I Promised This
I promised you some Maid Marian and Her Merry Men clips. I'd *love* to find more fans of this, or convert more fans. It's a really lovely show, and very funny. I'm really excited to finally be able to show you these clips, so, comments would be fantastic. :D
Summary (click the tags to find my other post about this, I went into more detail): Okay! So, it was written by Tony Robinson, if you know him from shows like Blackadder (he was Baldrick) and Time Team. He's also in it as the Sheriff of Nottingham, a very different character from Baldrick, though he still gets to have plans. :D It's a version of the Robin Hood legend- but it's the 'true story'. Where it's revealed that Maid Marian was actually the leader of the gang, and the brains behind the operation, because Robin is a vain, cowardly, gullible ex-tailor from Kensington who "couldn't 'hold up' his hands to go to the lav". Nice guy. Just not leadership material. But he had a fanbase, where Marian didn't... so over time, Marian was forgotten by history. She's also definitely not dating Robin. It's a quite feminist show, written to have a strong, fun, female character, because Tony's then 9 year old daughter hated the female characters around at the time of the late 80s. He didn't just design the show for children, it's very clearly designed for 'all ages', and has layers of comedy. When it was originally on tv it was hugely popular amongst uni students, as much as it was amongst 7 year olds, and teenagers, and parents... the comedy style is sort of similar to Blackadder and Red Dwarf, in that they have witty lines, but also deliberate anachronisms and references to modern culture, politics, innuendoes, etc... Totally historically inaccurate (except in a few random places which I find interesting, like the fact that Marian has removeable sleeves) but absolutely fun. Maid Marian was and is totally my hero.
The Merry Men are Barrington, a rastafarian (Played by Danny John Jules, if you've seen Red Dwarf, he plays Cat.), Rabies, a tall strong idiot, and Little Ron, a violent midget. The 'baddies' are the Sheriff (Tony Robinson) King John, Gary And Graeme (two guards, who are totally cute... they're really quite nice guys, even though they both have GSCES in Killing, Maiming and Chewing People's Heads Off, and they would be friends with the Merry Men if they were only on the 'right side'), Rose Scargill, Marian's ex best friend, Guy of Gisbourne, who appears to have the mind of a four year old though he's actually 27 years old. Other people apparently live in the castle with them but you pretty much never see them. Then there's the villagers, who live in Worksop, with names like Gladys, Nettle, Chickweed, Snooker, Cowpat, etc.
Oh... and did I mention it's a musical? :D
So! Clip time!
Oi, cretin!
The opening scene to the first episode. I love the over exaggerated poverty. In the show, they do pretty much just eat mud... but they eat it at places like Mud Donalds, or go chinese and order "crispy fried mud with extra mud" etc. :D
It's quite dark for a kid's show actually. And they definitely do NOT talk down to the children. How many kids shows do you know that are all 'oi! Cretin!' :D
The guy selling the raffle tickets is Rabies, and the guy singing is Barrington- he flogs dead rats for a living... they come in many flavours.
I love how Marian calls them Freedom Fighters, the Sheriff calls them Bandits, and the King sometimes calls them terrorists. :D ooo social commentary for the win
Here's the very very memorable end credits. :D They're so catchy and very... appropriate.
the Pancake Song. This is how one of the first series episodes starts. :D I love how Tony decided to have an episode about Pancake Day, ie, a rather obscure holiday, instead of something else... and it's such a medieval holiday to be excited about as well. :D
And, amazingly, the pancake thing fits in PERFECTLY with the rest of the episode. Something else I love about this show is that it usually has at *least* three plot lines that manage to intertwine. This one has Pancake Day being celebrated, Marian trying to get the Men able to ambush people, Robin inventing their uniforms (Ooo! Pretty colour! And it coordinates well with the trees doesn't it!) and the King being upset that no one recognises him, and the Sheriff trying to invent things.
Here's the Robin Hood Song. :D An example of the girls fangirlling over Robin, and how actually pathetic he is. He's full of ego, with nothing really behind it. I love the 'dramatic leap' off that tree branch and it turns out to be hardly off the ground at all. I love Robin's bumbag and how he has an R on his tunic.
Oh and listen to the lines... how many kids shows would get away with lines like "he's Robin Hood... oh how I wish he would." "I'd like to blow his hunting horn and send his insides a shiver, if I was an arrow I would climb inside his quiver" "Oh how I wish we could do something do something good, with Robin Hood"
Call The Dentist. :D Marian's mother comes to visit... and she's been lying to her, saying that she's a dental receptionist. The other merry men laugh at this, but Robin volunteers them all to pretend to be dentists for her. (he IS a really nice guy). And then Marian gets kidnapped... so they go to rescue her... as dentists. Singing. :D To the tune of "Ghost Busters"
"Much the Mini Mart Manager's Son". the baddies interrupt Barrington's tap dancing lessons, and this random man, Much, stops them and gets them to leave... and this is the song that's sung about him...
The Sheriff tries to seduce Maid Marian's mother to get to Marian. :D I love this song.
You might recognise her mother from Blackadder as Nursie.
from the episode Rabies in Love. :D He falls in love with a red haired woman called Fergie haha! He falls for her because she beats him at arm wrestling. And later on, he falls for a woman called Margaret The Thatcher, known as Crazy Margaret, who is 'the strongest woman he's ever seen' :P
yay, politics!
Marian and Barrington sing a revenge song about Rose... because she's a total bitch. Oh, and they're doing this for their Song for Worksop competition. :D
I love this song haha! Would never be allowed in a more modern kids show. sooo vengeful. :D
Oh and, most of the time, (not ALL the time) the only ones who *actually* are using their own voices to sing, are Barrington and Robin (though the others DO use their real voices sometimes) so, they have a LOT of fun with deliberately random dubbing, like little girls singing with huge older woman voices and stuff haha
a song called "Action". from the same episode as the one above. That episode has people having Driving Lessons, and also having this Song for Worksop thing... and trying to raise money and have bets and stuff. It's a very fun episode. And I love Robin in this song haha! He gets so easily confused.
this song is... hard to explain. It's called the Pixie Paul song. The Men can't sleep, so Robin and barrington keep having Raves at night, keeping the others even more awake... so they eat this magic cake that is supposed to put them to sleep, but they don't read the instructions, so it turns them all different... so Rabies turns into Paul Mccartney, and grows wings... so Marian is telling the baddies that the 'pixies did it' to scare them off, saying that she has control over the pixies... so tell us where the keys to the castle are! then Robin and Marian get captured. So this is their plot to get them out- sing a song to get Guy of Gisbourne to believe them, and put the baddies to sleep with the magic cake.
There's one of my favourite lines between Marian and Robin in this one (well, i have MASSES)
but Marian and Robin are hanging in the dungeon, and Marian says "What a bimbo I am!" and Robin says really affectionately "you certainly are!" and Marian's like "thanks for your support, spongebrain!" "No! I mean you're a really brave little dear!" "... pardon?" "Don't you remember how brave Bimbo was, how he rescued all the animals from the fire and then grew up to be a really big stag?" "... that was BAMBI Robin!! And I thought my porridge was thick!" "you're right, it is!"
It's impossible for me to quote all the good bits.
"Pain". It's a christmassy episode (the baddies invent secular christmas, but call it Bloopy) the Merry Men have a giant jellybaby version of King John, and use it to try and rescue all the villagers who have been lured into "Father Bloopy's Grotto". I love that the jellybaby is wearing a burger king type crown. :D
"barrington! Put your shirt on! There's people watching!!!"
SUCH a fun but depressing song haha! I can't believe they have it in a kid's show. "one day, the pain is going to stop, cos one day, you'll be dead!" "Life's a masochistic party!" and Robin singing in French. :D
this is the Sheriff explaining "bloopy" the holiday they just invented, to the Villagers. :D "And in his stable, he has got, Sixteen Hippopotamuses! And he harnesses them to a silver sleigh, coz he doesn't like using buses!" "to good girls and boys, he brings presents and toys... but if you've been bad he will kill you."
If it sounds like an adult reference, it probably is. :D "Let's be gay, lets make some whoopie!" and how he's holding chickens with 'everybody wants to be his groupie' get it? Chicks?
sorry for the horrible quality of this one.
Now! an EPISODE!
This is from series 3, where Marian's mother comes to visit.
I love the luxembourg song. :D
part 3
part 4 oh, and... Marian's *usually* a lot tougher than this, but her Mum's there so she's trying to impress her. She * is* a bit bossy and a bit of a goody two shoes though, except for the fact that she's a criminal (but she thinks she's doing good so it's okay)
The first lots of episodes stick more to the original robin hood storylines, but the later ones are totally brilliant as well. :D
oh and these are by no means 'all' the songs. :D There's this one that totally cracks me up where the entire village is stark naked, but being covered by strategically placed objects, called "Naked to the Visible Eye" :D
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these... and again, I'd LOVE it if you asked questions or commented or whatever. I need a fangirling fix.
here's the forum if you're interested as well. http://www.maidmarianandhermerrymen.co.uk
Summary (click the tags to find my other post about this, I went into more detail): Okay! So, it was written by Tony Robinson, if you know him from shows like Blackadder (he was Baldrick) and Time Team. He's also in it as the Sheriff of Nottingham, a very different character from Baldrick, though he still gets to have plans. :D It's a version of the Robin Hood legend- but it's the 'true story'. Where it's revealed that Maid Marian was actually the leader of the gang, and the brains behind the operation, because Robin is a vain, cowardly, gullible ex-tailor from Kensington who "couldn't 'hold up' his hands to go to the lav". Nice guy. Just not leadership material. But he had a fanbase, where Marian didn't... so over time, Marian was forgotten by history. She's also definitely not dating Robin. It's a quite feminist show, written to have a strong, fun, female character, because Tony's then 9 year old daughter hated the female characters around at the time of the late 80s. He didn't just design the show for children, it's very clearly designed for 'all ages', and has layers of comedy. When it was originally on tv it was hugely popular amongst uni students, as much as it was amongst 7 year olds, and teenagers, and parents... the comedy style is sort of similar to Blackadder and Red Dwarf, in that they have witty lines, but also deliberate anachronisms and references to modern culture, politics, innuendoes, etc... Totally historically inaccurate (except in a few random places which I find interesting, like the fact that Marian has removeable sleeves) but absolutely fun. Maid Marian was and is totally my hero.
The Merry Men are Barrington, a rastafarian (Played by Danny John Jules, if you've seen Red Dwarf, he plays Cat.), Rabies, a tall strong idiot, and Little Ron, a violent midget. The 'baddies' are the Sheriff (Tony Robinson) King John, Gary And Graeme (two guards, who are totally cute... they're really quite nice guys, even though they both have GSCES in Killing, Maiming and Chewing People's Heads Off, and they would be friends with the Merry Men if they were only on the 'right side'), Rose Scargill, Marian's ex best friend, Guy of Gisbourne, who appears to have the mind of a four year old though he's actually 27 years old. Other people apparently live in the castle with them but you pretty much never see them. Then there's the villagers, who live in Worksop, with names like Gladys, Nettle, Chickweed, Snooker, Cowpat, etc.
Oh... and did I mention it's a musical? :D
So! Clip time!
Oi, cretin!
Click to viewThe opening scene to the first episode. I love the over exaggerated poverty. In the show, they do pretty much just eat mud... but they eat it at places like Mud Donalds, or go chinese and order "crispy fried mud with extra mud" etc. :D
It's quite dark for a kid's show actually. And they definitely do NOT talk down to the children. How many kids shows do you know that are all 'oi! Cretin!' :D
The guy selling the raffle tickets is Rabies, and the guy singing is Barrington- he flogs dead rats for a living... they come in many flavours.
I love how Marian calls them Freedom Fighters, the Sheriff calls them Bandits, and the King sometimes calls them terrorists. :D ooo social commentary for the win
Here's the very very memorable end credits. :D They're so catchy and very... appropriate.
the Pancake Song. This is how one of the first series episodes starts. :D I love how Tony decided to have an episode about Pancake Day, ie, a rather obscure holiday, instead of something else... and it's such a medieval holiday to be excited about as well. :D
And, amazingly, the pancake thing fits in PERFECTLY with the rest of the episode. Something else I love about this show is that it usually has at *least* three plot lines that manage to intertwine. This one has Pancake Day being celebrated, Marian trying to get the Men able to ambush people, Robin inventing their uniforms (Ooo! Pretty colour! And it coordinates well with the trees doesn't it!) and the King being upset that no one recognises him, and the Sheriff trying to invent things.
Here's the Robin Hood Song. :D An example of the girls fangirlling over Robin, and how actually pathetic he is. He's full of ego, with nothing really behind it. I love the 'dramatic leap' off that tree branch and it turns out to be hardly off the ground at all. I love Robin's bumbag and how he has an R on his tunic.
Oh and listen to the lines... how many kids shows would get away with lines like "he's Robin Hood... oh how I wish he would." "I'd like to blow his hunting horn and send his insides a shiver, if I was an arrow I would climb inside his quiver" "Oh how I wish we could do something do something good, with Robin Hood"
Call The Dentist. :D Marian's mother comes to visit... and she's been lying to her, saying that she's a dental receptionist. The other merry men laugh at this, but Robin volunteers them all to pretend to be dentists for her. (he IS a really nice guy). And then Marian gets kidnapped... so they go to rescue her... as dentists. Singing. :D To the tune of "Ghost Busters"
"Much the Mini Mart Manager's Son". the baddies interrupt Barrington's tap dancing lessons, and this random man, Much, stops them and gets them to leave... and this is the song that's sung about him...
The Sheriff tries to seduce Maid Marian's mother to get to Marian. :D I love this song.
You might recognise her mother from Blackadder as Nursie.
from the episode Rabies in Love. :D He falls in love with a red haired woman called Fergie haha! He falls for her because she beats him at arm wrestling. And later on, he falls for a woman called Margaret The Thatcher, known as Crazy Margaret, who is 'the strongest woman he's ever seen' :P
yay, politics!
Marian and Barrington sing a revenge song about Rose... because she's a total bitch. Oh, and they're doing this for their Song for Worksop competition. :D
I love this song haha! Would never be allowed in a more modern kids show. sooo vengeful. :D
Oh and, most of the time, (not ALL the time) the only ones who *actually* are using their own voices to sing, are Barrington and Robin (though the others DO use their real voices sometimes) so, they have a LOT of fun with deliberately random dubbing, like little girls singing with huge older woman voices and stuff haha
a song called "Action". from the same episode as the one above. That episode has people having Driving Lessons, and also having this Song for Worksop thing... and trying to raise money and have bets and stuff. It's a very fun episode. And I love Robin in this song haha! He gets so easily confused.
this song is... hard to explain. It's called the Pixie Paul song. The Men can't sleep, so Robin and barrington keep having Raves at night, keeping the others even more awake... so they eat this magic cake that is supposed to put them to sleep, but they don't read the instructions, so it turns them all different... so Rabies turns into Paul Mccartney, and grows wings... so Marian is telling the baddies that the 'pixies did it' to scare them off, saying that she has control over the pixies... so tell us where the keys to the castle are! then Robin and Marian get captured. So this is their plot to get them out- sing a song to get Guy of Gisbourne to believe them, and put the baddies to sleep with the magic cake.
There's one of my favourite lines between Marian and Robin in this one (well, i have MASSES)
but Marian and Robin are hanging in the dungeon, and Marian says "What a bimbo I am!" and Robin says really affectionately "you certainly are!" and Marian's like "thanks for your support, spongebrain!" "No! I mean you're a really brave little dear!" "... pardon?" "Don't you remember how brave Bimbo was, how he rescued all the animals from the fire and then grew up to be a really big stag?" "... that was BAMBI Robin!! And I thought my porridge was thick!" "you're right, it is!"
It's impossible for me to quote all the good bits.
"Pain". It's a christmassy episode (the baddies invent secular christmas, but call it Bloopy) the Merry Men have a giant jellybaby version of King John, and use it to try and rescue all the villagers who have been lured into "Father Bloopy's Grotto". I love that the jellybaby is wearing a burger king type crown. :D
"barrington! Put your shirt on! There's people watching!!!"
SUCH a fun but depressing song haha! I can't believe they have it in a kid's show. "one day, the pain is going to stop, cos one day, you'll be dead!" "Life's a masochistic party!" and Robin singing in French. :D
this is the Sheriff explaining "bloopy" the holiday they just invented, to the Villagers. :D "And in his stable, he has got, Sixteen Hippopotamuses! And he harnesses them to a silver sleigh, coz he doesn't like using buses!" "to good girls and boys, he brings presents and toys... but if you've been bad he will kill you."
If it sounds like an adult reference, it probably is. :D "Let's be gay, lets make some whoopie!" and how he's holding chickens with 'everybody wants to be his groupie' get it? Chicks?
sorry for the horrible quality of this one.
Now! an EPISODE!
This is from series 3, where Marian's mother comes to visit.
I love the luxembourg song. :D
part 3
part 4 oh, and... Marian's *usually* a lot tougher than this, but her Mum's there so she's trying to impress her. She * is* a bit bossy and a bit of a goody two shoes though, except for the fact that she's a criminal (but she thinks she's doing good so it's okay)
The first lots of episodes stick more to the original robin hood storylines, but the later ones are totally brilliant as well. :D
oh and these are by no means 'all' the songs. :D There's this one that totally cracks me up where the entire village is stark naked, but being covered by strategically placed objects, called "Naked to the Visible Eye" :D
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these... and again, I'd LOVE it if you asked questions or commented or whatever. I need a fangirling fix.
here's the forum if you're interested as well. http://www.maidmarianandhermerrymen.co.uk