Robin Hood : The Complete BBC Series 1 Box Set [2006]

See Larger Image	List Price: £34.99 Our Price: £27.98 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video Starring: Keith Allen, Richard Armitage, Jonas Armstrong Directed By: John McKay Average Customer Rating:


Audience Rating: Parental Guidance Binding: DVD EAN: 5014503224820 Format: PAL Label: 2 Entertain Video Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video Number Of Items: 5 Publisher: 2 Entertain Video Region Code: 2 Release Date: 2007-10-29 Running Time: 675 Studio: 2 Entertain Video Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Related Items Robin Hood - Series 2 - Complete [2008] The Vicar of Dibley - Holy Wholly Happy Ending North And South : Complete BBC Series Sparkhouse [2002] Torchwood: Complete BBC Series 1 Box Set [2006]
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Worth the wait Comment: As with most BBC series out in a box set, there was a long pause between when the series was shown, and it coming out as a box set. The series was televised in October 2006- the DVD was released November 2007. But it was worth the wait. The box set contains tonnes of features (noticeably more than the Series 2 Box set) such as character profiles, 'the making of' documentaries and other features. I did see the DVD's out as volumes, but this series is so much nicer as a box set. It looks magnificent, and is better. The episodes are really quite dark, and many include hanging and rather a lot of deaths, so best not buy it for your two-year-old nephew! But I love this series so much- it has lots of action and every episode is a lot different from the last. Keith Allen and Richard Armitage (the Sheriff and Gisborne) are brilliant, as are Robin Hood and his gang. Believe me, watching this series there will never be a dull moment! Customer Rating: Summary: Ignore the naysayers - the Hood is GOOD! Comment: I was a bit concerned when I read some of the reviews, however, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this box-set, and do not agree with the criticisms levelled at the series by some of the people who have posted here. I particularly disagree with the unfavourable comparisons to Robin of Sherwood. Both versions of the Robin Hood tale are thoroughly enjoyable romps which allow the viewer to temporarily escape mundane concrete reality. Definitely worth 5 stars, and I am not easily pleased. Customer Rating: Summary: Weak, low-fat, politically correct version of Robin Hood Comment: I initially gave up on this series after the first couple of tedious episodes on the BBC. I thought I'd give it a second chance though and started watching the re-runs on UK Gold. Sorry to say it doesn't get any better and it definitely hasn't grown on me. I see the main problem being that the creators couldn't make up their minds whether it was intended to be a comedy or not. Certainly the appointment of the legendary comic genius Keith Allen as the wise-cracking sheriff suggests the former. And yet most of the other players are painfully sincere. Robin, in particular, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst lookalike Jonas Armstrong, is cringingly understated almost to the extent of being regarded as a supporting actor. Lucy Griffiths delivers Marian's lines in an uninterested flat monotone and doesn't look the part either and one-dimensional Richard Armitage just looks permanently embarrassed playing Guy of Gisbourne in his long black Gestapo coat! I know it's supposed to be Robin Hood brought up to date, but the silly anachronisms, most notably in the costumes and in snippets of politically-loaded dialogue, just irritated me. If you want a contemporary Robin Hood, then why not go the whole hog and set it on a council estate with a real modern hoodie man? Sorry but for me it just didn't work. The writers have clearly jumped through hoops to tick every politically correct box possible (no Friar Tuck, because I guess that would be "fattist"), but have omitted to deliver much in the way of entertainment. Far far weaker than ITV's Robin of Sherwood, lacking the charm of the classic Richard Greene version and not as funny (except for a few scenes with Keith Allen) as Men in Tights or Maid Marian and her Merry Men, this feeble version fails on almost every count. It's not as bad as Bonekickers though..... Customer Rating: Summary: It's alright but... Comment: I have only recently got into this series, and i haven't seen many episodes yet. It does have some positives, and the story isn't too bad. There are some quite original plot lines too. Some of the charcters are quite good, I find i cannot help laughing at the sheriff's antics. The main downer though is the political corectness, probably a symptom of having been made by the BBC. I really felt that this show was actively promoting Islam at times. Having muslim charcters is one thing, but there seem to be a disproportionate number here, they are always put across as the ones who are prepared to negotiate and who want peace, and are very often given a stage to openly talk about thier religion. Whereas christianity is barely given a mention, and is sometimes portayed in quite a negative light. We are also constantly reminded of the superiority of Islamic civilisation over western. This is certainly true to some extent, but it often comes across as arrogant, sneering and sometimes downright patronising. Sometimes one is left wandering why robin and the crew even bother fighting for england, when we are supposedly so backwards and ignorant, and bears sole responsibilty for atrocities commited during the crusades. Enjoy this series as light entertainment by all means. It is good for that, but i would say try not to be taken in by the PC attitudes and phrpaghanda. Perhaps buy it from a marketplace seller, so the bbc don't get profit Customer Rating: Summary: A wasted opportunity Comment: I wanted to like this series, I really did. I awaited its first transmission with baited breath, regularly visited the internet to find information about it, and counted down the days to the first episode transmission. What a let down! It fails for a number of reasons and I think the reason it has annoyed me so much is that so many of its faults were, in hindsight, so easily rectified. The actor playing Robin, good as an actor that he is, is just not Robin for me. He looks like he's just finished his paper round! The character of Little John was 2 dimensional and a bit too....Scottish? I understood the character of John Little was from Yorkshire, not the Scottish Glens. Marion was one of the saving graces of the series, well written and cast to someone who can act well and striking. The rest of the merry men? Mostly pretty dull and either reactionary or cliched. I couldn't care less for Will Scarlet and Alan A Dale, despite having a history of being a minstrel, sounded like a cockney geezer! How drab in an attempt to make it somewhat contempory. Where was Tuck? I understood the writers said they didn't include Tuck as they didn't think it was right to `Laugh at fat people in this day and age' ??? Why would we laugh at him, if he was well written and courageous? This smacks of the problem of the whole series, it is all about how it looks and not about how it actually is. Too much effort in having green hoodies and not enough time spent on plot development and character depth. And excitment! The character of Djac was interesting and clearly derived from Nasir in Robin of Sherwood, but female. Nice twist though. The sheriff looks and acts like he's wandered off stage from Panto at Southend-on-Sea (purple eye make up? I don't think so, do you?) and Guisburne in black leather may be good for the mums watching, and although he also was well acted with the script given, all the smouldering looks, well it just didn't wash with me. I hoped it would improve with series 2, but if anything it got worse! I saw a documentary prior to the first series, and the actors were asked whether they had looked at previous versions of Robin Hood, in particular Robin of Sherwood. They responded laughing and almost sneering at what had been done previously; sorry chaps, your version is not a patch on Robin of Sherwood, on any level. To compare that series to this one is like comparing a Rolls Royce to a wheelbarrow! More Reviews