Review of Maid Marian And Her Merry Men: Series 1 (Two Discs)

Introduction

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen,
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his merry men...

Not if you believe Tony Robinson`s re-written version of history. According to his Maid Marian and Her Merry Men, it was Marian (played by Kate Lonergan) who was the leader of the rag-tag band of do-gooders who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, fighting that evil Sheriff of Nottingham (played by Tony Robinson). It seems that Robin was actually a bumbling fool.

The first series is really all about the characters who make up the band of merry men, and quickly establishes the idea of Marian as their leader, trainer and mentor.

The first six episodes, originally broadcast on Thursday afternoons from 16th November to 21st December 1989, are as follows:-

How the Band Got Together

Robert the Incredible Chicken

A Game Called John

The Miracle of St. Charlene

The Sharp End of a Cow

The White/Whiteish Knight

Video

A standard 1.33:1 transfer, as you would expect from TV of this era. It`s not perfect, and often looks a bit soft, but this seems to be the case with a lot of TV from this era. Some of it gets cleaned up, some of it doesn`t. This could maybe have looked a bit better but it is all perfectly watchable.

Audio

A DD2.0 track is on offer, which is perfectly adequate and does the job fine. Dialogue is clear and understandable. And there`s not a lot else to say about the sound.

Features

Even a few extras make it to the discs. A couple are for the kids, a couple are for the adults.

The most substantial is an audio commentary for the first episode, with Tony Robinson. He has a lot to say about the series, how it came about, and how he tried to use lots of things that he`d learnt from working on Blackadder. A shame they couldn`t do more commentaries, but worth having.

There are also a few German clips of the show, not really that interesting, and a BBC trailer. Always interesting to look back at how the BBC used to trail programmes.

For the kids there`s a Lute Karaoke version of the theme, and also a quiz.

Conclusion

An award winning classic that still works today. The legend of Robin Hood is one that still interests people today, so this re-telling of the story still works very well. Some of the "modern" references that were put in to broaden the appeal don`t always hold up to scrutiny, and some of the rap style songs are rather weak, but overall it`s a good effort, and one that will entertain adults and kids alike today.

The DVD is a good set, with acceptable picture and sound and a few extras to add to your entertainment. It`s the best children`s DVD of the year so far, and I suspect that only the subsequent series will better it. Much better than all the modern rubbish that passes for children`s TV these days. Teach kids the alternative history of Nottinghamshire with Maid Marian and Her Merry Men!