A Paradox in Time by Ness Ayton
This first appeared in "The Alternative Robin of Sherwood Zine" and reading it through again it is very dated in fact - for which I apologise – but it was great fun to write and I hope still fun to read. If you do get and understand all the references then you're clearly of my generation and my mind set (which frankly could be worrying)! But first things first:
An Explanation of "A Paradox in Time"
I think I probably owe everyone an explanation for this story. It all began when I was watching the "Dr Who" story "Battlefield". I thought it would be rather nice to write a story for Ancelyn and Winifred. Well, as these things do, it grew from that simple idea into this little offering! I have borrowed the characters from "Dr Who", "Robin of Sherwood" and "Arthur of the Britons" and put them into my own story.
Actually, perhaps you'd better see the cast list first. So, here it is:
Robin-in-the-Hood - MICHAEL PRAED - tall, dark, green eyed and heroically handsome.
Lady Marion of Leaford – JUDI TROTT - beautiful, red haired heroine; wanders round the forest with her box of Ariel.
Will Scarlet - RAY WINSTONE - stocky, savage and mean; likes milk.
Friar Tuck - PHIL ROSE - short, fat and kind.
Little John - CLIVE MANTLE - extremely tall, fair, gentle and electrifying!
Much the Miller's Son – PETER LLEWELYN WILLIAMS - young, timid and naive.
Nasir Ah...Ah....etc - MARK RYAN - tall, dark, brown eyed and heroically handsome.
Robert de Rainault, High Sheriff of Nottingham - NICKOLAS GRACE - short, dark and gorgeously wicked; don't ask him to say "sarcophagus."
Guy of Gisburne - ROBERT ADDIE - tall, blond and utterly rotten.
Ancelyn ap Gwalchmai, Knight General of the Britons - MARCUS GILBERT - tall, blond, blue eyed and heroically handsome.
Brigadier Winifred Bambera – ANGELA BRUCE - dark-skinned, strong and tough.
King Arthur – OLIVER TOBIAS - tall, dark, blue eyed and heroically handsome; travelsﾐ everywhere on a flying carpet!
Bedwyr - PAUL NICHOLAS - tall, blond and heroically cute. (I wanted Mike Holoway but there are so many dark haired men in this thing it was going to get confusing!)
Morgaine le Fey - JEAN MARSH - striking red-headed sorceress.
Mordred - CHRISTOPHER BOWEN - tall, dark, wickedly handsome.
Baron Simon de Belleme – ANTHONY VALENTINE - tall, dark and totally evil; wandersﾐ round the castle with his Windowlene.
Herne/Dr Who - JOHN ABINERI - tall hatstand.
Dr Who/Merlin - SYLVESTER MCCOY - short, dark and jovial.
Ace - SOPHIE ALDRED - young and explosively pretty.
Companion - JASON CONNERY - medium height, handsome, blond and washes with Timotei.
N D Soldier – GUY VARDAMAN - tall, fair, token American who holds up the scenery beautifully. (ND = non descript; term used in scripts for a non-speaking role).
Prisoner and Interpreter of Dreams- MIKE HOLOWAY (I had to get him in somewhere) – medium height, dark and handsome; and looks good in a loin cloth I'm reliably informed.
A Reader's Guide to the Story
Parts of this story depend upon the fact that many of the chosen actors have been in oneﾐ or more TV programmes/TV series/stage productions, often with one or more of the others. So in order to help you understand some of the parts that may confuse you, here is a list of the relevant credits.
MICHAEL PRAED (Robin)
Robin: Robin of Sherwood
Frederic: Pirates of Penzance
Prince Michael: Dynasty
OLIVER TOBIAS (King Arthur)
Arthur: Arthur of the Britons
Pirate King: Pirates of Penzance
NICKOLAS GRACE (Sheriff)
Sheriff: Robin of Sherwood
Rt Hon Sir Joseph Porter KCB, Ruler of the Queen's Navy: HMS Pinafore
Various characters: Irma Vep
Coco, Lord High Executioner: The Mikado
MARCUS GILBERT (Ancelyn)
Ancelyn: Dr Who – Battlefield
Justin Vulcan: A Hazard of Hearts
Lucifer: Robin of Sherwood
Von Stalhein: Biggles
PAUL NICHOLAS (Bedwyr)
Pirate King: Pirates of Penzance
ROBERT ADDIE (Gisburne)
Gisburne: Robin of Sherwood
Lord Gillingham: A Hazard of Hearts
SYLVESTER MCCOY (Dr Who)
Dr Who
Pirate Lieutenant: Pirates of Penzance
MIKE HOLOWAY (Prisoner)
Frederic & Pirate King: Pirates of Penzance
Joseph: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Prince John of Moldavia: Snow White
Mike: The Tomorrow People
JASON CONNERY (Companion)
Robert of Huntingdon: Robin of Sherwood
Torture victim: Dr Who - Vengeance on Varos
GUY VARDAMAN (Soldier Guy)
Extra: Star Trek, the Next Generation