Into the Greenwood
Robin Hood is one of the most ubiquitous figures in the English-speaking world. He’s been the star of countless films, television shows, books, games, and branded merchandise from baking supplies to investment apps. Whether he’s wearing a dark shrouding hood or a jaunty pointed cap, there’s a distinct image that comes to mind when you hear the name. Our mission is to dissect that image. Through interviews with academics and experts we’ll be taking a focused look on what one would actually expect of a forest-dwelling outlaw in late 12th century England. How many Merry Men could comfortably dwell within Sherwood Forest? How extensive was the authority of a local Sheriff? Would those tights of Lincoln green be comfortable to wear? You know, the important stuff. Interview episodes will be interspersed with episodes delving into our pop-culture portrayals as we take a chronological look at Robin Hood’s extensive filmography one movie at a time. So string your bows, prepare a lusty laugh, and come join us in the greenwood. Support: patreon.com/intogreenwood o buymeacoffee.com/intogreenwood
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Contact: intogreenwood@gmail.com
Episodes
84 episodes
Episode 71: Bringing Old Ballads and Medieval Melodies to Modern Musical Theater with Amber Lipman
Writer and composer Amber Lipman of the theatre troupe, The Edinbards, enters the Greenwood to discuss 'Nottingham: The Musical', a brand new theatrical production that reaches into the past to incorporate medieval songs and build a narrative a...
Episode 70: Splitting Arrows- A Mel Brooks Double Feature from 1975 & 1993
Two Robin Hood parodies helmed by Mel Brooks enter... one podcast episode leaves...Theo Papke returns to the Greenwood to join Richard Hopkins-Lutz and Thaddeus Papke in a discussion covering both 1975's 'When Things Were Rotten' and 1993's...
Episode 69: Splitting Arrows- Subplots and Satanism in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves from 1991
Fan favorite guest AJ returns to the Greenwood to join Thaddeus and Rick for their first viewing of the film that inspired their beloved Men in Tights. How does this blockbuster from the early '90s hold up?Does Alan Rickman's take on th...
Episode 68: Building Better Worlds with George Bickers
George Bickers of Three Sails Studios joins us in the Greenwood to discuss the self-described "love letter to his working class rage" that is the new ttrpg Gallows Corner. Along the way we also discuss the company's first game, the awa...
Robin Hood (2025) Roundtable Review
Robin Hood enthusiasts and scholars from around the world gather to express their thoughts following the conclusion of the first season of the MGM+ Robin Hood show.Listen in to hear what we loved, what let us down, and how we feel about the...
70 Years of Riding Through the Glen, Part 6
We're back with our final installment in our 70th anniversary celebration of The Adventures of Robin Hood television show! This time we go back to the beginning of the show to see how the iconic characters of Little John and Friar Tuck...
Episode 67: Into the Winterwood with Alex Kaufman
There’s nothing in the lively and pop-music infused Robin Hood pantomime performances or in 'The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood' by Howard Pyle that speaks of winter time or the Christmas holiday, but in his book ‘Christmastime Texts and the Po...
Episode 66: On the Ground During the Midway Blitz with Finn Hardy
While on this podcast we often use Robin Hood as a lens for learning more about folklore or the medieval past, it is is the enduring applicability of how we have come to understand the figure that keeps him relevant. To that end, I reached out ...
70 Years of Riding Through the Glen, Part 5
We're back with another installment in our 70th anniversary celebration of The Adventures of Robin Hood television show! This time we take a look at one of the final episodes of series as we fulfill special guest Ben Curley's request to see a s...
New Robin Hood: First Thoughts...
A few Robin Hood nerds from around the world share their initial reactions to the first two episodes of the new MGM+ Robin Hood series.Come listen to both the expressions of heartfelt enjoyment and the misgivings!WARNING: Contains Spoil...
Episode 65: Supernatural Horror and Robin Hood with Tim Hall
We swap out the sheltering tranquility of the greenwood for the primal dangers of the wildwood as Tim Hall, author of the Blind Bowman Trilogy joins me for a discussion about blending the legends of Robin Hood with elements of dark fantasy and ...
70 Years of Riding Through the Glen, Part 4
In celebration of All Hallow's Eve, Mike Nichols returns to the Greenwood as we review S.1 E.36 "The Thorkil Ghost", which basically takes the form of a medieval Scooby Doo mystery, but... you know... with some actual murders...
Episode 64: Splitting Arrows- The Robin Hood for Realheads from 1991
Special guest Chris Schweizer joins us in the Greenwood for the Robin Hood film that can't NOT get compared to the Kevin Costner-led juggernaut that came out the same year.Does this Patrick Bergin and Uma Thurman-led film deserve its cult-l...
70 Years of Riding Through the Glen, Part 3
In celebration of International Archaeology Day, Dr. Emily Holt joins me in the Greenwood as we watch S3.E24 "Roman Gold", in which Robin Hood spends some time using a trowel and brush rather than bow and arrow!
70 Years of Riding Through the Glen, Part 2
Emily Rich and I watch S.1 E.5 'Maid Marian', S.1 E.27 'Trial by Battle' and S.3 E.36 'Women's War' as part of Into the Greenwood's celebration of the 70th anniversary of 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' starring Richard Greene and featuring both...
Episode 63: Social Bandits and Robin Hood Conferences with Anna Czarnowus
"Robin Hood and other Social Bandits in Folk and Popular Culture" was the theme of the International Association for Robin Hood Studies 15th biennial conference that was held in June of 2025 at Jagiellonian University in Poland. One of the conf...
Episode 62: Splitting Arrows- Do not watch this Robin Hood "movie" from the early 90s!
I rope in Rick and Owain for this massive mistake of a Splitting Arrows review!'Robin Hood no Daiboken' (AKA "The Robin Hood Anime") was a Japanese-Italian animated production that ran for 52 episodes in the early 1990s. At some point, an a...
70 Years of Riding Through the Glen, Part 1
Mike Nichols and I watch S.2 E.36 'The Frightened Tailor' and S.3 E.30 'The Youthful Menace' as part of Into the Greenwood's celebration of the 70th anniversary of 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' starring Richard Greene.
Episode 61: From the Treetops to the Tabletop with Graham Rose
The upcoming release of the new Robin Hood-themed tabletop roleplaying game, The Hooded Man, provides me the opportunity to indulge in some discussion about ttrpgs, a topic that I've been closely connected to for many years.Graham Rose, wri...
Episode 60: Splitting Arrows- P P P Pancakes and Whiteish Knights with Maid Marian and her Merry Men in 1989
We're encroaching upon the 1990s with 'Maid Marian and her Merry Men'. This comedic take, created by Tony Robinson and starring Kate Lonergan, is much beloved by those who grew up with the show. Paul Cornish joins us to see if it lives up to hi...
Episode 59: Sword Fights and Festivals with the Sherwood Outlaws
Katie and Rob, who embody Maid Marian and Robin Hood with the medieval performance troop known, appropriately enough, as the Sherwood Outlaws, join me in the Greenwood for an energetic discussion about how they embody those legendary characters...
Episode 58: Splitting Arrows- Meeting Herne's Other Son with Robin of Sherwood in 1986
This marks our third and final episode looking at the landmark series from the 1980s. For this episode our discussion was especially focused on the Herne's Son two-parter that introduced Jason Connery into the show and also Adam Bell, the ninth...
Episode 57: Uncovering the Caves of Nottingham with Dave Mooney
In the center of Nottingham juts a massive promontory rust-colored stone. In the middle ages this was the site of Nottingham Castle and is thusly known to this day as "The Castle Rock". But it wasn't just the castle that was constructed upon a ...
Episode 56: Splitting Arrows- Considering the Lion and the Wolf with the King's Fool in 1984
*SPOILER WARNING*Since this is our second episode looking at Robin of Sherwood, we jump right into spoiler territory as we review the sixth episode of the series, 'The King's Fool'.Joining us for the discussion is 'Forest Lord' author S...
Episode 55: Even More Medievalisms with Amy S Kaufman
In episode 55, author Amy S Kaufman joins me in the Greenwood to discuss her work studying medievalisms, especially how they can be used for nefarious ends, and a brand new medievalism of her own making, the brand new novel 'The Traitor of Sher...