there was a great example of the BBC’s bias towards itself. Around 11.15am, they showed a lengthy filmed package about the BBC’s new production of Robin Hood, which will “fill the coveted Dr. Who slot on Saturday evenings”. This went on for a good many minutes, with excerpts from the production, interviews with the actors and production team and so on. It was nothing but an advert, an infomercial, masquerading as news, with their special correspondent, Ms. Philippa Space.
They wouldn’t have spent this much time, or indeed any time at all, if this production was for ITV, and they shouldn’t do it for themselves. To add insult to injury, the Robin Hood infomercial was followed by two more lengthy BBC adverts (thankfully not masquerading as news this time), one for Jane Eyre, another for Wide Sargasso Sea.
Still, I suppose it could have been worse. They could have been giving us their usual version of the real news instead 🙂
On Newsnight Review last night, the near unanimous conclusion on Robin Hood was that it was “tripe” (an insult to a traditional and tasty dish BTW). If this is the conclusion of the luvvies on the BBC “cultural” payroll, you can rest assured that “tripe” was a compliment compared to the reality. I predict that the programme (Robin Hood) will sink without trace into the slime from which it appeared.
I think we all knew Robin Hood was going to be garbage the moment the ‘story’ about the ‘stolen tapes’ was splashed about as world-shattering news. Bit of a giveaway, really.
It looked bloody awful. The old Robin of Sherwood was bad enough – with its grimy costumes and frightful overacting by a talentless cast – but here they have added an obvious PC context with the Sheriff calling Robin a terrorist and knights dressed all in black leather as if they had just left a Hell’s Angel convention. NO understanding whatever of what the Middle Ages were or looked like. Dear old Michael Curtiz had got it so right with his forests of colourful banners and avalanches of polychrome shields and weapons, stretching the new-fangled Technicolor to the limit and designing something which really looked like the old illuminated manuscripts. Anyone who deals with the Robin Hood legend since has to measure himself against this great classic, and nobody even seems to understand what Curtiz and Erroll Flynn got so naturally.
As to PC, it was reported, when production was first starting, that this was to be Robin Hood sans Friar Tuck, lest fatties be offended (that alone should have told you all you needed to know) – well, I’m one, and I’m deeply offended only that they mucked about with the story to no obvious purpose.
I can’t accept Fabio’s criticism of Robin of Sherwood – I assume he’s talking about the 1950’s ITV series: as far as I’m concerned, Richard Greene IS Robin of Loxley, and Alan Wheatley was just about the evilest Sheriff of Nottingham you could imagine.
Interestingly, in what looks like a hedging-its-bets move, the BBC has just released its terrific 1975 serialisation, The Legend of Robin Hood, with Martin Potter as Robin, the delectable Diane Keen as Maid Marion, and a not-bad Paul Darrow as the Sheriff.
Cheers.
Fabio –
I’ve just realised you were talking about the 1984 series, which I didn’t see. Sorry.
Bit I still say that Richard Greene remains unmatched in his portrayal of the character.
And who could forget that theme tune?
Da dan da da da da dan da daaaah!
This version can’t possibly be any good: it doesn’t have the utterly-delectable Jason Connery in it!
All together now, in best Kevin Costner voice:
“Or should I call you Little Jaaaaaaaaaaaaahn?”
You know, I preferred the Childrens BBC “Maid Marion and her Merry Men” to the (admittedly small snippets of) rubbish I saw of this new version. And then there’s Mel Brooke’s take on it.
We’re men, we’re men in tights…
Archonix,
You’re probably talking about Brooks’ 1993 Robin Hood: Men In Tights, but does anyone remember his earlier, short-lived, totally anarchic, 1975 TV send-up of the legend, When Things Were Rotten?
Cheers –
I liked the 1970s Disney version where Robin Hood was a fox and Little John was a bear, and they all talked like American hillbillies. It has a politically incorrect song in it too, about “Good King John” leading a “great Crusade.”
Wouldn’t get past the PeeCee censors today.
Beebs new Robin Hood bombed last night….
Just take a look at their own forums…people hate it…..lolol…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbpointsofview/F1951566?thread=3549379
Al-Beeb cannot escape its obsession with the “so-called War on Terror” even in its children’s programming (or should I say, especially not its children’s programming) as these lines of dialogue indicate:
“How many years have you been here?”
“Three years four winters.”
“And yet you still do not have the respect of the populous.”
“How was the Holy Land?”
“Bloodthirsty”
“I understand the King is winning.”
“He’s killing more people.”
“Is that not winning?”
“Show me an argument ever settled with bloodshed then I’ll call it winning.”
and this:
“You of all people should know the King needs funds to fight a holy war.”
“Is it our Holy War or is it Pope Gregory’s?”
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with Rome.”
“And we fall shoulder to shoulder too, I have seen it.”
(Note the use of the phrase “shoulder to shoulder”).
In both cases Robin expresses the PC point of view. The only problem is will the audience (if there is one) pick up on the references?
allan d
The only problem is will the audience (if there is one) pick up on the references?
……………………………..
i’m sure the bbc’s mantra is something like this.
throw enough shit at the audience
and some of it will stick.
Did I escape to Sherwood forest because I shot a deer that belongs to the king,or to avoid the telly tax ?
If you think Robin Hood’s bad I saw an eco-propaganda film on BBC4 last night that basically advocated “Juche” of the North Korean style.
It had “need for self-sufficiency”, “islands should accept lower living standards” etc.
No wonder lefties love dictators.
And yet they say they need to extort the TV tax – aka “licence fee” because they don’t run “adverts”!!
The Sheriff is alive and well, driving a detector van near you…….
whooops, that would be “Good King Richard” (a lion, of course) who led the “Great Crusade.”
King John (also a lion, but a whiny, skinny, thumb-sucking one) was the villain.
The Sheriff is alive and well, driving a detector van near you…….
Good idea — Stuart how about a modern version of Robin and the Sheriff? In this case the Sheriff would be the head of the BBC constantly plotting to tax and oppress the people and Robin would be hijacking the evil detector vans. . .