2009 TV Preview: 'Robin Hood 3'

Our final preview of 2009's best TV is Robin Hood, soon to return for its long-awaited third series.

I say "long-awaited" because the show was bumped from its traditional Autumn timeslot this year by the launch of the fantastical magical drama Merlin. Robin and co are now likely to bounce back onto our screens around March-April time.

As we all know, leading man Jonas Armstrong is departing at the end of the series - and I can reveal that he's not the only one to be departing.

For all those asking, I can confirm that the newly loved-up Will (Harry Lloyd) and Djaq (Anjali Jay) will not be back in the new series, however the door has been left open for a future return.

Exec producer Foz Allan explains: "They're still alive and well and living in the Holy Land, so they certainly could come back. I think in my head they've formed an early version of Médecins Sans Frontières! They're fixing crusaders, Arabs, Saracens... they're people who are trying to do good. It kind of played into an idea we did in series two, that grows in series three, which is 'we are Robin Hood'. Robin Hood isn't really a man. It is a philosophical, emotional position - 'we do good when the world is bad' - and they're carrying that mission on in the Holy Land."

While old characters are departing, there are new characters aplenty. Ones to watch include Guy's sister Isabella (Lara Pulver) and new girl gang member Kate (Joanne Froggatt), plus the highly-anticipated arrival of Friar Tuck (David Harewood).

There's also a very major plotline involving the Sheriff (Keith Allen) and his rule over Nottingham.

Finally, I can confirm that Maid Marion (Lucy Griffiths) is definitely, 100%, dead. And it's not a case of poison-that-makes-it-appear-as-if-she's-dead-but-she's-not-really. She's officially dead.

More on Robin Hood in the coming months!

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