In the mid-1980s, the BBC and ITV's flagship sci-fi/fantasy series both killed off their title characters in stories that were arguably the series' best ever. Both series continued - although the BBC's lasted for a few years more than ITV's - but few would argue that they emulated their previous highs.

Coincidentally, Jason Connery appears in both - as a guest star in Doctor Who: Vengeance on Varos and as the title character in Robin of Sherwood. Neither Connery nor Colin Baker are as good as their predecessors, but as a series Robin fares better than Who since the rest of the regular cast are still in place and still as good as ever. By contrast, Doctor Who only had Nicola Bryant to provide some continuity and she and Baker never came close to matching the Fifth Doctor/Peri relationship from The Caves of Androzani.

It's generally perceived that this final season of Robin of Sherwood isn't a patch on the first two, and that Jason Connery's portrayal of Robin is as wooden as Sherwood itself. Admittedly, it isn't as strong as the first two, but it's still highly enjoyable and although Connery's Robin isn't as interesting as Michael Praed's was, he's not as completely hopeless in the title role as, say, Sylvester McCoy was in Doctor Who.

Season three was twice as long as the first two, and so Network have split it over two separate double-DVD sets, both with the level of extras that we have come to expect from Network.

Having utilised one version of the Robin Hood legend with his first Robin, Richard Carpenter cleverly switched to the other with his second - Robert, son of the Earl of Huntingdon.

After Robin of Loxley's death in The Greatest Enemy, the outlaws were saved by a mysterious hooded man, who didn't reveal himself to either them or the viewers. Unwilling to fulfill his destiny as Herne's Son, Robert allows the outlaws to drift apart, until events force him to bring them together once more.

The opening two parter sees Owen of Clun, a vital political ally of the King, becoming infatuated with Marion, who has been pardoned and is living with her father. Robert's attempted intervention only inflames the situation and when Marion is kidnapped, he must convince the former wolfsheads to help him save her. Initially Robert tries to keep his identity hidden from the Sheriff and Gisburne, although his injury in The Power of Albion eventually gives the game away.

Due to the length of season three, additional writers were brought in to relieve some of the burden from Richard Carpenter. Disc 2 opens with two non-Carpenter episodes, The Inheritance and The Sheriff of Nottingham, both written by Anthony Horowitz.

Given the subject matter of The Inheritance, it was rather ironic that I watched it soon after seeing Ray Winstone in King Arthur, although the Round Table here is far less glamorous than in the film.

The Sheriff of Nottingham sees a new Sheriff installed, as Lewis Collins arrives in Nottingham, determined to out-camp Nickolas Grace. It's good to see Mark Ryan's Nasir with more to do than usual, as he gets to face off against Philip Mark's Saracen sidekick Sarak.

This first set concludes with The Cross of St Ciricus, which reveals something about Robin's background, while Scarlet's reactions after he thinks he's contracted leprosy are hilarious..

As with the first two sets, Network have put in the effort on the extras front. Four episodes have commentaries - two from Jason Connery and Mark Ryan and two more where they're joined by Clive Mantle.

There's quite a lot of "top man" comments, but the banter flows between the group, with some interesting comments amongst all the piss-taking. Hardcore fans will probably have heard all the stories before, but I found the commentaries good, even if some of the comments also pop up on the "making of" documentary.

Other audio options include a choice between the original mono or Dolby Surround tracks, and a music-only option on three episodes, while there's the usual extensive stills gallery, as well as a guide to Robin of Sherwood swordplay from Mark Ryan, cast bios and a US promo from Showtime.

The episodes themselves might not be as good as those from the first two seasons, but this is still an entertaining DVD, with a decent batch of extras for a 20-year old series. back to the top

ROBIN OF SHERWOOD
Series 3 Part 1

Written by RICHARD CARPENTER
and ANTHONY HOROWITZ

Directed by DENNIS ABEY,
BEN BOLT, CHRISTOPHER KING,
GERRY MILL, ROBERT YOUNG

Starring JASON CONNERY,
NICKOLAS GRACE, JUDI TROTT,
ROBERT ADDIE, CLIVE MANTLE,
RAY WINSTONE, PHIL ROSE,
MARK RYAN,
PETER LLEWELLYN WILLIAMS,
PHILIP JACKSON

NETWORK VIDEO

CERTIFICATE PG

REGION 0 (PAL)


RATING: 8/10


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