# Brit Dopers, what's this Robin Hood the series thing?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [February 21, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126 "2007-02-21T19:51:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/1 "2007-02-21T19:51:48Z")
I just got an advertisement for it. It’s premiering on BBC America March 3rd.
Is it any good? A quick look online shows you guys have already seen the first season.
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2007, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/2 "2007-02-21T20:52:34Z")
I wasn’t impressed, and it didn’t get great ratings. It was aimed at the early-evening Dr Who timeslot/audience, which perhaps meant it was destined to be just lots of people running and fighting in castles and forests. Keith Allen turns up doing a typecast hard-man as the Sheriff. The rest of the cast are forgettable.
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### Author:  [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/3 "2007-02-21T21:38:08Z")
Well, it’ll be on Saturdays at 9PM and I don’t watch anything on Saturdays anyway, so I guess I’ll give it a chance. Sounds like I shouldn’t get excited though.
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### Author:  [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/4 "2007-02-21T21:42:37Z")
No, it wasn’t great. 13th century England looked curiously deserted, with Nottingham apparently having a population of about 50. Meanwhile, the Merry Men spoke very 21st century English, and Robin Hood himself looked about 17. In some of his scrapes you half-expected him to pull out a mobile phone and send a text to Little John. It was quite nicely shot, though. Maybe it got better, I only saw one-and-a-half episodes.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2007, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/5 "2007-02-21T22:58:00Z")
Skip the new one and get [Robin of Sherwood](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086791/) on DVD instead.
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### Author:  [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2007, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/6 "2007-02-21T23:59:27Z")
The first season of Robin of Sherwood seems to be coming out on DVD next month. I haven’t seen the new series, but I’ve certainly seen Robin of Sherwood. It was a great show, and had music from Clannad in it as an added bonus.
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### Author:  [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/7 "2007-02-22T00:06:09Z")
I just checked Netflix and _Robin of Sherwood_ is due out March 13th. Never heard of it before now but I added it to my queue.
I guess the BBC just can’t say “no” to a Robin Hood remake. 🙂
I wish they’d make more episodes of _Spooks_ instead.
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### Author:  [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/8 "2007-02-22T07:22:24Z")
I seem to remember the talk before the premiere: REinventing, less archaic, reaching new demographs. It work well with A Knight’s Tale, but the Beeb didn’t bring Robin enough over the top to be fun.
Also, the heavy handed commentary on the State O’ The World Today turned me off after two episodes.
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### Author:  [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/9 "2007-02-22T07:28:24Z")
The series wasn’t even made in the UK . It was filmed in Hungary.
_Robin of Sherwood_ was an ITV production. So technically this new series by the BBC wasn’t a remake by them. But I get your point.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/10 "2007-02-22T08:41:08Z")
I tried it, but didn’t like it; the dialogue, idioms and mannerisms are conspicuously modern and the effect is uncomfortably jarring. Kevin Costner’s movie was a far better Robin Hood than this, which is saying something.
And production values weren’t exactly brilliant. My ten-year-old daughter kept spotting things like guards wearing white Nike shoes.
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### Author:  [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/11 "2007-02-22T08:48:15Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout]
My ten-year-old daughter kept spotting things like guards wearing white Nike shoes.
[/QUOTE]
Bless her heart. She’ll be a Doper one day, yes?
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### Author:  [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/12 "2007-02-22T11:11:09Z")
Let me add my voice to those hailing ‘Robin of Sherwood’. An infinitely better series, full of mystical hokum, great music and a fair amount of tragedy.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/13 "2007-02-22T11:13:32Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon]
Bless her heart. She’ll be a Doper one day, yes?
[/QUOTE]
Probably. She’s enough of a whiner.
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/14 "2007-02-22T11:21:09Z")
[QUOTE=silenus]
Skip the new one and get [Robin of Sherwood](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086791/) on DVD instead.
[/QUOTE]
Michael Praed! ::clutches heart, falls over::
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### Author:  [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/15 "2007-02-22T11:25:54Z")
It’s an opportunity to drool over Richard Armitage…what more could you want? Admittedly the original with Michael Praed was also rather droolworthy!
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### Author:  [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/16 "2007-02-22T11:49:55Z")
I quite enjoyed the series. There were things wrong with it, but for early saturday evening it was good television. Anything that moves UK saturday TV away from the godawful ‘Ant and Dec’ vehicle gameshow/variety programmes and towards family comedy/drama is a good thing in my view.
Robin Hood isn’t as good as Dr Who, but compared to anything offered by any of the other channels (terrestrial or satellite) it is a godsend.
ITV has essentially given up on making original drama (and comedy and documentaries) of any quality (occasionally dragging out old series like ‘Cracker’ doesn’t count). Channel 4 seems to either buy in US programming, or focus their shows on a narrow 18-30 market (which they seem to be very good at). Channel 5 doesn’t seem to produce anything of any quality (in any genre). Sky buys in most stuff, and the stuff it does produce is dire (even the much advertised ‘Hogfather’ adaptation this Christmas was no where near the level of similar BBC productions) and seems aimed squarely at the developmentally and educationally challenged.
Overall I think that both Robin Hood (despite the problems with it) and Dr Who will have a bar raising effect on Saturday evening family entertainment which is a good thing.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/17 "2007-02-22T12:33:11Z")
[QUOTE=Szlater]
Overall I think that both Robin Hood (despite the problems with it) and Dr Who will have a bar raising effect on Saturday evening family entertainment which is a good thing.
[/QUOTE]
Crikey, I hope not. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s wrong, but the Beeb just seem to be churning out a lot of plodding, stiff, formulaic stuff at the moment - Doctor Who, Torchwood, Robin Hood, even MI High - they all sort of smoosh into one lukewarm bland entity.
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### Author:  [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/18 "2007-02-22T12:40:04Z")
It was crap. An excuse for the script writers to force their politics down our necks and create a weak allegory rather than create an engaging drama. Outlaws babbling about human rights and arrest without trial? Robin Hood a pacifist? A camp sidekick? It’s 13th century England for Christ’s sake! Where is the violence? The looting?
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### Author:  [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/19 "2007-02-22T13:09:51Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout]
Crikey, I hope not. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s wrong, but the Beeb just seem to be churning out a lot of plodding, stiff, formulaic stuff at the moment - Doctor Who, Torchwood, Robin Hood, even MI High - they all sort of smoosh into one lukewarm bland entity.
[/QUOTE]
My point is that it’s better than what the competition is doing in similar time-slots.
My hope is that by reintroducing the early evening saturday family drama (Dr Who and Robin Hood) it will promote the idea that we can have programming that whole families can watch together than isn’t just a Vernon Kaye/Ant n Dec vehicle.
MIHigh? Isn’t that aimed squarely at the under-12s, rather than the whole family? I watched one and a half episodes and couldn’t see what would attract anyone above the age of 13 to the programme.
If you want to look at kids TV, ITV seem to be desperate to rid themselves of the requirement to broadcast any children’t programming, probably to fit more Jeremy Kyle in. Channel 4, as far as I can tell, caters to teenagers rather than kids, and Channel 5 seems to be buying in just about any crap that they can find overseas. At least the BBC make an effort to commission and produce programming that spans the age range, practically from cradle to grave.
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### Author:  [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2007, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brit-dopers-whats-this-robin-hood-the-series-thing/393126/20 "2007-02-22T13:20:50Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by \* **Dominic Mulligan** :
> It was crap. An excuse for the script writers to force their politics down our necks and create a weak allegory rather than create an engaging drama. Outlaws babbling about human rights and arrest without trial? Robin Hood a pacifist? A camp sidekick? It’s 13th century England for Christ’s sake! Where is the violence? The looting?
As above. I’m one of those who gave up after two episodes :dubious:
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