Richard "Dick" Turpin of Essex, son of the local butcher, decides against becoming his father's apprentice and instead sets out to become "the world's most famous highwayman." He ends up crossing paths with the Essex gang, a small group of highwaymen (and one woman), and is half-focred to, and half-volunteers to join in on one of their robberies. During this robbery he accidentally kills their leader, Tom King... thereby winning the adorattion and loyalty of the rest of the gang, since Tom King was a tyrant and a bully who treated them terribly.
As the new Benevolent Boss of the Essex gang, Dick sets out to revolutionize the art of being a highwayman... with mixed results.
Provides Example Of:
- Benevolent Boss: Dick is this to the Essex gang, which they find a refreshing change from Tom King's tyrannical leadership style.
- The Dandy: Dick is very fashion-conscious and is always dressed to impress.
- Hidden Depths: At first, Dick seems more like The Ditz than anything; he's got some odd ideas and is terrible with violence, but he reveals himself after some time to be quite the Guile Hero.
- The Highwayman: The Essex gang, of course. They're not actually that good at it, especially under Dick's new leadership, but they try.
- Women Are Wiser: Subverted with Nell. At the start of the series she comes across as playing the trope straight, as she is the only female member of the Essex gang, probably the most competent bandit of the lot, and seems to be the Only Sane Woman... but it quickly turns out she actually isn't any smarter than the men, she's just better at banditry. Take her out of her comfort zone and she's practically The Ditz.
- Directly parodied in the series finale, when Tommy Silversides takes over the Essex gang and tells Nell that as "the woman," her role in the gang is to stand on the sidelines and roll her eyes at the men's antics.
