Plenty of viewers who watched the first episode of Sherwood were full of praise for the latest BBC drama, but one particular line of dialogue has frustrated quite a few fans.
*minor spoilers ahead for Sherwood*
Right at the start of Sherwood's premiere episode, Gary Jackson (played by Alun Armstrong) wanders out of his home to speak to his grandson, Noah, who's playing football with a few of his mates in the street.
Gary called out "Look, it's Trevor Francis", and when his grandson said he didn't know who that was, Gary replied: "Who? First million-pound player, Notts Forest, center-forward, 52 caps for England", before joining the game to show off his own skills.
Lots of fans took issue with Alun's character calling the football club Nottingham Forest "Notts Forest". As many pointed out, "Notts" is usually used to refer to the National League team Nottingham County, rather than Nottingham Forest, who have been promoted to the Premier League for the upcoming season.
On social media, one viewer wrote: "Oooh! Schoolboy error in the first few minutes of #Sherwood. It’s Nottingham Forest not Notts Forest! Nottingham Forest, Notts County, thank you".
Oooh! Schoolboy error in the first few minutes of #Sherwood. It’s Nottingham Forest not Notts Forest! Nottingham Forest, Notts County, thankyouJune 13, 2022
Another added: "No one in Nottinghamshire would refer to them as 'Notts Forest'", and there were plenty more people who singled out the line as a potential slip-up, too.
No one in Nottinghamshire would refer to them as ‘Notts Forest’ 🤔#SherwoodJune 13, 2022
Notts Forest! Bit of a clanger to drop #SherwoodJune 13, 2022
Hooked by #Sherwood already! Couldn’t keep up with who’s who in the star cast and the story looks to be a strong one! Shame they got it wrong calling the football team Notts Forest though 🙈 I’m a Leicester City fan and even I know it’s Forest or Notts County!June 13, 2022
Having seen the criticism, Sherwood writer James Graham took to Twitter to explain why he'd written the line the way he had.
As he explained, the reasons were 'mainly character, & accent'. James went on to say that he thought Gary wouldn't have been a local fan, but also outlined that he worried that non-footy fans wouldn't have recognised the name with the local accent so made the deliberate change, but added "Know it frustrates fans. I'll make amends. Please let me back into the city. Proud of your pride for your team."
- I worried “Nottnm” wouldn’t register for wider viewers & 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. #SherwoodJune 14, 2022
Aside from the Nottingham Forest fans' complaints, Sherwood has garnered rave reviews from critics. Likewise, plenty of viewers still heaped praise on the 'brilliant' first episode, with many specifically pointing to Sherwood's huge, star-studded cast as a particular highlight.
Just watched #Sherwood on BBC 1. Brilliant first episodeJune 13, 2022
#Sherwood love it, what a cast! Can’t go wrong- maybe don’t say ‘Notts’Forest again though…..🤣June 13, 2022
Loving #Sherwood. What a cast. What an important back story.And I'm guessing the "Notts Forest" was a mischievous "mistake".June 13, 2022
What a cast! Wow!#SherwoodJune 13, 2022
Sherwood continues tonight at 9 pm on BBC One. You can catch up with the show so far on BBC iPlayer. For more info on all the latest shows, check out our TV Guide.
