Robin Of Sherwood - Series 3 - Part 2 - Episodes 7 To 13 [1984] [DVD]

This final collection on DVD pays fitting tribute to perhaps one of the most fondly-loved cult sries' of the eighties, and without doubt the best interpretation of Robin Hood brought to screen. Packed with special guests: Richard O' Brien, Reece Dinsdale, Bryan Marshall and Ian Ogilvy, and a welcome return to Philip Davis as King John! The episodes are all classics in their own right, but the DVD yet again brings out the best of everything. The special feaures include the series 3 out-takes, fantastic commentary from Mark Ryan & Jason Connery, and even Nickolas Grace with Anthony Horwitz, the writer of most of this season. We also hear from producer Esta Charkham and director Sid Robberson on Time Of The Wolf (aka Time Of The Teeth)! To round things off, there's an eagerly-awaited interview with Clannad, and a wonderful photographic retrospective from Esta, with more shots of Neil Morrisey's screen test! The clarity makes it feel as though it was just yesterday, but DVD has helped it endure for twenty years now, and I'm sure another twenty! Buy it!!!!

Robin Of Sherwood is my most favourite series of all time. Unfortunately, at the time, nobody knew that this series would be the last one. As a result, the whole saga is left with an unfinished feel to it and the final episode doesn't really end with a bang which is slightly disappointing. Also, I feel this collection contains the weakest selection of stories of all the DVD collections, but don't be downhearted because that's no bad thing where Robin of Sherwood is concerned, this is still a great collection. The first two episodes are superb: 'Cromm Cruac' is my favourite episode of the entire third series, with Richard O' Brien (from the Crystal Maze) returning as the evil Gulnar, who resurrects the most evil little demon you have ever seen! 'The Betrayal' is next, a clever episode which sees King John arriving in Nottingham with a rather nifty plan to catch the outlaws. 'Adam Bell' is next, which sees the return of an infamous outlaw to Sherwood Forest, who kidnaps the sheriff's nephew. As a result, the sheriff turns to Robin for help! 'The Betrayal' is a poor episode, my least favourite in all three series. This surrounds the arrival of a mysterious young lad in Sherwood who claims to hold a claim to the throne. 'Rutterkin' is a more light-hearted episode, in which Robin's father is accused of using a witch to curse the king. Finally, we have the two-part story 'The Time of the Wolf', which sees a band of bloodthirsty savages rampaging through Sherwood, aided by the return of the evil Gulnar! On the whole, this is a highly entertaining collection, but doesn't quite hold the depth or level of interest of earlier collections. However, it still maintains the superb balance of sword and sorcery, which made Robin of Sherwood so unique. Top performances come from the utterly crackers Richard O' Brien, Philip Davis is fantastic as the utterly bad-tempered King John and Bryan Marshall makes an interesting Adam Bell. Settings remain as effective as ever with some wonderful scenery and impressive castles. The monastery in 'The Time of the Wolf' is particularly impressive. If you're new to Robin of Sherwood, this collection is great but buy an earlier one because they are better. If you love the series, by all means complete your collection with this boxed set. Still well worth getting.

The third series is more relaxed and this shows in the relationships between the "merry men": Will Scarlet mellows out (just a little!). While the pagan theme is pushed to the limit in bizarre but enjoyable episodes like "Crom Cruach" and the "Time of the Wolf", there are some great episodes like "Rutterkin" and the "Pretender" that are of a political nature which suit having Robin Hood as the wordly and noble Earl of Huntingdon's son. While I have my concerns about Jason Connery's acting ability in this series, it does seem closer to more familiar notions of Robin Hood and not that of the self-righteous backwoodsman of the first and second series. The impression is that this Robin is less interested in justice for the little man and more so in Marian, which is more realistic and refreshing. All in all, certainly worth watching even though the ending is a little sad and uncomplete.