The

Sheriff of Nottingham The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist in the legend of Robin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the local people of Nottinghamshire, subjecting them to unaffordable taxes. Robin Hood fights against him, ...

is the main antagonist of the 2006 BBC television series, ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

''. Keith Allen's portrayal was described by ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' as "very camp in the

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespe ...

tradition of sardonic villains," referring to Rickman's role as the Sheriff in the 1991 film '' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves''. Sarcastic and with a dark sense of humour, he has many

catch phrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

s, including "La di da di da!" and "A clue: no" (also the title of the first

season finale A season finale (British English: last in the series; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will try to ...

). He also has an explosive temper, usually triggered by Robin's interference or the repeated failures of

Guy of Gisbourne Sir Guy of Gisbourne (also spelled Gisburne, Gisborne, Gysborne, or Gisborn) is a character from the Robin Hood legends of English folklore. He first appears in "Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne" (Child Ballad 118), where he is an assassin who atte ...

and other minions. He has many insults for his servants when they fail him, including "blithering oafs", "incompetent fools" and "idiotic buffoons". Vaisey became the Sheriff a few years before Robin's return to England, taking over from Marian's father Edward. He has used the position to become the leading figure in the 'Black Knights', a group conspiring to overthrow King Richard in favour of Prince John. As a plot device to explain why Robin does not kill the Sheriff, John insures the latter's life by promising to destroy Nottingham should he be killed. In " Sisterhood," the Sheriff's sister Davina is introduced, with whom he displays previously unseen affection. Davina dies in his arms after an altercation with Robin, for which the Sheriff vows revenge. Keith Allen lost one of his teeth while filming a fight sequence for the show. This was written into the script, with the Sheriff losing a tooth in the last episode of Series 1. He takes teeth from

skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...

s and places them in the gap in his teeth as a recurring gag in the second series. In the third series, Prince John plays the Sheriff off against Gisbourne until in "Do You Love Me?" they finally fight to the death and the Sheriff is killed by Gisbourne, or so Gisbourne thinks - it is shown at the end of the episode that the Sheriff survived; as his apparently dead body is carted away, his fingers twitch. Vaisey returns to

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

after Isabella loses it to

and the people. He is assisted by Blamire, Isabella's second-in-command, and it is later revealed that he has formed an alliance with Isabella. In a deadly confrontation with Robin and Gisborne, he ends up killing Gisborne. He is finally killed by a dying Robin (who has been poisoned by Isabella). who fires a burning arrow into the barrels of byzantine fire stored in the castle. Vaisey just has enough time to notice the barrels before the entire castle is blown up - and him, Isabella and their remaining men along with it.

References

{{end box Fictional murderers Fictional nobility Fictional sheriffs Robin Hood (2006 TV series) Robin Hood characters