A new tax is levied against those in Nottingham while a minstrel sings the songs of glorious Richard the Lion-Heart. The Sheriff must do away with this nonsense and tries to arrest the minstrel to no avail. Escaping he finds himself in the hands of the Outlaws amongst an eager to be entertained crowd. Robin Hood is looking to get back the villagers the tax that was added to their regular taxes but he’ll have to get into the Earl of Belmont’s castle. Robin asks Bartholomew, the minstrel, to help them infiltrate the castle by joining him as his magicians helpers. An easy task that would work in most cases, except there’s a lot more to juggle than balls.
Personal Synopsis
A fascinating episode where we see a typical trick by an undercover agent but this one works masterfully. The Jongleur plays his role well and gets everyone believing him. When Nottingham is subjected to even harsher taxes the Outlaws desperately need to get back the money taken away from the villagers. The quality of writing is evident in this first season and it does strike me that even after watching most of the series episodes I still enjoy these first season episodes.
Original Air-Date: 9 January 1956
Directed by Bernard Knowles
Written by John Dyson
Robin Hood- Richard Greene
Sheriff of Nottingham- Alan Wheatley
Clerk- Victor Woolf
Little John- Rufus Cruikshank
Friar Tuck- Alexander Gauge
Bartholomew- Peter Hammond
Count de Waldern- Willoughby Gray
Physician/Tom- John Dearth
Informer- Charles Lamb
Lieutenant/ Outlaw- Paul Connell
Henry the Carpenter/ Outlaw/ Soldier- Arthur Skinner
Soldier- Charles Stapley
Gatekeeper/ Debtor- Gabriel Toyne
You can Buy the DVD here:
ITC Entertainment 