Spoiler alert: this recap is for people watching Sherwood on BBC One. Please don’t read it unless you have watched series two, episode one.
The story so far
In the Nottinghamshire pit village of Ashfield, a string of crossbow attacks by disaffected loner Scott Rowley reopened historic divisions from the miners’ strike three decades before. The manhunt led back to a so-called “spycop”, embedded within the community to snoop on alleged radicals. The long-dormant undercover operative was ultimately revealed to be Daphne Sparrow (Lorraine Ashbourne), matriarch of the local crime family, but DCS Ian St Clair (David Morrissey) agreed to keep her secret. For now.
Leaping forward a few years, a newsreel montage showed how the area had seen an escalation in criminality and drugs after the collapse of local industries – reflecting the real-life gun violence epidemic which led to the region being dubbed “Shottingham”. Let the forest-adjacent fun begin …
Friends reunited
We were soon reacquainted with two protagonists from the 2022 debut series. Newly shorn Julie Jackson (Lesley Manville), widow of murdered ex-miner Gary, was considering selling up. Too many memories. At least she and sister Cathy (Claire Rushbrook) remained reconciled. Cathy had also moved away – when your stepson’s the local psycho killer, it makes things awkward – but they chatted on the phone.
Ian was now divorced and living alone. Blame the fact that he’d suspected his ex-wife of being the spycop. He had a civvie-wearing, public-facing new gig as anti-gang tsar, heading a violence intervention team to stem youth crime. When Ian saw Cathy’s Facebook post, he smiled. The frisson between them remains.
‘Gary would’ve choked on his chips’
Feelings were running high over proposals for a futuristic new colliery. At a public consultation meeting, there was understandable scepticism about a sudden desire to reverse decades of de-industrialisation. Samuel Warner (Robert Emms), working on behalf of the investment group, argued that untapped coal would help solve the energy crisis and provide much-needed red wall jobs.
At the launch of a reopened gallery in Nottingham Castle, privately funded by his family’s foundation, Samuel unsuccessfully tried to schmooze the new sheriff of Nottingham, Lisa Waters (Ria Zmitrowicz) – a married lesbian who’d just had a baby (“very modern”), which has enraged all the right people. The event was hijacked not once but twice. First by Samuel’s smarmy billionaire father Franklin (Robert Lindsay), who stole his thunder speech-wise, then by Just Stop Oil-style protesters. Warner Sr had to be restrained from his own “violent intervention”.
Who needs bows and arrows?
Swaggering thug Ryan Bottomley (Oliver Huntingdon) emerged from the woods like a true outlaw to deal drugs in the park. He was somewhat softened by his affection for little sister Stephie (Bethany Asher), who has Down’s syndrome, but his criminality meant he’d become estranged from his stepmother Pam (Sharlene Whyte) and uncle Dennis (David Harewood). As Dennis led a group of metal detectorists in the forest looking for “Scott Rowley’s treasure”– his father’s £15k redundancy payoff from the pits, which he buried while on the run – Ryan idly aimed a rifle from his bedroom window. Well, it’s a hobby.
Trying to sell “spice and powder” at the local ice rink, Ryan was confronted by the territorial Nicky Branson (Sam Buchanan), son of a rival crime family. After a scuffle, Nicky snatched the drugs and sent him packing but Ryan waited outside and shot him at point-blank range. Just like last time, the series started with an incendiary murder by a disfranchised young man.
Police feared retaliatory attacks. Lo and behold, a van-load of Branson-affiliated gunmen shot up the Bottomleys’ house. Pam and Dennis survived the hail of bullets and were taken to the police station for their own safety. Ryan promptly strolled in, high on his own supply and brandishing a gun, saying, “I heard you’ve got my sister”. Ian’s replacement, DCI Harry Summers (Michael Balogun), had a panic attack and froze. He’d lost someone to violent crime and was seen at a support group for traumatised families, alongside the Bottomleys.
Instead, Ian took control and Ryan put the gun down. It had no bullets, so was a deliberate attempt to get arrested and be reunited with Stephie. While Ryan was remanded in custody, the Bottomleys were moved for their own protection to Skegness (“Skeg Vegas, not in Nevada” read the sign). Dreamy seaside views, but will they be safe there?
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Sparrows got in a Branson pickle
Down at the Sparrow farm, the crime clan had gone straight-ish. “We divested our stock in local hallucinogenics,” as patriarch Mickey (Philip Jackson) put it – presumably a move encouraged by wily wife Daphne to avoid further police attention. However, youngest son Ronan (Bill Jones) had overheard her kitchen chat with Ian in the series one finale, so knew his mum was once a deep cover cop. He’d duly nosed around and found a birth certificate for an elder sister he never knew he had. Daphne was keeping all kinds of secrets, including the father’s identity.
When Ronan met long-lost sister Rachel (Christine Bottomley), it wasn’t the schmaltzy reunion he’d imagined. Not only did she balk at being related to “those Sparrows” but the pair witnessed the shooting. The Sparrows declined to cooperate with police (“Never talk to pigs” is their family motto), fearing a revival of the Sparrow v Branson turf wars.
Enter the Bransons, Roy (Stephen Dillane) and Ann (Monica Dolan). We’d already glimpsed them at Ryan’s court hearing, where Ann glared at her son’s killer with a look that could freeze blood. She specialised in smalltalk, chit-chatting about roast parsnips in a way that dripped menace. She promised to serve their own brand of justice to Ryan in prison, before telling poor Ronan he was “obligated” by an honour code to help find the Bottomleys too. Uh-oh. Daphne has met her match. But boy, is it good to have Sherwood back.
Line of the week
“We’re fine, my duck. You potter off now” – Mickey Sparrow dismisses the police in folksy style.
Notts notes
The series is airing in double doses (Sundays and Mondays at 9pm on BBC One), so rejoin us tomorrow for more Sherwood shenanigans. In the meantime, my ducks, please leave your thoughts and theories below …