Robin Hood

Robin Hood

1953 - United Kingdom

Presented under the Children's Television banner Robin Hood was the first serialised TV outing for Sherwood Forest's most famous inhabitant. 

Written by Max Kester and broadcast over six weeks in 30-minute episodes from 17th March 1953, Robin Hood was thought to be, like many series of the day, broadcast live, shown once and then lost forever. However, the BBC was just beginning to experiment with a method whereby televised material could be preserved by filming it from a specially adapted monitor. As a result of this, in what is possibly the earliest example of these 'telerecording' experiments, an entire episode ('The Abbot of St Mary') exists in the BBC archives. 

The series was completely studio based (filming in Studio G at Lime Grove). Short clips appeared in a 2007 documentary, presented by Jonathan Ross, covering Robin Hood from its beginnings to the most recent BBC production as an example of television production in the BBC documentary (BBC 4) series Children's TV On Trial. 

Future Doctor Who Patrick Troughton played Robin, with Kenneth MacKintosh as Little John, Wensley Pithey as Friar Tuck and David Kossoff as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Published on January 25th, 2019. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

The Third Man TV series 1959

Resurrected from the 1949 movie, Harry Lime is now an international businessman with organizations in most of the world's capitals. But shady deals, and equally shady characters are never far away...

Also starring Patrick Troughton

Foxy Lady tv series 1982

A female editor with no previous experience is given the task of resurrecting a failing local newspaper

Also starring Patrick Troughton

Box of Delights

John Masefield's enchanting children's fantasy The Box of Delights, tells the story of a young boy whose chance meeting with a Punch-and-Judy man leads him to a world where almost anything is possible.

Also starring Patrick Troughton

The Queens Champion

Loyalty and treason on the eve of the Armada in this eight-part BBC serial featuring some of television's best known names

Also starring Patrick Troughton

Robin of Sherwood

Action adventure series featuring the further adventures of Robin Hood.

Also tagged Robin Hood

Colonel March of Scotland Yard

Hollywood screen legend Boris Karloff as a determined police officer heads Scotland Yard's department for seemingly unsolvable cases.

Also released in 1953

Freedom in September

A Soviet musician is missing from his hotel. He wanders through 1962 London trying to contact people he has met and known in Russia. Who are these people? What lies behind his desperate search?

Also starring Patrick Troughton