Robin of Sherwood - Mousie's first love and first OTP

[dangermousie]

Seeing that I am in the mood for something period and English, I dug out my DVDs of Robin of Sherwood, a 1980s BBC series that gave me my first OTP ever. I remember being seven years old, watching the dubbed episodes all tense with excitement, and then dragging one of my cousins to the attic to play Robin and Marian. Michael Praed's Robin and Jodi Trott's Marian were my first ever OTP - years before I even knew what an OTP was and, looking back, have informed a ridiculous amount of my current shippy preferences. I remember getting a long nightgown as a present for my eighth birthday and being excited because I could pretend it was Marian's dress.

I rewatched RoS decades later and realized it was a rare thing that held up from the days of my childhood. It remains my favorite take on the RH legend (only Parke Godwin's similarly dark take in two novels comes close) with its grime (Robin is no aristocrat here) and view of immutability of class and hopelessness and necessity of the fight. And yes, I am still obsessed with Robin and Marian.

Have a MV.

I think I won't rewatch the last ep of Series 2 though. Last time I did so, I had such bad hysterics, Mr. Mousie had to spend literally an hour comforting me and pointing out it's fiction.

Ah, childhood loves.

Comments

[missedirony.livejournal.com]

Squee! I loved RoS as a teenager and still love it now. It is also my favorite Robin Hood portrayal (and I've seen lots). I confess, though, that I do love 2nd Robin a bit more because he feistier. 1st Robin was awesome too, of course, and the end of the 2nd series is heartbreaking. Love that you love it!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I have a confession - I never saw the Jason Connery series because I was too upset about the first Robin :) Maybe I should.

[missedirony.livejournal.com]

Hard to say if you'll like him. He's definitely different from Michael Praed, which is what will either make you love him or hate him. It's also the other side of the Robin Hood myth where he was nobleman, hence he tends to be much more arrogant than 1st Robin. But they handle that issue in a realistic way and show some of the conflicts he faces. Give it a try!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Sounds interesting, I'll try.

[once-a-weaver.livejournal.com]

I don't like Connery as much as Praed, but there are some really nice episodes during his time.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[eccequambonum.livejournal.com]

Oh, you definitely have to try it. There is heartbreak and sorrow from them all, and they are slow to recover, but there are good episodes in that half of the series as well.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oooh, this sounds excellent.

[kainee.livejournal.com]

OMG, I just realized that I saw a series of Michael Praed's, the one that Scifi ran when it was still Scifi instead of Syfy where he played Phileas Fogg.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I saw some of that. OMG, that was him?

[kainee.livejournal.com]

Yeah I didn't realize it was him but it only jogged my memory because his last name's kinda uncommon and then I confirmed it with my google fu. It was the secret Adventures of Jules Verne and there was another character in there who was an Emma Peel knockoff that they made Phileas Fogg's cousin.

[gruskek.livejournal.com]

Loved that show as a kid and still love it now.

The episodes with Jason weren't bad at all. More realistic and action oriented rather than magical like with Michael. I prefer the ones with Michael, but I can totally understand where the people who prefer Jason's season are coming from. Give it a chance :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I might :)

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

Oh I love that series. I still remember rushing home from school on Wednesdays and watching an ep each week and reciting Alan A'Dale's morose prose LOL
I definitely prefer Michael's RH to Jason's. He was too blonde, too .. dunno too 1980's for me to fit dirty, grimey Robin.
And of course Judi Trott's Marian. I was so in love with her because here was a woman who had the same hair colour and frizziness as I had. A tangle of locks, yep that was me and here Judi was all ethereal and beautiful and just wow.
Strangely enough my absolutely favourite character wasn't Robin and Marian even though they were my OTP. It was Will Scathlock aka Scarlet played by Ray Winstone. I love his pithy comments and his fierceness.
Oh and 'Gissy-Baby' (our nickname for Gisbourne as he was such a big baby).
I really loved what Carpenter did with the original legend. But then again his TV series were always really good, I loved Ghosts of Motley Hall and Catweazle as a kid as well but RoS was something really different and important and beautiul.

I think I will dig out the DVDs again and re-watch the two first seasons :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, I didn't realize he did other shows - I should try finding them.

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

He did .. Richard Carpenter was THE kid's programme writer and producer during the 1960's to 1980's.
The Ghosts of Motley Hall
Catweazle
Dick Turpin Highwayman
He also did some kids' educational programmes but the above plus RoS are those were he was writer/producer.

[once-a-weaver.livejournal.com]

I love this show so much. I was just thinking about it recently while listening to the soundtrack.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It is so good.

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

I started the Parke Godwin books a while ago and while I loved what I read, I just got distracted by other things (I also ordered his Arthur books, his book on Harold Godwinsson and the one about Beowulf, so clearly I liked his writing.) I must confess that I found the most intriguing character in the first Robin Hood novel to be the Norman knight who was going to become the Sheriff of Nottingham :P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I read Lord of Sunset (the Harold book) and liked it, though I liked the RH books better (and yes, I really liked the Sheriff, whose name escapes me).

I really must read more of his.

[eccequambonum.livejournal.com]

You know how much I flail in joy over this show. Discovered it at around 11 while on vacation in Aruba, and went crazy with the satellite dish when we got hime to try and find where it was being broadcast from.

And don't forget Baby!Ray Winstone, and his oh so awkward acting back then. Oh, how far we've come...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I know, he was so young there...

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

I love RoS. I watch it at least once a year to revel in its glories. And its woes.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I know! So good.