Richard Burrell is the producer, and the other writers involved on the first series were Paul Cornell, Mark Wadlow, Debbie Oates, Kurti & Doyle and Joe Turner.
Robin Hood was announced as a possible commission by BBC One Controller Peter Fincham in July 2005,[5] but not officially confirmed by Head of Drama Jane Tranter until 24 October that year.
Joining the cast for the third series were Joanne Froggatt, as a character named "Kate", a Locksley villager,[11] Lara Pulver, as Guy of Gisborne's sister Isabella,[12] David Harewood as Friar Tuck and Toby Stephens as Prince John,[13] and Clive Standen as Archer, Robin's half brother.
"[14] In January 2009, the writer Sally Wainwright told The Stage entertainment industry newspaper that she had been asked to oversee a creative revamp of the programme for its fourth series.
Robin is soon made an outlaw, and takes it upon himself to steal from the rich to feed the poor along with his gang, which consists of his best friend Much (Sam Troughton); two young men he saved from hanging, Will Scarlett (Harry Lloyd) and Allan A Dale (Joe Armstrong); the ex-leader of a band of outlaws already in the woods, Little John (Gordon Kennedy); and another young man named Roy (short for "Royston White") (William Beck), who is killed in episode 4, and replaced in episode 5 by Djaq (Anjali Jay), a Saracen slave using the alias of her dead brother.
Marian has her own alias,'The night watchman' dubbed by the people she secretly helps; Robin is initially unaware, until her identity is revealed in episode three of the first season.
The Sheriff plots to kill King Richard (played by Steven Waddington) in his role as leader of the Black Knights, who wish to place Prince John on the throne.
As the series opens, Tuck (David Harewood), a spiritual preacher returning to England, and Kate (Joanne Froggatt), a Locksley villager, are introduced; both soon become part of Robin's gang.
Her link to the castle through Gisborne is used by the gang while she plots revenge against her brother, but her thirst for independence, power, and vengeance soon leads her to become a ruthless Sheriff and a sworn enemy.
(This, coupled with his biological ties to Robin, Gisborne and Isabella, led to speculation that he was set to take over the programme's lead role following Jonas Armstrong's departure.
A longer trailer with actual dialogue from many of the characters was previewed in the Video Room of the Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre during the first week of August 2006, as part of the community's Robin Hood Festival.
You can't beat a good ruckus – Armstrong and his merry co-stars all enrolled at a specially-commissioned 'Hood academy' before filming in Hungary, where they were drilled in horse riding, sword skills and archery.
"[21] In The Times, critic Paul Hoggart backed the series to be a success: "Armstrong as the rather understated Robin Hood should still be moodily cheeky enough to find his way on to the bedroom walls of a few hundred thousand pubertal girls, and Lucy Griffiths as Marian is inevitably feisty.
But the villains steal the show, with Richard Armitage's Guy of Gisborne off-setting Keith Allen's gags as the mocking, heavily sarcastic Sheriff.
This was one of three specially shot trailers, directed by Matt Losasso, each introducing one of the main characters, Robin, Marian and the Sheriff of Nottingham who are seen speaking to camera.
[25] As a co-producer on the series, BBC America owns the United States broadcast rights to the programme,[26] which debuted on the channel on Saturday 3 March 2007.
The Sales have also been agreed with broadcasters in India, Sri Lanka, Denmark, France, Italy, Greece, New Zealand, Poland, Macedonia, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Israel, Canada, Czech Republic, Latin America[30] and Switzerland.