The story of Robin
Hood and his Merry Men has been retold countless times through the centuries,
but Richard Carpenter wrote one of the most memorable retellings. I am, of
course, talking about the fabulous Robin of Sherwood. Robin of Sherwood ran on
ITV from 1984 to 1986 and instantly won over the hearts of many. With its
cleverly crafted mix of realism and fantasy, Robin of Sherwood was destined to
last the test of time. Now, 35 years later, we are heading back to Sherwood in
celebration of this wonderfully endearing series. One of my favourite
characters was the village elder, Edward of Wickham, and it is with the
greatest of pleasures that I welcome Jeremy Bulloch onto the blog today.
Hi Jeremy, it is such
an honour to have you on Myth’s, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots today. I am
so excited because you really were one of my favourite characters in the
series. I would love for us to travel back to Sherwood and talk about that
extraordinary time.
How did the role of
Edward of Wickham come to your attention?
My agent sent me along to HTV for the
interview.At the back of my mind I was
hoping that I was auditioning for the part of Robin! But the casting director
gently pointed out that I was perhaps a little too old!!! (I think I was around
40 at the time J.) I was offered the part of Edward of Wickham.
I adored
your characterisation of Edward. Edward came across as a very wise fatherly figure,
how much influence did you have on how you portrayed him?
I imagined Edward to be quite religious, also
my youngest son Robbie was playing my son Matthew in the series. This fostered my paternal feelings in the
show.
It must
have been wonderful working along side your son. In Hern’s Son — Part 1 there
is a very memorable scene in Wickham when you try to convince Sir Guy of
Gisborne that you found Robert’s horse and had sent men out looking for its
rider. When Guy turns his horse’s head, the animal catches your face. I have
often wondered — was this part of the script or was it what looked like a very
painful mistake?
Yes, it was a painful mistake. I also got kicked by a goat I was milking in
one of the episodes.
Oh, no! I
cannot imagine how much that hurt. I want to come away from Robin of Sherwood
just for a moment and talk about another character whom I think any fan of
science fiction will be very familiar with and that is Boba Fett. How did you
come upon the part of Boba Fett and what was it like working with George Lucas
in those early days of the Star Wars franchise?
My half-brother Robert Watts was co-producer
on the original Star Wars film and called me one day as they were auditioning
for a small part in The Empire Strikes Back.
I explained that it would be difficult as I was appearing in a play in
the West End at the time.
I did go along for the audition and the suit
fitted perfectly, so I got the part.It
was quite difficult working all day in the studio and then rushing to the
theatre in the evening for a performance.George Lucas was brilliant although quite a shy man.
Back to Sherwood! Did
you ever imagine that Robin of Sherwood would become quite as popular as it
did? And are you surprised at how it has stood the test of time?
I think it was a brilliant show and captured the
imagination of many – the proof being that is still very much popular viewing
with a huge following.
Jeremy Bulloch (Edward of Whickham) Phil Rose ( Friar Tuck).
Thank you so much,
Jeremy, for talking to us today!
Special Thanks
Special thanks to Carole Elizabeth Ballard for her generous help with the Robin of Sherwood celebrations!
All images are copyright protected. Carole Elizabeth Ballard has kindly granted permission to use the said images for the purpose of this blog post only.
Exclusive interview with Barnaby Eaton-Jones from Spiteful
Puppet
It was 28th June 1986 when we saw the credits roll for the last time. And like many other dedicated fans, I remember thinking, that can’t be the end? There are too many unanswered questions. But little did we all know that it was not the end. Time waits, they say, and so must we. I am glad to say the wait was worth it! We
are continuing with our celebrations of all things Robin of Sherwood today, and
it is my very great pleasure to welcome Barnaby Eaton-Jones from Spiteful Puppet onto
the blog today!
Robert Of Huntingdon aims his bow...!
Hi Barnaby, welcome to Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots. It is
so fabulous that you could join us today and talk about your Robin of Sherwood
journey.
Your audio production company, Spiteful Puppet, could
have chosen any television show to resurrect — why Robin of Sherwood?
Well, nothing’s forgotten.
Nothing’s ever forgotten. Ahem. But, it wasn’t their idea (although I found out
later that they’d looked into doing it and then decided to do their own version
of the Robin Hood legend called ‘Hood’, by Iain Meadows; which won a fair few
awards). Spiteful Puppet actually didn’t come on board the project until quite
late into production but the actual start of the whole journey began, for me, when
a lovely fan called Rowena Sayer passed on the only copy of Richard ‘Kip’
Carpenter’s unproduced ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’ script to me – which
she’d won in an auction a few years before – that even had Kip’s annotations in
biro on it.
It was like being handed the
Dead Sea Scrolls. I felt like Herne the Hunter. And the script was a hefty
2-hour movie size. So, I soon felt like Hernia the Hunter as I didn’t want to
put it down.
Anyway, Rowena wanted it to
go back to Kip’s estate, as he’d not long passed away, and handed it over to me
at the 30th anniversary event I was running. Harriet, Kip’s
daughter, graciously agreed to it being adapted for audio, the cast agreed to
come on board (and Jason Connery and Mark Ryan magnificently backed me up when
it all nearly fell apart, which I’ll always be humbled and grateful to them for
doing that), and Spiteful Puppet then kindly press-ganged me into their
company.
As for why ‘Robin of Sherwood’ (you may have noticed I’ve waffled on without
answering the question), it’s because it’s so powerful and evocative and
mystical and mysterious as a series – with such symbolism and adult themes –
and it’s all wrapped up in storytelling that is so engaging and exciting that
you can’t help taking yourself back to it and watching it all over again. Many
people said it was too ‘visual’ a series to put on audio but it’s the words and
the music and the sounds and the feel of it that pulls you in. With those
original television pictures playing in your head, it’s so easy to allow the
audios to seep into your ears and create new episodes for you to re-play that
you can see happening in your mind’s eye.
Judi Trott (Marion) and Jason Connery (Robin).
I cannot even begin to imagine how exciting that must
have been to be handed Richard Carpenter’s script for ‘The Knights of the
Apocalypse’s.’ How easy was it to get ITV and the original cast onside?
To get the one-off licence
for ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’ was a journey worthy of Phileas Fogg from
‘Eighty Days Around The World’ – if he’d been stopped at every country he
entered and told to turn back and start again but by going a different route. Ha.
There were a lot of ‘no’ emails from ITV, to begin with. One of the original
producers of the television show, Esta Charkham, fired off a very firm email to
them on our behalf and – with the added bonus of a script from the original
creator/writer of the series – ITV slowly thawed.
Clive Mantle (Little John).
Then, when KOTA was a
success, I think it took about two years of negotiations to get a licence to
continue. These things are never quick! The great thing about building a
relationship with a licence holder is that you can prove yourself and ITV have
been really supportive of all that’s come since KOTA.
As for the original cast,
they were marvellous for ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’. You couldn’t have
asked for a more positive bunch, partly because they knew the first one was a
Kip script (so it had his essence running through it) and partly because – I
hope – they felt they could trust me because I’d organised some events for the
show that they’d attended and seemed to have a fun time doing so. I also had
the naked photos of them all at an orgy in Nickolas Grace’s hot tub too. That
helped the most. Ahem.
Nickolas Grace (The Sheriff of Nottingham).
I am sure the photo was the deal breaker!! The
original writer, Richard Carpenter, sadly passed away some years ago.
How did you go about finding new ones?
I feel absolutely gutted, to
this day, that the whole process of getting ‘Robin of Sherwood’ on audio
arrived just too late for him to contribute properly too. I’d sent him an email
about it all very shortly before he unexpectedly passed away. I don’t know if
he read it. I like to hope that he did and that he was excited about the
possibility of a new version on audio. It’s been a genuine joy to get to know
his daughter, Harriet, and her positivity and knowledge has played a big role
in not straying too far away from her father’s template for the show.
Finding new writers was a
real challenge. I asked a lot of writers I knew (and a lot I didn’t) to provide
pitches for an episode that they might conceivably write. All of them provided
something unique and fascinating but not every pitch felt like a Kip script
idea. That was the barometer, really. Whether it felt like something Kip would
come up with. He had a way of writing that I managed to ape (as I was one of
the three writers who adapted ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’) and I found I
could capture his dialogue well. I needed writers who could do the same.
Everything had to be approved by Kip’s Estate, ITV and Spiteful Puppet – so,
there were a lot of hoops to jump through before anything got commissioned. Then,
of course, there was the cast’s opinions and thoughts (some of whom had always
talked about how collaborative Kip was in his writing, discussing things with
them). It really was a process of trial and error and elimination.
My original pie-in-the-sky
idea was to get in Anthony Horowitz (who wrote a few episodes of Series 3, when
Kip’s workload on the television show became too much). Sadly, he’s a very busy
man but he’s always acknowledged that Kip was his mentor and gave him his start
in the business. One day, perhaps, he and I will find a way to make it work.
But, for now, I think we’ve had some amazing writers follow in Kip’s footsteps.
Big thanks to Iain Meadows, Jennifer Ash, Paul Birch, Paul Kane and Tony Lee
(all fans of the television show) for just getting it so right.
Hats off to all the writers who have made this
possible. Stepping into Richard Carpenters shoes must have been incredibly
humbling to them all, but I think they have done a marvellous job. Do you have
a favourite original episode? New audio episode?
I do, yes. And I’m not
telling. Tee hee.
No, it’s always difficult
picking a favourite ‘thing’ because it often depends what mood you’re in that
day. It’s why I fail spectacularly at the ‘Top Ten Films’ or ‘Top Ten Books’
type of lists.
Michael Praed (Robin: Season 1 & 2) Jason Connery (Robin: Season 3)
If you buttonholed me today
(which is apparently quite painful depending where you buttonhole), I’d have to
say ‘Herne’s Son’ for the television series. That’s simply because, like
‘Doctor Who’ before it, changing the lead actor for the lead role in a highly
successful television series - and giving such a brilliant reason and backstory
for doing so - makes it such a risky and clever adventure. Plus, I quite fancy
Jason Connery. Don’t tell him. It’s why my wife looks so like him. Ha.
As for the audio, I’ve got to
go with ‘What Was Lost’. That’s because it was the first episode(s) of an
imagined Series 4 that never got to be on television. Following on directly
from the end of Series 3, myself and Iain Meadows (the writer) had a few
conversations with Jason Connery about where the series should go and where
he’d like to see his character be after the harrowing events of the conclusion
of ‘Time of the Wolf’. The excitement of the ‘anything can happen’ storyline,
where we’re not bound by the continuity of the television stories, was
intoxicating.
Peter Llewellyn Williams (Much) Producer/Director Barnaby Eaton-Jones.
It wasn’t a full-cast audio,
as there was a mutual decision from us and Jason for him to deliver it as a
narration because it was such a big deal and it really needed to be his voice telling the story of his Robin. He put in such a good
performance over what is essentially a movie-length story (or a two-parter, if
we’re talking television terms) that I don’t think it loses anything by not
being performed by the rest of the cast on this occasion. I remember checking
the final recording for levels, by listening to the first five minutes – and
then finding myself at the end of Part One, having been drawn into the story
totally. It also helps that our sound designer, Joseph Fox, is a canny devil
and can perfectly create a soundscape that feels like you’re there living out
the story in your head with the narrator (or full cast).
Tell me about the Hooded Man events?
There’s been a long history
of events celebrating the television series (as there often is with popular or
cult shows) and I basically am following in the forest trails of other
well-loved versions. However, I think I’ve managed to provide something a little different to previous UK
conventions that, like my taste in shirts (which fans seem to take delight in
commenting on!), are just bigger, funnier and more colourful.
That’s really all down to the
cast being willing and happy to come along and join in the fun (the comical
‘cut’ scene from KOTA, performed by them at the 2016 convention, was a
highlight for me!) and also because the fans themselves are a happy and supportive
bunch. I run a bi-annual weekend event and am just experimenting with a one-day
event in-between, celebrating one episode rather than the series as a whole
(which the weekend ones do). I’ve been able to donate a lot of money to The
Sherwood Forest Trust because of this and also I’m really very proud of the newly-forged
friendships (and relationships and marriages!) that have come out of the events
since I started them in 2014. My happiness always comes from seeing others
happy.
They’re a lot of hard work in
the planning, which is just me trying not to melt my brain too much, but - of
course - none of it would run smoothly without my willing bunch of interviewers
and stewards and the fact my wife basically is a clockwork machine at the
actual event and allows me to float about whilst she marshals the troops.
Lastly, anything new in the Robin of Sherwood
pipeline?
Yes.
Oh, you want to know? Sorry.
It’s something quite big,
actually. It’s been difficult to keep it a secret but I’m hoping, in a week or
so, I can announce it. Keep your eyes peeled by liking my Facebook page – HERE!.
Jason Connery
I don’t want to end on a
blatant plug so can I just say a quick thank you for interviewing me. I always
feel a little bit of a fraud being interviewed about ‘Robin of Sherwood’,
because I’m just holding the hood at the moment until someone else comes to wear
it, and I know I’m in a very privileged position to be running events and
providing new stories for this amazing show. I don’t ever take that for
granted.
I’d also like to just take a
moment to thank the ever-lovely fans, who are a very groovy bunch of diverse
people from all over the world (waves manically around the globe), and also the
amazing cast/crew from the television series who – without question – have been
so welcoming to me and encouraging but rightly protective of the legacy of the
series that means so much to them.
Michael Praed.
I’ll always try my best to
get it right for Kip, for the original cast/crew, and for the fans.
Thank you so much, Barnaby, for taking the time out to
talk to us about Robin of Sherwood today!
As the sunlight splinters in a thousand pieces upon the forest floor, we once again find ourselves in Sherwood. This is an ancient land, a strange one where the morning mist hints at the myths and legends that this green canvas inspires.
We are continuing with our celebrations of all things Robin of Sherwood today, and it is my very great pleasure to welcome Jason Connery onto the blog. For those who are fans of the show, and for those of you who are checking out the show for the first time, Jason took on the iconic role of Robin Hood in 1986.
Hi Jason, welcome to Myths, Legends, Books
& Coffee Pots. It is so fabulous that you could join us today and talk
about Robin of Sherwood.
When the credits rolled at the end of The
Greatest Enemy, which saw the death of Michael Praed’s beloved character Robin
of Loxley, the fans were left with a promise of a new Hooded Man and a
continuation of the story.
How did you come by the role of Robert of
Huntingdon?
I was called by my agent
who said they were re-casting “Robin” for Robin of Sherwood and they
were looking for someone quite different from Michael, as they had an idea for
a completely different character, that actually Robin was an amalgam of
different people and that one of the stories was of an Earl’s son.
Straight away there was a notable difference between your character and Michael’s, and you certainly brought something wonderfully new to the series. Were you a fan of the show before you became a part of it?
I knew of the show, but
had been working in the theatre quite a bit and so I was on stage on Saturdays,
and recording shows was not big back then!!
What was the first day on set like?
Well there was quite a
lead in to the first show, I had been practicing all sorts of fighting
with the other Merries, so I had got to know them a bit before starting.
The first episode I did was actually Adam Bell and it was lovely to start with
a story about a man who used in some ways to be a Robin Hood character back in
the day and Bryan Marshall was lovely to work with, so my first day, although
scary was so much fun!
"Adam Bell" was a fantastic episode, and Bryan Marshall made a fabulous antagonist. I think we can all agree that you brought something very new to the story in your characterisation of Robin. How much influence did you have on how you portrayed him?
Kip Carpenter the writer
was such an amazing man so full of fun and he loved to tell stories obviously,
he was very open to us all bringing ideas, and he and I did spend a lot of time
with Judi talking about how she and I would get together as it was incredibly
important that she had time to get over her lose. We also spoke a lot about how
I was to bring the Merries back together and not just round them up and off we
go, they needed to really want to follow a new leader.
Which leads me very nicely into the next question.
In the opening episodes of Season 3, Robert finds himself in some very sticky
situations. Not only does he have to fight Lord Owen of Clun, but he also has
to fight several merry men — including Will Scarlet, as he tries to convince
them of his worth. The fight scenes were superbly choreographed and very
memorable. Of all the weapons that Robin uses, which one was the most
challenging to get to grips with?
Luckily, I had done some
sword fighting in past jobs so that was okay, but I did get bashed on the head
with Clive’s staff in the fight scene we had in the opening double episode,
forgot to cover for the top shot!! Which of course Clive thought was
hilarious!! But I think in some ways the hardest was firing the bow and
arrow at speed, if you don’t nock the arrow exactly right, it all goes wrong
very quickly and if your Robin and it goes wrong, your street cred
goes out the window!!!
It would not do for Robin to miss his target! I have had a go at using a longbow and it not easy, you, of course, made it look simple! There are some very memorable villains in Robin of Sherwood. Your character’s nemesis was, with the exception of the Sheriff of Nottingham and Sir Guy of Gisborne, Gulnar — played by the fabulous Richard O'Brien. Who was your favourite villain in the series and why?
There were so many
villains in ROS, it’s tough to name one, of course Richard O’Brien came back a
number of times so we did get to know him better than the rest of the guest
stars and he was great fun to work with always looking for different ways to
stir up the magical side of his abilities. Another great Villain was Valentine
Pelka who played Sarak, he was the strong silent type and his swordplay did his
talking, great fight between him and Mark Ryan.
The sword fight between
Mark and Valentine was amazing. What was your most memorable scene while
filming?
I will say one of the
most memorable was getting my eyebrows and full fringe burnt off my face when
standing over the lake in Cromm Cruac, there was just meant to be a small fire
explosion over the lake, but it was a lot bigger than intended, the look on the
make-up girls face when she saw me was “Memorable”!! But honestly there
was so many, it was such a joy to go to work everyday. I am friends to this day
with all the Merries and many of the rest of the cast and crew. It was quite
early in my career and I thought all jobs were like that but actually
they aren’t and I do feel so blessed to have been part of the show
and the people in it.
Oh, my goodness, I can see why that would be memorable! Apart from the singed hair and eyebrows, did Robin of Sherwood change your life in any way?
It did in so many ways.
I had never worked with such an array of people and for an extended amount
of time. I was on television every Saturday for a while and experienced
being a known face, which was very new to me, I had seen it with my Dad but had
not experienced it myself, it opened up my career to many other jobs and I traveled
all over the world, but best in some ways, it gave me some of the closest
friends who I adore to this day.
Moving away from Robin of Sherwood very briefly.
What made you decided to come away from working in front of the camera, and
become a director?
I really feel it is a
natural transition, I love telling stories and to be able to do it from not
just one perspective but from many and encompass the whole
story is a lot more work and commitment but incredibly rewarding.
You are also very supportive of the next
generation of filmmakers, and you are a patron of The Bath School of Acting. How
important is it to you, to encourage future filmmakers?
I do think it’s
important. Back in LA I started something called “Short
Mondays” where film makers could show their shot films and then do a Q and
A afterwards. I did a play with Tristan Carter who runs The
Bath School of Acting and he asked me to be involved, I think passing on
anything that might be of use and connecting people together is the framework
for a successful society.
Let’s head back to Sherwood...
I am sure many of Robin of Sherwood’s loyal fans
know that in recent years you and several members of the cast have worked with
Barnaby Eaton-Jones and Spiteful Puppet to bring us a Robin of Sherwood audio
drama. What was your initial reaction when you were asked if this was something
you would like to be a part of? What was it like to be back almost thirty
years later, playing Robin?
I was quite surprised about how
protective I felt about the show and also the fans that love it. I didn’t want
to do something that was a pale copy of the original, in fact we all talked
about that a lot. The script used was an actual “Kip” script that was
never made, and we all knew Barnaby from the conferences, so there was a level
of trust. The most rewarding part was actually watching the fans faces
listening to the 5 minute promo that was played when we all met up, it was very
moving to see them all close their eyes and hear new words being spoken for the
first time, by characters they knew and loved.
Thirty-five years on and Robin of Sherwood is
still enjoyed by so many people. What kind of legacy do you hope Robin of
Sherwood will leave for future generations?
Of course when you make
a show, you hope people like it, but you never think “will they like it in
35 years time”!!! If people continue to garner enjoyment from the show, I
couldn’t ask for anything more. When we do conventions and fans bring their
children, who they have introduced to the show and they also love it, even if
they are quite confused about why I don’t look anything like the Robin
they have watched on ROS!!
Jason Connery (Robin) , Mark Ryan (Nasir) , Clive Mantle (Little John), Peter Llewellyn Williams Much), Phil Rose (Friar Tuck).
