Netflix in talks to reboot Maid Marian and Her Merry Men, says Tony Robinson
The classic kids BBC sitcom spoofed the legend of Robin Hood
Tony Robinson has revealed he is in talks with Netflix to revive 1990s kids classic sitcom Maid Marian and Her Merry Men.
The Blackadder star, who created and starred in the BBC's Robin Hood spoof, recently revealed the opportunity arose after a stage version of the show was cancelled.
“We were talking about the possibility of doing a West End musical of Maid Marian last year and the year before, but in a way COVID knocked it on the head and it wasn’t going in the right direction anyway,” he said to podcast Celebrity Catch Up.
“But I’m now talking to Netflix about the possibility of some kind of revamp of Maid Marian in the future, which would be very exciting.”
The original surreal series – which aired from 1989 to 1994 – saw Robinson star as the devious Sheriff of Nottingham, a ruler obsessed with collecting taxes.
Retelling the legend of Robin Hood, the show saw Maid Marian (played by Kate Lonergan) take centre stage with Robin (Adam Morris) sidelined as an incompetent and vain tailor.
The show also starred Death in Paradise’s Danny John-Jules as ‘Rasta’ Merry Man Barrington, and Mike Edmonds as (a very violent) Little Ron. David Lloyd and Mark Billingham also played the Sheriff's useless henchmen, Graeme and Gary.
If the show was return to screen, however, Robinson said thinks a reboot should feature a new cast. “I’d kind of like to start again,’ he said. “I would like to discover that voice of the television Marian from scratch. I’ve got some ideas which I'll keep absolutely under wraps.
“As soon as I told you some of the people we had in mind for the cast, you’d get where I was going – but I’m not going to!”
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, visit our TV Guide, or find out about upcoming new TV shows 2020.
Authors
Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.