Audio Episode Guide - The Knights of the Apocalypse
Sept 23, 2017 15:56:06 GMT
BettyButtercup, jeffb, and 1 more like this
Post by Lucy of Ravenscar on Sept 23, 2017 15:56:06 GMT
Robin of Sherwood Audio Adventure
The Knights of the Apocalypse
Original Release June 2016
Written by Richard Carpenter
Story
*** Part One ***
Three Norman lords meet a group of knights at the top of a cliff east of Warren Castle.
Robert de Villiers: “Where are we?”
Henry Beaumont: “Why are we here?”
Michael de Warren “Why are we summoned?”
A sinister otherworldly voice utters “We are the Knights of the Apocalypse; you will serve our purpose.”
The knights then drive the young lords and their horses over the cliff edge to their doom.
The voice says “It is done; the sacrifice is made.”
At the outlaws' camp, Robin wakes with a start.
Marion wakes too and asks “What is it Robin? A vision from Herne?”
Robin replies, “No, not a vision from the Lord of the Trees, not this time Marion. Knights, pushing three others over a cliff top. An emblem, a Golden Sun on a black background. Come on, time to get up, we’ve slept too long.”
Robin rouses the other outlaws from sleep, berating Much for letting the fire go out, and gets Tuck to make breakfast.
Abbot Hugo arrives at Nottingham Castle and meets Gisburne. Hugo needs to see the Sheriff but Gisburne tells him Robert is having a bath. Hugo insists it is important and brushes him aside. Robert curses the serving wench for not getting the water temperature right for his bath before acknowledging his brother. Hugo informs him that the Pope has excommunicated the King. Robert doesn’t seem surprised and then demands Hugo pays up him the ten marks for the side bet they had for the papal excommunication. Hugo says the crown must yield to the Church so that the interdict can be lifted. Until it does, the country is at a standstill with no marriages, baptisms or funerals, burials or other services being able to be conducted by the Church. The Sheriff retorts that the Templars and their offshoot, the Knights of the Apocalypse, are capitalising upon the situation and are vying for even more power to serve their own purposes. "Monks with swords? It’s a mockery!"
Hugo comments that Baron de Warren is missing his son. To which Robert replies that the only nobleman's son he is concerned with is Herne’s Son, Robin Hood.
Gisburne announces Baron de Warren but Robert is determined to finish his bath. As he is finishing he sends Gisburne off to enforce the interdict and comments that he is curious to see if the Normandy campaigns that he has served in have sharpened Gisburne’s wits. Perhaps Gisburne will catch Robin Hood, but he doubts it.
Back at the camp, the outlaws set off to a nearby Church so that Tuck can perform some vital services. There, Tuck baptises some children despite the Priest's protests about the interdict. Marion and Robin spot Gisburne approaching and warn the others by loosing a blunt arrow at the church bell. The outlaws empty the church and make for the trees. But Tuck is too slow finding keys and locking the door and is captured by Gisburne.
From the trees Scarlet tries to shoot Gisburne, but Robin stops him, as they can get him later.
Tuck complains that his ropes are too tight but he gets silenced by Gisburne, who taunts Tuck with the terms of the interdict. He and his soldiers start to drag Tuck back to Nottingham. After a while Gisburne and the soldiers are ambushed and Robin demands that Gisburne releases Tuck. Gisburne says, "You push your luck outlaw!" but is helpless. Afterwards the outlaws make their escape and Guy and his men load their dead onto horses and resume their journey.
Back in the forest, Scarlet mocks Tuck for being captured. John returns with some fish for supper and they all speculate how the soldiers knew where to look. Tuck thinks the priest is a spy for Gisburne as he was released promptly. Scarlet says they should have killed all of the soldiers and Gisburne, but Marion accuses Robin of enjoying killing the eight soldiers in the rescue of Tuck. Robin argues that he must fight to right the many wrongs around them and reminds Marion of Gisburne’s brutality to a woman and a couple of boys that he blinded. He says that Marion should have stayed in the convent and she replies, "I had no choice. I love you, Robin."
That night at Nottingham Castle a Knight of the Apocalypse arrives and demands lodgings. The Sheriff is eating with Hugo, although he complains at the quality of the food. He welcomes the knight, who is known as de Ridefort, and offers wine, although the visitor declines and just asks for some water. After a brief conversation, the visitor is escorted to his room by Gisburne with the two exchanging words and embracing as if they were brothers.
In the forest Robin is awakened by visions from Herne and goes to speak with him directly. Herne warns Robin that darkness is falling upon the land and gives him a rune inscribed arrow head to use when “the time is right”. Robin then drinks from the bowl and sees a myriad of images and events but what troubles him most is his father’s servant running through the marshes and visions of his father, the Earl of Huntingdon, being in danger. He also sees the symbol of a sun emblazoned on a black background and wonders what it all means.
The next day, Nasir is keeping watch up in the trees when he spies a mounted knight approaching the outlaws' camp. Nasir is seemingly enraged to see him, and after a short fight is about to kill him when Robin intervenes. Robin says that he needs the knight and that he saw the sun emblem that the knight is wearing in his visions. Back at the camp they tie up the knight and eat some food. Robin tries to talk to the knight but he doesn’t respond. Robin explains his visions of the night before to the others, with the running man and his father in danger along with the sun emblem. Meanwhile the knight mutters some words and enchants Much to cut his bonds, and enable his escape. Much, still in a trance, then shoots his bow at Little John and Scarlet, wounding them both before being overpowered.
Robin uses the power of Albion to break Much from the spell whilst Tuck tends to Scarlet and John. Much has no memory of what he did, but Robin reassures him and decides that they will travel to Huntingdon Castle to find out what it all means.
At Huntingdon Castle a feeble John Norgaret, a friend of the Earl, asks to see Huntingdon. Upon doing so, he mutters that “They have broken my mind” and then dies.
The Merries meanwhile are on their way to Huntingdon. When they arrive Robin swims across the moat, climbs up an ivy clad wall and sneaks inside.
Inside the castle all is not well. Camville, the Earl's aide, has had Huntingdon drugged and when Robin sneaks in and tries to speak to the Earl, his father mutters something about a secret at Barnwell Priory. Camville sees Robin and orders his men to attack and Robin has to fight his way out of the castle. Outside, Marion worries that Robin is taking too long and then they all have to hide from several Knights of the Apocalypse as they ride past. They then notice Robin leaving via the portcullis and aid his escape with a volley of arrows.
At the Preceptory of Saint John, de Ridefort is welcomed home by his brother knights. He goes to pray, and it becomes apparent that he is not addressing the Christian God, but Baphomet, King of the World. "In thy name we shall conquer, in thy name we shall rule." He is interrupted by Lord Guichard de Montbalm, the Grandmaster, who asks de Ridefort about his missing sword, how he escaped from capture and why the outlaws knew to try to rescue Huntingdon. Suspecting foolishness and weakness he kills Rideford in a deadly embrace.
Whilst travelling to Barnwell, some distance from Huntingdon, the outlaws rest up. Robin is still stunned at Camville’s betrayal after so many years of loyal service.
Back at the preceptory the Earl is brought before de Montbalm. Guichard wants to know the whereabouts of a scroll which was the secret divulged by John Norgaret. He then uses mystical powers to extract the information by force.
Meanwhile, the outlaws arrive at Barnwell priory and Tuck uses his influence to gain entrance. Inside they find the monks duelling with quarterstaffs. Not recognising Robin, the Prior demands payment. However, John challenges the psalm quoting Prior to a staff fight, to win approval and to be listened to regarding their search for whatever Norgaret had hidden there.
Outside Gisburne and a band of knights are also enroute to the priory.
John beats the Prior in a closely contested match. Once the prior realises that it's Robin Hood he is only too eager to show the scroll to them, hidden in plain sight in a candelabra. Upon examination, the scroll is shown to be a list of names, the Norman Lords who were the sacrifice for the Apocalypse. They realise that the Apocalypse Knights are after lands and titles for their own ends. Meanwhile, the approach of Gisburne and his knights has raised the alarm at the priory. The Prior says he will fight but Robin says he must protect the villagers and that the outlaws will leave and try and draw them off. The outlaws then help to shepherd the villagers inside to safety and make a stand outside. They see that the knights are too close to flee to the trees and decide to obtain a horse for Marion so she can escape with the precious scroll. The rest of them will cover her escape.
Initially the knights are driven off by several volleys of arrows and the battle rages. Marion gets a horse and tries to ride off but Gisburne is a better horseman and captures Marion quickly. He seizes the scroll and Marion sees his tabard and realises that he too is a Knight of the Apocalypse. Gisburne delights in her anguish and with the scroll acquired, reveals that Robin has also been captured, saying, “At last I have you both!”
*** Part Two ***
Following the battle the outlaws take stock of the situation. The Prior tells them that Much has taken a blow to the head and Tuck is tending to him. John announces that they can't wait and will go without them, and the Prior reassures them that they will be looked after. John, Scarlet and Nasir mount up and ride off in pursuit of Gisburne taking some spare horses.
The captured Robin mocks Gisburne for serving de Montbalm. Gisburne replies that he is serving a higher power. He orders his men to take Robin to the Apocalypse’s Preceptory whilst he takes Marion to Nottingham. He tells Marion that Robin will be sentenced and executed and that she will never see Robin again.
John, Nasir and Scarlet come to a fork in the road and after a few moments of petty squabbling they make a choice. From afar they see Marion but can't see Robin. John thinks that Robin may have escaped, Scarlet says not without Marion. They also see that Gisburne is wearing the same colours as the Apocalypse Knights and must be a leader of the group. They consider shooting Gisburne but they are out of arrows. They note that the knights are heading west to Nottingham and follow.
Meanwhile Robin and the knights arrive at the preceptory. Robin is introduced to the Grandmaster and his escort passes him the scroll for his keeping. Robin demands to know where his father is, to which Guichard responds that he is alive. De Montbalm mocks Robin for abandoning his inheritance and living like an animal. Robin also asks about the fate of the three Norman nobles, and Guichard boasts that he now has their lands and titles, as they were not worthy to serve the King of the World. Robin thinks he speak of the devil, but Guichard says not. He explains to Robin, "If God is all powerful why should he create a being to oppose him? How could evil come from good? They are opposites, my friend, and they are equal. One God of love and of the spirit, the other of power and all material creation." That other God is Baphomet.
In Nottingham Castle the Sheriff and Abbot Hugo are enjoying supper when some Apocalypse Knights enter the great hall. After removing their helmets the leader is revealed to be Gisburne, much to Robert and Hugo's surprise. Gisburne explains he joined the brotherhood of knights a year ago, whilst in France. The Sheriff mocks his sudden conversion, but Gisburne replies that he wanted to serve a master that he believed in and to prove his point he shows off his prize, Marion. Gisburne demands that she is executed and says that Robin has also been captured. The Sheriff wants Robin brought before him but Gisburne brushes the demand aside and says he only serves Count Guichard de Montbalm and he has authority in this. Hugo is outraged but Robert tells him to sit down. Marion asks Gisburne about the whereabouts of the Earl of Huntingdon and the three missing Norman Lords, to which he responds with a punch, knocking her to the ground. He demands that the Sheriff's men take Marion to the dungeon and states that she is to be burnt. The Sheriff argues that they hang outlaws but Gisburne overrules him, "We burn witches!". Hugo protests but Gisburne reminds him that he has no power due to the interdict. The Knights of the Apocalypse are in control and at sword point force De Rainault to comply and send Abbot Hugo to the dungeon. Gisburne leaves one of the knights behind to ensure the Sheriff's compliance and then heads back to the preceptory.
In the dungeon Marion is somewhat bemused that a protesting Abbot Hugo joins her and the mad old prisoner, along with his pet rat, Arthur. Hugo is distraught at his situation.
Outside Nottingham Castle at night Scarlet, John and Nasir are attempting to break in. Getting over the wall and disposing of a guard they ponder how to get into the keep and decide to enter by going up the privy. Meanwhile inside the Sheriff wakes up and needs to attend to a call of nature. Whilst engaged in this the outlaws emerge out of the shadows and de Rainault is overpowered. Scarlet demands that he is taken to see Marion to which De Rainault explains he is a prisoner of the Knights of the Apocalypse. After disposing of some knights, they rescue Marion from the dungeon leaving Hugo with the old man and 'Arthur'. With de Rainault as a guide they avoid the remaining Knights and escape from Nottingham. The Sheriff tries to leave but the Merries insist he stays with them.
Gisburne returns to the preceptory and is welcomed by De Montbalm, who also thanks him for the gift of Robin. Gisburne is worried he might have missed Robin's execution but Montbalm reassures him that it will take place tomorrow and that he has done well.
When the outlaws stop to rest in Sherwood, de Rainault complains that they stink and they should let him go as he has helped them. John says he will go on helping them and Scarlet says they need him to access the preceptory.
Next day at the preceptory Gisburne is relishing the prospect of Robin's execution. Robin is brought in and de Montbalm is impressed by Robin's calm and resilience. The executioner misses, on de Montbalm's orders, and the Grandmaster announces that Robin is to serve Baphomet despite Gisburne's protests. "He is of noble blood, I shall remake him!"
Robin is then taken to a bell tower where he is to be broken. Robin communes with Herne whilst the bell tolls just above him, and Herne instructs Robin to enter the darkness within him. The next morning Robin is brought before them and de Montbalm says to him that his will is broken, and initiates him into the ranks of the brotherhood of the Apocalypse.
Elsewhere the outlaws are avoiding the Apocalypse Knights from Nottingham who are looking for the Sheriff, and stop by Barnwell Priory to collect Tuck and Much. The Prior welcomes them back, and explains that it will take two days to cross the marshes and get to the preceptory. John suggests the monks accompany them and offer De Rainault as a gift to the knights by way of an apology for harbouring outlaws.
In the preceptory's chapel Robin is introduced to a statue of Baphomet and is made to kneel. After a prayer, Robin is branded with the mark of the order, but strengthened by words from Herne he manages to bear the pain. Seeing that he doesn't even flinch, de Montbalm is satisfied that he has Robin totally under his power. Gisburne is still not totally convinced. Guichard then visits The Earl's cell with Robin to gloat over how he has managed to break his son. When the Earl protests Robin strikes his father, making his submission to Baphomet seem complete.
Meanwhile the outlaws, a reluctant sheriff and the monks pass through the marshes on rafts on their way to the preceptory.
Inside de Montbalm outlines how the Apocalypse is gaining power and influence not just in England but also throughout Europe. "The Four Horsemen will ride and in the name of he who is King of the World we shall rule kingdoms and reap the wealth that power bestows." Robin is watched by a sceptical Gisburne.
Hearing from the Knights who had been at Nottingham de Montbalm is angry at Marion's escape, and he demands that the Sheriff is found. At night Robin visits his father, he reveals that he's not under the Grandmaster's control and gets the Earl up to make ready their escape. They argue about Robert becoming a wolfshead, then hearing Gisburne Robin pretends he is just checking on the Earl. Gisburne is still not convinced and visits de Montbalm whilst at prayer in the chapel.
Outside St John's Preceptory the outlaws don some habits and prepare to approach with their 'prisoner'.
Inside Robin is being tested and it is revealed he is to fight the Earl of Huntingdon. They are interrupted by the arrival of the monks who are allowed to enter with their prisoner. Once through, a battle commences, and caught by surprise the knights are driven back. Camville tries to kill Robin and the Earl, but Scarlet throws his knife and kills him, "I don't like traitors."
The Sheriff hides in a large chest, and waits until it's safe. Nasir is fighting Gisburne, but when Robin and some of the other outlaws appear, Guy makes his escape. Robin pursues Guichard de Montbalm to the chapel, where Baphomet possesses the Grandmaster. Robin and Marion enter the chapel but the door slams behind them separating them from the others.
Tuck finds Scarlet in a bad way, suffering from the wound that Much gave him which has only got worse with all the subsequent fighting. Nasir goes to find Robin.
Robin is attacked by de Montbalm, who is now impervious to sword blows and arrows. Possessed by the demon, he breathes fire at Robin and Marion and seems invincible. But Robin remembers the arrowhead Herne gave him and attaches it to the last arrow, and at the last moment looses the arrow into Guichard. The ancient arrowhead performs its function and de Montbalm is slain. Baphomet is gone, as is the brand of the Apocalypse from Robin's skin.
After the battle is concluded Robin is brought before a mortally wounded Earl. The Earl gives his ring to Robin, passing on the earldom before dying.
Evading the outlaws a wounded Gisburne finds the Sheriff and seeks to make amends. After berating Gisburne, de Rainault mentions that he has found the scroll and he is going to use it against the Order of the Apocalypse and strengthen his position.
Back in Sherwood Robin shares his thoughts with Marion and says he needs to take his father back to Huntingdon but Sherwood will always be his castle. He returns the ring to the dead Earl and renounces his inheritance by heading 'home' with the others. Herne's voice says "You are my arrow and my sword"
Comments and Questions
This story is an audio adventure produced in 2016 from a script written by Richard Carpenter in 1989. It was originally hoped that the story would have been filmed as a one-off story at that time, three years after series three finished, and it was supposed to be set within a year of the last episode. (For a detailed run down of the production of the audio there is an extra chapter of the second Hooded Man book by Andrew Orton covering The Knights of the Apocalypse available in PDF form for free: miwkpublishing.com/uploads/KOTA.pdf )
As with the rest of the RoS timeline, it's hard to fit the date of the story with the real world history that is referenced. The Time of the Wolf takes place in September 1211 (the year is on the contract the Sheriff is preparing, and it's harvest time). However, King John is served his excommunication (which is mentioned in KOTA) in the summer of 1211! However, there must be at least a year between the end of series three and this story, as Gisburne states that he joined the Knights of the Apocalypse a year ago, while in France.
So, what happened between The Time of the Wolf and The Knights of the Apocalypse?
Firstly, Marion has returned to Robin after a period of absence in Halstead. There is no detail given for this in the story. She says she had no choice but to return to Sherwood, but whether it is purely for love or for other reasons is not clear in KOTA. We also don't know if they got married before this story, as was their intention before she went into the Priory.
The Pope has served an interdict against King John and has excommunicated him. This means the Church is unable to perform civic duties and the current mood in England is tense. The Knights of the Apocalypse Order seeks to take advantage of the current situation.
The Sheriff somehow got out of the fix he was in at the end of The Time of the Wolf, where he was hoping to use Robin's dead body to get himself (and Gisburne) out of trouble, but only had possession of some crumbled clay.
Gisburne has spent some time in campaigns in Normandy (tying in with the tensions between John and the Pope and other powers). It was during this time that Gisburne secretly joins the KOTA order and this has resulted in Gisburne gaining a new sense of confidence. At some time when he is in England, he is responsible for his men committing atrocities referenced by Robin: a woman who kills herself after Gisburne's men had finished with her, two boys who were blinded, and other children who were hurt or killed. Also, the truth of Guy's parentage has clearly not been revealed before this point, and with the death of the Earl it seems unlikely that he will ever know.
If this story had been an episode of series 4, I imagine it would have come near the end, and there would have been episodes explaining Marion's return, Guy's absence and return from Normandy (and perhaps covering the violent behaviour of his men), and how de Rainault wriggled out of trouble.
Had this story been filmed in 1989 it would have been pretty expensive, with a lot of extras and stunt perfomers needed, particularly in the two main fight sequences. I do wonder how the possessed de Montbalm would have been portrayed when he was breathing fire, given the state of special effects at the time!
The novelisation of the story was based on the original script, and so there are some differences between it and the final story, which was edited (not least to make it work as an audio adventure, rather than a television show). In the novelisation Nasir says the Knights of the Apocalypse are responsible for the death of his wife and children. This would also explain his hatred of the Templars since the Apocalypse are an offshoot of the Templars.
Reading about the reality of Baphomet is interesting. No one really knows where the figure originated, but it is probably a mix of mistaken identity and pure creation. It seems that the Templars were accused of worshipping a heathen idol head known as a 'Baphomet' in the early 14th Century. It is thought by some that the name Baphomet is a corruption of 'Mohammed', and that some Templars might have adopted Islamic ideas into their beliefs. In later centuries the figure of Baphomet crops up in various writings about the occult, and the image that's most associated with him is a drawing done by Eliphas Levi in one of his books of magic showing a winged humanoid goat with a pair of breasts. The representation of Baphomet, and the words and symbols associated with him, that appears in the story, seems to be taken from these later books.
It is not clear in the story if the Knights of the Apocalypse formed to (secretly) worship Baphomet, or whether they were formed for another reason and the worship happened later. It is also not known if de Montbalm initiated the cult, or is just its current leader. I'm also not sure what the 'great endeavour' was that de Montbalm was planning. I know he was gradually trying to gain power by getting young nobles to join the Order, but was he intending to go further and actually get possessed by Baphomet and use his supernatural powers to rule?
The first voice in Robin's head reminding him to use the arrowhead against Baphomet sounds female, while the second is obviously Herne. So, who's is that female voice?
Best Lines
Robin's practical remark as the outlaws are getting ready at the start of the story, "We've slept too long." It's a lovely callback to the first Robin's call to arms in Robin Hood and the Sorcerer.
Marion talks about leaving Halstead Priory: "I had no choice. I love you."
Hugo: "I have very little Greek."
The Sheriff: "You have very little anything."
Nasir, getting more lyrical as his English improves: "You have scared off all the birds."
When Much fires arrows at the outlaws under de Ridefort's control, one arrow ends up in his shield, emblazoned with a sun, and one hits Will.
Robin: "One in the gold."
Tuck: "And one in the Scarlet!"
John is complaining of being hungry.
Robin: "Ignore your stomach."
John: "It's hard to ignore Tuck's."
Tuck: "It's all muscle!"
Robin, to Marion: "You were snoring. It was very pretty snoring, I promise."
The Sheriff to Gisburne, after he says he became a Knight of the Apocalypse: "Did you see the light or were you simply attracted to the uniform?"
The old prisoner in the dungeon is confused by Abbot Hugo.
Old Prisoner: "Bless me Archbishop."
Hugo: "I'm not the Archbishop!"
Old Prisoner: "Hear Arthur's confession!"
Robin, explaining his choice to be Herne's Son to his father: "You and I will never agree my lord, but the King's laws have to change, and until they do I shall fight them."
Review
This story could be described as a 'greatest hits' episode of Robin of Sherwood, which makes sense as it was intended to be a one-off shown a few years after the last episode. It would need that familiarity to get audiences to connect with the show again. The basic plot of religious fanatics, disguised as a religious order, who wish to summon a demon, has a lot in common with The Swords of Wayland, although with a less English, Hammer Horror feel. The Knights of the Apocalypse are born from the Crusades (with a link to Belleme and his devil worship brought back from the Holy Land), and it's a very masculine Order based around warfare. Gisburne continues his attempts to get away from the Sheriff, to find somewhere he can belong and actually succeed, in a not dissimilar manner to joining the Wolves of Fenris in The Time of the Wolf. This time, though, he's a more willing participant in the Order, and he seems to be quite an important member. Other, smaller, touches are reminiscent of other episodes - the Sheriff having a bath; the Old Prisoner and Arthur; lines like "We've slept too long." And nearly all the main and recurring characters are there, including Hugo, who we haven't seen since Herne's Son, although with much of the action taking us beyond Sherwood, Edward and the other Wickham villagers don't feature.
These connections to previous episodes makes this story the epitome of Robin of Sherwood stories, and while we've become very familiar with all the other episodes via video, DVD and blu-ray, back in 1989 before all of those it would have been a welcome reminder of what we loved about the show. It gives us a strong, entertaining story with plenty of action and excitement. We see Robin have to deal with the expectations of his father, who presumably has no other heir, against his strong belief in what he does as the hooded man. We get Marion, prepared to fight if necessary but wary of unnecessary violence, perhaps reflecting her time spent in a priory. The relationships between all the other outlaws are as strong as before, despite all the humorous bickering, and the subtle storyline of Scarlet trying to cope throughout the episode with the wound he received from Much brings a realism to the toughness of the life they lead.
In Guichard de Montbalm we have another classic villain, and Anthony Head plays him to perfection, with a brutal charm and a hypnotic voice. I would also argue that Gisburne is in some ways even more the villain of the piece. The Sheriff and Hugo take him for granted and dismiss his ambition, and are surprised when it turns out he's been with the Knights of the Apocalypse for so long. The outlaws have got used to him too, and perhaps feel that he's easy to overcome, so his stronger determination as part of the Order comes as a shock to them too. He also shows some intelligence in being suspicious of Robin's 'conversion' to the Order. I'm almost sad that he ends up under the control of the Sheriff yet again.
I'm reviewing this more as a story than as an audio produced thirty years after the series ended, but it has to be said that all the returning actors fall back into character with ease; once the merries are joking with one another, or the brothers de Rainault start bickering, the years just fall away. Anthony Head is the perfect choice for de Montbalm, Colin Baker veers nicely between arrogance and grovelling as de Ridefort and Terry Molloy brings a lot of character to both the Prior of Barnwell Priory and the Old Prisoner. The producers were lucky to get Daniel Abineri to take on his father's role of Herne, as he sounds exactly the same, and Freddie Fox, whilst not sounding like Robert Addie, does an excellent job of portraying Gisburne in his own way. Knowing that many of the voices were recorded at separate times, it's amazing how smooth the conversations sound, and the incidental music is lovely, giving a real feel of the original episodes. Whilst I'm a bit sad that this story didn't get made as a big budget special back in the eighties, I feel really lucky that we got to hear it in the end, in a production that I can imagine with the biggest fight sequences and best special effects ever!
Cast in order of appearance
Spectral Voice – Michael Praed
Robin Hood - Jason Connery
Marion - Judi Trott
Nasir - Mark Ryan
Much - Peter Llewellyn Williams
Tuck - Phil Rose
Little John - Clive Mantle
Will Scarlet - Ray Winstone
Abbot Hugo - Philip Jackson
Guy of Gisburne - Freddie Fox
Sheriff of Nottingham - Nickolas Grace
Serving maiden - Lisa Bowerman
Herne the Hunter - Daniel Abineri
Earl of Huntingdon - Michael Craig
Gerard de Ridefort - Colin Baker
Phillip Camville - Barnaby Eaton-Jones
Prior/Old Prisoner/Priest - Terry Molloy
Guichard De Montbalm - Anthony Stewart Head
All other roles: Sophie Jones, Gary Andrews, Ian Kubiak, Kate Young, Cliff Chapman, Ben Perkins, William K V Browne, Nathan Drake, Rob Brunwin, Robert Barton Ancliffe, Iain Meadows, Barnaby Eaton-Jones and Jonathan Allen
Director - Robert Young
Producer - Barnaby Eaton-Jones
Executive Producers - Spiteful Puppet
Sound Design - Iain Meadows
Script Editor - Merle Nygate
Episode Guide written by Lucy and Dennis of Ravenscar
Images are from various RoS episodes, those of Anthony Head are from Merlin, and the silver arrowhead was created and photographed by hernesarrow