Television series
Maid Marian and Her Merry Men
A gleefully anarchic BBC children's comedy that flips the Robin Hood legend on its head: Marian is the brains and blade of the operation, while Robin is a preening himbo who takes all the credit for her plans. Made on a shoestring, sung through in daft ballads, and stuffed with panto villains, it's sharper and funnier than it has any right to be.
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Horrible Histories2009
Same delight in mocking the past for kids and adults alike, with rapid sketches, catchy songs and zero reverence toward history. It's the show Maid Marian's spirit grew up to become.
But Sketch format means less character continuity — you won't get attached to a cast the way you did with Marian's gang.
Blackadder1983
Same cheap sets, same joy in skewering British history, but aimed squarely at adults. Rowan Atkinson's sardonic schemer is Robin Hood's smugness turned up to eleven and slapped down constantly.
But Considerably more cynical and verbally dense — the jokes assume you already know your history, which kids' telly never does.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail1975
The medieval spoof that taught every British comedy since how to mock chivalry, castles and coconut horses. Marian's version owes it a huge debt in tone and sheer daftness.
But Surreal and sketch-based rather than plot-driven — occasionally baffling if you want a straightforward story.
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Robin Hood1973
Same outlaw-band-versus-corrupt-authority engine and the same source legend, but told through Disney's talking-animal lens — watching it right after Marian shows you exactly how radical it was to hand her the sword instead of the sighing.
Disney's cartoon take on the legend, where Robin is a sly fox and Marian a demure vixen — utterly charming, hummable, and a masterclass in turning outlaws into cuddly folk heroes.
But Marian is passive and decorative here, the exact opposite of the character who gives the BBC show its whole reason to exist.
More like this (7)
Rentaghost1976
Another slice of low-budget, wildly silly BBC children's comedy from the same era, packed with panto-broad performances and a fondness for daft costumes over slick production.
But No satirical bite — pure ghost-based farce rather than the sly legend-mockery that gives Marian its extra kick.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves1991
Watch the straight, swashbuckling Kevin Costner version to see exactly what Marian is taking the piss out of — the earnest hero, the tragic backstory, the whole self-important legend.
But Long, dated in its gender politics, and entirely lacking the joke that made you love the BBC version.
The Worst Witch1998
Another beloved British children's series built on a mischievous heroine running rings around pompous authority figures, with the same scrappy charm and low-budget magic.
But Gentler and less overtly satirical — school story rather than outlaw farce, so the anarchic energy is dialled down.
ChuckleVision1987no page yet
Pure slapstick silliness from the same BBC children's stable, built on daft plans going wrong and broad physical comedy rather than clever plotting.
But No story arc, no satire, just repetition of a gag format — charming in small doses, thin over a whole run.
Round the Twist1990
An Australian kids' show with the same anything-goes, slightly unhinged sensibility — weird, funny, and unafraid to be genuinely strange rather than safely wholesome.
But Trades historical parody for supernatural whimsy, so if it's specifically the Robin Hood jokes you want, this won't scratch that itch.
The Princess Bride1987
Both take a stock legend everyone already knows the shape of and quietly rewire who gets to be brave, funny and competent — just one does it with a farmboy and a sword fight, the other with a longbow and a bad wig.
A fairy-tale adventure that also can't resist mocking every convention of the genre it's built from — swashbuckling, true love, giants, revenge — while keeping real warmth underneath the jokes.
But It plays its satire more gently and romantically; there's none of Marian's music-hall silliness or outright mockery of the hero.
Sherwood2022no page yet
It's set in the same Sherwood Forest country and wrestles with the question the panto never asks outright — who the forest's outlaws and sheriffs really represent, and what happens when that old class fight turns real.
A tense, based-on-true-events BBC drama set in the actual Nottinghamshire pit villages that gave the Robin Hood legend its roots — class resentment, buried grudges, and a community turning on itself.
But Utterly serious and often bleak — there is no joke here, and definitely no singing.