ARROW of destiny

The legendary outlaw fights injustice - and falls in love - in an action-packed retelling of the famous folk story

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Nottingham's legendary outlaw Robin Hood returns to our screens this week in a dramatic reimagining for MGM+.

The 10-part series stars newcomer Jack Patten as Robert of Locksley, a young Saxon man in 12th-century England who is driven to seek vengeance when his family's ancestral home is seized, and his father is executed by the Sheriff of Nottingham.

‘In our show, we get to meet Rob before he is Robin Hood,’ says Patten. ‘You see him as a 24-year-old who is trying to find his way in life – he’s just a regular guy. Then we go further into the story, and we see Rob transform into the rogue outlaw that we all know and love.’

Rob’s quest galvanises other Saxons to rise up and stand alongside him in the battle for justice and freedom, but his cause also attracts support from further afield when Marian (Outlander: Blood of My Blood’s Lauren McQueen), the daughter of a high-ranking Norman family, is inspired to join him.

‘In our story, Marian is an inexperienced, innocent girl who grows into a woman of confidence,’ says McQueen. ‘She finds her own voice and power, and finally chooses things on her own terms. I wanted to show her fire and inner strength, and make her a Marian we have never seen before.’ Both Patten and McQueen were aware of the weight of expectation that comes with playing an iconic romance like this, and were determined to make their onscreen chemistry as believable as possible.

‘Marian and Rob’s relationship is so special,’ says Patten. ‘They have a deep, emotional connection – it’s very Shakespearean in a way, because they are from two different worlds. Lauren and I talked a lot about how they look at each other; there is so much that is said without them saying anything.’