Historical fiction is a long standing idea in Doctor Who; the Doctor and his companion head to a place and meet a famous historical figure, shenanigans ensue. Since the show’s return he’s met the likes of Charles Dickens, Vincent Van Gogh and Winston Churchill. This time, things are a little bit different.
The Doctor asks Clara where she wants to go and she replies that she’s always wanted to meet Robin Hood; the Doctor dismisses him as fictional, but eventually relents and they head off to Sherwood Forest, Nottingham 1190 ADish. Seconds after leaving the TARDIS who do they find but Robin Hood? He and his merry men in the forest, against everything the Doctor believes to be true so he keeps trying to find out what the angle could be. Meanwhile the Sherriff of Nottingham is stealing a load of gold for mysterious reasons and the Doctor and Robin will have to put aside their differences to defeat his plans and uncover the mystery of how all this can be happening.
This episode, penned by the marvellous Mark Gatiss, is a joy; it’s a fun romp with a lot of stuff going for it, a constant byplay between the Doctor and Robin, a campy and over the top sheriff of Nottingham played by Ben Miller and yet another addition to the mystery of the promised land.
The refreshing thing about this episode’s take on the famous historical character was that the Doctor didn’t like him. Previously he’s almost always gushed over them, talking about how wonderful they are, this time he was in a constant pissing contest with him over who was the better hero and trying to prove that he wasn’t real. This is played to hilarious effect by Peter Capaldi and Tom Riley as Robin, the scenes with them locked in the dungeon being a particular treat.
The Doctor asks Clara where she wants to go and she replies that she’s always wanted to meet Robin Hood; the Doctor dismisses him as fictional, but eventually relents and they head off to Sherwood Forest, Nottingham 1190 ADish. Seconds after leaving the TARDIS who do they find but Robin Hood? He and his merry men in the forest, against everything the Doctor believes to be true so he keeps trying to find out what the angle could be. Meanwhile the Sherriff of Nottingham is stealing a load of gold for mysterious reasons and the Doctor and Robin will have to put aside their differences to defeat his plans and uncover the mystery of how all this can be happening.
This episode, penned by the marvellous Mark Gatiss, is a joy; it’s a fun romp with a lot of stuff going for it, a constant byplay between the Doctor and Robin, a campy and over the top sheriff of Nottingham played by Ben Miller and yet another addition to the mystery of the promised land.
The refreshing thing about this episode’s take on the famous historical character was that the Doctor didn’t like him. Previously he’s almost always gushed over them, talking about how wonderful they are, this time he was in a constant pissing contest with him over who was the better hero and trying to prove that he wasn’t real. This is played to hilarious effect by Peter Capaldi and Tom Riley as Robin, the scenes with them locked in the dungeon being a particular treat.