Nothing’s Forgotten: The Premiere of The Knight’s of the Apocalypse #KOTA

Where to start? Thirty eight years after the beginning seems like a good place.

Two years ago, a producer of many a radio show, Mr Barnaby Eaton-Jones, ran an event called The Hooded Man. This was a celebration of the 1980’s television show, Robin of Sherwood, which finished approximately thirty years ago. That event, in 2014, was attended by many members of the original cast, and it set Barnaby a-thinking…an audio version of the final episode that Richard ‘Kip’ carpenter had been scripted but which had never been filmed…ummm…

To cut a long story short, the cast said yes – and this weekend just past saw the audio premiere of The Knight of the Apocalypse (#KOTA), in the Guy Whittle Auditorium, within the Royal Society of Medicine building on Wimpole Street, London.

Starring Jason Connery as Robin, the entire cast (except for the much missed Robert Addie, who has been ably replaced as Guy of Gisborne by Freddie Fox, and John Abineri, who has passed the torch of Herne the Hunter onto his son- who sounds so much like his father it is truly spooky), #KOTA carried on the story a little time after the final televised episode (The Time of the Wolf).

Unbelievably I, along with many other fans, found myself at the premiere. I must pause here to thanks Annette for organising the post and pre drinks venue- the Cock and Lion pub- where I met my fellow premiere revellers. And who should I find the moment I walked through the door, partaking of a drop of sustaining juice before they metaphorically donned their outlaw attire , but Peter Llewellyn Williams (Much) and Mark Ryan (Nasir).

We moved from the pub to the main venue, where champagne a plenty greeted us, along with the most splendid Barnaby Eaton-Jones.

With a film crew from the BBC keeping tabs on us (but not ITV curiously), we progressed- a little merrier than before- to the main event, and the auditorium itself.

In the presence of Jason Connery (Robin), Judi Trott (Marion), Peter Llewellyn Williams (Much), Mark Ryan (Nasir), Robert Young (producer), Iain Meadows (sound producer), and Barnaby himself, we settled down to giggle our way through a behind the scenes film of the recording.

I’m not going to tell you about the audio itself, because that would ruin it for you. I will tell you that the cheer that went up with the HTV music played, and the theme tuned sang out was probably heard far beyond nearby Bond Street. If you’d like to hear #KOTA for yourself, then you can order your copy here- https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/robin-of-sherwood-the-knights-of-the-apocalypse#/

After the show was over, a Q&A session followed, but I’ll tell you more about in the next blog tomorrow…

All too soon it was over, but there were still photos to be taken with the cast before we all returned to the Cock and Lion pub. I found myself sat with the delightful Mr Connery and some friends talking about life, the universe, and his latest film Tommy’s Honour, which opens the Edinburgh Festival in June- check it out. I’ve seen a bit, and it’s awesome.

What an incredible day we had- and now…well…now I’ll write another blog (but first I’d better do the ironing!)

Jenny x