S1 Episode Guide - Robin Hood and the Sorcerer (Eps 1 & 2)

Robin of Sherwood: Series 1, Episodes 1 and 2

Robin Hood and The Sorcerer (Part 1 & 2)

Original Transmission Date: 28th April 1984
Written by Richard Carpenter

Story

Part One

As Norman soldiers destroy Loxley and kill all the villagers, Ailric takes his young son Robin to safety, to the miller and his wife. He then rides to Rhiannon’s Wheel, an ancient stone circle where he is ambushed by the Sheriff of Nottingham and his men, and shot dead. As he is dying he says, “He is coming, the Hooded Man is coming!”. The Sheriff gets what he came for, the sacred Silver Arrow.



Fifteen years later at Castle Belleme a giant of a man is chained up within a magical circle so that the demon Azael can speak through him. Azael warns Simon de Belleme that Herne’s Son will seek the Arrow, and demands that Belleme get a sacrifice, a young, innocent girl.

Robin, now a young man, is looking for Much, the miller’s son, who has gone hunting in the forest. He has killed a deer, and after a chase they are captured by Guy of Gisburne and taken to Nottingham Castle. They are put in the castle dungeon where they meet Will Scarlet, who is there because he killed three of the mercenaries who raped and killed his wife. Also in the dungeon are Tom the Fletcher and Dickon of Barnsley, as well as a mad old man with a pet rat. Robin encourages them to try and escape, and although they are doubtful (”Feet first, it’s the only way!”), they come up with a plan to get out of the dungeon. They agree that if they get out of the castle they will escape to Sherwood forest.

The Abbot Hugo comes to visit his brother Robert de Rainault, the Sheriff, to complain about having to drain his fishpond, when the Baron de Belleme arrives to see the Lady Marion. He says he wants to marry her, but she has decided to become a nun. Belleme is angry about this and warns them that they will soon beg for his help and give him Marion, “When the Hooded Man comes to the forest.” Hugo thinks he is possessed, but Robert says Belleme is probably just insane.

The prisoners manage to escape from the dungeon and fight their way out of the castle, with Scarlet killing as many guards as possible. Robin however is trapped in the castle and, after a sword fight with Gisburne, hides in a room by the outer wall. It happens to be Marion’s bedroom, but she doesn’t give him away, and he escapes to Sherwood. There he meets Herne the Hunter, who says that he is Robin’s destiny and that the poor and the starving all wait for him.

Belleme sends the giant to kill Robin, and they fight in a stream. Robin manages to knock him out and then washes a pentacle off his chest. This breaks the spell and the man says that he is John Little from Hathersage. He decides to join Robin and the others (apart from Much) who have made it back to the forest, and Robin calls him Little John. The outlaws all plan to go elsewhere and stay out of trouble. Then Herne appears to Robin and they go together to caves where Herne tells him that, “The powers of light and darkness have always been within you”, and speaks to him in riddles. He gives Robin Albion, one of the seven swords of Wayland, charged with the powers of light and darkness. Robin returns to the others as Robin i’ the Hood and encourages them to stay in Sherwood and fight back against the Normans.

Marion sets off for Kirklees Abbey with Gisburne, saying goodbye to Brother Tuck. On the way Gisburne stops off at the mill to question Matthew, Much’s father. He refuses to tell him anything about Much or Robin, so Gisburne kills him and sets fire to the mill. An anguished Much escapes to the other outlaws and they decide to ambush Gisburne, killing all his men and rescuing Marion. They send him back to the Sheriff with a message, “Herne’s Son has come to claim his kingdom.”

Part Two



Robin has fallen in love with Marion and wants her to stay with him in Sherwood. They kiss, but she feels that, while she would like to stay with him, living in the forest is a bit of a fantasy, so Robin escorts her to Kirklees Abbey.



Robin goes to see Herne and drinks some kind of drug. He has visions involving Belleme that he doesn’t understand and Herne asks him, “What binds the hunter to the hunted?”. He finds the answer when he hears that the Sheriff has arranged an archery contest with the Silver Arrow as prize. Knowing that Robin will not be able to resist this the Sheriff hopes to capture him, and humiliate the English by having Frenchman Flambard, the King’s Champion, win the contest. The outlaws go to Nottingham disguised in a wide range of floppy hats, and Robin is dressed as an old man, Hedger of Castleton. The Baron de Belleme also turns up, with a Saracen, Nasir, as his champion.

Robin beats these two by splitting Nasir’s arrow in the middle of the target, and takes the Silver Arrow. The Sheriff only realises who he is at the last minute and all the outlaws escape to Sherwood. Belleme offers the Sheriff a way to capture Robin by using sorcery, but Abbot Hugo is opposed to this. Belleme wants to use Marion as bait, and Robert can’t see the problem, “One headstrong Saxon virgin to put an end to a dangerous rebel. Seems like a bargain to me!”



Tuck is horrified and protests, then he leaves to warn Marion. (According to the novelisation this is part of Belleme’s plan, as he would not have been able to take Marion from the Abbey.) They leave Kirklees and try to find the outlaws but they are attacked by the Baron’s men. Tuck puts up a good fight, but they take Marion, and the outlaws find him wounded. Robin knows he must go alone to Castle Belleme to rescue her as he will be facing the Baron’s sorcery, but the others, particularly John, are not happy about this.



Marion is tied up to an inverted pentacle, while the Sheriff and his men wait for Robin a little way outside the castle. Belleme invokes Azael, and as Robin enters the castle and tries to fire his long bow the sorcerer makes it go up in flames. He then cuts at Robin from a distance with his knife. Robin walks into the room where Marion is tied up, he is apparently under control of the Baron, who gives him a knife to kill her with. However, he turns and stabs Belleme with the Silver Arrow instead. Robin rescues Marion but is then attacked by Nasir who fights him with two curved swords. When he has Robin at his mercy he stops and doesn’t kill him.

The other outlaws arrive, which Robin is not very happy about as they have no strength in fighting outside Sherwood. Gisburne and the Sheriff’s men attack and the outlaws try to escape, but half of them are killed, including Tom and Dickon. The outlaws who escape are completely dispirited by their loss, but Robin convinces them that the fight must continue, “Our friends who were killed, they’ll never starve, or be tortured or chained in the dark. They’re here with us in Sherwood and they always will be, because they’re free.”

They go to a lake in the forest at sunset and shoot fire arrows into the water for their fallen comrades. The last arrow is fired by Nasir, who comes to join them. Finally, Robin and Marion are married by Herne, deep in the forest.





Comments
I don’t think much of Robin as a child - he doesn’t exactly show much promise, does he? Ailric is quite good however, and sounds very much like Michael Praed. I wonder if his voice was dubbed?

Why does Robin pick up the deer that Much has killed? Surely they would have more chance of getting away if he dumped it? In the novelisation it mentions that he hopes to hide it in a cave. I suppose that he didn’t realise how close Gisburne was, and if the dead deer had been found by the foresters they may have blamed all the villagers for it.

I do like the first meeting of Robin and Marion, it’s very sweet and romantic, (“You’re like a May morning”) and they both look so young. Then when he takes her to Kirklees Abbey and they say goodbye, it’s very nicely done. This is one of the best characterisations of Marion that I’ve seen. Judi Trott was quite understated, and played her with a nice mixture of delicacy, elegance and strength.

I wonder how much magic is used in the archery contest? Nasir certainly seems to get a bit of help from Belleme, even though he’s clearly a very good archer. Robin didn’t seem very confident of winning and yet he manages to split the arrow. I suspect he has a bit of help from Herne, after all he is trying to get back the Silver Arrow, and that is certainly what the Sheriff thinks ( “Impossible!” “Not for Herne’s Son” ).

Belleme should stick to wearing a head-dress - that wig he wears towards the end of the episode is really awful!

Why doesn’t Nasir kill Robin? There is no real explanation for this, the only one I can think of is that Nasir is doing his job, defending the castle. However, once he has beaten Robin and perhaps realises by then that his employer is dead, he decides there is no need to kill him. Nasir doesn’t appear to have had anything to do with Belleme’s sorcery and was just a hired sword so once the Baron was dead he could do as he wished.

Where do all the extra outlaws come from that get killed? They just seem to appear about the time that they find Tuck in the forest. I assume they must have joined up at some point, but this is not made very clear.

At the end of the episode John appears to be the original ‘New Man’, as he shows his emotions at the loss of his friends. He’s also the one that gives people a big hug when they need it. Aah!

Best lines and moments
There are a few rather nice speeches, such as Robin’s one about the Battle of Hastings, “And what’s happened to the English since then?...No voice - no justice - no England. It’s time to fight back.”, and his final one about their fallen comrades. Herne also has some good lines, “They are all waiting. The blinded, the maimed, the men locked in the stinking dark, all wait for you. Children with swollen bellies, hiding in ditches, wait. The poor, the dispossessed. They all wait. You are their hope.”

Hedger (Robin) of Nasir, “Don’t say much, do ‘e?” - understatement of the series!

I like Tuck’s one man fight against Belleme’s men, when he nuts one of them and starts to bless another then hits him.

Marion is very cool when she’s been captured by Belleme, when she says of Azael, “You’re not his servant, you’re his victim!”

Nasir’s cute smile when he joins the others (this is a personal thing!).

Bloopers
Where does the horn come from that Robin fills with water to wash the pentacle off John? I think it’s supposed to be John’s, but he doesn’t seem to have it on him all during the fight.

I’m pretty sure that when Robin’s bow goes up in flames in Castle Belleme you can see him mouthing a rude word!

Double Entendres
Scarlet in prison, “Tom hold me - hold me Tom!”

Sheriff to Belleme, referring to Marion, “When do you propose to take her?”

Review
This is a wonderful introductory episode, which includes most of the classic elements which are found in any Robin Hood story or film. I think the major differences are the inclusion of Herne the Hunter, and the mystical aspect to Robin’s character. In most other versions he is seen as fighting for God, and Christianity, and he is usually a nobleman. Robin as a peasant is far more likely, and outlaws following the ‘old ways’ is a nice contrast to the corrupt church and state. The Saracen character of Nasir is also original, an idea which was subsequently stolen by Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves.
All the central characters are nicely introduced, particularly the Sheriff who, as usual, gets all the best lines, although Robin gets a couple of good speeches. This is also the most realistic version of Robin Hood that I have ever seen. Everywhere is dirty, life is hard and lots of people get killed. Contrastingly beautifully with this is the mystical mood of the series, created by the music of Clannad and some of the filming using coloured filters.

Historical Placement
Episode commences in 1180, whilst main story starts 15 years later in 1195.

Cast in order of appearance

Young Robin - Toby Lee
Ailric - Wayne Michaels
Miller’s Wife - Betty Francis
Miller - Geoffrey Greenhill
Sheriff of Nottingham - Nickolas Grace
Little John - Clive Mantle
Simon de Belleme - Anthony Valentine
Robin Hood - Michael Praed
Much - Peter Llewellyn Williams
Guy of Gisburne - Robert Addie
Will Scarlet - Ray Winstone
Tom Fletcher - Paul Duggan
Dickon - Mark Aubley
Old Man in Cell - Stuart Lindon
Abbot Hugo - Philip Jackson
Tuck - Phil Rose
Marion - Judi Trott
Herne the Hunter - John Abineri
Nasir - Mark Ryan
Clerk - Harry Herring
Walter Flambard - Thomas Henty
Simon’s Women - Kim Hicks & Gillie Roper

Series created by Richard Carpenter
Executive Producer - Patrick Dromgoole
Produced by Paul Knight
Directed by Ian Sharp

Filmed on location in the West Country and Northumberland:

Alnwick Castle, Northumberland - Nottingham Castle.
Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland - De Belleme's Castle.

Hulne Priory, near Alnwick, Northumberland - Kirklees Abbey.

Brinkburn Priory, near Rothbury, Northumberland - interior of De Belleme's Castle, exterior also used for a scene with the Sheriff and Abbot Hugo.
Wookey Hole Caves, Somerset - Herne's cave.

Episode Guide written by Lucy of Ravenscar 
First appeared in Nothing's Forgotten newsletter issue 1, August 1995