10.0/101 votes#1 - The Fabulous Mechanical Mathilda Junkbottom
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 6/24/1981
Dr. Snuggles' housekeeper, Miss Nettles, is fed up with having to do all the housework around the house and with tolerating Nobby Mouse who lives in the kitchen. She gives her notice -- as she frequently does -- and visits her friend, Madame Dumpitoo. As a present for her, Dr. Snuggles decides to invent a robot to help her with the chores but, of course, not all goes according to plan.
Director: N/A
Writer: Richard Carpenter
8.0/102 votes#2 - Robin Hood and the Sorcerer (Part 2)
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/28/1984
The Sheriff and his brother, the Abbot, upset over the activities of Robin and his men arrange a fayre, including an archery contest, in the Castle. He offers the Silver Arrow of Herne to whomever wins the contest, something he is sure will tempt Robin out of the forest and into his grasp. After this fails to end up with Robin's capture their last resort is the Sorcerer, Simon De Belleme, a worshipper of the dark arts, who wants Maid Marion as his bride. He agrees to use his sorcerous powers to capture, or kill, the men of Sherwood Forest as long as the Sheriff and the Abbot promise Marion to him.
Director: Ian Sharp
Writer: Richard Carpenter
8.0/101 votes#3 - Alan A Dale
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 5/19/1984
While visiting his new love Meg in Wycombe, Little John is seen by Guy and the Sheriff's men. The Sheriff punishes the villagers by fining them six months wages. Meanwhile a minstrel, Alan A Dale, is found wandering through the forest on his way to kill the Sheriff. His love, Mildred, has been betrothed to the Sheriff and is being delivered to Nottingham, along with a 10,000 marks dowry. Robin and Marion realise that they can help Alan by rescuing Mildred and get the money to help the villagers of Wycombe at the same time. All they need do is find Guy and his men and ambush them.
Director: Ian Sharp
Writer: Richard Carpenter
8.0/101 votes#4 - The King's Fool
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 5/26/1984
Robin and his men save a wandering knight from a band of cut throats who ambush him in Sherwood. After a meal and drink together the knight surprises Robin with an offer that could change the lives of all the Merry Men. Could they soon be free men or is Robin being tricked by someone he trusts with his life?
Director: Ian Sharp
Writer: Richard Carpenter
8.0/101 votes#5 - The Prophecy
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 3/9/1985
Little John is captured by Guy, who has a plan to finally get his hands on all the Merry Men. After a prophecy from Herne, Robin thinks that Little John is the prisoner he is told he must rescue. While they are planning to rescue John from Nottingham another John turns up, Prince John. He has his own agenda and his own hooded prisoner, someone whose identity will be a big surprise to one of Robin's band. Robin realises that this hooded prisoner is the person who is in the prophecy and that freeing them from Prince John's grasp will be a daunting prospect.
Director: Robert Young
Writer: Richard Carpenter
8.0/101 votes#6 - Lord of the Trees
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 3/23/1985
Gisburne, left in charge of Nottingham by the Sheriff, hires a group of vicious mercenaries to hunt down the outlaws. Unfortunate timing for Robin and company, as it is the time of the Blessing when no blood can be shed or the villagers will not have a good harvest that year. The outlaws must use cunning and trickery to defeat Gisburne and the mercenaries.
Director: James Allen
Writer: Richard Carpenter
8.0/101 votes#7 - The Enchantment
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 3/30/1985
Robin is bewitched by Lilith, one of followers of the not-quite-late Simon de Belleme, and tricked into helping to bring the Baron back to life. At the same time, the Sheriff schemes to take possession of the Baron's legendary cache of gems.
Director: James Allen
Writer: Richard Carpenter
8.0/101 votes#8 - The Swords of Wayland (Part 1)
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 4/6/1985
A group of pious and well-respected nuns are in reality a coven of witches. They need all of the Seven Swords of Wayland for some very heavy-duty conjuring. The only sword they don't have is Robin's Albion.
Director: Robert Young
Writer: Richard Carpenter
8.0/101 votes#9 - The Swords of Wayland (2)
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 4/6/1985
Robin and his band battle to prevent Morgwyn of Ravenscar from harnessing the power of the sword of Albion.
Director: Robert Young
Writer: Richard Carpenter
8.0/101 votes#10 - The Power of Albion
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 4/19/1986
Before his death, Loxley gave Albion to Marion. She kept it safe for a year at the home of her father, who begged her to have no more to do with the outlaws. She attempts to give it to Robert, but he still says no one could take Loxley's place. When the band tries to stop a torturer en route to Nottingham, Robert is wounded by a poisoned arrow and falls gravely ill. After returning home from going to aid Robert, Marion and Albion are taken by the Sheriff. Although Gisburne is sure Robert of Huntingdon is the new Robin Hood, no one will believe him. Robert is able to masquerade as a shallow, young nobleman and make friends with the Sheriff as part of a scheme to free Marion. After the true powers of Albion are revealed, Robert, whom everyone now calls Robin, knows he is truly Herne's son.
Director: Gerry Mill
Writer: Richard Carpenter
8.0/101 votes#11 - Rutterkin
Season 3 Episode 11 - Aired 6/14/1986
'Mad Mab' is an old hermit who lives happily with her family of pigs, including her 'baby', Rutterkin. Edgar of Huntingdon, Robert's uncle, captures Rutterkin and later Mab, accusing the old woman of being a witch (and the pig her familiar), paid by the Earl, Robert's father, to cause the death of King John, who has been beset by a mysterious illness. The Earl is arrested for treason and sentenced to death. In trying to rescue him, most of the outlaw band is taken as well.
Director: Gerry Mill
Writer: Richard Carpenter
8.0/101 votes#12 - The Time of the Wolf (1)
Season 3 Episode 12 - Aired 6/21/1986
The Sheriff is ordered by the King to collect grain from the villages of Nottingham, as more provisions are needed for the troops in France. Knowing that the villagers will not survive the winter without their hard-earned grain, the outlaws secretly steal the grain back during the night, causing the Sheriff a lot of embarrassment when the King's men come to collect it in the morning. In desperation, the Sheriff blames the whole fiasco on Gisburne, resulting in Gisburne running away and a price being put on his head. Seeking sanctuary, Gisburne flees to Grimstone Abbey, but is not greeted by monks at the door.
Director: Sid Roberson
Writer: Richard Carpenter
8.0/101 votes#13 - The Time of the Wolf (2)
Season 3 Episode 13 - Aired 6/28/1986
Gisburne has joined the Sons of Fenris and manages to capture Robin and his men as well as the Sheriff of Nottingham. With Robin in his power, Gulnar completes his creature using dark magic and sends it on his way. Safe in Halstead Abbey, Marion foresees a tragedy at the Ring of the Nine Maidens and for Robin even victory may come with great loss.
Director: Sid Roberson
Writer: Richard Carpenter
7.5/102 votes#14 - Robin Hood and the Sorcerer (Part 1)
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 4/28/1984
Robin of Loxley and his cousin Much are arrested in Sherwood Forest for killing one of the King's deer. They are imprisoned by Guy of Gisburne in the Sheriff of Nottingham's dungeon where they meet up with a motley bunch of criminals who are destined to become the first of the Merry Men. After they escape into Sherwood Forest, Robin is approached by Herne The Hunter and told that it is his destiny to fight the Norman invaders. The Sheriff knows all about Herne - he holds a silver arrow that is reputed to have once belonged to Herne himself.
Director: Ian Sharp
Writer: Richard Carpenter
7.0/101 votes#15 - The Witch of Elsdon
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 5/5/1984
The Sheriff, Abbot Hugo and Guy are in the hamlet of Elsdon presiding over the trial of Jennet and Thomas, a husband and wife accused of witchcraft. Robin has a dream that leads him to make decisions that the rest of the Merry Men question the logic of, but his dreams lead them to a disguised tax collector and some hidden taxes. The Sheriff is furious about the loss of his taxes and wants Robin's head on a plate. Loathe to send Guy and his men into Sherwood to die he comes up with a cunning plan to get to the outlaws.
Director: Ian Sharp
Writer: Richard Carpenter
7.0/101 votes#16 - Seven Poor Knights From Acre
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 5/12/1984
The arrival in Sherwood of seven Templars, heading back to their church in Lincoln, and their gold crested banner is too much for a thief, Siward, to ignore. He steals the banner and runs into Robin and his men as he escapes. The Templars think that they are all together and after a brief altercation the Templars leave, with Much as a hostage. Now Robin and his men have to deal with seven of the most feared fighting men known to man, to rescue Much from their grasp.
Director: Ian Sharp
Writer: Richard Carpenter
7.0/101 votes#17 - The Children of Israel
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 3/16/1985
The Sheriff returns to Nottingham, passing through Sherwood. Will decides that Robin's plans to ambush him is not good enough and attempts to attack the Sheriff and his men with only Little John, Nasir and Friar Tuck at his side. It all goes badly wrong - Tuck is badly injured and Robin is furious, a fury that grows when he discovers the attitude of the local villagers they take Tuck to. Back in Nottingham the Sheriff is approached by Joshua De Talmont, a Jewish moneylender, demanding the money that the Sheriff owes him. The Sheriff is not best pleased about being challenged for money he owes and 'suggests' to Guy that a tide of anti-Jewish sentiments may strike Nottingham, as it has in London and other towns, and lead to the death of De Talmont in the riots.
Director: Alex Kirby
Writer: Richard Carpenter
7.0/101 votes#18 - Herne's Son (1)
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 4/5/1986
After the death of Loxley, the outlaw band have gone their separate ways. Robert of Huntingdon, the man called by Herne, has rejected his calling, saying no one else could be The Hooded Man. He cannot escape his destiny. Robert's father, the Earl of Huntingdon, hosts a party to gain favour with vile, border lord Owen of Clun. Marion of Leaford attends with her father, who has bought her a pardon from the king. Clun makes unseemly advances toward Marion. When no one else will help her, Robert, to his father's horror, defends her in a swordfight against Clun. When Clun kidnaps Marion, Robert must reassemble the outlaw band to rescue her.
Director: Robert Young
Writer: Richard Carpenter
7.0/101 votes#19 - Herne's Son (Part 2)
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 4/12/1986
Robert of Huntingdon and the reformed Merry Men set out to rescue Marion from Clun, and Huntingdon claims the mantle of Robin of Sherwood.
Director: Robert Young
Writer: Richard Carpenter
7.0/101 votes#20 - The Cross of St. Ciricus
Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 5/10/1986
Robin and his band rescue from bandits a desperately ill woman en route to the shrine of St. Ciricus at Croxden Abbey. She confesses a startling secret to Tuck and later to Robin. Gisburne, on orders from the Sheriff, is also on his way to the Abbey to steal the sacred cross. Robin must stop him, but finds the nature of their enmity has changed.
Director: Dennis Abey
Writer: Richard Carpenter
7.0/101 votes#21 - The Pretender
Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 6/7/1986
Taking up with a 12 year old French princess, King John has annulled his marriage to Queen Hadwisa, who vows revenge against her former husband and the new queen, Isabella. Her plan is to have Isabella murdered while on a pilgrimage and make it appear to have been done by Robin Hood. Hadwisa's family believe they have enough support among the barons to depose King John and replace him with a new young man who claims to be Arthur of Brittany, John's nephew. While Arthur infiltrates the outlaw band, Gisburne becomes involved in the plot. Gisburne is only too eager to advance his position and finish off Robin Hood all at the same time. The Sheriff, however knows that "if Queen Isabella dies, we shall ALL hang," but gravely ill from a dog bite, he is unable to stop Gisburne.
Director: Robert Young
Writer: Richard Carpenter
6.0/101 votes#22 - The Greatest Enemy
Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 4/13/1985
Threatened with the loss of his position, the Sheriff pulls out all stops to find Robin. He captures most of the band in Wickham and hunts down the rest with hounds. Finally, Robin, Marion and Much are alone on a hill, facing an army.
Director: Robert Young
Writer: Richard Carpenter
N/A/101 votes#23 - The Sun in a Bottle
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 2/15/1970
Catweazle is casting spells in his secretive cave in ''the great forest'' and his chantings are overheard by the Normans who enter his cave and attempt to capture him for practicing witchcraft. Biting one of the soldiers he is able to escape into the forest complete with his ''familiar'' ''Touchwood''. He is chased by some other Norman soldiers and is trapped by them leaving him no option but to dive into the lake. He reappears in a small pond located at Hexworth Farm in 20th century England having flown through time 900 years into the future. Here the magic of his journey begins. Hiding himself in a barn at Hexworth Farm he soon meets up with Edward (aka Carrot) when he returns to the barn with farmhand Sam riding on the farm's tractor whose noise scares Catweazle. Carrott manages to hide Catweazle from his father despite the strong smell on Catweazle's clothes. Carrott promises to bring Catweazle food later in the evening and this is where the fun begins.
Director: Quentin Lawrence
Writer: Richard Carpenter
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Richard Carpenter Ratings Summary
"The Fabulous Mechanical Mathilda Junkbottom" is the best rated episode written by Richard Carpenter. It scored 10/10 based on 1 votes. It was directed by N/A. It aired on 6/24/1981 and is rated 2.0 points higher than their second-best episode, "Robin Hood and the Sorcerer (Part 2)".