Robot of Sherwood
- Episode aired Sep 6, 2014
- TV-PG
- 46m
In Sherwood Forest, the Doctor uncovers a sinister alien plot and forms an alliance with Robin Hood. With Nottingham at stake, the Doctor must decide who is real and who is fake.In Sherwood Forest, the Doctor uncovers a sinister alien plot and forms an alliance with Robin Hood. With Nottingham at stake, the Doctor must decide who is real and who is fake.In Sherwood Forest, the Doctor uncovers a sinister alien plot and forms an alliance with Robin Hood. With Nottingham at stake, the Doctor must decide who is real and who is fake.
- Knight
- (uncredited)
- John Little
- (uncredited)
- Robin Hood
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Mark Gatiss
- Steven Moffat
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPrior to the episode's airing, American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff were beheaded by ISIS. Executive producer Brian Minchin flagged the episode as having potentially problematic content. As a result, the climax was severely edited - the Doctor originally used a tapestry in the vault to incapacitate the Sheriff, allowing Robin to behead him. However, the Sheriff was revealed to be a cybernetic lifeform, having been rebuilt by the robots after their spaceship crashed directly on him. The Sheriff's body threatened Clara, prompting Robin to rescue her by restoring the man's head. The pair then proceeded to their duel on the beam. The BBC agreed with Minchin's concerns, and authorised a last-minute re-edit. The loss of the beheading meant that the episode was abbreviated by about one minute. Evidence of the omission remained in the sudden disappearance of the tapestry from the vault wall, and the Sheriff's description of himself as "the first of a new breed - half man, half engine".
- GoofsWhen the robots are shown in orbit the Earth that is show is present day earth, not 1190-era earth. Clearly visible is the Dutch Flevopolder which was reclaimed around 1950.
- Quotes
Robin Hood: History is a burden. Stories can make us fly.
The Doctor: I'm still having a little trouble believing yours, I'm afraid.
Robin Hood: Is it so hard to credit? That a man born into wealth and privilege should find the plight of the oppressed and weak too much to bear... until one night, he is moved to steal a TARDIS? Fly among the stars, fighting the good fight?
- ConnectionsFeatured in Doctor Who Extra: Robot of Sherwood (2014)
Episode 1 ) Introduces most of the major characters
Episode 2 ) More development of the story
Episode 3 ) Revelation of most of the mystery of the story and the villain's plan
Episode 4 ) Resolution of plot . Goodbyes are said
Here in a 45 minute episode the format constricts the story in to something unsatisfying . It's not a brevity of storytelling but a rather deeper problem . It's a somewhat frivolous episode which is something to be expected via the title , camp adventure with Robin Hood and his men but is there any need for the Doctor to join in the fun ? I loved Capaldi's performance from the last two episodes but here I wasn't impressed mainly due to the writing , and did we need a story featuring robots so soon after the droids from the season opener ? Get some new ideas Mr Moffat or change the running order of the season
Being 45 minutes it's the same format as a two episode story from the old show but again one can't feel in those days the production team would have developed the story better with dramatic pauses . Here however much of the so called drama is relegated to bickering dialogue between the Doctor and Robin . If you've got 45 minutes to play with concentrate on plot and don't waste it by having disposable scenes in dungeons . I did notice Gatiss trying to bring in a Marxist subtext with some of the dialogue and paint Robin Hood as a communist freedom fighter but it's hardly DOCTOR WHO at its most thought provoking and cerebral . The episode is almost ruined by some of the laziest resolution seen in an episode which leads you think if Gatiss had 30 seconds to resolve the story
In summary this is one of those episodes that you know in advance is nothing more than light disposable fun but you're still left with a nagging disappointment after seeing it . It's not quirky or funny enough to be genuinely amusing and it's not dramatic enough to be entirely serious enough . Perhaps worst of all it's not good enough to suspend your disbelief and comes across as 45 minutes of very disposable television
- Theo Robertson
- Sep 6, 2014
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Filming locations
- Caerphilly Castle, Caerphilly, Wales, UK(Most areas of the Sheriff's castle)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime46 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD