to watch (along with earlier seasons).

* In case you're wondering the title refers to the fact that Jason Connery is Sean Connery's son. 

...less