'Bots In Tights: Robot of Sherwood Review

As you all know, there have been two vital scenes cut due to the IS beheadings of two Journalists. Having seen the leaked episode (cheating, I know), this review will be based on the leaked and the televised versions

So, we now onto Episode three of the 2014 Season and it's one that's as by the numbers romp as it gets. One should come to expect this from Mark Gatiss. There's been a few scripts from Gatiss that haven't reached the heights of his 2005 entry The Unquiet Dead. Some came close (Cold War, The Crimson Horror, other floundered (The Idiot Lantern, Night Thoughts) and one came out like a Toy commercial (Victory of the Daleks). This little number is about the Doctor taking Clara to see Robin Hood at her request but all isn't what it seems. Yes, I know what you're saying "but Robin Hood's not real". It is rather weird of her to meet a man who's no more fictional than Noddy (let's not go there!). So how does this one turn out?

The Good:

• Clara's medieval dress
• 12th and Robin's sword-spoon fight
• The bow contest made for a wee giggle considering the bows the Doctor fired ad exploded aren't made of wood
• A lovely Patrick Troughton easter egg when we learn how the Prince of Thieves came to be; Troughton played the character in 1953
• The rapport between Clara and the Sherrif

The Bad:

• The dungeon bickering which does make you realize that this could've been an 10th or 11th Doctor episode
• The fact that Clara wanted to meet a fictional character does make me wonder if Gatiss should've had the episode set in the Land of Fiction.
• A Spaceship in medieval times....We've done that before, havent we? (i.e. The Time Warrior)

Bottom Line: Robot of Sherwood is a fluffy average romp but like the other Gatiss penned episodes diring the 2006-2011 period, it's not really nothing to write home about. Yes, it does bring out the comedic side of Capaldi and company but it all does feel like a leftover script for his predecessors. I'd say next week's show will be better, but I've been wrong before....

5.5 Jelly Babies out of 10