Hugh Jackman was 'top bloke' says Robin Hood of Wakefield after interview

Going by the name Robyn The Hooded Man, the 36-year-old has stacked up more than 1.4m followers on various platforms - including an impressive 191,000 on Facebook alone.

The history enthusiast, who lives in North Nottinghamshire, goes by the guise Robyn Hood of Wakefield and places the Hooded hero not in the times of Richard the Lionheart and evil Prince John, but later.

His Robyn - described as Robin Hood of Wakefield - places the outlaw in the year 1326AD - a time when Edward II actually sat on the English throne.

This may sound unusual, but many experts have previously argued that Robin, if he actually did exist, came from later in history than the ballads claim, and minstrels and storytellers, over the years, have pushed him back in time for the sake of romance and a cracking good story.

But despite all of this, Craig, who says he has been obsessed with the outlaw since childhood and is a regular feature at Sherwood Forest, was recently invited to rub shoulders with Hollywood Royalty when he was asked to interview the Silver Screen’s latest recipient of the longbow and Lincoln Green tights - Wolverine himself Hugh Jackman.

The Death of Robin Hood, written and directed by Michael Sarnoski and also starring Jodie Comer, was released in cinemas earlier this year and follows an aged Robin, who is tormented by his past killings as an outlaw and living in self-imposed exile.

Craig said: “With the subject matter being Robin Hood, naturally, they came across myself.

“I was approached by a talent rep and asked if I’d be up for scripting and conducting an interview with Hugh Jackman. Of course, I said yes.

“Hugh was an absolute top bloke. He was very interested and very respectful when it came to the subject matter.

“He was absolutely buzzing to see me in my medieval kit and fully committed to me being in character.

“I could tell he enjoyed the interview as it was quite a different experience for him and I was honoured to have been able to provide that experience.

“I’ve no shame in admitting, I was fairly nervous. Not because he’s famous but because the prospect of performing mere feet away from someone who is a world renowned performer seemed quite daunting.

“I’m very grateful for such an incredible opportunity to not only interview an A list film star but also to be able to portray Robin Hood to a broad audience, in such a way that honours the legend, with key emphasis on the early stories that formed the legend and the real history behind those stories.”

Craig says he was inspired to learn about the real history behind Robin Hood after watching a documentary by Tony Robinson and he combined his love of history and the Robin Hood legend to create a world where he can honour him and offer an insight into the real history behind it.

He said: “By doing my own research and learning from the already well established work relating to the history behind the legend, by historians and scholars such as J. C. Holt, John Bellamy, David Baldwin, to name but a few.

“I’ve learned that when it comes to identifying the ‘real Robin Hood’ it’s simply impossible to single out just one individual.

“That’s because there’s multiple different versions of the fictional character throughout the centuries.

“From the early versions who were lowborn yeoman outlaws in Barnsdale, during the reign of kind Edward to the later and more modern versions, who are often disinherited nobleman in Sherwood during the reign of king Richard.

“As there’s different fictional versions, there’s also different historical influences.

“Throughout the medieval period, there were several different real men whose lives and exploits inspired the different fictional versions of the Robin Hood character from the stories.

“So because historically speaking, there were more than one real Robin Hood, instead of portraying a general fantasy Robin Hood character, which has been done many, many times, I chose to portray an historical version of Robin Hood.

“I’ve adopted the persona of one of the real men whose exploits inspired the fictional versions.

“This historical angle allows me to both exist as a version of Robin Hood at the same time as maintaining a separate, third party perspective when talking about the fictional Robin Hood characters and stories.

“Online, my Robin has a collective audience, across four platforms, of more than 1.4 million followers.

“I make content about the Robin Hood legend, both historical and fictional. I also make content about Medieval English history in general and how it pertains to my character as a yeoman forester in the early 14th century.

“My clothes, weaponry and equipment are all tailored to my specific time period, which is currently the year 1326.”

As well as his online presence Craig also attends and is available to be booked out to various events like medieval festivals.

He said: “I have the full yeoman archer/Robin Hood set up, green tent and all. I’m also Archery GB qualified and can provide archery coaching.

“I’ll eventually be setting up my own historical longbow sessions where people can come and shoot with me.

“You can catch me at various meet and greets throughout the year at The Forest Archer in Edwinstowe at The Sherwood Forest Craft Centre and every year at The Gathering of The North at Sherwood Forest.”

Search Robyn The Hooded Man on Facebook for more information.