''Maid Marian and her Merry Men'' is a British children's television series created and written by

Tony Robinson Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is an English actor, author, broadcaster, comedian, presenter, and political activist. He played Baldrick in the BBC television series ''Blackadder'' and has presented several historical documentarie ...

and directed by David Bell. It began in 1989 on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

and ran for four series, with the last episode shown in 1994. The show was a partially musical

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

retelling of the legend of

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 dep ...

, placing

Maid Marian Maid Marian is the heroine of the Robin Hood legend in English folklore, often taken to be his lover. She is not mentioned in the early, medieval versions of the legend, but was the subject of at least two plays by 1600. Her history and circums ...

in the role of leader of the

Merry Men The Merry Men are the group of outlaws who follow Robin Hood in English literature and folklore. The group appears in the earliest ballads about Robin Hood and remains popular in modern adaptations. History The Merry Men are Robin Hood's gr ...

, and reducing Robin to an incompetent ex-

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

. The programme was much appreciated by children and adults alike, and has been likened to '' Blackadder'', not only for its historical setting and the presence of

(as well as early, uncredited, script editing work being undertaken by

Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, producer and film director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films, among them '' ...

), but also for its comic style. It is more surreal than ''Blackadder'', however, and drops even more (deliberate) anachronisms. Many of the show's cast such as Howard Lew Lewis, Forbes Collins, John Rapley,

Ramsay Gilderdale Ramsey Wilson Gilderdale (born 5 August 1962), professionally known as Ramsay Gilderdale, is an English actor, best known for playing Guy of Gisbourne in BBC children's television comedy ''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men'' from 1990 to 1994. He al ...

and

Patsy Byrne Patricia Anne Thirza Byrne (13 July 1933 – 17 June 2014) was an English actress, best known for her role as "Nursie" in '' Blackadder II'' as well as Malcolm's domineering Mother, Mrs Stoneway in all seven series of the ITV comedy '' Watchin ...

had previously appeared in various episodes of ''Blackadder'' alongside Robinson. Like many British children's programmes, there is a lot of social commentary sneakily inserted, as well as witty asides about the Royal family, buses running on time, etc. Many of the plots spoofed or referenced film and television shows including other incarnations of Robin Hood in those media. The show was such a success that there was an adaptation produced for the stage and a cartoon strip by Paul Cemmick which was serialised in the '' Daily Telegraphs children's paper "The Young Telegraph" (also available as a series of collections), and the programme was repeated on BBC One in 2001. Series 1 was released on video in 1990 and 1993, with three episodes each on four tapes, and all four series are available on DVD. It was repeated in April 2002 on the CBBC Channel and the first series was repeated in June 2007 at 12:30 on the CBBC Channel. During the summer of 2009,

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

repeated the entire 4 series. Tony Robinson was in discussion about a revival in 2018, 2021 and 2022.

Plot elements

Many of the plots featured, included or revolved around spoofing particular things, including films such as '' Jurassic Park'' and ''

It Came From Outer Space ''It Came from Outer Space'' is a 1953 American science fiction horror film, the first in the 3D process from Universal-International. It was produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold. The film stars Richard Carlson and Barbara ...

'', and television programmes, including ''

The Crystal Maze ''The Crystal Maze'' is a British game show devised by Jacques Antoine, based upon his format for the French game show ''Fort Boyard (game show), Fort Boyard'', and produced for Channel 4 Television Corporation, Channel 4. The programme focuses ...

'' and the long-running televised fundraisers Children in Need and

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

. There were also frequent references to other

incarnations, most notably ITV's ''

Robin of Sherwood ''Robin of Sherwood'' is a British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. Created by Richard Carpenter, it was produced by HTV in association with Goldcrest, and ran from 28 April 1984 to 28 June 1986 on the ITV network. In th ...

'' (and in particular that series' theme song by

Clannad Clannad () is an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal by siblings Ciarán, Pól, and Moya Brennan and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Duggan. They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history, including ...

, " Robin (The Hooded Man)" is lampooned in the episode "The Whitish Knight") and the contemporary film adaptation '' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves''. The latter actually features Howard Lew Lewis (Rabies) among its cast – hence his doubly witty line in the episode "They Came from Outer Space", which episode also passingly satirises the film for casting the lead with an American accent (

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

Main characters

Protagonists

( Kate Lonergan): a passionate and idealistic freedom fighter and ''de facto'' leader of the "Merry Men" (though this is never recognised by anyone outside the group). She is by far the most intelligent of the gang, but often lets her idealism blind her to the realities of situations, most notably the rest of the gang's incompetence. She also is not very patient, but will always defend anyone who she feels is wronged. She often has mud in her hair. * Robin of Kensington (

Wayne Morris Wayne Morris (born Bert DeWayne Morris Jr. February 17, 1914 – September 14, 1959) was an American film and television actor, as well as a decorated World War II fighter ace. He appeared in many films, including ''Paths of Glory'' (1957), '' ...

): an extremely vain tailor and a

yuppie Yuppie, short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional", is a term coined in the early 1980s for a young professional person working in a city. The term is first attested in 1980, when it was used as a fairly neu ...

. Came to be seen as the leader of Marian's gang by accident, and remains so because he sees it as a cool image to cultivate. His most significant contribution to the outlaws was nevertheless to insist that they all wear green "to co-ordinate with the trees". * Barrington (

Danny John-Jules Daniel John-Jules (born 16 September 1960) is a British actor, singer and dancer. He is best known for playing Milton Wordsworth in The Story Makers and ''Red Dwarf'', Barrington which are both children's series. Also he played in ''Maid Maria ...

): the resident Rasta Merry Man, who would often rap during the episodes' songs. He sometimes acts as a kind of semi-omniscient narrator (in a similar manner to

Alan-a-Dale Alan-a-Dale (first recorded as Allen a Dale; variously spelled ''Allen-a-Dale'', ''Allan-a-Dale'', ''Allin-a-Dale'', ''Allan A'Dayle'' etc.) is a figure in the Robin Hood legend. According to the stories, he was a wandering minstrel who became a ...

in more traditional versions). * Little Ron ( Mike Edmonds): a very short, aggressive and violent Merry Man. Known to face the wrong way in ambushes. A parody of

Little John Little John is a companion of Robin Hood who serves as his chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men. He is one of only a handful of consistently named characters who relate to Robin Hood and one of the two oldest Merry Men, al ...

. He is the second strongest Merry Man of the group, beaten only by Rabies. * Rabies ( Howard Lew Lewis): another Merry Man, very strong, and very stupid, although with his heart in the right place.

Antagonists

* King John ( Forbes Collins, who also played John's brother,

Richard the Lionheart Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

, in the episode "The Whitish Knight", and Queen Eleanor, Guy of Gisbourne's mother, the joke being that all Royals look alike): a violent and unstable monarch. He is narcissistic and insecure, and becomes very angry at the thought of being unpopular with the peasants. His brother, who was thought to be a wise ruler who would bring England back to a Golden Age, is identical. * 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, ...

(

): a devious plotter obsessed with collecting taxes. Given the first name 'Arnold' in the episode "Keeping Mum", ostensibly only to produce a later pun. While he is dedicated to stopping Marian, they sometimes find themselves in sympathy with each other regarding the complete stupidity of everyone else. * Gary and Graeme (

Mark Billingham Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fin ...

and David Lloyd): guards of the King's castle, and the Sheriff's henchmen. They are "bestest mates" and extremely affable, but in the tradition of clever villains with idiot sidekicks, not very clever most of the time. They are often very friendly with the Merry Men, who tend to return the sentiment – except when Gary and Graeme are doing what they are paid for. Graeme has a ( never seen) brother called Kevin. Graeme tends to enjoy things like torture and teasing the villagers more than Gary does, though Gary will challenge Graeme for the chance to do executions. Gary is shown as completely devoted to his job, to the point of obsession; when sacked, he refused to leave the Sheriff's side and carried on as though he had not been fired. *

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 ...

(

): King John's wet-behind-the-ears nephew, who has come to live with him at the insistence of his mother, the king's older sister, Queen Eleanor. A village idiot, and mummy's boy, Guy is widely held in contempt by the heroes and villains alike. He is aged 27 but acts like a 4-year-old, has an imaginary friend and occasionally dresses in a tutu. King John does not want to be saddled with his nephew, but obeys his sister's orders out of fear that she will " do that nasty thing with the pencils" to him, just as she used to when they were children. * "Rotten" Rose Scargill (Siobhan Fogarty): rival to Maid Marian and both Marian's best friend and worst enemy. She is Robin Hood's biggest fan.

Secondary characters

* Gladys and Snooker (

Hilary Mason Hilary Lavender Mason (4 September 1917 – 5 September 2006) was an English character actress who appeared in a wide variety of roles, mainly on UK television. Mason was born in Birmingham and trained at the London School of Dramatic Art ...

and Robin Chandler): two villagers of Worksop. Gladys is an elderly (and extremely stupid) peasant, fond of telling stories and legends, and hanging out with Barrington. She is Worksop's "wise old woman", but admits to being underqualified. Snooker (who also gets called "Stinker") is another extremely stupid peasant, who appears to be about 40. Named ostensibly for a single joke, his greatest claim to fame is apparently inventing a game involving a long stick, a table, and a number of coloured balls. Together, they serve as the mouthpieces of the village, but are generally no more intelligent than the peasants they speak for. * Nettle (Kerry Potter): a young female villager, who is definitely the equal of Marian in intelligence. * Chickweed (Karen Salt): a very young peasant girl. * Hayley (Carly Britnell): another young intelligent female villager. She had a comet named after her after she vomited as it shot across the sky. Her appearance is in "Hayley's Vomit". * The Beast of Bolsover: a reference to the nickname of

Dennis Skinner Dennis Edward Skinner (born 11 February 1932) is a British former politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolsover for 49 years, from 1970 to 2019. He is a member of the Labour Party. Known for his left-wing views and acerbic w ...

, then the Labour Party

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Bolsover Bolsover is a market town and the administrative centre of the Bolsover District, Derbyshire, England. It is from London, from Sheffield, from Nottingham and from Derby. It is the main town in the Bolsover district. The civil parish for th ...

and member of the

Socialist Campaign Group The Socialist Campaign Group, officially the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs and also known as the Campaign Group, is a left-wing, democratic socialist grouping of the Labour Party's Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the ...

. Tony Robinson is a well-known Labour Party supporter, and was elected to the Labour Party's

National Executive Committee National Executive Committee is the name of a leadership body in several organizations, mostly political parties: * National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, in South Africa * Australian Labor Party National Executive * Nationa ...

in 2000. * Eric "The Newt" Teasel: an archer, appearing in the episode "Robert The Incredible Chicken". From Epping Forest. * Cowpat: a pretty young village woman. She is a friend of Rose, and one of Robin's many fans. She appeared in "Rotten Rose (Part One)". * Clough: a tall, red haired and bearded village man, from Nottingham forest and sometimes seen about Worksop. Participated in the archery contest. The character name is a reference to

Brian Clough Brian Howard Clough ( ; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the Engl ...

, manager of English football team

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

at the time. * Nigel Pargetter: semi-regularly appearing but uncredited peasant (actually Martin illsO'Toole) who fell victim to a number of misfortunes, including being punched in the head several times, being crushed by a radiator during Bloopy, and having a large cucumber lodged in his head by Robin's lookalike. He is named after a well-known character in long-running

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

soap opera, ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a BBC radio drama on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural sett ...

''. * "Little Girl" (

Kellie Bright Kellie Denise Bright (born 1 July 1976) is an English actress. Her roles include Linda Carter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', for which she won the 2015 British Soap Award for Best Actress and Best Dramatic Performance, Julie in ''Ali G ...

): often found close to Gladys in the first series. * "Mad Prisoner" (Christopher Nichol)

Music

The music and songs for ''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men'' were composed by Nick Russell-Pavier and David Chilton. Each episode contained either one or two songs, which were mostly originals but were sometimes parodies. According to commentaries on the DVDs, the actors were frequently dubbed in their singing voices, both by themselves and (more often) by professional singers in post-filming studio sessions. Gary, Graeme, Guy and Barrington almost always sing their own songs, however.

Series One: 1989

#How The Band Got Together: "Mud" (sung by Barrington) #Robert The Incredible Chicken: "The Story So Far" (sung by Barrington); "The Sheriff's Excuse" (sung by Barrington) #A Game Called John: "Pancake Day" (sung by Barrington) #The Miracle of St Charlene: "Gotta Get Across" (sung by Barrington, Marian, Robin, Rabies and Little Ron) #The Sharp End of a Cow: "Popular" (sung by the Peasants) #The Whitish Knight: "The White Knight / The Whitish Knight" (a take-off on the theme song to the TV series ''

'')

Series Two: 1990

#The Beast of Bolsover: "Ambush" (sung by Barrington) #The Worksop Egg Fairy: "What Is Happening Here?" (sung by Barrington); "Bop for an Egg" (sung by Barrington and the Peasants) #Little Brown Noses: "Against The Law" (sung by Barrington); "Colin's Release Song" (a take-off on Band Aid; sung by Marian, Robin, Barrington and Rabies) #Rabies in Love: "Rabies in Love"; "Wedding Today" (sung by Nettle and the Peasants) #Rotten Rose (Part One): "Robin Hood" (a take-off on

Bananarama Bananarama are an English pop duo from London, formed as a trio in 1980 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. T ...

; sung by Rose, Gladys and Cowpat) #Rotten Rose (Part Two): "Rotten Rose" (sung by Barrington)

Series Three: 1993

#The Big Baby: "Father Bloopy" (sung by The Sheriff, Gary, Graeme and the Peasants); "Don't Worry 'Bout The Pain" (sung by Barrington, Marian, Robin and the Peasants) #Driving Ambition: "Boring" (sung by Barrington and the Peasants – note line by Marian "Stop miming"); "Take Action" (sung by Barrington, Robin and Rabies); "A Friend Like Rose" (sung by Marian and Barrington) #Keeping Mum: "Pierced" (sung by The Sheriff and the Peasants); "Call The Dentist" (a take-off on the ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, thr ...

'' theme song; sung by Barrington and the Peasants); "Hurrah for the State of

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

" (sung a cappella by Gary and Graeme) #They Came From Outer Space: "Only Child" (sung by Marian, Barrington, Rabies and Little Ron); "Naked to the Visible Eye" (sung by Barrington and the Peasants) #Robin and the Beansprout: "I Wish They'd Put Their Heads Outside" (sung by Barrington, Marian, Little Ron and Rabies); "Chop Suey" (a take-off on

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

's "

In the Ghetto "In the Ghetto" (originally titled "The Vicious Circle") is a 1969 song recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Mac Davis. It was a major hit released in 1969 as a part of Presley's comeback album, and also on the single release of " Any Day Now ...

"; sung by Robin and the Peasants) #The Great Mud Harvest: "White Suit" (sung by Robin, Barrington and the Peasants)

Christmas Special: 1993

#Maid Marian and Much the Mini-Mart Manager's Son: "Much The Mini-Mart Manager's Son" (sung by Barrington); "Deception" (a take-off on

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

; sung by Barrington and one of the show's regular session musicians, appearing on-screen for the first time – note the line 'It's not him that's singing...')

Series Four: 1994

#Tunnel Vision: "Double Trouble" (sung by Barrington and Robin) #Bouncy Sheriff: "Friends Or Foes?" (sung by Rose, Marian, The Sheriff, Gary, Graeme and the Peasants) #Raining Forks: "Vacation" (sung by The Sheriff, King John, Robin, Barrington, Gary, Graeme and the Peasants); "High Forks Night" (a take-off on

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

; sung by Barrington, Robin and Guy) #The Wise Woman of Worksop: "Here Comes Pixie Paul" (a take-off on

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

; sung by Rabies, Barrington and Little Ron) #Robin The Bad: "Thicky Stupid" (sung by Robin and the Peasants); "A Selection of Amusing Things" (sung by The Sheriff and the Peasants) #The Nice Sumatran: "The King of England Is a Pig" (sung by the coronation choir); "Party People Party" (a take-off on Lionel Richie; sung by Barrington and the Peasants); "Take My Heart" (a take-off on Frank Sinatra; sung by Snooker) #Voyage to the Bottom of the Forest: "You're So Lazy" (sung by Marian, Robin, Barrington and Little Ron); "The Story of Workflop" 'sic''(sung by The Sheriff, Gary and Graeme)

Awards

Maid Marian and her Merry Men won several awards, including the 1990 BAFTA for "Best Children's Programme (Entertainment/Drama)". It was also nominated for the same award in 1991, losing to ''

Press Gang ''Press Gang'' is a British children's television comedy drama consisting of 43 episodes across five series that were broadcast from 1989 to 1993. It was produced by Richmond Film & Television for Central, and screened on the ITV network in i ...

''. The programme also won at least one award from the Royal Television Society, as well as the prestigious "Prix Jeunesse Variety Award" at the International Children's Programme Festival in Munich.

Locations

The programme was set in the very real

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

town of

Worksop Worksop ( ) is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located east-south-east of Sheffield, close to Nottinghamshire's borders with South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, on the River Ryton and not far from th ...

, which, along with Mansfield, is one of the two closest modern day towns to the

Major Oak The Major Oak is a large English oak (''Quercus robur'') near the village of Edwinstowe in the midst of Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, England. According to local folklore, it was Robin Hood's shelter where he and his merry men slept. It w ...

, although the whole show was shot in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. The outside scenes were filmed in woods at

Porlock Porlock is a coastal village in Somerset, England, west of Minehead. At the 2011 census, the village had a population of 1,440. In 2017, Porlock had the highest percentage of elderly population in Britain, with over 40% being of pensionable ag ...

, near Minehead, and the castle scenes were filmed in

Cleeve Abbey Cleeve Abbey is a medieval monastery located near the village of Washford, in Somerset, England. It is a Grade I listed building and has been scheduled as an ancient monument. The abbey was founded in the late twelfth century as a house for m ...

. The beach at Porlock features in some of the episodes including The Whitish Knight.

Episodes

Video and DVD releases

Video

* Series 1 was released in four volumes of 3 episodes each (a couple of slight variations in cover design exist for each). In keeping with other BBC video releases of the time, such as '' Blackadder'', each volume was named after an episode: ** "Maid Marian and Her Merry Men: How The Band Got Together" featured episodes 1-3 (BBCV 4424). Released: 5 November 1990 ** "Maid Marian and Her Merry Men: The Miracle of St Charlene" featured episodes 4-6 (BBCV 4425). Released: 5 November 1990 ** "Maid Marian and Her Merry Men Re Release: How The Band Got Together" featured episodes 1-3 (BBCV 4424). Released: 8 February 1993 ** "Maid Marian and Her Merry Men Re Release: The Miracle of St Charlene" featured episodes 4-6 (BBCV 4425). Released: 8 February 1993 Subsequent series were not released on video.

DVD (Region 2)

The DVDs were released after much online campaigning and a petition setup by fans circa 2002. Some of the signatures included cast members, although proof of this is now lost. * Series 1 – Released on 20 March 2006.Eureka Video press release for Series 1 DVD
. Retrieved 5 March 2006 * Series 2 – Released on 24 July 2006. * Series 3 – Released on 23 October 2006 (includes the 1993 Christmas special "Much the Mini-Mart Manager's Son"). * Series 4 – Released on 19 February 2007. * Series 1-4 Box Set – Released on 22 September 2008.

Comic books

Written (and adapted) by Tony Robinson, illustrated by Paul Cemmick. Published by the BBC and BBC Books Ltd. between 1989 and 1992. *''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men: How the Band got Together'' (BBC Books (2 November 1989) *''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men: Robert the Incredible Chicken'' (BBC Books (2 November 1989) *''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men: The Whitish Knight'' (BBC Books (1 October 1990) *''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men: The Beast of Bolsover'' (BBC Books (1 October 1990) *''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men: The Worksop Egg Fairy'' (BBC Books (3 October 1991) *''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men: Rabies in Love'' (BBC Books (3 October 1991) *''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men: It Came From Outer Space'' (BBC Books (26 November 1992) *''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men: Driving Ambition and Keeping Mum'' (BBC Books (26 November 1992)

Other materials

The programme was adapted for a stage musical by Tony Robinson, Mark Billingham and David Lloyd. It toured several British theatres. The theatre programme for the production at the Bristol Old Vic featured new artwork by Paul Cemmick, showing Tony Robinson dreaming the production after being hit in the head by a football. The script for this production was later published in book format by Longman literature in 1992, as part of a series of BBC TV (and radio) plays to be used in classrooms at Key Stage 3 level (roughly ages 11–14). The book includes support material and activities for this purpose. * ''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men'' (BBC/Longman (6 August 1992)

References

External links

* * * * *
Maid Marian and her Merry Men
' a
ClassicKidsTV.co.uk
* ttp://www.robinofkensington.homestead.com/links.html The Hideout, largest Maid Marian site on the internetbr>Barrington's Programme GuideMaid Marian fansite
{{Robin Hood 1989 British television series debuts 1994 British television series endings 1980s British children's television series 1990s British children's television series BBC children's television shows BBC television sitcoms Robin Hood television series English-language television shows