Robin of Sherwood Lord of the Trees

 Robin of Sherwood Lord of the Trees stroyline

"Lord of the Trees" is the third episode of the second series of the cult British television show Robin of Sherwood, which originally aired on 23 March 1985. Written by series creator Richard Carpenter, the episode beautifully blends historical fiction with the pagan, mystical mythos that defined the series. [1, 2]

The narrative centers on a sacred time of peace colliding with ruthless mercenary violence:

🌲 The Time of the Blessing

The episode opens with Robin Hood (Michael Praed), Maid Marian, and the Merries celebrating "The Time of the Blessing" alongside the local villagers of Wickham. This ancient, centuries-old pagan forest tradition welcomes the arrival of summer. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Crucially, the Blessing is governed by a strict spiritual law: no blood can be shed, and no living thing can be killed within the forest boundaries for its duration. Bound by their vows to Herne the Hunter (the "Lord of the Trees"), Robin and his band find themselves completely unarmed and spiritually powerless to resort to violence or fight back. [1, 2]

⚔️ Gisburne's Scheme

Meanwhile, the Sheriff of Nottingham is away on his annual county tour. Left in charge of Nottingham Castle, his aggressive deputy, Sir Guy of Gisburne, grows alarmed by the rampant poaching in Sherwood Forest. After picking a fight with Abbot Hugo over the harsh punishment of a poacher, Gisburne decides to eliminate the outlaws once and for all. [1, 2, 3]

He enlists the help of an old war friend, Bertrand de Nivelle, who brings a ruthless gang of foreign mercenaries known as the Brabançons. [1, 2]

🏚️ Terror in the Forest

Aware that the outlaws are bound by their peaceful ritual, Gisburne and the Brabançons launch brutal raids across the forest and neighboring villages. They wreck the local inn and terrorize the peasantry. In a direct provocation to the old gods, Gisburne even begins destroying a sacred tree deep within Sherwood Forest. Because of his deep connection to Herne, Robin feels a physical "sixth sense" shiver when the tree is desecrated. [1, 2]

For two agonizing days, the outlaws must endure the raids and protect the villagers without drawing blood. [1]

🏹 The Turning of the Wheel

Once the days of the Blessing finally conclude, the spiritual restriction lifted, the outlaws are free to defend their home. Robin and the Merries ambush the mercenaries and Gisburne's forces. Utilizing their superior knowledge of the Sherwood terrain and guerrilla archery tactics, they decisively defeat Bertrand de Nivelle and his Brabançons, restoring peace to the forest and re-establishing the power of Herne's domain. [1, 2]

Would you like to explore more episode synopses from Series 2, or are you interested in behind-the-scenes trivia regarding how this specific episode was adapted into the Robin of Sherwood companion books?

Behind the scenes trivia

Behind the scenes, the making of "Lord of the Trees"—and Robin of Sherwood as a whole—featured fascinating production mishaps, adaptation differences, and scheduling quirks. [1, 2, 3, 4]

🎬 Production & Continuity Quirks

• The "Out of Order" Broadcast: As originally written, the Sheriff of Nottingham leaves for London during The Prophecy, stays away during Lord of the Trees, and returns in The Children of Israel. However, the network broadcast the episodes out of order, airing The Children of Israel before Lord of the Trees. This created a bizarre continuity error making it look like the Sheriff traveled to London, came back, and then immediately left for London again! [1]
• A Blatant Background Continuity Error: In one of the celebratory forest dancing scenes, Nasir (Mark Ryan) is clearly seen sitting under a tree chatting with the Merries and two local village girls. The camera cuts away to the dancers and immediately cuts back to Nasir—but the girls have completely vanished from the frame between shots. [1]
• Family Ties on Set: Edward of Wickham’s village son, Matthew, was actually played by Robert Bulloch—the real-life son of Star Wars icon Jeremy Bulloch (who played Edward). [1]

🏹 General Series Archery & Costume Mishaps

While not exclusive to this single episode, the production environment of Series 2 was notorious for a few legendary onset incidents:

• The £2,000 Arrow: Ray Winstone (Will Scarlet) accidentally shot an arrow directly into a highly expensive camera lens, destroying it instantly. [1]
• Judi Trott's Aim: Judi Trott (Maid Marian) was notoriously poor at archery and had to use a specially customized lightweight fiberglass bow. During one mishap, she missed a target so drastically that her arrow flew 200 metres across the location and struck one of the crew's production vans. [1]
• The "Elk" on the Motorcycle Helmet: The elaborate headdress worn by John Abineri (Herne the Hunter) was structurally built on top of a standard motorcycle helmet to keep it stable on the actor's head. Furthermore, the crew actually used an elk's head and antlers rather than a traditional red deer stag, which explains their distinctively wide shape. [1]

📖 The Book Adaptation Differences

The episode was adapted by writer Robin May into chapters 6–8 of the 1985 Puffin companion book, Robin of Sherwood and the Hounds of Lucifer, featuring several deviations from what ended up on screen: [1]

• Compressed Timeline: In the book, the sacred forest Blessing lasts for just a single night, whereas the television episode stretches the tension over several agonizing days.
• No Pot Boy: In the book, Tom the pot boy isn't sent to fetch the outlaws after the tavern is destroyed; instead, Robin and his men simply happen upon the wreckage on their own.
• The Straw Hat Disguise: Before launching the final counter-ambush at the inn, Robin disguises himself using a battered straw hat rather than just pulling up his standard green hood. [1]

I am just watching this on channel 26 ITV4 now, 11:50 to 13:00 ,

🔑 Enjoy the rest of the episode! You are watching the climax right now as the Blessing comes to an end and the Merries finally get to fight back against Gisburne and the Brabançons.

Since you're tuned in to ITV4 today, here are a few extra things to look out for during the final battle and the credits:

• The Climax Soundtrack: Listen out for Clannad's iconic, ethereal music during the ambush. Their soundtrack for the show actually won a BAFTA, and "Lord of the Trees" heavily features their signature track Herne.
• Spot the Motorbike Helmet: When Herne the Hunter makes his appearance to Robin, try to see if you can spot how rigid the antler headdress is on John Abineri's head—knowing it's built onto a motorcycle helmet makes it look totally different!
• Up Next: If you are settling in for a binge, the next episode in the TV guide for tomorrow should be "The Prophecy"—which, due to that classic British TV scheduling quirk, will actually explain why the Sheriff was missing today!

Have fun watching Robin and the band save Sherwood!