Robot of Sherwood
"Robot of Sherwood" is the third episode of the eighth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who.
In the episode, the alien time traveller the Doctor and his companion Clara (Jenna Coleman) arrive in Sherwood Forest in 1190, where they encounter legendary hero Robin Hood (Tom Riley) as well as the gold-plundering Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Miller), who has allied himself with robotic knights.
The episode was watched by 7.28 million viewers in the UK and received generally positive reviews from television critics.
The Doctor and Clara learn that the Sheriff intends to use a crashed spaceship (disguised as part of a castle) and its robot knights to take over the world.
The Doctor is initially convinced that Robin is a creation of the robots in order to give the oppressed peasants hope using the legends of Earth, but ultimately learns that he is real.
The Doctor decides to fire the golden arrow into the engines to give the ship a power boost to reach orbit.
Sceptical about the reality of Robin Hood, his men and their environment, the Doctor initially believes that he and Clara might be in a miniscope.
[6] Both Fforest Fawr and Caerphilly Castle had previously served as locations for Doctor Who, the former as a setting for scenes from "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End", and the latter for "Vampires of Venice" and "Nightmare in Silver".
[7][8][9][10] On 4 September 2014, the BBC announced that a beheading scene from the episode's climactic battle had been edited out due to the recent murders of James Foley and Steven Sotloff by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Dan Martin of The Guardian praised the writing and acting, but criticised the more minor role of the Doctor in the episode, and the length, which did not do the mythology justice.
[36] Patrick Mulkern of Radio Times called it "a superb, witty, heart-warming encounter between two heroes," praising Gatiss' "elegant, hugely witty script that delivers a coherent plot," and calling the Doctor and Robin Hood "one of the funniest double acts ever seen in Doctor Who.
He writes that "Robot of Sherwood" is "the kind of Doctor Who you reach for when you've got a spare hour, and just want to get a great big smile on your face.
[40] Forbes also noted the shift in personality for the Doctor, but commended Capaldi for finding "enough rope in the script to bring his interpretation to the role."
"[31] Pearson Education published a novelisation of this episode by David Maule for students of English language reading 24 May 2018.
