I was quite impressed by Robin of Sherwood when it first appeared on TV, but by the time Michael Praed had bowed out of the title role at the end of the second series, I’d begun to lose interest, and I never saw the third and final series except in passing. So this collection of the Jason Connery years was pretty new to me.

Taking a more mythical approach to the Robin Hood legend than previous versions, Robin of Sherwood offered a solid mix of action, fantasy and humour, aimed squarely at the Saturday evening family audience. When Praed bailed to join Dynasty, Connery took over as a new Robin, trading on the fact that the legend of Robin Hood alternately identifies him as two different people – a commoner-turned-outlaw, and the son of the Earl of Huntingdon. It’s this latter incarnation that Connery plays – a wealthy nobleman who is summoned by Herne the Hunter to take over as the new Robin Hood when the original is killed. Initially resisting, he is finally spurred to action when Maid Marion (Judi Trott) is kidnapped by a band of ruffians. He sets out to reunite the Merry Men – Little John (Clive Mantle), Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone), Much (Peter Llewellyn Williams, Friar Tuck (Phil Rose) and Nasir (Mark Ryan), and after the expected misunderstandings and mistrust, the band are reunited. The rest of the series follows their adventures as they battle the Sheriff of Nottingham (Nickolas Grace) and Guy of Gisbourne (Robert Addie) while robbing the rich to feed the poor.

Robin Hood has been filmed so many times that bringing something new to the story was quite an achievement, especially as the story had long since descended into camp. But there are no ‘men in tights’ here, and the shows are fairly rough and ready, with a surprisingly violent edge (bad guys are routinely shot in the back; when the Sheriff refers to Robin and his men as ‘murderers’, he’s not entirely wrong, given that one episode opens with what can only be described as a massacre by them). Helped by Clannad’s atmospheric music, the series has an authenticity and atmosphere sadly missing in most versions – the less we say about the recent BBC version of the story, the better.

Connery, it must be said, seems a little stiff at times, and while convincing as the son of a Lord, is less effective in fight scenes. But the supporting cast help things along nicely, and a strong array of guest villains – Richard O’Brien, Lewis Collins, Ian Ogilvy – along with strong screenplays from creator Richard Carpenter and Anthony Horowitz keep things moving along nicely. Nickolas Grace in particular does a fine job as the twitchy-eyed Sheriff.

Sadly, as sub-plot that reveals Robin to be the half-brother of Gisbourne goes nowhere – presumably this would’ve been explored in the fourth season. The abrupt cancellation of the show, which was a ratings hit but too costly, means it ends more on a whimper than a bang.

Still, watching it now, I was impressed at how well it holds up. Thankfully shot entirely on film, it looks good, and while Connery’s hair is very Eighties, it generally hasn’t dated. It is, in short, a lot better than I recalled, and well worth revisiting.

Network’s Blu-ray set is suitably extensive – with commentary tracks, more chatty than informative, on each episode, plus isolated music scores on several; a feature-length retrospective documentary; vintage promo slots, outtakes, a piece on Clannad and much more rounding out an impressive set.

DAVID FLINT

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