Robot of Sherwood (TV story)

Robot of Sherwood
Doctor:	Twelfth Doctor
Companion(s):	Clara
Featuring:	Robin Hood
Main enemy:	The Sheriff, robot knights
Main setting:	Sherwood Forest, 1190
Key crew
Writer:	Mark Gatiss
Director:	Paul Murphy
Producer:	Nikki Wilson
Release details
Story number:	243
Premiere broadcast:	6 September 2014
Premiere network:	BBC One
Format:	1x45 minute episode
Production code:	4.3
Doctor Who television stories
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Robot of Sherwood was the third episode of the eighth series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales.

Synopsis

Clara is elated when offered the chance to meet the English folk hero Robin Hood, despite the Twelfth Doctor's insistence that he is nothing more than a legend. Travelling to a sun-drenched Sherwood Forest in 1190, they soon realise that something is amiss as the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham and his sinister robot knights plot to rewrite the course of history.

Can the Doctor put aside his doubts and stir up an unlikely friendship with Robin Hood?

Plot

As the Doctor scribbles down scientific calculations on his chalkboard, he offers to let Clara choose their next destination. Clara, at first hesitant, believing the Doctor to dismiss him as a historical person, excitedly asks the Doctor to take them to meet the historical outlaw, Robin Hood. Clara reveals that Robin Hood was her childhood hero and had always wanted to meet him. The Doctor explains that he is nothing but a legend, and tries to convince her to choose something else, such as Mars. Clara persuades the Doctor to listen to her. Giving in, the Doctor sets a course for Sherwood Forest, 1190.

The TARDIS materialises by a lake in Sherwood Forest. Exiting the time machine, the Doctor yells out that there are "No damsels in distress, no Bridget Castles, no such thing as Robin Hood!" Then suddenly, an arrow strikes the side of the TARDIS. A man in green tights rises out from behind a log. As the Doctor stares blank-eyed, the man winks at him. The Doctor rips the arrow out of the TARDIS as the man crosses the lake. The man demands that he give up his 'magic box.' The Doctor refuses, but Clara appears, wearing a 12th century dress. Not believing what she's seeing, she congratulates the Doctor for finding Robin Hood. The Doctor points out that he's not Robin Hood. The man unleashes his sword and challenges the Doctor to a duel. The Doctor dons a glove and unleashes...a spoon!

The two battle on the lake's walkway whilst Clara cheers them on. As the two seem evenly matched, the man counters the Doctor's next move and slices a button off his jacket. The Doctor raises his arms and seemingly gives up. As the man is about to finish him off, the Doctor tricks him and trips him up, making him fall into the lake. The man sneaks up behind the Doctor and shoves him into the lake, annoying him.

Cast

• The Doctor - Peter Capaldi
• Clara - Jenna Coleman
• Robin Hood - Tom Riley
• Quayle - Roger Ashton-Griffiths
• Quayle's Ward - Sabrina Bartlett
• The Sheriff of Nottingham - Ben Miller
• Alan-a-Dale - Ian Hallard
• Friar Tuck - Trevor Cooper
• Little John - Rusty Goffe
• Will Scarlett - Joseph Kennedy
• Walter - Adam Jones
• Herald - David Benson
• Guard - David Langham
• Knight - Tim Baggaley
• Voice of the Knights - Richard Elfyn

Crew

Executive Producers   Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin

General production staff Production Executive - Julie Scott Line Producer - Tracie Simpson Location Manager - Iwan Roberts Location Scout - Nick Clark Unit Manager - Iestyn Hampson-Jones Production Co-ordinator - Adam Knopf Production Management Assistant - Sandra Cosfeld Production Assistants - Matthew Jones, Katie Player Unit Medic - Glyn Evans Production Accountant - Jeff Dunn Assistant Accountant - Bethan Griffins Script department Script Editors - David P Davis, Richard Cookson Camera and lighting department 1st Assistant Director - Jo Lea 2nd Assistant Director - James DeHaviland 3rd Assistant Director - Danielle Richards Assistant Directors - Gareth Jones, Chris Thomas Script Supervisor - Steve Walker Camera Operator - Martin Stephens Focus Pullers - Jonathan Vidgen, Matthew Waving Grip - John Robinson Assistant Grip - Sean Cronin Camera Assistants - Cai Thompson, Katy Kardasz, Gethin Williams Gaffer - Mark Hutchings Best Boy - Stephen Slocombe Electricians - Gafin Riley, Andy Gardiner, Bob Milton, Gareth Sheldon	Art department Supervising Art Director - Paul Spriggs Art Director - Vicki Stevenson Art Department Accountant - Simon Wheeler Production Buyer - Holly Thurman Set Decorator - Adrian Anscombe Set Dressers - Jayne Davies, Mike Elkins, Jamie Farrell Prop Buyers - Donna Shakesheff, Helen O'Leary Concept Artist - Chris Lees Graphic Artist - Christina Tom Standby Props - Liam Collins, Gary Leech Standby Carpenter - Paul Jones Standby Art Director - Amy Pickwoad Standby Rigger - Bryan Griffiths Head Scenic Artist - Clive Clarke Scenic Painters - Steve Nelms, Matt Weston Storeman - Jamie Southcott Assistant Storeman - Ryan Milton Prop Master - Paul Smith Props Chargehand - Kyle Belmont Props Driver - Gareth Fox Props Makers - Alan Hardy, Jamie Thomas Construction Manager - Terry Horle Construction Chargehand - Dean Tucker Construction Driver - Jonathan Tylke Practical Electrician - Christian Davies Graphics - BBC Wales Graphics Draughtspersons - Kartik Nagar, Julia Jones Carpenters - John Sinnott, Chris Daniels, Lawrie Ferry, Matt Ferry, Julian Tucker, Mark Painter, Joe Painter Title Concept - Billy Hanshaw Costume department Costume Supervisor - Claire Lynch Costume Assistants - Katarina Cappellazzi, Gemma Evans, Charlotte Bestwick	Make-up and prosthetics Make-up Supervisor - Emma Cowen Make-up Artists - Alison Webb, Anne Marie Williams Prosthetics - Millenium FX Movement Stunt Co-ordinators - Crispin Layfield, Dani Biernat Stunt Performers - Gordon Seed, Andy Merchant, James Pavey Casting Casting Associate - Alice Purser General post-production staff Post-production Supervisor - Nerys Davies Post-production Co-ordinator - Samantha Price Assistant Editors - Katrina Aust, Carmen Sanchez Roberts On-line Editor - Mark Hardyman Special and visual effects VFX Editor - Joel Skinner Colourist - Gareth Spensley Sound Sound Recordist - Deian Llŷr Humphreys Dubbing Mixer - Tim Ricketts Sound Maintenance Engineers - Tam Shoring, Christopher Goding Dialogue Editor - Darran Clement ADR Editor - Matthew Cox Effects Editor - Harry Barnes Foley Editor - Jamie Talbutt

Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.

References

• The Doctor offers to take Clara to see the Ice Warrior hives on Mars or the Tumescent Arrows of the Half-Light. He claimed to have taken a Polaroid picture of the latter.
• Clara says, "You can take the girl out of Blackpool.”
• The Sheriff also expresses his desire to gain control over Derby, and London. Clara also suggests Worksop.
• There are several instances which can be considered references to Maid Marian and her Merry Men, although the series is not mentioned by name.
  • Unlike in most instances, Little John is portrayed as being of a smaller stature rather then bigger, such as in Maid Marian.
  • Clara being taken from the cell as the Doctor and Robin Hood are arguing. In the series, Maid Marian would often take the leading role whilst the others argue.
• Clara calls Robin Hood "Prince of Thieves", a nickname popularised by the film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
• The Doctor has a gizmo able to take a sample and examine outrigh a specimen of human blood. He administeres such a test on Alan-a-Dale and makes a prognosis of several diseases and about six months of life expectancy.
• The Doctor claimed to have practised swordfight with Richard the Lionheart, Cyrano de Bergerac and Errol Flynn.

Story notes

An image of Robin Hood, as portrayed by Patrick Troughton.

• A scene in which the Sheriff of Nottingham was beheaded, revealing him to be a robot, was edited out of this episode's broadcast as it was deemed inappropriate in light of recent events in the news — namely, the beheading of two American journalists by terrorist group Islamic State. The cut can clearly be seen in the finished programme, when the tapestry behind Clara and the Doctor vanishes before Robin cuts the rope and rises to the wooden gantries. However, the admission of the Sheriff that he was "half man, half engine" and the scene showing his hands in the vat of molten gold makes up for the editing gap.
• One of the images brought up on the computer screen is of Patrick Troughton, the actor who portrayed the Second Doctor, and also the first actor who played Robin Hood on television.
• Actors David Benson and Ian Hallard also appeared together in AUDIO: Invaders from Mars, which was also written by Mark Gatiss. Benson later appeared in AUDIO: Wildthyme at Large, a story which also featured Robin Hood.
• This is the first episode since TV: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS to have no scenes set on present-day Earth.

Ratings

to be added

Filming locations

• Fforest Fawr, Brecon Beacons National Park

• Caerphilly Castle, Castle St.

Production errors

• Despite portraying a highly competent archer, actor Ben Miller's technique was rather flawed when firing his arrows.
• Clara closes the Tardis door when first meeting Robin Hood but when Robin and The Doctor duel its open.

Continuity

• The Doctor suggests to Clara that they are inside a miniscope upon encountering Robin Hood and his Merry Men in Sherwood Forest. (TV: Carnival of Monsters)
• This is not the first time that the Doctor has encountered a spaceship disguised as a castle. (TV: State of Decay)
• The spaceship was headed for the destination of "the Promised Land." The Half-Face Man also claimed that he was waiting to reach the Promised Land. (TV: Deep Breath)
• The Doctor uses Venusian aikido to disarm Robin Hood, complete with "Hai," as his third incarnation commonly did. (TV: The Mind of Evil, Inferno, The Claws of Axos et al.)
• The Doctor previously encountered a ship that needed gold to repair the engines, in his fifth incarnation the Djinni used the gold the Black Guardian horded from the Caliph and compressed it to make a warp manifold, the fifth segment to the Key to Time. (AUDIO: The Destroyer of Delights)
• Once again the Doctor likens a foolish person's thought processes to pudding. (TV: Deep Breath)
• King Richard the Lionheart and his brother Prince John of England are mentioned. Meanwhile in 1190, King Richard is fighting the Crusades, where he met the First Doctor. (TV: The Crusade) The Fifth Doctor would meet the android Kamelion masquerading as the then King John in 1215. (TV: The King's Demons)
• The Doctor and Robin Hood escape the cell by feigning a possession in the same way as Ben and Polly did in TV: The Smugglers.
• The Tenth Doctor also had an arrow hit his TARDIS in London in 1599. (TV: The Shakespeare Code)
• A different account about the appearance and the fate of Robin Hood was referred in PROSE: The Thief of Sherwood.
• In London of 2050, K9 Mark 2 would encounter a virtual reality simulation of Robin Hood in a recreation of Sherwood Forest inside a museum. The view held at this point is that there was indeed a real Robin Hood, a sentiment affirmed by K9 who claims to have met him in his original incarnation. (TV: The Last Oak Tree)
• The Twelfth Doctor is still writing obscure calculations with chalk, (TV: Deep Breath) on the TARDIS blackboard. (TV: Into the Dalek)
• The Doctor observes that the crashed spaceship is from the 29th century. His previous incarnation visited the Starship UK, which was launched in that same period to escape the solar flares threatening the Earth. (TV: The Beast Below)

Home video releases

DVD releases

The episode will be released as part of the Complete Series 8 in November.

Blu-ray releases

to be added

External links

to be added

Footnotes