Is it because Michael Praed wanted to quit the show for some reason and they had to finish his character somehow or was it planned from the beginning?
shareHi, Michael wanted to quit he thought he was heading for bigger things , since then he has faded although he keeps working he has never beaten his performance as Robin hood , its a shame , the guy had talent but seems to have made wrong choices .
shareMichael decided to leave quite late into the filming of series 2, because he had been offered the part of D'Artagnan in a musical version of The Three Musketeers on Broadway. As a result the last episode had to be rewritten at the last moment so that Robin of Loxley could be killed off. Sadly for Michael, The Three Musketeers bombed and he never went on to get the bigger roles he had doubtless hoped for.
shareIt was one of those situations.He followed his heart, not his head.Knew it years later but he's philosophical about it today. Would have gone back to the role,too; in the early 90's michael & Nick Grace tried to get a new series off the ground with loxley returning, but they couldn't get enough funding
Although the idea of having 'different' Robins was not planned from the beginning it was a masterstroke in my opinion. Like the decision to introduce 'regeneration' to Doctor Who because the original Doctor (William Hartnell) was too ill to continue, it effectively made the series future-proof and ensured that it could have gone on for years changing it's leading man every few seasons.
Or it would have done had the money not run out a year later :(
Bront 2 win!
http://soundclick.com/muddskipper
I agree. Of course, I was really sad when Robin was killed and Michael left but I'm glad they managed to get some great advantages from this: 1) a great heroic act of sacrificing himself to save others; 2) it is probably close to how real stories about Robin Hood appeared: some men with different adventures but similar attitude were named by people after a possibly real "Robin" - and over centuries, different stories with the same main character appeared; 3) it was a really great warning for the vilians: no matter what you do and whom you kill, there would be someone to take his place and continue to fight (I like the moment when they all are afraid of a hooded figure and no one fires)...
shareI like it when Robin puts his final arrow to his bow and take a few steps forward...and the Sheriff's whole army backed away!
He who lives by the sword will be shot by those who can't
Just think how quickly he would have been taken down if the Sheriff commanded all his troop to move forward quickly.
shareI thought he left because of Dynasty, thats what I seem to remember being reported in all the newspapers at the time, but it was a long time ago so I could be wrong.
shareHe left because he wanted to appear in a stage production,but it flopped and that's how he ended up in Dynasty.
the swoon factor: THAT voice!
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=KqrUnafoR30
he left because he time-travelled back to the future to continue fighting crime as the caped crusader known as... Batman!
shareYes. The stage production was The Three Musketeers, IIRC.
Bront 2 win!
http://soundclick.com/muddskipper
Heh, Michael as Batman, never thought of that one. ;)
shareHow about posting *Spoiler Alert* in your title next time instead of ruining the show for those of us who haven't seen it, *beep*
shareWhy is everyone acting like Praed made a horrible choice leaving? It's not like Jason Connery's done much better.
shareIn the interviews on the DVD commentaries Michael says he doesn't regret leaving RoS to pursue his dream of a Broadway career. He does find it ironic and regretful how that endeavor turned out though.
share"Why is everyone acting like Praed made a horrible choice leaving? It's not like Jason Connery's done much better."
True, but then Michael had real talent while Jason did not, and it is a shame that his career stagnated. You can't blame him for leaving though - if The Three Musketeers had been a big success, who knows what great things might have happened? It didn't work out, but I'm sure he would have regretted not following his heart and taking the risk.
MP's career didn't stagnate - he went on to his "Dynasty" roll and eventually returned to the stage very successfully. From interviews, I think the stage is his first love.
shareWhat I really meant was his screen career, which didn't seem to go anywhere much after Dynasty. I just find it a shame that Michael hasn't had more high profile film and TV roles, as he is a magnetic presence in front of a camera. However, if he prefers the stage then that is his prerogative, and at least his voice has been on TV in recent years, narrating historical documentaries on BBC2!
shareYes, Michael's first love is the stage. He has just finished a very successful run in 'The Sound of Music,' which I was lucky enough to see three times.
He was absolutely brilliant as Cpt.Von Trapp.
Now another Jason is taking over the role of the Captain, Jason Donavon, how is that for coincidence.
I will always remember Michael for being the iconic Robin Hood. No one else has matched his performance in the role or even come close to doing so.
While it is fantastic to see him live, on stage, nothing beats that. It would be wonderful to see him on our TV or film screens again, in something new.
The Witch is back!
Didn't Michael guest star in a couple of episodes of Casualty several years ago. I remember I quite liked his Locum doctor and wished he had stuck around longer
shareCan't really agree with that. Michael Praed really looked the part but I think Jason Connery had more real acting talent. When you watch Michael Praed doing the "Battle of Hastings" speech in the first episode his delivery is really a bit shaky. Jason Connery didn't exactly go on to take the world by storm but he was at least in some movies I've heard of :)
share