Robin Hood (1953 TV series)

Lore & Background

The series was transmitted live, and only eight minutes from the second episode, The Abbot of St. Mary's, are believed to survive as a 16mm telerecording. This footage is the earliest surviving footage of Patrick Troughton's television career. Troughton's son Michael mistakenly claimed in his father's biography that the full episode survived.

Reader's Guide

Though largely lost, the 1953 Robin Hood series holds historical significance as the first television adaptation of the Robin Hood legend. It is less well known than the 1955 series The Adventures of Robin Hood. The surviving eight minutes of footage have been used in documentaries: a 2007 documentary presented by Jonathan Ross covering Robin Hood from its beginnings to the 2006 BBC production, and the BBC documentary series Children's T.V. On Trial The 1950s. The footage was also included on the 2020 DVD and Blu-Ray release of an animated reconstruction of the Doctor Who serial The Power of the Daleks, which also starred Patrick Troughton. A still photograph from the series showing Troughton as Robin Hood appears in the 2014 Doctor Who episode Robot of Sherwood.

Did You Know?

• The surviving footage is the earliest known television footage of Patrick Troughton.
• Troughton's son Michael mistakenly claimed the full episode survived.