Robin Hood was a part of my childhood; for 13 weeks a year I would tune it to see what awaited the hooded figure.
Action, romance, death – what more could you want on a Saturday evening? Well, probably a bit less death!
Robin Hood had all of it and it feels strange to think that it is now 10 years since BBC One’s adventure drama series began.
It never took itself too seriously, with over the top villains and Robin seemingly being invincible, but this all added to the charm of the show. This left me bitterly disappointed when it was cancelled; I was convinced that Robin had not been poisoned and it was just a sleeping drug. I spent hours on the internet finding out if other people thought so as well. Feeling disheartened, I thought even if Robin is dead, Archer can continue the role and I was sure the following year I’d be returning to Nottingham once again.
Sadly this wasn’t the case. After lukewarm viewing figures for the finale, Robin Hood was no more. The TV series had just become a legend, like its title character.
However, it probably would have not been right for it to continue without Robin, so I’m thankful for the three great seasons that were made and it paved the way for the likes of Merlin and Atlantis.
> Buy Robin Hood on DVD on Amazon.
To celebreate the show’s tenth anniversary, here are 10 of my all-time favourite moments from Robin Hood…
Roy’s death in ‘Parent Hood’
The first major character to bite the dust and probably the most forgettable. His last moments showed off just how selfless and courageous he was, willing to sacrifice himself so the merry men and his mother could escape.
The death was also pivotal as it showed the audience early on that none of the characters are safe and we could be saying goodbye to them at any point.
Robin marrying Marian in ‘We are Robin Hood’
Finally, after two seasons of questioning when they would get married, it happened – it was just unfortunate that Marian was dying (I’ll come to her death later). Marian had said she would marry Robin when the king returned home, which seemed unlikely to ever happen, so it was nice to see it take place even if it was in her last moments.
I didn’t like how in the third season Robin was with Kate/Isabella, as I think it tarnished his relationship with Marian. We saw in the series finale Marian appearing to him so it was clear that she was his true love.
Marian’s death in ‘We are Robin Hood’
How cruel could the writers be to kill Marian off after all the things her and Robin had planned? This was great though as it showed again that no one was safe. One slight niggle with it though was this: why on earth did she think that going up to Guy and saying that she loved Robin Hood was a good idea?
It was obvious to me that as soon as that happened, her fate was sealed. Her death made a great plot point in Season 3 with the relationship between Robin and Guy being worse than it ever had been and Guy hating himself for what he had done. Marian’s death didn’t offer much emotional weight to me though – perhaps I didn’t like her character as much as others who ended up dying.
Robin is reborn in ‘Total Eclipse’
No one liked seeing Robin in the state he was in at the beginning of Season 3. However, it was understandable as his wife had just been murdered. David Harewood’s portrayal of Tuck was a great fresh take on the character making him a fan favourite and a lot of the love came from him being able to talk Robin round into becoming the Robin we all know and love.
Is there a greater moment in the show than Robin appearing after the eclipse and saving his band of merry men? That one scene has everything that is associated with Robin Hood and is just so fun to watch.
Seeing Prince John in ‘Do You Love Me?’
After two seasons of the Prince being the topic of conversation we finally got to see him and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Is there an actor having more fun than Toby Stephens? I think not.
Whoever decided to cast Toby deserves a knighthood; he was so lovable even though he was playing the main villain. The only thing that left me disappointed was that he was in for just a few episodes. I think it would have been great if he had come back for the finale. The first thing I think about in Season 3 is Toby saying ‘Do you love me? I said, do you love me?’, I can give no bigger praise than that.
Guy and Robin rekindle their relationship in ‘Bad Blood’
The relationship between Guy and Robin was at the forefront of the show for the whole series so it was nice to see them put their differences aside and unite.
They truly became brothers in the end, with Robin left distraught when Guy gets killed. It shows that any two people who have had bad blood, no matter how different they are, can find a common goal and work together into that goal is complete.
Allan’s death in ‘Something Worth Fighting For’
My favourite character! RIP Allan-a-Dale. I know you weren’t always on the right side, but your heart was in the right place and you always looked out for you friends even if they were your enemy. Probably the most relatable character on the show as he was just like your average joe.
Even when his friends had just tied him up not believing a word he had said, the first thing he thinks about is to alert them of the Sheriff returning. I had read that one of the main characters was going to die in that episode and I thought it was likely to be him, but it didn’t make it hurt any less when it did happen.
At least he got to have a heroic send-off, similar to Boromir in Lord of the Rings, and his friends found out that he hadn’t sold them out, making him a good man in their eyes.
The Sheriff returning in Something worth fighting for in ‘Something Worth Fighting For’
It would have been sad to see Keith Allen no longer appear after Episode 6 so I was thankful to see him return, even if it did mean Allan’s death. The Sheriff is one of the first things that comes to mind when you think of Robin Hood, so for Robin to not kill him off I thought would have been wrong.
Just like Prince John, Keith has so much fun in the role playing a very over the top villain, but in most episodes also brings about the most comic relief. It would not have felt right if he’d been absent from the finale so I was thankful to the writers.
The villains biting the dust in ‘Something Worth Fighting For’
Is there anything more satisfying than seeing the villain get his comeuppance? I think not. After three seasons of Robin fighting against the Sheriff, finally he is killed and it was certainly exciting.
The castle blown to smithereens along with the Sheriff, Isabella and Blamire (another great villain) – drama doesn’t get any better than this! I didn’t expect all of them to be killed as I thought the writers would want to keep a villain just in case a fourth season did happen. This was definitely a moment when it was okay to cheer at the TV.
Robin’s death in ‘Something Worth Fighting For’
There isn’t a more emotional moment in the whole series. When Robin is saying his goodbyes to his merry man I don’t think any fan has a dry eye. His beautiful relationship with Much is developed even further as Much cannot live without him and shows just how far he has come since the opening episode of the series.
Words can’t describe how I felt when I first watched this and, as I said earlier in the article, I still believe that he didn’t die and that somehow he managed to cheat death.
We are Robin Hood!
> Buy Robin Hood on DVD on Amazon.
What was your favourite ever moment in Robin Hood? Let us know below…