Sunday, November 04, 2007

Only ‘Cos It’s Josie

I honestly was going to give my reviews of Robin Hood a break because I recognize that most of you who read this blog don’t (if you were honest) give a rat’s ass about the show and have merely read my Hoody guff out of kindness and saint-like tolerance. So I was determined that I’d ease off on the Robin Hood obsession and only let it impinge upon my blog when a real episode of true note came along.

See, I do try to be considerate.

But, you see, Josie Lawrence happened to be in last night’s episode and I’m a big Josie fan. As you know, just last week I’d been lamenting upon her disappearance from our TV screens and then lo and behold she pops up bold as brass in Robin Hood… it was simply too good an opportunity to miss so, dear long suffering reader, I do apologize... but I will try and keep it short.

Josie played a foul-mouthed wise woman / witch who wore a headscarf thing that made her look like a cross between a clichéd gypsy fortuneteller and Captain Jack Sparrow. She also played her part with a northern accent – my accent spotting skills aren’t so good that I can pinpoint it exactly but it was definitely from oop North, by ‘eck – which is fine but just looked and sounded completely incongruous because I’m so aware that Josie is a West Midland’s girl in real life. But, to be fair to the show, I dare say a Brummie accent would have stuck out like a sore thumb… and that just wouldn’t have done for a show that takes such painstaking efforts to achieve unimpeachable period accuracy.

Cough cough.

Despite the cossie Josie was fine and gave a solid, earthy performance and had all the best lines. Calling Keith Allen’s sheriff a “snot ‘ead” was particularly memorable. I really must read the Magna Carta more closely if such robust terminology was in common usage at the time.

She also got to sit on the wrong end of a ducking stool. Unfortunately any side-thoughts that I may have entertained about ye olde wet T-shirt contests were thoroughly smothered by a drab grey smock which looked like it had been made from sackcloth and doused in concrete. Ah well. I always knew that Josie wasn’t that type of girl… but she did get to suck upon Robin’s lengthy hose so it wasn’t all doom and gloom.

Yes – wilely Robin kept Josie alive by the use of a length of meaty hose and a magnificent pair of billows. What a thoroughly resourceful chap he is.

Meanwhile Marian was wandering around Nottingham in a rather fetching off the shoulder number and not batting an eyelid when the Sheriff referred to a physician as “a quack”. A term that I believe did not come into common usage until the period of the black death and came from the weird face masks that doctor’s wore in the hope of avoiding infection.

But who cares about such things? Marian looked wunderbar. Josie sounded like she’d stepped out of The Phoenix Club and Robin finally discovered that he had a nasty spy in his gang.

Alas poor Alan-a-Dale.

He’d been singing like a canary to the wrong side. Ye olde stool pigeon. What a turkey. Tut tut.

But the big question is this:

Could this discovery lead to an occurrence of that rare thing in this show… genuine bloody drama?

Clue: no.

But here's a gratuitous picture of Lucy Griffiths as Maid Marian to take your mind off it...


18 comments:

-eve- said...

That last pic is pretty nice! I should get some ideas from their costume wardrobe... :-)

Steve said...

Yes, it's certainly making a statement, as they say... though from an archery point of view she's holding the bow completely incorrectly...!

The Sagittarian said...

Haha, I spent the dasy trying to see how many times I could work "Snot 'ead" into the conversation!! Haven't seen this episode yet, we have just finished the first episode here.

TimeWarden said...

You may not have an ear for accents, Steve, but you certainly have an eye for the ladies! The gratuitous picture of Lucy Griffiths certainly removed all thoughts of everything else as, indeed, the previous ones have done over the past few weeks. Don't falter now! Keep up the good work!!

The Poet Laura-eate said...

Ok I'll let you off since it's Josie!

But don't forget the character formerly known as Maid Marion is now dumbed down to 'Marion' 'cos modern audiences just wouldn't get it!

Steve said...

Hi Amanda, there were a stream of other "council estate" insults thrown in for good measure too... Josie's character was hardly demure; rather someone who wipes their nose on the back of their hand before hawking a loogie a good 3ft down the street. What a gal!

Steve said...

Thanks TimeWarden, glad you liked the pic. I found it on-line - apparently it came from a UK newspaper that did a feature on Lucy a little while ago rather than a publicity shot for the show... I don't think even the costume department on Robin Hood would try and get away with putting her into a black mini-skirt. More's the pity. However, if you're happy to keep lapping up the Lucy G shots I'm happy to keep writing and supplying them...! ;-)

Steve said...

You're right, Laura - what a sad state of affairs. Plus whatever has happened to Friar Tuck? I've heard rumours that he was cut our of the story for fear of offending obese people! What?! Surely excluding him from the legend is even more offensive...?

The Hitch said...

Its a cool bow

Steve said...

She can pull mine any day...

The Poet Laura-eate said...

Think you'll find the character formerly known as Friar Tuck is known as Grill Tuck :-)

PS. Learn your PC while you can folks - there'll be fines for not knowing it in future.

Steve said...

I have a soft spot for "deep fried Mars bars" but as a character it hardly rolls off the tongue...

Andrew Glazebrook said...

Now I don't watch Robin Hood but she's tooty !!!

Steve said...

She is indeed Andrew - but do you mean Josie, Lucy or both?!

Andrew Glazebrook said...

The girl with the bow and arrow, Lucy then !! Though Josie's alright too !!!

Steve said...

I tend to be in agreement, Andrew - Josie can improv with me anytime and as for Lucy... well, she can dress me in chainmail and call me Norman as long as it's me that gets to shoot the bolts...!

Sorry. I can't believe I've just typed that.

the fool said...

I quite like the show, and I very much like your commentary on it...

Steve said...

Thank you C - hope you stop by again!