S3 Episode Guide - Adam Bell (Episode 9)

The episode starts with Much attending to an old man in a hut in Nottingham. A delegation of soldiers (apparently acting upon reliable information) break in to the hut; Much escapes through a window. Much uses his staff to knock out some of the soldiers but is eventually surrounded and overpowered. Much's fighting skills are much improved since the start of the series.

In the main hall of Nottingham Castle, we see a young boy sat in the Sheriff's seat of office playing chess with the Sheriff who is sat on the other side of the table with Gisburne standing nearby and  looking on. The boy is the Sheriff's nephew whose eleventh birthday is tomorrow. The Sheriff remarks that Martin might one day become sheriff to which Gisburne reacts scornfully. The Sheriff puts Martin into check and remarks he still has much to learn. At this moment, a beaten up and chained Much is dragged in. The Sheriff says that Much was "spotted by chance but caught by cunning". Calling Much a simpleton and valueless on his own, he asks Martin if he has ever seen a hanging and would he like to see one. Martin answers that he hasn't seen anyone hanged but would like to. The Sheriff says Much will be hanged tomorrow afternoon as a birthday present for Martin. Returning to the game of chess, a smiling Martin uses his white knight to deliver checkmate with his next move. The Sheriff makes to strike Martin but ruffles his hair instead.



The scene shifts to the Merries' camp in Sherwood where we learn that Much was visiting his sick grandfather in Nottingham. Robin is worried that Much is late returning but Little John tries to reassure him that Much will be fine. Also, John tells Robin that Adam Bell has returned from the north and that would keep the soldiers busy. John said that twenty years ago Adam Bell was like Robin Hood. In Nottingham market, we catch our first glimpse of Adam Bell along with his second in command, the murderous Moth. They plan to kidnap the Sheriff's nephew Martin and this is done quickly and efficiently, except that Moth knifes a stallholder, leaving him lying in a pool of blood. Adam Bell gives Moth a hard disapproving look when he sees the knifing. Adam Bell leaves a ransom note on a knife which is found by soldiers.



The scene shifts back to the hall of Nottingham castle where we see the Sheriff has read the ransom note: it demands 100 gold marks for Martin or else he dies in three days. Gisburne wonders whether the Sheriff should pay it but the Sheriff assures him he will since Martin is his nephew. We discover that the Sheriff had a younger brother, Edward, who was honest, trusting and generous and married a wife who was equally pious. Edward died on crusade and appointed de Rainault as Martin's guardian and also guardian of Edward's 1500 acres. But de Rainault only keeps the land if he has Martin under his protection. At Adam Bell's camp in the forest, there are celebrations with food and drink. Adam asks Martin how much he weighs and speculates that Martin may be worth his weight in gold. Martin is tied to a tree and Adam spills wine over his head by using a wineskin suspended over his head for target practice. Martin is being treated badly by these outlaws. Despite the drunken celebrations we see an alert lookout in the background. This is a well run band of outlaws.



At the camp of Robin and the Merries. Robin is still worried that Much has not returned and blames himself for not stopping him going to Nottingham. The pessimistic Scarlet speculates that Much may already be dead if the Sheriff has taken him. Robin announces he's going to Nottingham but Marion dissuades him given the town is crawling with soldiers. Tuck offers to go instead and Robin agrees. Tuck says he'll be back before sunset. At Nottingham Castle, the Sheriff is thinking out loud that he needs someone outside the law who knows every inch of Sherwood Forest to rescue Martin: he decides he needs Robin Hood! Gisburne is with him and sniggers at this idea - and is chided by the Sheriff. The Sheriff tells Gisburne to go to Much's grandfather's (Matthew's) home since he will know how to contact Robin Hood. Gisburne has two soldiers with him who break down Matthew's door. Gisburne tells the clearly ill Matthew that he needs some fresh air: in Sherwood Forest. Tuck sees the soldiers outside Matthew's home and turns away.



Meanwhile, Robin is describing a plan to rescue Much from Nottingham Castle. Little John and Will Scarlet are both sceptical. An out of breath Tuck returns: Marion suggests he needs water but Tuck prefers something stronger. Tuck has a message from Gisburn, via Matthew, that the Sheriff wants to meet Robin at the old ruined abbey of St. Margaret's. The Sheriff promises to be alone and unarmed and asks Robin to be alone as well. The Sheriff's proposal is "your halfwit for my brat" with the swop to be made two days from now at the ruined abbey at sunset.



While the Sheriff is enjoying a hearty meal back at Nottingham Castle after his ride in the countryside, Martin's mother (Lady Isabel) storms in and demands to know what has happened to her son. The Sheriff tries to assure her that Martin will be found. Apparently her husband, Edward wouldn't hear a bad word said about the Sheriff. Lady Isabel berates him for making Martin more like him: "a bully and a tyrant, just like his favourite uncle". The Sheriff says he is flattered.



Robin, Will and Nasir visit an inn which Adam Bell and his band are known to frequent and Robin enters the inn alone to try to find Adam and talk to him about getting Martin back. He tells the innkeeper that he is looking for "Adam Bell"; the innkeeper says he doesn't know him but a fight ensues with Adam's band. Moth tricks Robin and is about to knife Robin when Adam Bell intervenes. Adam wants to join forces with Robin: uniting experience and youth Adam thinks they could really achieve something together. But when Robin tells him he only wants to get Martin back, Adam became disappointed. He tells Moth to fetch the horses and Will realises he knows Moth from his time fighting in France. Nasir marks the hoof of one of the horses with a knife so they can follow them back to their camp.



We then see a flashback to a time of fighting in France where Will and Moth are comrades at arms but Moth traitorously leaves Will to die in a flaming building in order to save himself. Will tells Marion, Tuck and John the story next to the flickering of the camp fire back at the Merries' camp. Nasir is tracking Adam Bell's band and comes across a group of monks who have been robbed and killed by them. In their camp Adam Bell and Moth argue about the unnecessary killing (by Moth) of the monks, and the fact that Moth has not fed the tied up Martin. Nasir showed his anger briefly about the unnecessary killing, one of the monks dying in his arms. Moth seems to be questioning Adam's leadership but backs down when Adam challenges him to fight for it.



Adam gives Martin some food and then walks thoughtfully away. Robin is also thoughtful. Little John had said that Adam Bell was like him twenty years ago so he suggests to Marion that he might become like Adam Bell in twenty years time. Marion says she doesn't think so and that Robin is just tired and needs some sleep. Robin, like Adam wanders off and there follows a beautiful sequence of juxtaposed images of Adam and Robin as we hear their thoughts.



We then see Lady Isabel praying in the chapel dedicated to her dead husband (the Sheriff's brother) and Much still in the Nottingham Castle dungeon with the old prisoner and Arthur (the rat) for company. Breakfast was rotten cabbages which Arthur likes. Robin and the Merries try to spring an early morning surprise at Adam Bell's camp but Adam had spotted the marked horseshoe. Even so the Merries get the drop on Adam's band and Will has to be restrained from killing Moth by Robin. Adam challenges Robin to a duel to settle Martin's future; Adam wanted to use knives but Robin, as the one challenged had the choice and chose staffs. A hard fought duel ensues which Robin eventually wins. Adam asks Robin to finish him off but Robin says it is over. Little John releases Martin and the Merries make good their escape.





We next see the Sheriff in his counting house counting out the 100 marks ransom for Martin. Gisburne has already counted the money but the Sheriff doubts his ability to add up. The Sheriff doesn't know if he will be meeting Adam Bell or Robin Hood so he will take the ransom and Much, but tells Gisburne he intends to cheat. There is then a beautiful sequence at the Merries' camp where the Merries play with Martin: Tuck teaches him to cook, John teaches him to use a staff, Nasir does some knife target practice, Marion teaches him to use a bow and arrow and they all play blind man's bluff.



Adam Bell's outlaws leave but Adam refuses to go with them saying he has nowhere to go now. Robin takes Martin on a donkey to the ruined abbey to exchange him with Much. The Sheriff and Much appear to be alone but the Sheriff has posted an archer in the ruined abbey as part of a deadly ambush, and mounted soldiers quickly appear after the exchange has been made. But Adam Bell appears, shoots the archer on the abbey and fights the soldiers so enabling Robin, Much and Martin (whom Robin had grabbed) to escape. Robin and the Merries meet Lady Isabel at a pre-arranged rendezvous and so mother and son are reunited. Lady Isabel tells them they will go to friends in the north and Martin won't see the Sheriff again. Martin had apologised to Much at the exchange and thanked Robin for rescuing them. The Sheriff was angry with his soldiers for attacking Adam Bell and not Robin Hood whom he regards as the real public enemy number one. Robin described Adam Bell as a "good man". Little John questioned this saying Adam had forgotten what he was but Robin disagrees: "nothing's forgotten, nothing's ever forgotten.





Cast in order of appearance:


Much......................................Peter Llewellyn-Williams
Matthew..................................Patrick Travis
The Sheriff of Nottingham..........Nickolas Grace
Sir Guy of Gisburne...................Robert Addie
Martin.....................................Charlie Condou
Little John................................Clive Mantle
Robin......................................Jason Connery
Adam Bell................................Bryan Marshall
Moth.......................................Leo Dolan
Stall Holder..............................Rodney Wood
Nasir.......................................Mark Ryan
Marion....................................Judi Trott
Will Scarlet..............................Ray Winstone
Friar Tuck................................Phil Rose
Outlaws..................................Campbell Shaw, Chris Chivers, Alan Roberts
Lady Isabel.............................Amanda Hillwood
Innkeeper...............................Hugh Evans
Gaoler....................................William Vaughan
Old Prisoner............................Stuart Linden

Series created by Richard Carpenter

Executive Producer & Story Consultant Paul Knight

Executive Producer Patrick Dromgoole

Produced by Esta Charkham

Directed by Gerry Mill