Line #169 Characters/RobinOfSherwood


1	[[foldercontrol]]
2
3	!Robin Hood and the outlaws
4
5	[[folder:Robin of Loxley]]
6	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/robin_hood_michael_praed.jpg]]
7	->'''Played by:''' Creator/MichaelPraed
8
9	The original Robin Hood, a yeoman from the village of Loxley, descended from a line of mystical defenders of freedom
10	----
11	* EightiesHair: He sports a typical '80s-style mullet.
12	%%* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards Much, his foster-brother.%%How?
13	%%* TheHero:
14	* TheHeroDies: The Sheriff corners and kills him at the end of the second season.
15	* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: Robin of Loxley uses this argument, trying to convince Will Scarlet that they should spare the captive Gisburne; Will is not impressed.
16	%%* KilledOffForReal: Luckily, Herne has a replacement lined up.
17	* LoveAtFirstSight: Robin of Loxley and Marion. "You're like a May morning."
18	* MessianicArchetype: Robin of Loxley, who's basically Pagan Jesus, what with being the "Son of Herne" and all.
19	* NeverFoundTheBody: His corpse mysteriously disappears.
20	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: By the second series, Michael Praed had decided to leave the show to appear on Broadway, and so his Robin was KilledOffForReal in the finale and replaced for a third series.
21	* TechnicalPacifist: Robin of Loxley is very bad at this, happily slaughtering {{Red Shirt}}s who are only fighting him because they need to feed their families and refusing to kill anyone with a name. Will Scarlet actually calls him on his willingness to slaughter mooks but constant refusal to kill Guy, in "The Lord of the Trees".
22	[[/folder]]
23
24	[[folder:Robert of Huntingdon]]
25	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/robin_hood_jason_connery.jpg]]
26	->'''Played by:''' Creator/JasonConnery
27
28	The second Robin Hood, the rebellious son of the rich and powerful Earl of Huntingdon.
29	----
30	* DidNotGetTheGirl: After Marion opts to become a nun because she can't bear to be in a relationship with another man who'll probably die young and violently.
31	* EightiesHair: He sports a typical '80s-style mullet.
32	* FakeShemp: In the final episode of the second season, the new "hooded man" who rescues the outlaws after Robin of Loxley's death, and is explicitly shown in the first episode of the third season to have been Robert, was played by one of the stunt performers with his face hidden, as Jason Connery had not been cast.
33	* TheHero: Replaces Robin as the Hooded Man.
34	* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: He prevents Will from killing Adam Bell's minion Moth and refrains from killing Bell himself, for just this reason.
35	%%* LegacyCharacter: To the first Robin.
36	* RefusalOfTheCall: He rescues the Merry Men after Loxley's death, but is then very reluctant to take up the role fully. It takes Marion's kidnapping to make him adopt it fully.
37	* TheMole: Attempted in "The Power of Albion", initially with some success. But it falls apart when the "King's Devil" recognises him as Robin Hood and ends all hope of him living a double life.
38	* SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou: The Robert of Huntingdon title sequence replaces the simple profile shot of Robin of Locksley firing an arrow with a circular pan in which Robert aims the arrow directly at the camera. This may well be a ShoutOut to Jason Connery's father's most famous role...
39	* SlummingIt: A very high-ranking aristocrat who decides to live among and help the common people. The outlaws take quite a long time to be comfortable with him over it, especially Will and John.
40	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Robin of Loxley replaced by Robert of Huntingdon. Justified, since they're playing the two different traditional versions of the same folk hero.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Marion of Leaford]]
44	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/judi_trott_marian.jpg]]
45	->'''Played by:''' Judith Trott
46
47	The unhappy ward of the Abbot, who is intended to be forced into a nunnery so that her property can go to the church, until Robin of Loxley stumbles into her bedchamber while escaping from Nottingham Castle.
48	----
49	* EightiesHair: Marion's hair is ''ginormous''.
50	* ActionGirl: Downplayed with Marion in this version of the story. She bristles at being told to StayInTheKitchen, and is a competent archer and fighter, but she isn't a WaifFu killing machine and has serious problems whenever she can't avoid hand-to-hand combat with someone bigger and stronger.
51	* AffectionateNickname: Tuck calls Marion "Little Flower".
52	* AndNowYouMustMarryMe: Happens to her a lot.
53	** Baron de Belleme wants to forcibly marry Marion, although only so that he can sacrifice her to Satan.
54	** Owen of Clun, once again, wants to forcibly marry Marion.
55	* DecoyDamsel: Quite often Marion's contribution to the team.
56	* FieryRedhead: Unusually {{averted}}. Marion has her moments, but is mostly quite an easy-going gal.
57	* HerHeartWillGoOn: The inevitable fate of Marion once Michael Praed left the show. Averted at the end of the third season, when after falsely believing Robert to be dead she dumps him because she can't face surviving a second husband.
58	* LadyOfWar: The most upper-class of the original outlaw crew (although gentry rather than true aristocracy), she usually retains a certain elegance.
59	* LoveAtFirstSight: Robin of Loxley and Marion. "You're like a May morning."
60	* NeutralFemale: Used positively. Marion wasn't much use in a fist-fight, though good with a longbow, and sometimes helped simply by staying out of the way.
61	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Marion taking the veil at the end of the third series was introduced as a potential way to demote her to an occasional character, as Judith Trott wanted to seek other roles.
62	* RedheadInGreen: As you can see in the picture.
63	* RebelliousPrincess: Marion, although it's toned down from other versions: she's only minor nobility, and by the time the series begins, all of her land has been taken from her by making her a ward of the Church.
64	* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Though most retellings of Myth/RobinHood use the spelling Mari'''a'''n, this version was definitely spelt (and pronounced) Mari'''o'''n.
65	* TakingTheVeil: Marion at the beginning of series one and again at the end of series three.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Little John]]
69	[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/little_john_clive_mantle.jpg]]
70	->'''Played by:''' Clive Mantle
71
72	A gigantic shepherd, magically brainwashed by Baron de Belleme to act as his bodyguard, and released by Robin.
73	----
74	* TheBigGuy: Huge, and also has the psychological characteristics of being a loyal and usually unquestioning follower.
75	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: When he was first introduced as the slave of Baron de Belleme.
76	* FlatCharacter: As the writers acknowledge on the DVD, he got probably the least character development of any of the regulars.
77	%%* GentleGiant: To people who get on his good side.
78	* TheHeart: He's probably the kindest and most idealistic of the crew.
79	* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Little John and his girlfriend Meg of Wickham.
80	* TenMinuteRetirement: He briefly decides to leave the outlaws to marry Meg in "Rutterkin", but quickly changes his mind.
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Will Scarlet]]
84	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ray_winstone_willscarlet.jpg]]
85	->'''Played by:''' Creator/RayWinstone
86
87	A bitter and short-tempered ex-soldier, who has hated the rest of society since his wife was raped and murdered by a gang of marauding soldiers.
88	----
89	* AntiHero: It's strange to see any member of the Merry Men as a borderline sociopath.
90	** "Which is your favorite ear? Is it your LEFT...or is it your RIGHT?!" with accompanying indications via dagger. This to a church abbot.
91	* TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong: {{Subverted}}. He's as likely to be correct as wrong when he disagrees with Robin, especially with regards to King Richard.
92	* HairTriggerTemper: He has an extremely short fuse.
93	* {{Hypochondria}}: Will comes down with a bad case after accidentally stumbling into a lepers' campsite and becoming convinced he's infected.
94	* TheLancer: A textbook example, frequently clashing with Robin and regularly taking charge when Robin isn't present.
95	* TheLostLenore: Will Scarlet became an outlaw and the [[HairTriggerTemper charming man]] that he is after his wife was raped and murdered in front of him by a gang of marauding Normans.
96	* MeaningfulRename: Will Scarlet, who changed his surname from Scathlock.
97	* SociopathicHero:
98	-->'''Will''': Killing's our business and we're good at it. 'Specially me.
99	* TraumaButton: Will appears to be at the very least on the verge of a full-blown attack of PTSD when the outlaws come across the village that suffered RapePillageAndBurn at the hands of Bertrand of Nivelles and his gang.
100	* UndyingLoyalty: Stated outright in the episode ''The King's Fool''
101	-->'''Scarlet:''' I trust very few people, [[TrueCompanions and I'm looking at all of them.]] I would die for any one of you but there's no way I'm going to Nottingham.
102	[[/folder]]
103
104	[[folder:Friar Tuck]]
105	[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/phil_rose_friar_tuck.jpg]]
106	->'''Played by:''' Phil Rose
107
108	A corpulent monk, initially the Sheriff's chaplain, who is increasingly disgusted by his master's evil behaviour and sympathetic towards Marion.
109	----
110	%%* BigBrotherInstinct: He has a major case for Marion.%%How?
111	* BigFun: He is often a focus of comic relief.
112	* TheSmartGuy: He's actually quite well educated, especially when it comes to recognising evil magic.
113	%%* StoutStrength: As is traditional.
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Nasir]]
117	[[quoteright:249:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nasir.jpg]]
118	->'''Played by:''' Mark Ryan
119
120	Nasir is a mysterious Saracen swordsman, brought to England by Baron de Belleme.
121	----
122	* AscendedExtra: The series did not plan on introducing a Saracen member of Robin's team. They introduced a Saracen slave who was scripted to die fighting Robin in defence of his master. The actor was such a great guy, however, that they rewrote the scene so that he [[spoiler: disarmed Robin, held a blade to his throat, then grinned and let him go and]] became a mostly non-speaking extra. As the series progressed his story was fleshed out, and he owned a couple of episodes by the end. Almost all versions of the story in film and TV since have featured a Middle Eastern Merry Man, including Azeem in ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'' and Djaq in the late-2000s BBC ''Series/RobinHood''.
123	* BigBrotherInstinct: Nasir toward Marion. It's really very sweet.
124	* {{Brownface}}: Mark Ryan is white British, although no actual make-up was used.
125	* DualWielding: He wields two scimitars as a trade mark style.
126	%%* TheHashshashin: He used to be one.
127	%%* MasterSwordsman: He is the best sword of the crew.
128	* OverlyLongName: His full name is Malik Kemal Inal Ibrahim Shams ad-Dualla Wattab ibn Mahmud.
129	* TheQuietOne: Nasir, who doesn't say a single word until the last episode of the first series. Of course, he was an ultra-sneaky assassin.
130	* ResignationsNotAccepted: Two Hashshashin come to try to persuade Nazir to return to the Middle East with them, and try to kill him when he refuses.
131	* SixthRanger: Joins the team after his former master is killed by them.
132	* TheVoiceless: In the first season; his lines gradually accumulate.
133	* TheUnpronounceable: Nasir's full name. ''He'' can say it just fine, but it leaves the other outlaws dumbfounded.
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:Much the Miller's Son]]
137	[[quoteright:85:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/much_ros.jpg]]
138	->'''Played by:''' Peter Llewellyn-Williams
139
140	Robin of Loxley's foster-brother, who becomes an outlaw with him after they are arrested for poaching together.
141	----
142	* BumblingSidekick: He is pretty foolish and incompetent during the first two seasons.
143	* TheFool: He starts off as very naive and trusting, and never wholly loses it.
144	* TheLoad: He's firmly in this role in seasons 1 and 2, and seems to be part of the outlaw band only because Robin feels responsible for him as an old friend.
145	* TookALevelInBadass: In the third season he becomes much less bumbling and more dangerous. He still fills the role of hostage in one episode, but it takes twelve of the Sheriff's soldiers to capture him, four of whom he incapacitates before the others corner him.
146	[[/folder]]
147
148	!Friends and Sympathisers
149
150	[[folder:Herne the Hunter]]
151	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/herne_the_hunter.jpg]]
152	->'''Played by:''' John Abineri
153
154	An enigmatic forest shaman who acts as selector and mentor to those who take on the role of "Robin i'the Hood".
155	----
156	* {{Cernunnos}}: The Horned God, also known as Herne the Hunter, is a stag-headed figure who was a patron god of nature, and one of his rituals was the Wild Hunt. Robin sometimes experiences visions and messages from Herne, who seems to approve of the outlaws.
157	* FakeShemp: To save the elderly John Abineri from having to be out in the country getting rained on too often, many shots of Herne are actually an extra wearing his stag headdress, with studio-recorded dialogue added later.
158	* {{Koan}}: He can never just give advice or information without turning it into a riddle. Both Robins complain of this.
159	* TheMentor: He's the Robins' enigmatic master and teacher.
160	* SadlyMythtaken: In English folklore he's supposed to be the ghost of a 16th century forester who haunts Windsor Park, unless Creator/WilliamShakespeare just made him up. A 1929 book suggested he ''might'' be a remnant of horned gods like Cernunnos, but still localised to Berkshire. His depiction in ''Robin of Sherwood'' may well be via one or both of John Masefield's ''Literature/TheBoxOfDelights'' or Susan Cooper's ''Literature/TheDarkIsRising'', both of which depict him as a much more universal and powerful English nature-spirit.
161	* VaguenessIsComing: Many of Herne's warnings and instructions take this form.
162	[[/folder]]
163
164	[[folder:Edward of Wickham]]
165	[[quoteright:100:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edwardwickham.jpg]]
166	->'''Played by:''' Jeremy Bulloch
167
168	The headman of Wickham village, the most frequently-encountered representative of "the poor" who Robin gives to.
169	----
170	* ButtMonkey: Practically all of his scenes involve him being insulted, threatened, beaten up, or taken hostage by the Sheriff, Gisburne, or a villain-of-the-week.
171	* TookALevelInBadass: He's actually quite an effective fighter in the last two episodes, against the Sons of Fenris.
172	[[/folder]]
173
174	[[folder:Sir Richard of Leaford]]
175	[[quoteright:100:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sir_richard.png]]
176	->'''Played by:''' George Baker
177
178	Marion's father, initially believed killed on Crusade.
179	----
180	* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler:Marion thinks he died in Palestine, but he was actually a prisoner of the King's enemies]].
181	* GoodOldWays: He represents the old fashioned, genuinely benevolent gentry.
182	[[/folder]]
183
184	[[folder:The Mad Old Prisoner]]
185	->'''Played by:''' Stewart Linden
186
187	A long-term prisoner at Nottingham Castle, who always refuses to leave because he doesn't want to abandon his pet rat Arthur.
188	----
189	* BreakoutCharacter: He was originally written into the first episode as a plot convenience to help Robin and the others escape, but was so popular that he made several further appearances.
190	%%* CatchPhrase:%%Quotes aren't context.
191	%%-->''"Feet first, it's the only way!"''\
192	%%''"I can't leave Arthur!"''
193	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He's completely nuts.
194	* NoNameGiven: Never gives a name. Maybe he can't remember it.
195	* TheOldConvict: He's spent so long in the dungeon at Nottingham Castle that he can't imagine life outside it.
196	* RodentCellmates: He's very friendly with the rats.
197	[[/folder]]
198
199	!Villains
200
201	[[folder:The Sheriff of Nottingham]]
202	[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/135512.jpg]]
203	->'''Played by:''' Nickolas Grace
204
205	Robert de Rainault, the Sheriff of Nottingham, is the depraved and ruthless feudal overlord of Nottingham and the surrounding area.
206	----
207	* AmbiguouslyGay: To a degree. He is somewhat camp, vocally despises women, and at least once shares a bath with Gisburne (although they're both in agony from bee stings at the time).
208	* AristocratsAreEvil: An absolutely vicious and greedy bastard.
209	* ChewingTheScenery: Frequently, but especially in "The Children of Israel", during his [[BigEntrance return from Westminster]] and his final scene with the Qabala text.
210	* CrazyPeoplePlayChess: The Sheriff is so infuriated by losing a chess match to his ten-year-old nephew that he almost backhands the boy.
211	* EnemyMine: Occasionally forced to ally with the outlaws against such types as Philip Mark and Adam Bell. He almost always tries to betray them at the first opportunity.
212	* HairTriggerTemper: Prone to violent rages at any reverse.
213	* HeterosexualLifePartners: The Sheriff and Gisburne, mostly because Guy [[ResignationsNotAccepted can never leave]].
214	* LargeHam
215	* MadEye: Whenever the Sheriff gets really angry, his left eye bulges out.
216	* PimpedOutCape: The Sheriff has a lot of these; the one he dons for the archery contest is particularly egregious.
217	* PurpleIsPowerful: The Sheriff has a lot of purple clothing.
218	* ShorterMeansSmarter: Notably one of the shortest and sneakiest male characters in the show.
219	* TantrumThrowing: The Sheriff's rages sometimes result in [[FlippingTheTable wasted food]] or disarrayed documents; he also once hurls a full wine goblet [[PercussiveTherapy at Gisburne's head]].
220	* WrittenInAbsence: Nickolas Grace's scheduling conflicts in the second and third seasons are briefly explained as the Sheriff undertaking "a journey to Westminster" (during which Gisburne, as deputy, becomes acting Sheriff and gets DrunkWithPower) and "a pilgrimage to Canterbury" (an interesting choice for the HollywoodAtheist Sheriff), respectively.
221	[[/folder]]
222
223	[[folder:Sir Guy of Gisburne]]
224	[[quoteright:228:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/addie.jpg]]
225	->'''Played by:''' Robert Addie
226
227	The Sheriff's brutal and short-tempered steward.
228	----
229	* AristocratsAreEvil: Played as the stereotypical sneering evil English public schoolboy.
230	* BadBoss: He acts terribly to his own men.
231	* BumblingSidekick: Wildly overconfident in his ability to deal with the lower orders.
232	* ButtMonkey: Something unpleasant happens to him practically OncePerEpisode. From being stung half to death by bees, humiliated and spat on by the princess and taking an arrow through the back. [[AssholeVictim He is fully deserving of almost everything bad that happens to him though.]]
233	* EntitledToHaveYou: What he feels and how he acts about Sarah de Talmont, at first ignoring her attempts to reject him and then still intending to force her to marry him. Possibly also what happened with Jennet of Elsdon, her unexpected (to him) refusal to be with him leading to the accusation that her and her husband practiced witchcraft.
234	* EvilSoundsDeep: The youthful-looking Gisburne has a surprisingly deep and harsh voice.
235	* FreudianExcuse: Guy has a doozy of one, as his personality is due to his father hating and severely abusing him due to him being adulterously conceived by another man.
236	* HeterosexualLifePartners: The Sheriff and Gisburne, mostly because Guy [[ResignationsNotAccepted can never leave]].
237	* IcyBlueEyes: Margaret describes her son's eyes as "cold, remote" after he learns the truth of his parentage.
238	* LastNameBasis: The Sheriff and Gisburne until the final episode, when a shift to "[[FirstNameBasis Guy]]" signifies an acknowledgment of equality.
239	* LongLostRelative: [[spoiler:Guy is actually Robert of Huntingdon's half-brother, due to an adulterous affair between Guy's mother and Robin's father.]]
240	* PetTheDog: During "Alan-A-Dale" his treatment of Lady Mildred (the thoroughly unwilling bride-to-be of the sheriff) is so polite that it's borderline OutOfCharacterMoment. It may be that he feels fellow feeling for, or wants to possibly ally with, somebody else who'll have to put up with de Rainault.
241	* PromotedToScapegoat: Gisburne is promoted from steward to deputy at the beginning of season 2 and spends the rest of the series taking blame and insults from the Sheriff.
242	* UnexplainedRecovery: Originally, Guy was supposed to be killed off in the final episode of series 1, where he takes an arrow to the back and is set on fire. Come series 2 he appears again and although the Sheriff comments on his recovery, he still looks remarkably unhurt for a man who suffered crippling injuries.
243	[[/folder]]
244
245	[[folder:Abbot Hugo de Rainault]]
246	->'''Played by:''' Philip Jackson
247
248	The Sheriff's brother, a clergyman who epitomises the worldliness and corruption of parts of the medieval Catholic Church.
249	----
250	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The religious equivalent.
251	* DemotedToExtra: By season three he's [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome all but been phased out]].
252	* PurpleIsPowerful: Abbot Hugo wears no other colour.
253	* SinisterMinister: He's less interested in religion than making money and grinding the peasants.
254	[[/folder]]
255
256	[[folder:Baron Simon de Belleme]]
257	->'''Played by''': Anthony Valentine
258
259	A sinister nobleman who developed a deep knowledge of dark magic while on Crusade.
260	----
261	%%* AristocratsAreEvil:
262	%%* BackFromTheDead: Thanks to his witch girlfriends.
263	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He is resurrected with much fanfare during the second season... and then never appears or gets mentioned again.
264	* DiscOneFinalBoss: He's the first big villain of the show.
265	* EvilSorceror: A malevolent Hermetic magician and devil-worshipper.
266	* EvilWearsBlack: Black clothes for a black magician.
267	* HijackedByGanon: In "The Enchantment", the witch Lilith turns out to be one of the former girlfriends of Baron de Belleme, and her true objective is to resurrect him.
268	[[/folder]]
269
270	[[folder:King John]]
271	[[quoteright:294:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_0a3e3bd65be6f269a9587db4ee7c412c.png]]
272	->'''Played by:''' Creator/PhilDavis
273
274	King John, depicted as villainously as he usually is in Robin Hood retellings.
275	----
276	* EvilWearsBlack: He often wears black clothing.
277	* HairTriggerTemper: He's prone to violent rages with minimal provocation. His envoy advises Gisburne to leave the room immediately if this happens, because "it's safer".
278	* ModestRoyalty: Subverted. King John orders the Sheriff's lavish banquet to be given to the poor and ostentatiously turns down the offer of girls -- then asks for food and babes to be sent to his private rooms later.
279	* SissyVillain: Although he's voraciously and pervertedly heterosexual.
280	[[/folder]]
281
282	[[folder:Gulnar]]
283	->'''Played by:''' Creator/RichardOBrien
284
285	A deranged Welsh sorceror with a grudge against Robert of Huntingdon and his followers.
286	----
287	* BaldOfEvil: Like just about every character ever played by Richard O'Brien.
288	* BarefootLoon: He's barefoot for most of the time, and he's definitely crazy.
289	* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: He takes on the recurring villainous occult role from Baron de Belleme, but is a totally different personality with a very different style of magic.
290	* EvilSorceror: A malevolent worshipper of the old gods who describes himself as "of the Dark Path" and basically wants to kill anyone who crosses his path.
291	* TheHyena: Especially in "Crom Cruac", where almost all his dialogue starts or ends with mad laughter.
292	* LargeHam: Again, we're talking Richard O'Brien here.
293	* NonActionBigBad: Relies on his mooks and avoids any kind of physical combat.
294	* RiddleForTheAges: Did he intentionally encourage his former lord Owen of Clun to run underneath that falling portcullis so that it would impale him?
295	* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: He keeps a human skull as the head of his staff.
296	%%* SlasherSmile: He almost always grins.
297	* TattooedCrook: He has very noticeably Celtic-style tattoos.
298	* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: Gulnar is strangled to death by his own golem when it gets a bit too homicidal to control.
299	%%* TwitchyEye:
300	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / RobinOfSherwood