http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_of_Sherwood

Robin of Sherwood, retitled Robin Hood in the US, was an acclaimed 1980s British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. It was made by HTV in association with Goldcrest, and ran from 1984 to 1986 on the ITV network. The show starred first Michael Praed then Jason Connery as two different incarnations of the title character, and was created by Richard Carpenter. Unlike previous adaptations of the Robin Hood legend, Robin of Sherwood combined a gritty, authentic production design with elements of real-life history and pagan myth.

Overview

There were three series, comprising a two-hour opening episode and 24 hour-long episodes, although the pilot is sometimes screened as two one-hour episodes. It was shot on film, and almost entirely on location, mostly in the north and west of England. The show's soundtrack was composed and performed by Irish folk group Clannad, winning a BAFTA award in 1985; their 1984 album Legend was comprised of music from the first and second series.

Together with Richard Lester's offbeat 1976 film Robin and Marian, Robin of Sherwood is probably the most influential treatment of the core Robin Hood legend since The Adventures of Robin Hood, being the first to introduce a realistic period setting and introducing the character of a Saracen outlaw.

Michael Praed played Robin Hood (or Robin of Loxley) in the first two seasons. His "Merry Men" consisted of Will Scarlet (played by Ray Winstone), who used to be known as Will Scathlock, before changing his name when his wife, Elena, was raped and trampled to death with horses by some Norman Soldiers, Little John (played by Clive Mantle), Friar Tuck (played by Phil Rose) his adopted brother Much (played by Peter Llewellyn Williams), the Saracen Nasir (played by Mark Ryan) and Lady Marian (played by Judi Trott). As in the legend, Robin is opposed by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Nickolas Grace) and Sir Guy of Gisburne (Robert Addie), as well as the Sheriff's brother Abbot Hugo (Philip Jackson) (representing all the greedy abbots in the legends). Robin is assisted by Herne the Hunter (John Abineri), who sometimes appears as a forest spirit representing the powers of light and goodness, and sometimes as a mortal man.

Robert of Huntingdon (Jason Connery) and his "Merry Men", in the final episode "The Time of The Wolf" (closing shot)At the end of the second season, Robin of Loxley is killed and Robert of Huntingdon (played by Jason Connery, whose father Sean Connery had played Robin in Robin and Marian) replaces him as Robin Hood. During the course of the season, the new Robin discovers that he is the half-brother of his nemesis Guy of Gisburne (an idea suggested to Carpenter by the fact that both actors had blond hair).

The series came to an end when Goldcrest was forced to pull out of the venture due to a downturn in the fortunes of their film arm. Goldcrest had been responsible for critical and commercial hits such as Chariots of Fire (1981) and Gandhi (1982) earlier in the eighties, but had hit a lean spell with such films as Revolution (1985) and Absolute Beginners (1986). As the series was expensive to make, HTV could not afford to produce it alone and no more episodes were made.

In April 2005, nearly twenty years after the series' cancellation, Richard Carpenter announced, via the show's official fan club, that he was writing a two-hour 'Robin of Sherwood' TV Movie for ITV [1] and that he intended to reunite as many of the surviving cast for the production as was possible.

Cast and characters

Robin of Loxley - Michael Praed
Robert of Huntingdon - Jason Connery
The Sheriff of Nottingham - Nickolas Grace
Lady Marion of Leaford - Judi Trott
Much - Peter Llewellyn Williams
Will Scarlet - Ray Winstone
Little John - Clive Mantle
Guy of Gisburne - Robert Addie
Friar Tuck - Phil Rose
Nasir - Mark Ryan
Abbot Hugo de Rainault- Philip Jackson
Prince John - Phil Davis
The Old Prisoner - Stuart Linden
Arthur the Rat - himself
Herne the Hunter - John Abineri
Edward of Wickham - Jeremy Bulloch
Baron Simon de Belleme - Anthony Valentine
Gulnar - Richard O'Brien
Meg - Claire Toeman

Crew

Directed by: Ian Sharp, Robert Young, Ben Bolt, James Allen, Gerry Mill, Sid Robertson and Alex Kirby
Produced by: Paul Knight, Esta Charkham and Patrick Dromgoole
Written by: Richard Carpenter, Anthony Horowitz, Andrew McCulloch and John Flanagan
Series created by: Richard Carpenter
Cinematography by: Roger Pearce, Howard Rockliffe, Gary Breckon and Bob Edwards
Music composed by: Clannad
Production design by: John Biggs and Ken Sharp
Costume design by: Lynette Cummin
Casting by: Esta Charkham and Beth Charkham
Stunt co-ordination by: Terry Walsh
Horse supplier: Steve Dent

Episodes

Series 1
Robin Hood and the Sorcerer, part 1 28 April 1984 Mark Audley (as Dickon), Paul Duggan (as Tom)
Robin Hood and the Sorcerer, part 2 28 April 1984 Mark Audley (as Dickon), Paul Duggan (as Tom)
The Witch Of Elsdon 5 May 1984 Angharad Rees (as Jennet of Elsdon), Cornelius Garrett (as Thomas of Elsdon)
Seven Poor Knights From Acre 12 May 1984 Yves Beneyton (as Reynald de Villaret), Duncan Preston (as Heinrich von Erlichshausen), Simon Rouse (as Siward)
Alan A Dale 19 May 1984 Peter Hutchinson (as Alan a Dale), Stephanie Tague (as Mildred)
The King's Fool 26 May 1984 John Rhys Davies (as King Richard), Gary Waldhorn (as Hubert Walter)

Series 2
Lord Of The Trees 23 March 1985 Oliver Tobias (as Bertrand de Nivelle)
The Prophecy 9 March 1985 George Baker (as Richard of Leaford), Simon Dutton (as Mark), John Nettles (as De Leon)
The Children Of Israel 16 March 1985 David de Keyser (as Joshua de Talmont), Katharine Levy (as Sarah de Talmont)

The Swords Of Wayland, part 1 6 April 1985 Rula Lenska (as Morgwyn of Ravenscar), Dallas Adams (as Peter Verdelet), Norman Bowler (as Adam the miller)
The Swords Of Wayland, part 2 6 April 1985 Rula Lenska (as Morgwyn of Ravenscar), Dallas Adams (as Peter Verdelet), Anthony Steel (as Earl Godwin)

The Enchantment 30 March 1985 Gemma Craven (as Lilith)
The Greatest Enemy 13 April 1985 Robert Daws (as Hubert de Giscard)

Series 3

Herne’s Son, part 1 5 April 1986 George Baker (as Richard of Leaford), Michael Craig (as Earl of Huntingdon), Oliver Cotton (as Lord Owen of Clun), Richard O'Brien (as Gulnar), Daniel Peacock (as Sergeant Sparrow)
Herne’s Son, part 2 12 April 1986 George Baker (as Richard of Leaford), Michael Craig (as Earl of Huntingdon), Oliver Cotton (as Lord Owen of Clun), Richard O'Brien (as Gulnar), Daniel Peacock (as Sergeant Sparrow]]
The Power of Albion 19 April 1986 George Baker (as Richard of Leaford)
The Inheritance 26 April 1986 Cathryn Harrison (as Isadora), Cyril Cusack (as Agrivaine), Jeremy Sinden (as Mortimer)
The Cross of St. Ciricus 3 May 1986 Dorothy Tutin (as Lady Margaret)
The Sheriff of Nottingham 10 May 1986 Lewis Collins (as Philip Mark), Valentine Pelka (as Sarak), Robert Daws (as Hubert de Giscard), Maureen Bennett (as Alison)
Cromm Cruac 17 May 1986 John Horsley (as Abbot), Richard O'Brien (as Gulnar), Claire Parker (as Elena), Ian Redford (as Tom the Miller)
The Betrayal 24 May 1986 Matt Frewer (as Roger de Carnac), Ian Redford (as Tom)
Adam Bell 31 May 1986 Bryan Marshall (as Adam Bell), Patrick Travis (as Matthew), Amanda Hillwood (as Lady Isabel)
The Pretender 7 June 1986 Reece Dinsdale (as Arthur), Patricia Hodge (as Queen Hadwisa)
Rutterkin 14 June 1986 Michael Craig (as Earl of Huntingdon), Ian Ogilvy (as Lord Edgar), Annabel Lee (as Mad Mab)
The Time of the Wolf, part 1 21 June 1986 Richard O'Brien (as Gulnar), John Harding (as William Brewer), Maureen Bennett (as Alison)
The Time of the Wolf, part 2 28 June 1986 Richard O'Brien (as Gulnar), John Harding (as William Brewer), Maureen Bennett (as Alison)