The Adventures of Robin Hood
'The Adventures of Robin Hood' TV Series, starring Richard Greene, was produced by Sapphire Films for ATV/ITC and ran for 143 episodes from 1955-60.
It also starred Bernadette O’Farrell as Maid Marian for series one and two, and Patricia Driscoll for series three and four. Little John was played by Archie Duncan for all four series, with the exception of ten episodes in series one, where he was replaced by Rufus Cruickshank. This was due to Archie Duncan breaking his leg whilst stopping a bolting horse that was threatening two child actors, an act which won him the Queen’s Medal for Bravery.
For series one to three, the infamous Sheriff of Nottingham was played to dastardly perfection by the brilliantly cast Alan Wheatley. When Wheatley left at the end of series 3, John Arnatt was brought in as the deputy Sheriff for the final series.
Other regular actors included Victor Woolf as Derwent and Paul Eddington, who took on a variety of roles (sometimes stretching to include multiple roles within individual episodes).
The series was filmed at Nettlefold Studios, Walton-On-Thames, with many exteriors being filmed on the Foxwarren Estate, which was owned by the series’ producer Hannah Weinstein. Many of the exteriors for series one and two were filmed around the Walton Firs Scout Camp and the surrounding fields and wooded areas, as well as the adjoining Manor Pond and Ravine. This truly is magic country for all those who are interested in the series.
For series three and four, the series continued to film around Foxwarren, with the exterior of Nottingham Castle being built in one of its fields. However, location filming now frequently took in Wisley Common in many episodes.
Network DVD have released the entire series.