Eureka! … Since 1981

Eureka! TV | Imagine that the Merry Men are as thick as one short plank, Robin Hood is a vapid, fashion-conscious airhead from the village of Kensington, and Maid Marian -feisty, idealistic and covered in ‘Save the Whale’ badges- is their leader. That’s Maid Marian and Her Merry Men, the cult BBC children’s TV show available now to buy on DVD.

King John is a fat bullying oaf, the Sheriff of Nottingham’s as bossy and incompetent as the worst teacher in your school, and the Norman army comprises Gary and Graeme, two educationally-challenged private soldiers who ought to be committing vile acts of violence for the Sheriff, but unfortunately they’re too soft.

Written by Tony Robinson, who also stars as the Sheriff, Maid Marian was consistently number one in the children’s T.V ratings throughout its four series, partly because it was popular with children of all ages, but also because it became ‘must see’ viewing for students and young adults. It was popular with the critics too, winning a Bafta, an RTS Award and the International Prix Jeunesse.

Tony Robinson who played ‘Baldrick’ in Blackadder, currently presents Time Team and The Worst Jobs in History, and has recently dived the Titanic for Channel 4.

He says, “It’s long been my ambition to see Maid Marian released on DVD. I’ve been approached by so many fans who were children when it was first transmitted but are now well in to their twenties and would love to see it again. What a terrible indictment on the mind set of young British adults that is! It’s been a real slog getting the rights sorted out, but we’ve finally done it, and looking at it now, I’m as proud of the show as I was then.”

Maid Marian and her Merry Men also stars Kate Lonergan as Marian, Wayne Morris as Robin and Danny John Jules (Red Dwarf) as Barrington.