Marian of Sherwood
and Robin, Friar Tuck, Little John, Much, Will Scarlet, and Nasir
Once Upon a Time… 1970 to be exact, there was a boy who patiently waited every week for one of his favourite tv shows to air. The show was Catweazle, about a magician from the 11th Century who accidentally jumps 900 years into the future as the result of an erroneous spell. That boy was me, and from what I remember the show was very cleverly scripted, especially when it came to words like ‘telling bone’ to describe a telephone, and ‘electrickery’ to describe electricity, by a man from the past who couldn’t quite get to grips with 20th Century technology.
The creator of Catweazle was a man named Richard Carpenter, and in 1985, I had the distinct pleasure of his company alongside my Marvel UK colleague Cefn Ridout, who was editor of Starburst magazine at the time. We were preparing a feature for the magazine, and I was there to take the photos. Richard or ‘Kip’ as he was known lived in Hertfordshire. He sat cross-legged on the floor of his living room as he regaled us with stories from his past, and told us how his interest in magic had influenced not only Catweazle, but also his latest tv creation, Robin of Sherwood for HTV, also syndicated as Robin Hood in America.
We were in the presence of an erudite storyteller, and I enjoyed the experience immensely. With tape recorder in hand, Cefn asked the questions, and once we reached a natural break it was my turn to take some photos for which we ventured outside. After this we all went to Richard’s local pub for an early lunch.
The day wasn’t done, and after we’d said our goodbyes, Cefn and I got a lift to the filming location for Robin of Sherwood, where we were welcomed by the crew, and allowed to wander about with ease. The location was Hinton Priory, in Wiltshire, a former Carthusian monastery. Founded in 1232, it was one of the nine Carthusian houses in England. The priory was dissolved in 1539 during the reign of Henry VIII as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
It was a sunny day and the location was perfect. I’d just completely revamped the design of Starburst magazine which I’d brought with me, and this was the first issue of the new look, so I thought it would be fun to get shots of the actors holding a copy. First up was Nickolas Grace who was chilling out between takes in his Sheriff of Nottingham costume, listening to his Sony Walkman which struck me as pretty surreal at the time.
Elsewhere there were Norman soldiers in battle dress lying on the grass in the sun.
And other soldiers smoking a quick cigarette between takes.
Maid Marian, Robin and his Merry Men were happy to pose for me. I can’t seem to find a reference for these costumes in any of the episodes I’ve seen, but I’m pretty certain the filming was for Season 3. Episode 11 - Rutterkin. Maybe they’d decided to cut the scene featuring these costumes.
Not long after I’d taken the group photo, Cefn and I ran into Judi Trott, and Cefn asked if she’d be okay with a quick interview, to which she said yes, so we found a nearby empty trailer and with tape recorder in hand, Cefn did the interview, and I listened intently.
When the interview was over, I asked if I could take some photos, and Judi said she’d meet me by the old Priory in twenty minutes, so I headed over to scout the location for the best background to utilise.
At this point I have to admit that until I started writing this post I had no idea where I’d actually taken the following photos, I mean we are talking about a gap of 40 years here! Thankfully, with the wonders of the internet and a bit of detective work I found this photo online, and recognized the weathered door and archway immediately. I reckon it’s pretty much indisputable!
After I’d surveyed the area and found the perfect spot, I turned around to see Maid Marian wading through the long grasses decked out in full costume, the sun glinting off her lovely red hair, and for a brief moment I felt like I’d been magically transported back in time to 13th Century Nottinghamshire.
The sun was shining, which was great, but without a collapsible reflector it was tricky not to get harsh shadows, and using fill-in flash just wouldn’t have suited the setting.
I was aware that Judi had to get back on set fairly soon, so I didn’t take too many shots, but she was really friendly, chatty, and happy to pose. The following portrait is my favourite of them all, and I think it worked better for having that rustic, weathered old door closed behind her.
By late afternoon, with a fond farewell to Sherwood, Cefn and I made our way to the train station and our journey home, having had a truly exceptional day.
As we began to relax into the journey, I started with my usual intrusive thoughts. Did I use the correct exposure? did I use the correct shutter speed? will the film be damaged during processing? etc, etc, etc…
Cefn could obviously see my furrowed brow, and said ‘what’s up?’. I replied that it was okay for him because he could easily check his results on the tape, whereas I have to wait anxiously until the film is processed. ‘Oh, right’ he said, ‘good point’, as he slipped the headphones on and rewound the tape. A few frantic button pushes later and the look of horror slowly creeping over his face revealed that the tape recorder had decided that THIS was the day it would give up the ghost and malfunction, and record absolutely NOTHING… nothing at all.
Thankfully, we still had the photos to prove we’d actually been there, because lo and behold! they didn’t get mangled during processing. They’re not the best photos I’ve ever taken but they did the job, and I do have more back in London that I haven’t yet scanned. I’ll post those on here one day. As for the Richard Carpenter interview, Cefn sent Richard Marson, one of our Doctor Who magazine writers to interview him again, and that’s what we used in Starburst magazine, July 1985, so all’s well that ends well… or does it?
Having written this and sent it to Cefn to verify the facts, he wrote back to say “At the risk of sounding incredibly forgetful, how did the cast get their hands on that particular issue that featured them and, I assume, the interview Richard Marson did with Richard Carpenter, when it all took place on the same day? We didn't experience a Bill and Ted time slip somewhere along the lines, did we?"
Cefn was absolutely right, it makes no sense whatsoever! I must have conflated the two events… or have we been subjected to the Mandela Effect?!? I mean, the CERN Large Hadron Collider could have shifted us into an alternate timeline between now and then, so I’m going to stick with that theory rather than try to rewrite this whole bloody thing!
I’ll finish up with another HTV publicity still from my collection, and an excerpt from the dramatic Season 2 episode, The Greatest Enemy, which aired 40 years ago this week.
Absolutely gorgeous photos! Thank you for sharing them and your wonderful memories! Kip was a dear friend and I miss him. Thank you for posting a link to Spirit of Sherwood on Facebook, as well. The pics of Marion are especially stunning. Nothing is ever forgotten!—Christine Alexander, Spirit of Sherwood
Cheers Steve, it's a mystery for the ages... or should I say the aged. Fab photos, as always, if not the perfect aides memoire. And, John T., I'd be very surprised if Marvel UK had shelled out for a dummy on a magazine that, at the time and in all probability, was being sized up for sale in the near future...