Maid Marian and her Merry Men is a British children's sitcom created and written by Tony Robinson and directed by David Bell. It began in 1989 on BBC One and ran for four series, with the last episode shown in 1994. The show was a partially musical comic retelling of the legend of Robin Hood, placing Maid Marian in the role of leader of the Merry Men, and reducing Robin to an incompetent ex-tailor. 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 Tony Robinson, but also for its comic style. It is more surreal than Blackadder, however, and drops even more anachronisms. Many of the show's cast such as Howard Lew Lewis, Forbes Collins, Ramsay Gilderdale and Patsy Byrne 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 mediums.

Cast & crew

Tony Robinson

Creator

D

David Bell

Director

Kate Lonergan

Maid Marian

Tony Robinson

The Sheriff of Nottingham

Adam Morris

Robin Hood (as Wayne Morris)

Howard Lew Lewis

Rabies

Danny John-Jules

Barrington

Mike Edmonds

Little Ron

Forbes Collins

King John

Mark Billingham

Gary

David Lloyd

Graeme

Hilary Mason

Gladys

R

Robin Chandler

Snooker

R

Ramsay Gilderdale

Guy of Gisbourne

Kellie Bright

Child

S

Siobhan Fogerty

Rotten Rose Scargill

J

John Dallimore

Prisoner

K

Kerry Potter

Nettie

K

Karen Salt

Chickweed

Alastair Galbraith

Walter

Patsy Byrne

Marian's Mum

Marcus Eyre

Beast of Bolsover

Seasons

25 episodes

Season 11989 · 6 episodes

Season 21990 · 6 episodes

Season 31993 · 6 episodes

Season 41994 · 7 episodes