Custom Search
© Companions of the Longbow
What Was Wrong With Robin Hood Then? A review by Mark Tustian.
But let’s deal with the main misconception; that this show is for kids. It’s not. To my knowledge Teletubbies have never had a 7pm Saturday night slot. Blue Peter has also been suspiciously missing from the Saturday night TV schedules. And we have yet to see Miss Hoolie or PC Plum from Ballamory before another celebrity singing and dancing popularity contest show. The fact is Robin Hood is supposed to be a “family show” which means everyone from eight to eighty, plus a few years either side, should be reasonably entertained by it. Doctor Who is a good example of a successful “family show”. I’ve looked them up and both Robin Hood & Doctor Who are made by the BBC Drama department and not the BBC’s Children’s Department which might surprise some people.
So, the fact that it’s not a children’s show is important to remember because if you’re over a certain age you probably seen at least one Kung Fu movie, the odd episode of Robin of Sherwood or some other family productions the BBC have been party to and so it becomes clear that this show, despite the slickness of the final production is a bit of a cut price affair that tries to punch above it’s weight but sadly ends up pretty much looking slap dash and half arsed.
The Premise
The premise for the show is that it’s England, the year is 1194 and Robin Earl of Huntingdon returns home from fighting with King Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade. He returns to find Nottingham oppressed by the new sheriff who it’s safe to say our Robin doesn’t see eye to eye with. Predictably Robin is quickly made an outlaw but with his band of Merry Men he continues to fight for the common people in the time honoured fashion of “robbing from the rich to pay the poor”. Or does he…?
The Cast
Let’s get the cast out of the way as this is the shows strongest asset. There are no really bad actors here; it's just a shame that they have to work with scripts and story lines that are poorly written, researched and formulaic. For example, you know the end of the show is nigh and the credits are getting ready to roll when the Merry Men laugh at Much making another comical mistake back at the camp.
The casting of Jonas Armstrong in the role of Robin has been pointed out by quite a few people that he maybe appears a little bit too young. He physically looks as though he lacks the muscles to last two minutes in a punch up with some of the show's bad guy heavies despite his character apparently having spent five years fighting out in the Holy Land. I think he must have originally travelled out there as a drummer boy or as part of the Boy Scout movement or something. His youthful looks and Lancashire accent means he’s been often referred by TV critics as Robin Hoodie, but that said Jonas Armstrong isn’t a bad actor and he’s a likeable enough Robin Hood (although maybe a tad smarmy at times). Maybe he would’ve been a better Peter Pan…? Lucy Griffiths as Marian is not your typical ballerina type that we’ve been used to seeing over the years. She comes across like she enjoys more than the odd pint of Guinness and when she throws a punch it looks like it’d hurt when it lands. Now, judging by the post show internet traffic Richard Armitage as Sir Guy of Gisborne seems to have stolen the heart throb role from Robin Hood in this version. He talks in a harsh whisper and sounds like Sean Bean and so in my house his character has the title of Sir Guy of SeanBean. In fact I half expected him to turn to camera to give us “Reason number 33 for shopping at Morrisons”.
Keith Allen as the sheriff has been likened to the best thing since Alan Rickman's performance in the 1991 version, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. In fact he is the next thing since Alan Rickman's performance sixteen years ago when Alan Rickman’s take on the sheriff was refreshing and new. But how about now? Well, initially this made me think the Keith Allen had watched Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and just liked his predecessors style. However by the end of the series it’s apparent that he’s just hamming it up because he knows he’s in a pretty poor show. In fact I admire him for getting a pantomime role without having to work over Christmas.
Sam Troughton plays Much and is the comedy sidekick. Although the script is sadly lacking intentional laughs I must say Sam’s Much is by far my favourite character simply because he reminds me of Paul Bettany as Jeffrey Chaucer in A Knight’s Tale. I know that’s not much, but it’s something. The rest of the Merry Men, played by Gordon Kennedy, Harry Lloyd, Joe Armstrong, William Beck and Anjali Jay all do sterling jobs as they’re professional actors doing what they do best. As I said, the cast is the show’s strongest asset, it’s just a shame that they’re a bit wasted.