Robin Whood: Meet the Legend

Guest contributor Liam Duke examines the history of the legendary outlaw.

I’ve always wanted a Robin Hood themed episode of Doctor Who, and we’re now getting one in Mark Gatiss’ “Robot of Sherwood” (a clever play on words of the term ‘Robin of Sherwood’). I’m very excited for the episode and have always been fascinated by the debate as to whether or not Robin did exist (I think he did), so to prepare ourselves for the adventure coming soon let’s take a look at the legend himself and debate as to how he’ll fit into the Whoniverse.

To begin, ask yourself one question: when is Robin Hood NOT Robin Hood? The answer is…when he’s not. You see, the legend of Robin Hood has lasted over 600 years and nowadays is completely different to its origins, changing who or what Robin was time and time again. I’m sure you’re aware of characters such as Friar Tuck, Alan a Dale, and of course Maid Marian, but did you know none of those characters even existed in the original tales? The concept of ‘steal from the rich, give to the poor’ was also added to the mix much later on. Let’s delve deeper…

Origins

The earliest mentions of Robin Hood came from ballads or songs, where he had names like ‘Robinhood’, ‘Robehod’ and ‘Robbehod’. The earliest ballad known was written in around 1450 and, then called ‘The Talkyng of the munke and Robyn Hode’ is now known as ‘Robin Hood and the Monk’. Many of these ballads depicted Robin Hood in various ways; ‘A Gest of Robyn Hode’ shows him acting like a brave knight, while ‘Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne’ made him seem like a cold-blooded murderer. This is why many people have different views of Hood; some think of him as a hero while many historians believe if he ever existed he was outlawed for ruthless murders. Most people don’t realise the violence shown in these ballads; Robin had decapitated both Guy of Gisborne and the Sheriff of Nottingham in two separate ballads alone. This Robin also never recruited peasants to create a new social order in England like in many movies and TV shows. The early Robin Hood also never met King Richard, who he is often seen serving and adoring in many adaptations of the legend nowadays.

The Merry Men

The number of ‘Merry Men’ Robin had also varies from around 12 to 140 in different tales. Most of them aren’t given names, except the well-known Little John (who appears in all the stories and often fought with Robin), Will Scarlett and Much the Miller’s Son. There wasn’t a Maid Marian in sight! In fact, there are few women in the early stories at all.

Sherwood

Robin Hood is famous for living with his band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest, and real-life outlaw gangs did do this; it is argued that the tale of Robin Hood borrowed this concept and many other factors from real-life outlaws such as Eustace the Monk and William Wallace. However, Robin has been placed in other proverbs to Barnsdale, an area north of Doncaster. Why he is associated with two separate places is still unknown. One explanation is that the Robin Hood tales originated in Yorkshire and separate stories about a corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham, and one writer decided to pit the two against each other.

Robin Hood On Film

Robin Hood’s constantly changing story has been told again and again on film and TV. The first film was released in 1908; by 1914 there had already been five Robin Hood films. A definitive Robin Hood was played by Errol Flynn in ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’ (1938). However, this version is very unhistorical (you can even spot a car in one shot). One of the best known animated films is the Disney version in 1973, where Robin Hood was a cartoon fox (now THAT would’ve made a good episode!). Another iconic film was 1991’s ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’ starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman (in one of his earliest roles) and more recently came 2010’s adaptation staring Russell Crowe as ‘Robin Longstride’.

Robin Hood On TV

One of the first, if not THE first, Robin Hood TV series has a link to Doctor Who itself! ‘Robin Hood’ was a live action 1953 series broadcast on the BBC. And who starred in it as Robin? Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor! In 1973, Troughton told of how the backdrop was once put in incorrectly, so the trees of Sherwood were facing sideways; this was broadcast live, mistakes and all. A more recent TV series is 2006’s ‘Robin Hood’ (again on the BBC and starring Jonas Armstrong and…Sam Troughton, Patrick Troughton’s grandson and son of David Troughton, who appeared in ‘Midnight’ in 2008). This series featured a character called Djaq, who dresses as man but is actually a woman. This character varies in name, nature and gender, but has become a permanent addition to the legend since their first appearance only around 20 years ago, showing how recently changes to the tale have been made.

Robin Hood in Books

There are countless numbers of published books about Robin Hood to read. One that may be of interest is to Doctor Who fans in particular is ‘The Coming of the Terraphiles’ by Michael Moorcock, where the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond compete for a silver arrow on the planet Flynn (a nod to Errol Flynn, mentioned earlier) with Robin ‘Bingo’ Lockesley and Lord Sherwood. I believe a gold arrow will feature in “Robot of Sherwood”.

The Legend Ends

The end of Robin Hood’s story is quite similar amongst all adaptations, starting with the story ‘Robin Hood’s Death’. In it, a dying Robin shoots one last arrow and asks to be buried where it lands before passing away.

Robin Hood In Doctor Who

Exactly how Robin Hood will be presented in “Robot of Sherwood” is unclear (unless you’ve read the leaked script, which I haven’t) but we do know they’ll be some Merry Men and the Sheriff of Nottingham (played by Ben Miller). I’m also guessing we’ll see robots, so we have something new to add to the legend! The prospect of Robin Hood in Doctor Who is very exciting indeed, so I can’t wait to see how he interacts with the Doctor, Clara and the other characters present in the story. Who knows what references Gatiss has put into his script as I’ve barely covered any of the vast material based on this wonderful legend that’s out there to be read, watched and loved.

The legend of Robin Hood is known for its flexibility, always able to change and adapt for the current audience, hence why it’s lasted for so long and is still so popular today. Who knows what Robin Hood will look or be like in generations to come and how the stories will evolve, but I hope we can look back on “Robot of Sherwood” and appreciate the twist on the legend only a show like Doctor Who can give us. I hope you’ve been inspired to investigate the tales of Robin Hood further; thank you for reading and enjoy “Robot of Sherwood”!