Robin Hood. Spotlight on the cast 5: Gordon Kennedy.

For long centuries everyone has known that Little John was Robin Hood's best friend and second in command. A giant of a man, his real name was John Little, which the outlaws themselves switched around when he joined them in the forest. John was an excellent archer, but his preferred weapon was the quarter staff; a brave choice of weapon which necessitated close combat against metal swords, but a choice made perhaps from poverty.
Little John's first encounter with Robin Hood on the bridge, where neither man would give way, is probably the most famous of all the tales of Robin Hood, so much so that the statue that stands today outside the Sherwood Forest Visitor's Centre still commemorates their good natured fight. And yet, if one looks through the various filmed versions of Robin Hood, it is surprising just how few of them make Little John such a prominent character. More often than not he has to take second place to Will Scarlet, and sometimes even less than that.
The notable exception of course was Archie Duncan in the long running and hugely successful 1950's television series. Duncan encapsulated everything Little John was meant to be: Gruff voiced, quick tempered, stubborn, but inwardly as gentle and shy as a lamb. Indeed the general public’s identification of Duncan with his screen persona was forever consolidated when he saved a group of children from falling scenery on the set of Robin Hood, sustaining injuries in the process. (A stand-in actor had to be used for a few subsequent shows). Archie Duncan's version of Little John still casts a long shadow. David Morrissey and Clive Mantle were both good, but no-one came close to capturing the essence of the character like Duncan did - until Gordon Kennedy in episode 11 of the BBC's Robin Hood.
Unlike a lot of the cast we all knew what a fine actor Gordon Kennedy was from his previous work. So, for him to be given such an important role, and then have relatively little to do for 10 episodes, was frustrating for Little John fans to watch. But all that changed with his tour de force performance in "Dead Man Walking"; here was the giant bear of a man, reduced to tears in the Sheriff of Nottingham's dungeon whilst talking to the son who doesn't know who he is, then later tearing the Sheriff's timbers and chains from his neck in protection of both that son and the woman who no longer loves him. Little John may not have been given much to say in previous of the series’ scripts, but he seizes the opportunity this one presents in both giant hands and expresses much more about the feelings of the oppressed in those times, and how they became outlawed, than many other similar tales put together.
Yes I'm still very critical of the BBC's decision to omit the famous encounter on the bridge, (and if you're reading this BBC, which I know you do, it's not too late to work that scene back in! It doesn't have to be their first encounter); and yes it is hard to give an extensive review of an actor's performance when so much of his time has been spent in the background. But, when one considers how much screen time other Little John's were allotted, just how many had the emotional impact Gordon Kennedy had in that one episode?

Next week: Harry Lloyd.