Convention Review - The Hooded Man V 2022
Apr 28, 2024 17:54:57 GMT
BettyButtercup, foresthermit, and 1 more like this
Post by Lucy of Ravenscar on Apr 28, 2024 17:54:57 GMT
Convention Review – The Hooded Man V - 2022
Date: 21st – 22nd May 2022
Venue: Cheltenham Chase Hotel, Gloucester
Organiser: Barnaby Eaton-Jones
Review by: Lucy Collin
The hotel is quite nicely set out, with the bar and restaurant at the centre, and the main hall off to one side. In between is a large room that was filled with a wonderful costume display brought by Jonathan Deval, with the original costumes of most of the main characters as well as ones for Morgwyn and a member of the Cauldron from The Swords of Wayland. We added our banner from that episode to the display, along with Flauros to go with Solas. Jennifer Ash and Tony Lee also had tables in the room, with a selection of their books, and Tony was selling copies of his new novelisation of The Trial of John Little.
Saturday started with the opening ceremony, including a funny phone call between Ian Ogilvy and Barnaby. There was supposed to be a video from Jason, but it got lost in the ether, although Barnaby posted it on Facebook later (https://www.facebook.com/HoodedManEvents/videos/542740067327052). Sadly, Katherine Levy (Sarah de Talmont) couldn't make the convention, due to a serious illness in her family.
The panels were run by Tim Rideout and Ian Kubiak, I’m afraid I didn’t make a note of who did which one, but they were both very good.
Right after the opening ceremony we had a panel with Nickolas Grace and Charlie Condou - Martin from Adam Bell, all grown up - where they talked quite a bit about their memories of that episode. Charlie couldn’t remember too much but he had fun, despite being cold and the clothes being itchy. He did remember being a bit in awe of Bryan Marshall as he was quite famous at the time.
Nick said that the producers had asked him to speak to his friend Terence Stamp to see if he would take the part, but he didn’t want to do it because he wanted to be Robin Hood.
Nick was asked what his favourite costume was, and he answered that it was the bathtub! Apparently he was in there for most of the day, it started off warm but soon got colder and smellier, with Fairy Liquid and Dettol in it!
Asked which other character he would like to play, Nick said Gisburne, then it was suggested that he could have been Marion!
The next panel was with Oliver Tobias (Bertrand de Nivelles) and Wayne Michaels (stuntman and Ailric of Loxley). Oliver is looking great, he came on stage with a sword in hand. He said that since he’d worked on Smuggler (written by Kip Carpenter) with producer Paul Knight, when they cast him in Lord of the Trees they didn’t want to see his face, so he grew a moustache and wore a helmet. He was known in the business as the go-to actor if the character needed to ride horses and use a sword. He talked about rehearsing for the final fight in that episode with a two-handed sword and real chainmail, when the momentum caused the ligament in his knee to audibly pop. He carried on for a bit then got it strapped up and still carried on. He did end up getting physio for it, and realised that he’d got a bit too involved in the fighting. He then joked that Michael Praed was a coward, shooting him in the back in Lord of the Trees!
Wayne Michaels started his career working on travelling jousting tournaments with an eighth generation circus family. The lances they used were scaffolding poles, the shields were solid metal, and the ground was very hard. It was very tough, but it’s what he learned to do. He was asked to come on board for the show by Terry Walsh, and found it much easier in comparison to his previous job! He also mentioned that Alf Joint was going to be the stunt coordinator for the show, but couldn’t take the job as he was working on Supergirl, so Terry Walsh took the job instead.
Oliver had driven down that day and remembered the area from working on Arthur of the Britons. He was sad to learn that Robert Addie had died, he hadn’t heard previously, and he said that he loved working with him. Robert had appeared in Smuggler and stayed with him during that time. Robert wasn’t quite so ‘in’ with the Merries on RoS because he was the bad guy, Oliver could sympathise because he played a German officer in a film, Brylcream Boys, and the others wouldn’t eat with him.
Wayne was then asked about the famous bungee jump stunt from the dam that he did in GoldenEye. He explained that it was even more difficult than it looked because the dam is curved, and it had jagged bits of metal sticking out of it for strength, so missing them was a priority. He asked for a stunt body to test the fall, but those are expensive and it never turned up, so he chopped a tree up and used that instead. The first time he threw it over the edge the rope snapped. He threw some metal down onto the water and it bounced. Then, sadly, someone died by suicide, jumping off the dam, and the body couldn’t be found. Wayne climbed down to a lower work station to check if he would hit it, and that’s where the poor man had fallen to.
The stunt had something like fifteen cameras filming it. Just before the jump a little Italian guy crossed himself, not making Wayne feel any more confident! If you watch the film, look at Wayne’s hands, he’s holding cables attached to weights to give him extra push to get over the edge when he let go.
Oliver talked about working on Sherlock Holmes, saying that he had two weeks of rehearsal and that he enjoyed working with Jeremy Brett. He was then asked about Luke’s Kingdom, an Australian TV series from 1976. It was made a by a documentary maker who dug up stories about early European settlers of Australia and used these in the show. He worked with Peter Hammond and Peter Weir, and it was set in the Outback in the 1820s. As he said, “I knew I was in the right place when I smelt horse sh*t!”
He also remembered a bit about working on Jesus of Nazareth – he played Robert Powell at cricket and was out first ball!
Wayne was asked what his favourite stunt was, and he said that he liked saddle falls, pulling horses down, and jumping out of windows. He enjoyed working with horses – in the UK horses are trained to fall but in other countries they would be pulled (which is not allowed now). He talked about actors wanting to do stunts, but they’re not allowed as they’re worth much more than stuntmen! He was also asked why he was dubbed by Michael Praed when he played Ailric in Robin Hood and the Sorcerer. He said that he tried to be an actor, but he was no good at it. His job was as Michael’s stunt double so when they needed someone to be his father he was grabbed, but his voice just didn’t sound right. On a similar note, Oliver remembered seeing Arthur of the Britons in Spain, and he had been dubbed with a very deep, macho voice!
In the afternoon there was a panel with Esta Charkham (producer and casting director) and Robert Young (director), who had great insights to share about the show. Esta had been involved in Dick Turpin and Smuggler as a casting director and was asked by Paul Knight to be involved in Robin of Sherwood. She loved Robin Hood in general so she was very keen. Talking about getting the main cast together, she’d already spotted Michael Praed and knew he’d be good as Robin, and Clive Mantle and Phil Rose were obvious choices for Little John and Tuck. The production team wanted Ray and she already knew him, and Nickolas Grace. She said it was very easy to cast, only finding Marion and Much took a little longer.
Robert Young remembers being interviewed by Kip and Paul Knight at the start of work on series 2 to see if he’d be interested in directing. He liked Ian Sharp’s work, he said Ian would do good things once but not develop them, so he’d do that, for instance a fast zoom. He loved working on location, if the Merries were too smart he’d send them into the woods to get messed up. He said it was the best time of his life. He talked about how Paul Knight would always encourage different ideas. He looked at the final cut of one episode and said, “Marvellous, not a thing wrong. Now cut ten minutes!”
At the series 1 wrap party Paul Knight told Esta she should be a producer. When she declared that she couldn’t do that he said, “Yes you can, you interfere in everything!” She then worked on The First Olympics mini series (featuring Robert Addie and Jason Connery) and shadowed the producers to learn how to do the job.
The guests were asked what had made the show last so well, was it Kip’s writing? Esta agreed and said that it was mystical, magical, pagan, both influencing other media and tapping into things like Dungeons and Dragons and so on.
Robert said that he argued with Kip about some elements, as his leaning is more historical than mystical, but he said they made a good match together. He loved the horses and the archery, he knew that the Scots used to ride into battle holding onto the stirrups of horses and encouraged the stunt team to try this, although they were reluctant (I think this would be in Herne’s Son). He also said that his two younger children were extras, serving in the great hall.
Esta recollected some of the great guest stars in the show, such as George Baker. His wife had played in a film with Judi Trott and taken her under her wing, and so George Baker was happy to be her father. Also Michael Craig was lovely to work with.
Robert remembered Rula Lenska when they were in Malmesbury Abbey, she was Catholic and so knew all the religious details. She was very game, and up for working hard.
They were asked if they ever thought The Swords of Wayland was a bit much? Esta said that after Mary Whitehouse complained about Robin being killed she didn’t care. There was no blood so it was okay at teatime. That led Robert to talk about The Greatest Enemy, he said he knew it was perfect when Michael Praed held his arm up on the mound. He experimented with filters, obviously to good effect.
Asked about her favourite location, Esta chose Wickham Village, which could be filmed from the other side for variety.
The next question was: who was the naughtiest actor? Robert replied that it was Nickolas Grace and Michael Praed, trying to get the best angle (he could hear them as they were both miked up). He was then asked about inspiration for the Hounds of Lucifer, and he said that dancers in Africa with feathers and masks inspired the imagery in collaboration with the costume designer and art director.
Esta was asked who she would cast in a modern version of RoS? She said she would use the original cast for a younger one to play against. She mentioned Kit Harrington, and said that there were great youngsters coming up in shows like Heartstopper, Sex Education and Top Boy.
Robert then talked about directing some Jeeves and Wooster episodes. He said comedy is harder, much more controlled. He was interviewed by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie to see if he was good enough.
Finally, Esta was asked how easy it was to cast Jason, and she said it would have been a lot easier if Patrick Dromgoole had agreed with her and Beth (Charkham, her sister and fellow casting director). They were sure that the new Robin needed the opposite look and feel to Michael, and she said that Jason was a more inclusive Robin, more of an ensemble with the other Merries, whereas Michael was more obviously the leader.
Pol Brennan, from Clannad, was unable to attend in person, but he did a panel in Zoom format, which I unfortunately missed while I was trying to grab a bite to eat, but here’s a bit of information from other members of the forum.
(BettyButtercup): He was a lovely, humble, down to earth guy and was genuinely gutted that he hadn't been able to make it in person (due to changing tour schedules I think). He said that the band had absolutely loved being part of RoS and the whole experience had left a big and lasting impression on them and that they were delighted and touched that their music for the show meant so much to the fans. He said that their RoS medley always went down a storm at concerts - and that sadly this farewell tour really was the last one as they wanted to go out on a high. What I remember the most is that he said he was currently trying to get a project off the ground (he did sound confident that it would happen) re himself along with an orchestra on stage playing RoS music accompanied by scenes from the series on a big screen.
(Upcetera): He was obviously really passionate about ROS and the impact it had had on the band. A couple of other things he mentioned. Firstly, that Legend would be re-released at some point, with Michael Praed back on the front cover (the last reissue had a different cover which Pol didn’t like!).
However, even better news is that they have found some of the ‘lost’ soundtrack music for Series 3. Not sure if it is enough for a whole album but would be great if we could get some sort of Legend 2!
Towards the end of the day Esta managed to organise another short Zoom panel with Ray Winstone, who was recovering from Covid. He was first asked about his favourite episode. He couldn’t narrow it down, but said he enjoyed episodes directed by Ian Sharp, Robert Young and Sid Roberson. Talking about the drunken fight in Herne’s Son he said it was similar to one in the film The Quiet Man, with star John Wayne playing a similar angry young man. He mentioned how the way Kip used to write the characters was informed by the actors, and that it was almost a form of therapy to play Scarlet.
He said that he had learned a lot on the show as a young actor, working with so many good actors, and it taught him how to behave. He mentioned that Clive Mantle is both a gentleman and a gentle man, and that he had stayed great friends with him, more than most actors he’s worked with.
He was asked what he thought of Jon Culshaw’s version of Will (in some of the audio stories) and he said he thought he was great, at least you can understand him!
Mark Ryan and author John Matthews finished the day talking about their new book and card set The Sherwood Oracle (which is out now/due out soon, depending on where you live). They talked about it and showed some of the beautiful artwork by Yvonne Gilbert.
Throughout the day there were opportunities to get autographs and photos with the guests, and Bowlore were doing their thing outside at the back of the hotel, with weapons displays several times over the weekend. Mark Ryan and Clive Mantle went out there as well and had a go at the archery competition, which anyone could take part in. Clive actually got the most points, but he gave up the prize (a 'silver' arrow) to the person with the next highest score!
In the evening we had the banquet, which was fun to dress up in costume for. The food, lamb stew (or veg stew for the vegetarians) was nothing special but quite bearable, though the queues to get a drink were ridiculous. The hotel is a nice location, and the rooms are good, but the staff left a bit to be desired - there didn't seem to be anyone in charge, many of them seemed young and relatively untrained. Luckily it didn't impact on the enjoyment of the convention too much.
After the meal Bowlore did a quick display with flaming swords, then most of us retired to the bar, and we had a go at the game we'd made brought with us, with Betty Buttercup and GFC. Called Herne's Quest, it's a Robin of Sherwood adaptation of an Arthurian game called Quests of the Round Table, and BB and GFC did very well picking it up, especially late after a busy day!
The hotel is backed by fields, so on the Sunday morning after (a very large) breakfast we went for a short walk, saying good morning to Bowlore (and their Little Owl Pyewackett) on the way back.
Sunday started with a panel featuring Esta, Judi Trott, and Claire Parker (Elena from Cromm Cruac). It was lovely to hear from an all-female panel, and to find out a bit more about Claire.
Esta started by saying that Kip encouraged strong female characters. She had cast Judi in A Royal Love story (as Lady Sarah Armstrong Jones) and that led her to think of her with her Pre-Raphaelite looks. She auditioned with five potential actors for Robin, including Paul McGann. At the time Judi was more of a dancer, with just a bit of acting experience.
As far as casting Claire as Elena goes, she had seen her playing Liesl in The Sound of Music, and thought she would be good for the role. Claire had been working on stage, first playing Annie in the musical of that name, then as Liesl for a year when she was 16.
Judi hadn’t heard about how she was cast before, but she remembered meeting the cast, including Michael in ripped jeans and on a motorbike. They bonded on the read-through, and did two weeks of physical skills including archery and riding at Pinewood, at the same time as actors preparing for Supergirl.
She recalled working on location at Alnwick Castle, staying at the Bamburgh Arms. At the age of 20 she formed relationships with the other Merries and became part of a family of boys. She said she was fine at archery until she felt the pressure of doing it quickly for filming. Luckily she had been learning to ride for the previous year, so she felt more comfortable doing that.
Claire said she had great fun with the boys, and then became friends with Judi, and Esta chimed in that Ray was thrilled to have a love interest in the episode!
Esta talked about how the characters developed throughout the show, and mentioned how Herne’s Son, with the way the characters were ‘collected’ by Robert throughout the episode, showcased each of them, and they became even more of an ensemble. She said that Kip wrote specifically for each actor right from the start, and Anthony Horowitz soon learned to do the same.
Judi talked about her character, saying that Marion had to grow up fast, moving into the forest, losing her husband, coming back to the forest and falling in love again. She was asked what would happen to the end with Robin and Marion, and she thought that it was best left open-ended.
Claire said that it was one of the most fun shows to work on, there was a great atmosphere, she made friends and they went on holiday to Marbella together. Esta added that the cast often had meals together in Bristol, where Paul Knight would give long speeches, and everyone got to know each other. Claire remembered being at a dinner and talking to Richard O’Brien – he was very entertaining, but most of what he said went over her head! He said that he wrote The Rocky Horror Picture Show because it was the sort of thing he wanted to see. Judi said that she was a bit scared of him, he was a bit creepy, and he wasn’t that interested in her. She didn’t act with him that much, but he sent James Coombes for her, which she didn’t mind as he was a bit dishy! Esta added that Richard’s son Linus was a big fan of the show, so that encouraged him to take part.
They briefly talked about Jeremy Brett, who Judi worked with in Morte d’Arthur, she said she loved him, he was gentle and fatherly, with a wicked sense of humour. Esta said she had known him since he was 15, and that he was in an old Robin Hood (I’m not sure what series/film this was).
They were asked about their favourite filming locations and Judi said she liked the beaches, such as Bamburgh, and that she loved historical places. She enjoyed running up the steps of Wells Cathedral, literally walking in the footsteps of history. Esta liked the Tithe Barn in Bradford-on-Avon, and the Pro Cathedral in Bristol. They leased that for £19000 per year and it had so many possibilities, it got used by CBS afterwards. Claire mostly remembered the mud and the smell of woodsmoke.
The next question was, if the Merry Men were Merry Women, which part would they like? Judi would be Little John, the backbone of the group. Claire wanted to be Little John too, because she’d love to be that tall!
Judi was asked about her hair, and said that she had a hairpiece under her hair, as curly hair doesn’t get that long. She talked about her favourite costume, saying she didn’t have that many to choose from. She liked her original dress from Herne’s Son, and the long white wool dress she got married in, as well as the trousers she wore when she had to climb trees. She noted that she generally wore green in the forest, with some blue outfits for the winter in series 3. She also said that the clothes were never washed!
When Esta was asked about the influence her work on The Professionals had on her casting for RoS, she said that Lewis Collins was her first choice for Philip Mark in The Sheriff of Nottingham – he had to be able to wear black leather and carry it off! Martin Shaw was doing Elvis at Bristol Hippodrome, she went to see him and got him and his son to be extras in The Pretender – Brendan Price put in the clever little line about them being professional beggars!
I was delighted to learn later that Claire was really pleased to see the photographs she had available to sign, as I had provided the images to Barnaby from the screencaps we have.
Next was a panel with Nickolas Grace and Michael Praed. Michael remembered how Kip and Paul Knight came to see him in The Pirates of Penzance, then took him out for a meal and chatted with him. It wasn’t long after that he heard that he’d got the job. Nick was told he’d got the part with no effort, and Michael said the hardest thing in acting was getting the part in the first place. He told us that once in LA he’d got a meeting with Steven Spielberg’s casting director, but he was just too English and didn’t sell himself. He then went on to say that in about 1986 in LA his agent called him and told him that Cubby Broccoli wanted to meet him. He drove out to see him and met his secretary, looking smart and thinking, “I may not be the best actor in the world, but by God I can wear a suit!”
He went into a massive room with a desk on a dais, chatting with the very friendly secretary about nothing much, and was told that several people would come in and look at him. They did, and then he left. Later, his agent told him that Roger Moore was leaving the Bond franchise, and they were looking for a new James Bond. He and someone else were going to audition, they were going for a young Bond. The other guy was apparently ‘butch’ and he was the ‘cary Grant’ version. He got the contract in advance and did a screen test, after having been taken to Rodeo Drive and kitted out so he looked fantastic. When he got to the studio Cubby introduced him to everyone. Afterwards he went home (in LA), then got the call telling him that he got the part! Three weeks later he hadn’t heard anything else, and nothing ever came of it in the end, but he still felt like he’d won the lottery.
He also told us that some years ago he went for the role of Billy Flynn in Chicago on stage, they weren’t very interested in him but he got an audition and got the part. However, he got put in a ‘pool’, to be called up when necessary. Several years later he was asked to audition for a different director and he didn’t get the part!
Nick talked about auditioning for Alan Parker when he was making Evita. He screen tested for Evita’s brother, went in a second time, then got rejected, but got offered the part of dresser. He goes to the set, gets ready, time goes by, but Madonna isn’t ready. At 10am she turns up and says to him, “Don’t touch my f***ing hand!”
They start filming, with her lip-syncing, but she makes him nervous, being weird and aggressive. Nick suggests an idea to which she reluctantly agrees, then she ends up thinking it’s a great idea and she does a weird ‘blessing’ on his face!
Michael said that he asked to watch auditions for Pirates of Penzance so he could learn what directors are looking for. He found he could tell immediately when someone walks in whether they’ll be great, terrible, or so-so. He remembered one woman coming in, singing a couple of songs, and the whole time she had her skirt tucked into her knickers!
Nick mentioned that he and Michael had worked hard to get a film version of RoS going, but they needed permission from Kip’s family, which they didn’t get. He had to leave at this point, and so, after giving Michael a gift of a Blu-ray copy of Jason’s episodes, and quoting Puck from a Midsummer Night’s Dream. he left the stage.
Wayne Michaels then joined Michael on stage, who said that stuntmen and women are very special, they do stuff that seems impossible, and that the role of a stunt coordinator is to make sure that no-one gets hurt. He talked about the time that he almost got killed in the mud fight in Alan a Dale. After swimming away he just lost strength, luckily Billy (one of the stuntmen, I assume) swam to him and saved him.
Wayne said it was great to come back and see the cast and crew again, and remember how enjoyable it was to work on RoS, how everyone got on so well. Asked how they worked together as actor and double, Wayne said that it was his job to watch Michael to copy the way he moves. Even if Michael could do a stunt he’s too valuable to the production to risk being injured.
Michael was asked if there was anyone famous he wanted to meet, and he said that the most lovely person he’s met in the business was Hugh Jackman, as his partner worked with him in Oklahoma. He then mentioned being offered a musical with very high pay for a year so he took it, but it was a horrible experience. There was a woman in the cast who kept trying to upstage him. There was a scene where the audience really need to see his face, but she kept upstaging him, and while the director told her not to do it she still did, every night. In general, one should never give another actor a note, but he did, and she just wouldn’t change. So, battle lines were drawn – he had been taught upstaging from Tim Curry (who he loved), so he knew what to do. When she did it, he did it too, several times. She got to the back and he went to the front and completely overdid it, speaking slowly. On the next night, she went back to the originally rehearsed blocking!
In the afternoon Clive Mantle and Mark Ryan did a panel together. They were asked when they first became aware of RoS. Clive answered that he’d been a member of the National Youth Theatre and Esta knew him from that, so she called him to audition. When he got there Paul Knight gave him a big bear hug and that was it!
Mark had been doing Evita, and then was cast in Who Dares Wins. He was writing a series with someone else about dirty tricks in intelligence agencies, then he saw the script for RoS and read a bit. He was called to read for Edmund the Archer and did training at Pinewood working with Ian Sharp. Clive chimed in that he found Ian quite intimidating at first – he was very self possessed, but he knew how to pull different things from different actors and gave him a bit of coaxing. He had a good sense of humour, and he worked in a very big scale for television.
Mark remembers standing on the battlements at Alnwick (maybe Bamburgh?) with Terry Walsh, wondering how they’d make the limited number of soldiers look like more. Ian filmed on the wet beach at Bamburgh to give an effect of more with the reflections.
They talked about working with John Rhys-Davies on The King’s Fool. The wrestling match took a day to film, they laid a peat base to make the landings a bit softer, and removed most of the tree roots. Apparently John didn’t pull his punches! Clive felt totally battered after he threw him onto the harder ground.
Next, they were asked about working with Robert Young. Mark said that, as young actors, it was hard to understand what he was trying to do visually. Doing the fight scene in The Swords of Wayland where the swords were swirling through the smoke, he had to look behind the camera to see how good it looked. Clive added that each director was different, and once they understood what they were doing it made sense. In particular, Ian Sharp was so involved with the crew, he knew all about their families and lives.
Mark said that the reason the show got so many stars was because they got taken out for drinks, and had tricks played on them. When Lewis Collins was on the show Mark was told to look after him, so he took him out drinking with the Paras. In the meantime the others took everything out of his hotel, and put some of it in Mark’s car, so it was full of plants and pictures. Later he opened the boot and found an entire telephone control system in there - he took it back to the hotel and got in trouble!
Clive then said that when Jason joined the show they gave him a hard time, because they missed Michael, and were determined not to be wowed by the Connery name, but he won them over. Mark added that by the third series the directors tended to leave them to do their own thing, because they knew their characters so well.
They were asked how long it was since either of them watched the show. Clive said that he was scared to watch it, and see that it’s not as good as he remembered, he doesn’t want to dilute the feelings he has for it. Mark said that he watched The Sheriff of Nottingham before the previous convention, then watched The Swords of Wayland, and was impressed with it, not just for the era, but comparatively with shows made today. Then Clive cheekily asked the audience, who thinks Michael now looks like Hedger of Castleton (with his white hair), to much laughter!
Clive was asked how book four of his Freddie Malone series was coming along, and he said it was a bit slow. He has built a shed in his garden to write in, but he needs to go to Pompeii and Vesuvius for background research. Someone wondered if he planned to do a medieval-themed story for the fifth book in the series, but he said that the publishers wanted something set in WWI.
Finally, they were asked if they would like to come back for a 40th anniversary convention, and they very much wanted to, hoping that someone would organise it.
After this there was a panel with the writers Jennifer Ash and Tony Lee which again I unfortunately missed while I was grabbing some food, so here’s a quick summary from a forum member.
(Upcetera): They talked about how they got involved with writing the audios and books, and how amazing it was as they were both such big fans of the show. More good news coming from this was that a set of 4 or 5 new audios had been written (all by Jenny, I think) and would be produced soon. Not sure if these stories are all linked, like a series 5, we’ll have to wait and see. Jenny said she wasn’t sure if we would get book versions but we probably would at some point.
At the end of the day was the auction, hosted by Mark Ryan and Clive Mantle. Some great sums of money were raised for charity for a selection of items including signed photos, the four display banners for the convention, an original King's guard surcoat, a helmet worn by one of the ethereal knights in The Inheritance, and an original reel of film of a RoS episode. We tried bidding a few times, but everything went for quite high prices. Amusingly, Mark's wife Lutine kept bidding on everything, and Mark was constantly moaning about it! She did win one of the banners in the end, and was very pleased with it.
At the closing ceremony Barnaby made a quick speech, and then we all gave him three cheers (very well deserved) for all the hard work he'd put into this (much-delayed) con, as well as all the previous ones. Unfortunately a number of his stewards weren't able to help this weekend, so he was rushed off his feet, even more so than normal, and we all very much appreciated what he'd achieved. It was then announced that there would be 40th anniversary convention in two years' time, organised by Jonathan Deval, which, of course, everyone was very happy about.
We had another very enjoyable evening with a meal at the hotel, chatting with friends, and teaching Herne's Quest to two more fans. Jonathan stayed late in the bar, with everyone adding their ideas about the next con, I imagine his head was spinning after that!
It was a great weekend, especially after having waited for so long for it to finally happen. It was just so lovely to all get together again, and share our love for RoS, along with guests for whom it obviously has a very special place in their hearts.
All photographs of guests on panels are courtesy of the organisers of the convention.
Date: 21st – 22nd May 2022
Venue: Cheltenham Chase Hotel, Gloucester
Organiser: Barnaby Eaton-Jones
Review by: Lucy Collin
The hotel is quite nicely set out, with the bar and restaurant at the centre, and the main hall off to one side. In between is a large room that was filled with a wonderful costume display brought by Jonathan Deval, with the original costumes of most of the main characters as well as ones for Morgwyn and a member of the Cauldron from The Swords of Wayland. We added our banner from that episode to the display, along with Flauros to go with Solas. Jennifer Ash and Tony Lee also had tables in the room, with a selection of their books, and Tony was selling copies of his new novelisation of The Trial of John Little.
Saturday started with the opening ceremony, including a funny phone call between Ian Ogilvy and Barnaby. There was supposed to be a video from Jason, but it got lost in the ether, although Barnaby posted it on Facebook later (https://www.facebook.com/HoodedManEvents/videos/542740067327052). Sadly, Katherine Levy (Sarah de Talmont) couldn't make the convention, due to a serious illness in her family.
The panels were run by Tim Rideout and Ian Kubiak, I’m afraid I didn’t make a note of who did which one, but they were both very good.
Right after the opening ceremony we had a panel with Nickolas Grace and Charlie Condou - Martin from Adam Bell, all grown up - where they talked quite a bit about their memories of that episode. Charlie couldn’t remember too much but he had fun, despite being cold and the clothes being itchy. He did remember being a bit in awe of Bryan Marshall as he was quite famous at the time.
Nick said that the producers had asked him to speak to his friend Terence Stamp to see if he would take the part, but he didn’t want to do it because he wanted to be Robin Hood.
Nick was asked what his favourite costume was, and he answered that it was the bathtub! Apparently he was in there for most of the day, it started off warm but soon got colder and smellier, with Fairy Liquid and Dettol in it!
Asked which other character he would like to play, Nick said Gisburne, then it was suggested that he could have been Marion!
The next panel was with Oliver Tobias (Bertrand de Nivelles) and Wayne Michaels (stuntman and Ailric of Loxley). Oliver is looking great, he came on stage with a sword in hand. He said that since he’d worked on Smuggler (written by Kip Carpenter) with producer Paul Knight, when they cast him in Lord of the Trees they didn’t want to see his face, so he grew a moustache and wore a helmet. He was known in the business as the go-to actor if the character needed to ride horses and use a sword. He talked about rehearsing for the final fight in that episode with a two-handed sword and real chainmail, when the momentum caused the ligament in his knee to audibly pop. He carried on for a bit then got it strapped up and still carried on. He did end up getting physio for it, and realised that he’d got a bit too involved in the fighting. He then joked that Michael Praed was a coward, shooting him in the back in Lord of the Trees!
Wayne Michaels started his career working on travelling jousting tournaments with an eighth generation circus family. The lances they used were scaffolding poles, the shields were solid metal, and the ground was very hard. It was very tough, but it’s what he learned to do. He was asked to come on board for the show by Terry Walsh, and found it much easier in comparison to his previous job! He also mentioned that Alf Joint was going to be the stunt coordinator for the show, but couldn’t take the job as he was working on Supergirl, so Terry Walsh took the job instead.
Oliver had driven down that day and remembered the area from working on Arthur of the Britons. He was sad to learn that Robert Addie had died, he hadn’t heard previously, and he said that he loved working with him. Robert had appeared in Smuggler and stayed with him during that time. Robert wasn’t quite so ‘in’ with the Merries on RoS because he was the bad guy, Oliver could sympathise because he played a German officer in a film, Brylcream Boys, and the others wouldn’t eat with him.
Wayne was then asked about the famous bungee jump stunt from the dam that he did in GoldenEye. He explained that it was even more difficult than it looked because the dam is curved, and it had jagged bits of metal sticking out of it for strength, so missing them was a priority. He asked for a stunt body to test the fall, but those are expensive and it never turned up, so he chopped a tree up and used that instead. The first time he threw it over the edge the rope snapped. He threw some metal down onto the water and it bounced. Then, sadly, someone died by suicide, jumping off the dam, and the body couldn’t be found. Wayne climbed down to a lower work station to check if he would hit it, and that’s where the poor man had fallen to.
The stunt had something like fifteen cameras filming it. Just before the jump a little Italian guy crossed himself, not making Wayne feel any more confident! If you watch the film, look at Wayne’s hands, he’s holding cables attached to weights to give him extra push to get over the edge when he let go.
Oliver talked about working on Sherlock Holmes, saying that he had two weeks of rehearsal and that he enjoyed working with Jeremy Brett. He was then asked about Luke’s Kingdom, an Australian TV series from 1976. It was made a by a documentary maker who dug up stories about early European settlers of Australia and used these in the show. He worked with Peter Hammond and Peter Weir, and it was set in the Outback in the 1820s. As he said, “I knew I was in the right place when I smelt horse sh*t!”
He also remembered a bit about working on Jesus of Nazareth – he played Robert Powell at cricket and was out first ball!
Wayne was asked what his favourite stunt was, and he said that he liked saddle falls, pulling horses down, and jumping out of windows. He enjoyed working with horses – in the UK horses are trained to fall but in other countries they would be pulled (which is not allowed now). He talked about actors wanting to do stunts, but they’re not allowed as they’re worth much more than stuntmen! He was also asked why he was dubbed by Michael Praed when he played Ailric in Robin Hood and the Sorcerer. He said that he tried to be an actor, but he was no good at it. His job was as Michael’s stunt double so when they needed someone to be his father he was grabbed, but his voice just didn’t sound right. On a similar note, Oliver remembered seeing Arthur of the Britons in Spain, and he had been dubbed with a very deep, macho voice!
In the afternoon there was a panel with Esta Charkham (producer and casting director) and Robert Young (director), who had great insights to share about the show. Esta had been involved in Dick Turpin and Smuggler as a casting director and was asked by Paul Knight to be involved in Robin of Sherwood. She loved Robin Hood in general so she was very keen. Talking about getting the main cast together, she’d already spotted Michael Praed and knew he’d be good as Robin, and Clive Mantle and Phil Rose were obvious choices for Little John and Tuck. The production team wanted Ray and she already knew him, and Nickolas Grace. She said it was very easy to cast, only finding Marion and Much took a little longer.
Robert Young remembers being interviewed by Kip and Paul Knight at the start of work on series 2 to see if he’d be interested in directing. He liked Ian Sharp’s work, he said Ian would do good things once but not develop them, so he’d do that, for instance a fast zoom. He loved working on location, if the Merries were too smart he’d send them into the woods to get messed up. He said it was the best time of his life. He talked about how Paul Knight would always encourage different ideas. He looked at the final cut of one episode and said, “Marvellous, not a thing wrong. Now cut ten minutes!”
At the series 1 wrap party Paul Knight told Esta she should be a producer. When she declared that she couldn’t do that he said, “Yes you can, you interfere in everything!” She then worked on The First Olympics mini series (featuring Robert Addie and Jason Connery) and shadowed the producers to learn how to do the job.
The guests were asked what had made the show last so well, was it Kip’s writing? Esta agreed and said that it was mystical, magical, pagan, both influencing other media and tapping into things like Dungeons and Dragons and so on.
Robert said that he argued with Kip about some elements, as his leaning is more historical than mystical, but he said they made a good match together. He loved the horses and the archery, he knew that the Scots used to ride into battle holding onto the stirrups of horses and encouraged the stunt team to try this, although they were reluctant (I think this would be in Herne’s Son). He also said that his two younger children were extras, serving in the great hall.
Esta recollected some of the great guest stars in the show, such as George Baker. His wife had played in a film with Judi Trott and taken her under her wing, and so George Baker was happy to be her father. Also Michael Craig was lovely to work with.
Robert remembered Rula Lenska when they were in Malmesbury Abbey, she was Catholic and so knew all the religious details. She was very game, and up for working hard.
They were asked if they ever thought The Swords of Wayland was a bit much? Esta said that after Mary Whitehouse complained about Robin being killed she didn’t care. There was no blood so it was okay at teatime. That led Robert to talk about The Greatest Enemy, he said he knew it was perfect when Michael Praed held his arm up on the mound. He experimented with filters, obviously to good effect.
Asked about her favourite location, Esta chose Wickham Village, which could be filmed from the other side for variety.
The next question was: who was the naughtiest actor? Robert replied that it was Nickolas Grace and Michael Praed, trying to get the best angle (he could hear them as they were both miked up). He was then asked about inspiration for the Hounds of Lucifer, and he said that dancers in Africa with feathers and masks inspired the imagery in collaboration with the costume designer and art director.
Esta was asked who she would cast in a modern version of RoS? She said she would use the original cast for a younger one to play against. She mentioned Kit Harrington, and said that there were great youngsters coming up in shows like Heartstopper, Sex Education and Top Boy.
Robert then talked about directing some Jeeves and Wooster episodes. He said comedy is harder, much more controlled. He was interviewed by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie to see if he was good enough.
Finally, Esta was asked how easy it was to cast Jason, and she said it would have been a lot easier if Patrick Dromgoole had agreed with her and Beth (Charkham, her sister and fellow casting director). They were sure that the new Robin needed the opposite look and feel to Michael, and she said that Jason was a more inclusive Robin, more of an ensemble with the other Merries, whereas Michael was more obviously the leader.
Pol Brennan, from Clannad, was unable to attend in person, but he did a panel in Zoom format, which I unfortunately missed while I was trying to grab a bite to eat, but here’s a bit of information from other members of the forum.
(BettyButtercup): He was a lovely, humble, down to earth guy and was genuinely gutted that he hadn't been able to make it in person (due to changing tour schedules I think). He said that the band had absolutely loved being part of RoS and the whole experience had left a big and lasting impression on them and that they were delighted and touched that their music for the show meant so much to the fans. He said that their RoS medley always went down a storm at concerts - and that sadly this farewell tour really was the last one as they wanted to go out on a high. What I remember the most is that he said he was currently trying to get a project off the ground (he did sound confident that it would happen) re himself along with an orchestra on stage playing RoS music accompanied by scenes from the series on a big screen.
(Upcetera): He was obviously really passionate about ROS and the impact it had had on the band. A couple of other things he mentioned. Firstly, that Legend would be re-released at some point, with Michael Praed back on the front cover (the last reissue had a different cover which Pol didn’t like!).
However, even better news is that they have found some of the ‘lost’ soundtrack music for Series 3. Not sure if it is enough for a whole album but would be great if we could get some sort of Legend 2!
Towards the end of the day Esta managed to organise another short Zoom panel with Ray Winstone, who was recovering from Covid. He was first asked about his favourite episode. He couldn’t narrow it down, but said he enjoyed episodes directed by Ian Sharp, Robert Young and Sid Roberson. Talking about the drunken fight in Herne’s Son he said it was similar to one in the film The Quiet Man, with star John Wayne playing a similar angry young man. He mentioned how the way Kip used to write the characters was informed by the actors, and that it was almost a form of therapy to play Scarlet.
He said that he had learned a lot on the show as a young actor, working with so many good actors, and it taught him how to behave. He mentioned that Clive Mantle is both a gentleman and a gentle man, and that he had stayed great friends with him, more than most actors he’s worked with.
He was asked what he thought of Jon Culshaw’s version of Will (in some of the audio stories) and he said he thought he was great, at least you can understand him!
Mark Ryan and author John Matthews finished the day talking about their new book and card set The Sherwood Oracle (which is out now/due out soon, depending on where you live). They talked about it and showed some of the beautiful artwork by Yvonne Gilbert.
Throughout the day there were opportunities to get autographs and photos with the guests, and Bowlore were doing their thing outside at the back of the hotel, with weapons displays several times over the weekend. Mark Ryan and Clive Mantle went out there as well and had a go at the archery competition, which anyone could take part in. Clive actually got the most points, but he gave up the prize (a 'silver' arrow) to the person with the next highest score!
In the evening we had the banquet, which was fun to dress up in costume for. The food, lamb stew (or veg stew for the vegetarians) was nothing special but quite bearable, though the queues to get a drink were ridiculous. The hotel is a nice location, and the rooms are good, but the staff left a bit to be desired - there didn't seem to be anyone in charge, many of them seemed young and relatively untrained. Luckily it didn't impact on the enjoyment of the convention too much.
After the meal Bowlore did a quick display with flaming swords, then most of us retired to the bar, and we had a go at the game we'd made brought with us, with Betty Buttercup and GFC. Called Herne's Quest, it's a Robin of Sherwood adaptation of an Arthurian game called Quests of the Round Table, and BB and GFC did very well picking it up, especially late after a busy day!
The hotel is backed by fields, so on the Sunday morning after (a very large) breakfast we went for a short walk, saying good morning to Bowlore (and their Little Owl Pyewackett) on the way back.
Sunday started with a panel featuring Esta, Judi Trott, and Claire Parker (Elena from Cromm Cruac). It was lovely to hear from an all-female panel, and to find out a bit more about Claire.
Esta started by saying that Kip encouraged strong female characters. She had cast Judi in A Royal Love story (as Lady Sarah Armstrong Jones) and that led her to think of her with her Pre-Raphaelite looks. She auditioned with five potential actors for Robin, including Paul McGann. At the time Judi was more of a dancer, with just a bit of acting experience.
As far as casting Claire as Elena goes, she had seen her playing Liesl in The Sound of Music, and thought she would be good for the role. Claire had been working on stage, first playing Annie in the musical of that name, then as Liesl for a year when she was 16.
Judi hadn’t heard about how she was cast before, but she remembered meeting the cast, including Michael in ripped jeans and on a motorbike. They bonded on the read-through, and did two weeks of physical skills including archery and riding at Pinewood, at the same time as actors preparing for Supergirl.
She recalled working on location at Alnwick Castle, staying at the Bamburgh Arms. At the age of 20 she formed relationships with the other Merries and became part of a family of boys. She said she was fine at archery until she felt the pressure of doing it quickly for filming. Luckily she had been learning to ride for the previous year, so she felt more comfortable doing that.
Claire said she had great fun with the boys, and then became friends with Judi, and Esta chimed in that Ray was thrilled to have a love interest in the episode!
Esta talked about how the characters developed throughout the show, and mentioned how Herne’s Son, with the way the characters were ‘collected’ by Robert throughout the episode, showcased each of them, and they became even more of an ensemble. She said that Kip wrote specifically for each actor right from the start, and Anthony Horowitz soon learned to do the same.
Judi talked about her character, saying that Marion had to grow up fast, moving into the forest, losing her husband, coming back to the forest and falling in love again. She was asked what would happen to the end with Robin and Marion, and she thought that it was best left open-ended.
Claire said that it was one of the most fun shows to work on, there was a great atmosphere, she made friends and they went on holiday to Marbella together. Esta added that the cast often had meals together in Bristol, where Paul Knight would give long speeches, and everyone got to know each other. Claire remembered being at a dinner and talking to Richard O’Brien – he was very entertaining, but most of what he said went over her head! He said that he wrote The Rocky Horror Picture Show because it was the sort of thing he wanted to see. Judi said that she was a bit scared of him, he was a bit creepy, and he wasn’t that interested in her. She didn’t act with him that much, but he sent James Coombes for her, which she didn’t mind as he was a bit dishy! Esta added that Richard’s son Linus was a big fan of the show, so that encouraged him to take part.
They briefly talked about Jeremy Brett, who Judi worked with in Morte d’Arthur, she said she loved him, he was gentle and fatherly, with a wicked sense of humour. Esta said she had known him since he was 15, and that he was in an old Robin Hood (I’m not sure what series/film this was).
They were asked about their favourite filming locations and Judi said she liked the beaches, such as Bamburgh, and that she loved historical places. She enjoyed running up the steps of Wells Cathedral, literally walking in the footsteps of history. Esta liked the Tithe Barn in Bradford-on-Avon, and the Pro Cathedral in Bristol. They leased that for £19000 per year and it had so many possibilities, it got used by CBS afterwards. Claire mostly remembered the mud and the smell of woodsmoke.
The next question was, if the Merry Men were Merry Women, which part would they like? Judi would be Little John, the backbone of the group. Claire wanted to be Little John too, because she’d love to be that tall!
Judi was asked about her hair, and said that she had a hairpiece under her hair, as curly hair doesn’t get that long. She talked about her favourite costume, saying she didn’t have that many to choose from. She liked her original dress from Herne’s Son, and the long white wool dress she got married in, as well as the trousers she wore when she had to climb trees. She noted that she generally wore green in the forest, with some blue outfits for the winter in series 3. She also said that the clothes were never washed!
When Esta was asked about the influence her work on The Professionals had on her casting for RoS, she said that Lewis Collins was her first choice for Philip Mark in The Sheriff of Nottingham – he had to be able to wear black leather and carry it off! Martin Shaw was doing Elvis at Bristol Hippodrome, she went to see him and got him and his son to be extras in The Pretender – Brendan Price put in the clever little line about them being professional beggars!
I was delighted to learn later that Claire was really pleased to see the photographs she had available to sign, as I had provided the images to Barnaby from the screencaps we have.
Next was a panel with Nickolas Grace and Michael Praed. Michael remembered how Kip and Paul Knight came to see him in The Pirates of Penzance, then took him out for a meal and chatted with him. It wasn’t long after that he heard that he’d got the job. Nick was told he’d got the part with no effort, and Michael said the hardest thing in acting was getting the part in the first place. He told us that once in LA he’d got a meeting with Steven Spielberg’s casting director, but he was just too English and didn’t sell himself. He then went on to say that in about 1986 in LA his agent called him and told him that Cubby Broccoli wanted to meet him. He drove out to see him and met his secretary, looking smart and thinking, “I may not be the best actor in the world, but by God I can wear a suit!”
He went into a massive room with a desk on a dais, chatting with the very friendly secretary about nothing much, and was told that several people would come in and look at him. They did, and then he left. Later, his agent told him that Roger Moore was leaving the Bond franchise, and they were looking for a new James Bond. He and someone else were going to audition, they were going for a young Bond. The other guy was apparently ‘butch’ and he was the ‘cary Grant’ version. He got the contract in advance and did a screen test, after having been taken to Rodeo Drive and kitted out so he looked fantastic. When he got to the studio Cubby introduced him to everyone. Afterwards he went home (in LA), then got the call telling him that he got the part! Three weeks later he hadn’t heard anything else, and nothing ever came of it in the end, but he still felt like he’d won the lottery.
He also told us that some years ago he went for the role of Billy Flynn in Chicago on stage, they weren’t very interested in him but he got an audition and got the part. However, he got put in a ‘pool’, to be called up when necessary. Several years later he was asked to audition for a different director and he didn’t get the part!
Nick talked about auditioning for Alan Parker when he was making Evita. He screen tested for Evita’s brother, went in a second time, then got rejected, but got offered the part of dresser. He goes to the set, gets ready, time goes by, but Madonna isn’t ready. At 10am she turns up and says to him, “Don’t touch my f***ing hand!”
They start filming, with her lip-syncing, but she makes him nervous, being weird and aggressive. Nick suggests an idea to which she reluctantly agrees, then she ends up thinking it’s a great idea and she does a weird ‘blessing’ on his face!
Michael said that he asked to watch auditions for Pirates of Penzance so he could learn what directors are looking for. He found he could tell immediately when someone walks in whether they’ll be great, terrible, or so-so. He remembered one woman coming in, singing a couple of songs, and the whole time she had her skirt tucked into her knickers!
Nick mentioned that he and Michael had worked hard to get a film version of RoS going, but they needed permission from Kip’s family, which they didn’t get. He had to leave at this point, and so, after giving Michael a gift of a Blu-ray copy of Jason’s episodes, and quoting Puck from a Midsummer Night’s Dream. he left the stage.
Wayne Michaels then joined Michael on stage, who said that stuntmen and women are very special, they do stuff that seems impossible, and that the role of a stunt coordinator is to make sure that no-one gets hurt. He talked about the time that he almost got killed in the mud fight in Alan a Dale. After swimming away he just lost strength, luckily Billy (one of the stuntmen, I assume) swam to him and saved him.
Wayne said it was great to come back and see the cast and crew again, and remember how enjoyable it was to work on RoS, how everyone got on so well. Asked how they worked together as actor and double, Wayne said that it was his job to watch Michael to copy the way he moves. Even if Michael could do a stunt he’s too valuable to the production to risk being injured.
Michael was asked if there was anyone famous he wanted to meet, and he said that the most lovely person he’s met in the business was Hugh Jackman, as his partner worked with him in Oklahoma. He then mentioned being offered a musical with very high pay for a year so he took it, but it was a horrible experience. There was a woman in the cast who kept trying to upstage him. There was a scene where the audience really need to see his face, but she kept upstaging him, and while the director told her not to do it she still did, every night. In general, one should never give another actor a note, but he did, and she just wouldn’t change. So, battle lines were drawn – he had been taught upstaging from Tim Curry (who he loved), so he knew what to do. When she did it, he did it too, several times. She got to the back and he went to the front and completely overdid it, speaking slowly. On the next night, she went back to the originally rehearsed blocking!
In the afternoon Clive Mantle and Mark Ryan did a panel together. They were asked when they first became aware of RoS. Clive answered that he’d been a member of the National Youth Theatre and Esta knew him from that, so she called him to audition. When he got there Paul Knight gave him a big bear hug and that was it!
Mark had been doing Evita, and then was cast in Who Dares Wins. He was writing a series with someone else about dirty tricks in intelligence agencies, then he saw the script for RoS and read a bit. He was called to read for Edmund the Archer and did training at Pinewood working with Ian Sharp. Clive chimed in that he found Ian quite intimidating at first – he was very self possessed, but he knew how to pull different things from different actors and gave him a bit of coaxing. He had a good sense of humour, and he worked in a very big scale for television.
Mark remembers standing on the battlements at Alnwick (maybe Bamburgh?) with Terry Walsh, wondering how they’d make the limited number of soldiers look like more. Ian filmed on the wet beach at Bamburgh to give an effect of more with the reflections.
They talked about working with John Rhys-Davies on The King’s Fool. The wrestling match took a day to film, they laid a peat base to make the landings a bit softer, and removed most of the tree roots. Apparently John didn’t pull his punches! Clive felt totally battered after he threw him onto the harder ground.
Next, they were asked about working with Robert Young. Mark said that, as young actors, it was hard to understand what he was trying to do visually. Doing the fight scene in The Swords of Wayland where the swords were swirling through the smoke, he had to look behind the camera to see how good it looked. Clive added that each director was different, and once they understood what they were doing it made sense. In particular, Ian Sharp was so involved with the crew, he knew all about their families and lives.
Mark said that the reason the show got so many stars was because they got taken out for drinks, and had tricks played on them. When Lewis Collins was on the show Mark was told to look after him, so he took him out drinking with the Paras. In the meantime the others took everything out of his hotel, and put some of it in Mark’s car, so it was full of plants and pictures. Later he opened the boot and found an entire telephone control system in there - he took it back to the hotel and got in trouble!
Clive then said that when Jason joined the show they gave him a hard time, because they missed Michael, and were determined not to be wowed by the Connery name, but he won them over. Mark added that by the third series the directors tended to leave them to do their own thing, because they knew their characters so well.
They were asked how long it was since either of them watched the show. Clive said that he was scared to watch it, and see that it’s not as good as he remembered, he doesn’t want to dilute the feelings he has for it. Mark said that he watched The Sheriff of Nottingham before the previous convention, then watched The Swords of Wayland, and was impressed with it, not just for the era, but comparatively with shows made today. Then Clive cheekily asked the audience, who thinks Michael now looks like Hedger of Castleton (with his white hair), to much laughter!
Clive was asked how book four of his Freddie Malone series was coming along, and he said it was a bit slow. He has built a shed in his garden to write in, but he needs to go to Pompeii and Vesuvius for background research. Someone wondered if he planned to do a medieval-themed story for the fifth book in the series, but he said that the publishers wanted something set in WWI.
Finally, they were asked if they would like to come back for a 40th anniversary convention, and they very much wanted to, hoping that someone would organise it.
After this there was a panel with the writers Jennifer Ash and Tony Lee which again I unfortunately missed while I was grabbing some food, so here’s a quick summary from a forum member.
(Upcetera): They talked about how they got involved with writing the audios and books, and how amazing it was as they were both such big fans of the show. More good news coming from this was that a set of 4 or 5 new audios had been written (all by Jenny, I think) and would be produced soon. Not sure if these stories are all linked, like a series 5, we’ll have to wait and see. Jenny said she wasn’t sure if we would get book versions but we probably would at some point.
At the end of the day was the auction, hosted by Mark Ryan and Clive Mantle. Some great sums of money were raised for charity for a selection of items including signed photos, the four display banners for the convention, an original King's guard surcoat, a helmet worn by one of the ethereal knights in The Inheritance, and an original reel of film of a RoS episode. We tried bidding a few times, but everything went for quite high prices. Amusingly, Mark's wife Lutine kept bidding on everything, and Mark was constantly moaning about it! She did win one of the banners in the end, and was very pleased with it.
At the closing ceremony Barnaby made a quick speech, and then we all gave him three cheers (very well deserved) for all the hard work he'd put into this (much-delayed) con, as well as all the previous ones. Unfortunately a number of his stewards weren't able to help this weekend, so he was rushed off his feet, even more so than normal, and we all very much appreciated what he'd achieved. It was then announced that there would be 40th anniversary convention in two years' time, organised by Jonathan Deval, which, of course, everyone was very happy about.
We had another very enjoyable evening with a meal at the hotel, chatting with friends, and teaching Herne's Quest to two more fans. Jonathan stayed late in the bar, with everyone adding their ideas about the next con, I imagine his head was spinning after that!
It was a great weekend, especially after having waited for so long for it to finally happen. It was just so lovely to all get together again, and share our love for RoS, along with guests for whom it obviously has a very special place in their hearts.
All photographs of guests on panels are courtesy of the organisers of the convention.