Robin Hood cast: From Downton Abbey to serving in a diner, what the stars of 2009 BBC show have been up to

Everyone knows the story of Robin Hood. In fact the character’s moral code, ‘rob from the rich and give to the poor’, is probably just as (if not more) famous than the man himself.

A legendary outlaw, Robin and his band of ‘Merry Men’ have been depicted many times on television and in film. For this list we’ll be focusing solely on the BBC’s adaptation of the character, which ran for three series between 2006 and 2009.

Initially commissioned to fill the coveted Saturday evening ‘Doctor Who slot’ the series quickly found its own two feet and gained a huge following. Several of the show’s cast members went on to great success and here, we’ll be looking at what happened next for the stars of BBC’s Robin Hood. Did you watch the show? Let us know in the comments.

Jonas Armstrong - Robin Hood

Series lead Jonas was a relative unknown before he was cast as Robin Hood. He had made small appearances in Channel 4’s Teachers and ITV drama Losing Gemma but nothing of this calibre.

Jonas’ decision to leave Robin Hood at the end of the show’s third series was, probably, what ultimately brought the show to its end - how can you have Robin Hood without Robin Hood? The actor has continued to appear on our screens, though.

Notable roles 42-year-old Jonas has had since include an appearance in Jimmy McGovern’s The Street, horror film Book of Blood and a guest role in Death in Paradise. He’ll soon star in new ITV drama After the Flood opposite Peaky Blinders’ Sophie Rundle and Life on Mars star Philip Glenister.

Lucy Griffiths - Maid Marian

Hearts bled for poor Robin at the end of the second series of the show when his beloved Maid Marian died at the hands of Sir Guy of Gisborne (Richard Armitage). Actress Lucy Griffiths’ career has been fairly steady since the series' end.

Lucy, 36, has appeared in the likes of Death in Paradise, DC’s Constantine and Netflix fantasy Shadow and Bone. She has also had a number of audio and theatre roles. She was rumoured to have dated Jonas when they were co-stars.

Richard Armitage - Sir Guy of Gisborne

Richard as Sir Guy of Gisborne (Image: BBC)

One of the more successful cast members from the show, Richard Armitage is rarely off our screens. Earlier this year the actor appeared in steamy Netflix show Obsession but he has a huge CV of other works since Robin Hood.

One of Richard’s more prominent roles has been in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit film series, a prequel to The Lord of the Rings. He played dwarf Thorin Oakenshield and is commonly credited as one of the highlights of the series.

Richard, 51, has also been in The Stranger (Netflix), Spooks, Strike Back and prior to Robin Hood he starred in BBC drama North & South.

Keith Allen - The Sheriff of Nottingham

Keith as the evil Sheriff of Nottingham (Image: BBC)

Every hero needs a villain and Keith Allen filled that role here. Previously played by the late and great Alan Rickman (as well as several other esteemed actors) the Sheriff of Nottingham was wicked to the core and cared only for himself.

Llanelli-born Keith is a regular face on British screens. The actor, who is the father of pop singer Lily Allen and Game of Thrones’ Alfie Allen, recently appeared in Welsh drama Steeltown Murders.

Now 69, Keith has also been in The Pembrokeshire Murders, Agent Cody Banks 2, Carry On Columbus and even had a small role in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting.

He's in a long-term relationship with Midsomer Murders actress Tamzin Malleson, whom he met on the set of Bodies. They have a daughter together. From 2017 they ran a diner in Stroud that served burgers, sundaes and hot dogs but it shut down in 2019, a year after Keith posted about it being vandalised. Keith could often be seen behind the bar.

Gordon Kennedy - Little John

Ironically, Little John was far from ‘little’ in the series and instead was played by giant Scottish actor Gordon Kennedy. This provided many jokes in the series.

Following Robin Hood’s conclusion Gordon has gone on to appear in a slew of other film and television roles. These include T2: Trainspotting, Sherlock, Casualty and Vera.

Sam Troughton - Much

Robin’s trusty sidekick, Much, hated it when the outlaw gave other members of the Merry Men his attention. The character was played by Sam Troughton - who happens to be the grandson of second Doctor Who actor Patrick Troughton.

Sam has continued to act following the end of Robin Hood. Most recently he starred opposite David Tennant in ITV drama Litvinenko. Over the course of his career he’s also been in award-nominated drama Mank, The Hollow Crown and Death in Paradise - a show that several actors from Sherwood Forest have appeared in at some point.

Joe Armstrong - Allan-A-Dale

Joe Armstrong plays hapless criminal mastermind and caravan park owner Ashley Cowgill. His kidnap plan is badly thought out, in fact not thought out at all — Joe went on to land a role in smash hit BBC drama Happy Valley

Again, someone who frequently appears on our screens, Joe Armstrong is the real life son of New Tricks’ Alun Armstrong. Roles he’s been in since his stint as Allan-A-Dale in Robin Hood include Happy Valley, The Hollow Crown and Hustle.

Harry Lloyd - Will Scarlett

Harry’s role as Will Scarlett somewhat propelled the actor into the spotlight and he has since appeared in a number of big franchises following the end of Robin Hood. The actor has had roles in Doctor Who, Game of Thrones and Peacock series Brave New World.

At one point in his career, Harry was even rumoured to be taking over from David Tennant as Doctor Who. The role of the Eleventh Doctor ultimately went to Matt Smith, who played an ancestor of his Game of Thrones character in spin-off House of the Dragon.

Joanne Froggett - Kate

Joanne Froggatt as Laura Nielson and Ioan Gruffudd as Andrew Earlham — Joanne with Ioan Gruffudd in ITV drama Liar (Image: Joss Barratt/ITV)

Prior to landing the role of Kate in Robin Hood’s third and final season, actress Joanne Froggatt had already made a few appearances on our screens - notably in Life on Mars, Coronation Street and dinnerladies. It was after the show, though, that her acting career really started to take off.

Perhaps 42-year-old Joanne’s most notable roles are as Anna Bates in Downton Abbey - for which she won numerous awards - and as Laura Nielson in the ITV drama Liar opposite Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd. She’s also been in Sherwood, Angela Black, The Royle Family, and even voiced Wendy in the revival of Bob the Builder.

In 2020, she split with her husband of eight years, James Cannon.

David Harewood - Friar Tuck

David’s career dates back to the early ‘90s but it was only in the Noughties that he really came to prominence on our screens. His stint on American drama series Homeland, two years after Robin Hood ended, propelled him into the international spotlight. You can read all about the Friar Tuck actor's career here.

David is a mental health ambassador and has been open about his own struggles, confessing that he used to self-medicate with alcohol to deal with his bipolar-like symptoms, discarding the medication given to him by doctors. He was sectioned under the Mental Health Act and spent time on the Whittington Hospital psychiatric ward, and was prescribed the antipsychotic drug chlorpromazine. He opened up about the experience on the 2018 documentary, David Harewood: Psychosis and Me.

He recently presented a documentary for BBC Two about The Black and White Minstrels Show, which aired on TV from 1958 to 1978, and reflected on the effect it had on his own career.

Robin Hood is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.