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The fourth and final series of Maid Marian and her Merry Men is released on 19 February 2007 on DVD for the first time by Eureka Entertainment. Originally broadcast in 1994, this two disc set features all seven episodes plus another exclusively commissioned booklet written by Tony Robinson and illustrated by Paul Cemmick.

Like bird flu, Jade Goody and the M4/M25 interchange, Maid Marian is a British icon. In this, the final series of the muddy extravaganza that is Maid Marian and her Merry Men, Rabies grows wings, Robin turns nasty and the peasants celebrate High Forks night, “Remember! Remember! the 27th of April.” To quote Robin Hood himself, this series is “as funny as Russell the Abbot.”

Maid Marian and her Merry Men was consistently number one in the children’s TV 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. This perfectly conceived historical farce is witty, warm and stylish. An excellent cast and faultless writing has drawn comparisons to Blackadder, Red Dwarf, and The Young Ones. It is one of those rare programmes made for and enjoyed by both children and adults and has secured a huge fan-base in the seventeen years since series one was first transmitted.

Written by and starring Tony Robinson as the Sherriff of Nottingham, Tony has been a regular on our TV screens since he got his big break playing ‘Baldrick’ in Blackadder. He is the presenter of the successful series Time Team and has recently been seen on our screens on Channel 4 locked in the British Museum overnight attempting to crack the mysterious ‘Codex’.

After receiving the first three series of Maid Marian and her Merry Men in their ‘lime green’ stockings this Christmas, children of all ages will surely want this special edition box-set in the New Year, to complete their collection.

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EPISODE GUIDE:

Tunnel Vision: The Sheriff and King John have cooked up a scheme to build a tunnel to Scunthorpe. Meanwhile, Sherwood Forest is in the middle of a gaming craze – with the Merry Men playing “Chronic the Hedgehog” and “Dungeons and Dragons”. Rose kidnaps Guy just as his mother appears, Gary and Graeme wade through a spot-on parody of ‘The Crystal Maze’ with Robin O’Hood, which leads to the Sheriff losing track of reality and fantasy when presented with the Used Tissue of Invisibility.

Bouncy Sheriff: King John wants Guy’s toys out of the castle, or else he will turn the Sheriff into a Bouncy Sheriff for his nephew’s enjoyment. Marian, meanwhile, quits the gang over their sexist attitudes and starts selling home improvements with Rose. Rose conspires with the Sheriff to deliver Marian, the Merry Men and a brand new flat-pack extension on the back of Nottingham Castle to King John.

Raining Forks: A cold virus (or The Plague) is sweeping through Worksop like the Plague (a different plague). Even King John catches it and decides he needs a break by the sea. The Sheriff rounds up the peasants and gets them to build a seaside holiday camp. As luck would have it, the Merry Men are on holiday not far from the new camp and devote their energies to infiltrating it and stopping the forced labour so that everyone can celebrate ‘High Forks’ Night.

The Wise Woman of Worksop: The Merry Men are suffering from insomnia and keeping everyone else up with their raves. Only wise old Gladys knows what to do, mixing up some of her Sleepy Cake. Unfortunately, things go wrong, leaving the Merry Men looking like the Beatles, and the gang have to free her father, who has been locked in King John’s dungeon. Rabies, of all people, devises a plan to resolve this situation, featuring an appearance of “Pixie Paul and his little wife Linda” and it actually works. (Not repeated in 2001 due to the death of Linda McCartney since the original transmission.)

Robin the Bad: Clem Costner, a man who looks exactly like Robin, is wreaking havoc in Worksop, even killing the King (apparently). The villagers, dismayed at this change of character, transfer their affections to the Sheriff. It’s all down to Barrington, Rabies and Little Ron to prove Robin’s innocence.

The Nice Sumatran: Marian attempts to scare off King John, who is actually scared off, surrendering his crown to Guy. He takes refuge with the Merry Men, who reluctantly decide to follow the example of the Nice Sumatran towards unfortunate rich people and agree to let him stay. Unfortunately, relations with the new guest deteriorate and Marian realises she has to scare Guy into surrendering the crown to King John again, which requires an unlikely alliance with the Sheriff.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Forest: Rabies is lazy, so much so that many of the Merry Men’s plans simply don’t work because of him. However, the robbery of a battleship and its subsequent launch take the Merry Men to the parallel universe of Engyland, where Rabies’s arrival has been eagerly awaited by the good people of Workflop, particularly the Nottyman, to save them from the wicked witch.