only six episodes screened in Australia - why?

I'm really surprised to hear it was shown so early in the evening in Britain. Here in Australia it was prime time - 7:30-8:30 or possibly 8:30-9:30.

We only ever got to see the first six episodes (ending with the one where John Rhys Davies appears as King Richard). It was really weird - for weeks leading up to it it got hyped to within an inch of its life as this "acclaimed new British drama", that had got these huge audiences in the UK, etc, etc. My family and I were so excited. I remember reading in the press that Praed had already been replaced before we even saw his first episode here. They showed those first six episodes, and then over the closing credits of the last one a channel 9 (or was it 7?) voice over guy said "and that was the last episode of Robin of Sherwood for the time being. It will return later in the year". twenty four years later, I'm still waiting.

Does anyone know what happened? Were the ratings lower than they'd hoped? Were HTV and Goldcrest asking for too much?

I think I will always feel a little bit cheated that I never got to see the rest of it while I was still young enough, and the haircuts un-dated enough, to fully appreciate it. When I see bits of it now its like finally meeting your hero, and inevitably being disappointed. Now I'm able to see Connery's spinal tap haircut, the smoke machine Herne inexplicably takes wherever he goes, the general "new-romantic rock-videoness", and the unbelievably camp, pretentious dialogue. In other words, I can see 1984-6 written all over it. I wouldn't have been able to see the 1985ness if I'd been watching it in 1985! And that pure experience is lost to me forever. Like innocence.