“The Revenge of Robin Hood” is episode sixteen of season one of The Time Tunnel.
At the end of the previous episode, “Invasion”, Tony had landed in a dungeon that was locked from the outside. Doug landed near a throne room where a man, the Earl of Huntington, was trying to get the king, John, to sign the Magna Carta which would limit the powers of the king. King John did not take this idea very well and claimed this was treason and he would hang the earl and the rest of the barons. A fight broke out between Huntington and the king’s guards, during which the earl blundered into Doug and both were captured.
Doug is assumed to be a servant of Huntington and the king’s advisor claims that even traitors can serve a purpose. Their lives will be spared if they tell the king what he needs to know. Huntington states that if he doesn’t return to the council of barons, they will take the field. John does not take the idea of rebellion well either and says he will hang the barons’ heads on display. He orders them to be taken to the dungeon until they beg for death.
Doug and Huntington are taken to the dungeon where Tony is and chained to the wall. Two guards remain to torture them and Huntington apologises to Doug. Doug is sure that the king will sign the Magna Carta. Tony is behind the guards and bars the door before taking down the first and fighting the second. More guards arrive outside and attempt to break down the door.
Tik-Toc is watching this but they lack power to transport Doug and Tony and the fix isn’t firm; they only know that it is June 1215. Ann suggests the homing post; they may have tried it before but not in this time period and they’ve improved the capabilities.
The second guard has been defeated and Doug and Tony heat the bars on the window to soften them. They escape but Huntington remains. Outside, Doug fills Tony in as to when they are. Tony wants to help Huntington. Doug says John met the barons at Runnymede; perhaps they can get help there.
Tik-Toc prep the homing post, which arrives in the dungeon, but Tony and Doug are no longer there. They are in a forest where they are accosted by a large man with a quarterstaff, then more men, including a friar appear. Tony knocks down the man with the quarterstaff and fights him. He loses, but the man thinks he fought well and the friar introduces the man as Little John and himself as Friar Tuck. Doug and Tony can join Robin Hood’s band. Doug thought Robin Hood was just a legend; Tuck tells him all of England knows of Huntington’s exploits when he was an outlaw. They tell him Huntington is in the castle, prisoner of the king.
Little John favours boldness for attacking the castle; Friar Tuck something a bit more subtle. Then the king’s men appear and Little John gets hit with a crossbow bolt. Doug, Tony and Tuck help him, having to defeat some guards in the process. Little John needs medical attention and Friar Tuck recommends the Baroness Elmont, who used to provide them help when they were outlaws.
King John is reading the Magna Carta. He is really not impressed by it. His guard, Engelard, returns and says the outlaws are trapped in the forest and one is injured. The advisor, Dubois, says he knows these outlaws. They are sentimental fools who will jeopardise their own safety to aid an injured comrade. Dubois suggests using gold to defeat them.
Tik-Toc is watching as Engelard tortures Huntington – Robin Hood. They are trying to move the homing post to Doug and Tony. When Doug, Tony, Little John and Friar Tuck arrive at Baroness Elmont’s, she was counting coin. It looks like she’s the one Dubois bribed; odd that she was so easily convinced to betray them when she was willing to help them when they were true outlaws. The Merry Men want to get into King John’s castle to free Huntington, and in the process force the king to sign the Magna Carta.