Sherwood creator explains ‘lazy’ error in episode 1 after BBC viewers complain
‘How hard was it to get something completely wrong?’ one viewer asked
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Sherwood viewers picked up on what they branded a “lazy” error in the first episode of the new BBC drama.
The series, from Quiz writer James Graham, is inspired by two murders that took place in Nottinghamshire in 2004.
Minutes into the first episode, football fans who were watching the show were left frustrated by a line of dialogue from Alun Armstrong’s character, Gary.
He can be seen speaking about ex-Nottingham Forest player Trevor Francis – but he refers to the team as “Notts Forest”.
“First problem with Sherwood is referring to us as Notts Forest,” one fan wrote, while a separate tweet said: “No one in Nottinghamshire would refer to them as ‘Notts Forest.”
Another tweet read: “Who the bloody hell are Notts Forest? How hard was it to get something based in Nottingham completely wrong?”
“Shame they got it wrong calling the football team Notts Forest though,” another viewer who otherwise appeared to enjoy the series said. “I’m a Leicester City fan and even I know it’s Forest or Notts County!”
After noticing the complaints on social media, Graham himself stepped in to say he would “make amends”, describing the error as “my bad”.
However, he attenmpted to clarify why Armstrong’s character had made the error.
“Because of Gary’s (Alun Armstrong’s) history and politics, we thought no way he’d be a fan, supporting a northern team (inspired by real characters, this was loosely the case). And he’s talking to a child.
“But the less satisfying reason is, by wanting local accents on screen, I worried “Nottnm” wouldn’t register for wider viewers and for non-footy fans Forest is just a forest. My bad. Know it frustrates fans. I’ll make amends. Please let me back into the city. Proud of your pride for your team.”
The series stars David Morrissey, Lesley Manville and Adeel Akhtar. You can find The Independent’s verdict on the first episode here.
Episode two will air on BBC One on Tuesday (14 June).
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