There are few series which are able to change their star with any credibility, Doctor Who being the most notable, and it is because of this latter much-loved program that the production team were anxious not to have a regeneration scene. As Richard Carpenter, writer and co-creator, said "When Michael Praed had to leave we could easily have fallen into the Doctor Who trap of having Michael walking into the water and Jason walking out."
Paul Knight, Executive Porducer, continues, "We could have been compelled to close the production down until such time as Michael Praed may or may not have been available to us again. However, after some soul-searching discussions with Richard Carpenter and Esta Charkham (Producer) we decided to make the definite decision to kill Michael off in the last episode of series two. We then had the alternative to find and introduce a new Robin Hood."
Richard Carpenter added, "I thought it better to give Michael a good exit and kill him, because heroes aren't invincible and the greatest act of courage is sacrifice. In this case he sacrificed his life for that of Marion and Much.
"I freely admit that the inspiration for this came from "For Whom The Bell Tolls', where Gary Cooper stays behind and forces Ingrid Bergman to be taken away to safety while he stays and inevitabley loses his own life. I wanted a definite death, but nobody actually wants to see a dead hero, so when we tested Jason we shot a possible ending for series 2 rather like the people of the period would have wanted - we left hope.
"An element which helped towards a successful transition was the fact that there are two original legends of Robin Hood. One is the yeoman's son of a village Thane, as was Michael's Robin. The second is the aristocrat - the Earl of Huntingdon's son. This legend developed in the 16th century - almost the equivalent of one of Lord Mountbatten's children becoming a guerilla leader in El Salvador.
"Both legends are credible to a writer as both are only legends, so we warmly embraced the second legend and used a new face. We've called him Robert of Huntingdon, and he remains Robert until the third episode when he says to Marion, "I didn't want to call myself by your dead husbands' name", to which she replies, "But the people need you." He then naturally accepts his name and his role, a doomed man cut off without a shilling.
"So, out of a possible disaster last year, as a writer I was given a creative kick in the pants from which I still haven't recovered - I'm currently writing Robin of Sherwood Four with no lack of impulse."
So what of the new star of the series? How did he get the role? Paul Knight explains. "I interviewed many candidates for the role of Robin on Michael's leaving, and was immediately struck by Jason's enormous charm. I had an instinctive feeling that - given encouragement and exprience - he could surpass Michael Praed in the role of Robin as well as giving the series a new lease of life. Thankfully my expectiatins have not only been proved, but exceeded. It is my prediction that Jason will become an even bigger international star than his legendary father.
"It has been my experience, with few exceptions, that young, attractive, physical leading men are few and far between in the UK. Amreica churns them out on a conveyor belt. Jason certainly has the dedication, talent, and most imoprtantly, he's a joy to work with, which makes all the difference on a long-running shoot."
Now before we look in a bit more detail at the series to come let's have a look at the story so far:"
(And it goes on to describe the episodes of seasons one, two and three....)