New Robin Hood series on the BBC

[marycrawford]

I just noticed a TV listing for 'Robin Hood' on BBC1 tonight, and went, "Huh, are they rerunning that old series with Michael Praed that I loved when I was a kid? At 8 o'clock on a Saturday?"

So no, it's an entirely new Robin Hood series.



It starts with a chase scene, where first an unlucky villager, then Robin and his servant Much are being chased by the Sheriff's men. They're on foot, being chased by four or five guys on horses, and it's very very clear that they're running along a bridlepath, and that's the only reason they're in danger - if they got off the stupid path and started zigzagging through the trees, it would be impossible for the horses to run them down, and their pursuers wouldn't have the advantage anymore.

When they finally do get off the path, they hide under the roots of a large tree, while a single black-armored rider waits on the path, searching for them. Um. I half expected a spider to start crawling down Robin's collar.

Robin pretends he's got the Sheriff's men surrounded by having Much pull on ropes so that various bits of trees move. It's broad daylight, and the trees aren't thick enough to have anyone hiding behind them, and it's all just...argh. I like cheese, but this isn't cheese; it's more, well, chalk. It all feels very slow and plodding and humorless.

Then Robin and Much meet Random Guy, who has a daughter with really un-British amounts of cleavage, and Robin has a go at the daughter and then has to fight Random Guy, so he can show off his scimitar skills. And then he gets back to Locksley Hall and a plot of sorts starts developing, but it took so long that I gave up. Maybe it got good after the first half hour or so; I just ran out of patience.

Robin is fairly cute in a boyish, scruffy, blue-eyed sort of way, and Guy of Gisborne wears a big black leather coat and swallows half his consonants, so I'm guessing he's evil. Sadly, neither of them does much for me, and I think I'll just make up my own series starring Sean Bean as Robin and Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Mmm.

Comments

[castalianspring.livejournal.com]

I wasn't terribly impressed either, especially after all the hype that this was going to be the "best version of Robin Hood evar, omg!!!1!".

I kept watching, only b/c I was already working in the room and didn't feel like turning the TV off. Basically the two Scarlet boys, a random village boy, and Alan-a-Dale get taken in for stealing flour. They're sentenced to hang, Marion and her dad (the former Sheriff) tell Robin he'd better just let them die and bide his time until he can fight back effectively, but of course he doesn't and saves them at the last minute, making them all merry outlaws.

The Sheriff of Nottingham is...kind of camp. Very flamboyant and fond of strange idioms (some of them modern, which annoys). He wears a bad furry hat.

I might tune in for the next episode, but I won't go out of my way for it. After all the hype, I'm really very underwhelmed.

[ltlj.livejournal.com]

Huh. Sounds very underwhelming, compared to the Michael Praed version. I love that they filmed all that in real castles and ruins; the look, even in the first episodes which were a bit awkward, was incredible.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

I am getting curious on this, even if I know nothing will stop me from loving the REAL Will Scarlet!!! :-D Long live Ray Winstone! *grins*

[dbw.livejournal.com]

I think I'll just make up my own series starring Sean Bean as Robin and Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Mmm.

I'd pay good money to see that! :-)

[giglet.livejournal.com]

my own series starring Sean Bean as Robin and Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

I'd pay to watch that! Maybe even to read about it!