After the credits rolled on the final episode of BBC One's Sherwood, TV critics have heaped praise on the show, with a number of five-star reviews being penned. Looking at reviews published after the final episode, at the time of writing, every single one could not speak more highly of the drama.
Sherwood is a six-part fictional series written by Nottinghamshire's own James Graham. It's inspired by real-life events that happened in 2004, when two unlinked murders happened within weeks of each other in Annesley.
Robert Boyer had shot ex-miner Keith 'Froggy' Frogson with a crossbow on his doorstep, before hacking him to death with a sword and setting fire to his home - with his victim's daughter and her husband still inside. Later that month, Terry Rodgers was living in his daughter Chanel's home when he shot her four times, just weeks after her wedding.
READ MORE: BBC's Sherwood: Where is killer Robert Boyer now
Both Boyer and Rodgers went into hiding in the same woodland near Annesley Woodhouse, leading to one of the biggest police manhunts in British history, and increased presence in the former mining village as they searched for them brought back tensions. It scarred some families and communities.
The first season finished airing on BBC One on Tuesday (June 28) night. And in reviews written since the finale, they've all heaped praise on the show.
Lucy Mangan for The Guardian gave the series five stars. She wrote that 'every arrow hits its mark'.
The review reads: "The six-part series didn’t falter in its intricate plotting, attention to detail or its perfect evocation of place. It has put psychological acuity, inner suffering (oh, Andy …) and intra-community tensions over the traditional suspense of a thriller or police procedural, though it has had aspects of both running through it.
"And if it felt like a very slightly underwhelming final episode, that was almost entirely due to the sky-high expectations aroused by the preceding five. There were still plenty of narrative coils to be unwound during this last hour in the divided former mining village of Ashfield, and unwound they duly were."
Alex Diggins for The Telegraph gave the series five stars too. It was described as 'authentic, devastating and perfectly cast'.
The review reads: "Having flown straight and true for most of its six hours, the finale of Sherwood landed with a satisfying thud, fletches shivering to a neat stop. Sure, there were a few rogue storytelling gusts along the way.
"But James Graham’s drama of murder, scabs and old wounds in a Nottinghamshire colliery town was that rare beast: a TV show as emotionally involving as it was intellectually engaging. In the clarity of its storytelling, and the authenticity of its atmosphere, Sherwood split the bullseye: the best BBC drama of the year so far, and I’d hazard some time to come."
Helen Fear for Entertainment Daily also gave the series a glowing review. She says it's 'the best of British crime dramas'.
The review reads: "Shows like Sherwood don’t come around very often. In fact, it's hard to think of any other crime series - or TV series full stop - that comes close to achieving the magic of Sherwood.
"Sherwood offered something very rare - a gripping, multi-layered murder mystery that kept viewers guessing until the very end. Of course, it should go without saying that the cast was probably the best combination of TV talent ever to appear in a TV series."
David Morrisey, who plays DCS Ian St Clair, posted on Instagram that 'it's been a wonderful ride'. BBC has confirmed filming for a second season will start next year.
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