Osbert (The Green Man)

In the 12th century, during the reign of King Richard I of England, Osbert was the herbalist of the village overseen by Earl Godfrey.

After the Earl's wife, Lady Maud, was taken ill, Osbert ventured into the nearby forest to collect the herbs necessary to brew the potion he needed to bring down her dangerous fever. He was accompanied by the sergeant of the Earl's men-at-arms, Alfred. The two were attacked by a wolf that had been partially transformed into a Krynoid, and became separated as they fled, with Osbert tripping over something while Alfred ran on ahead. It later transpired that Osbert had tripped on a second Krynoid pod, which he picked up in fascination, being taken over by the Krynoid himself to become "the Green Man" who went on to terrorise the village and castle.

The Green Man retained Osbert's memories, and spoke in a distorted version of Osbert's voice, but considered itself a distinct entity. The Green Man who had formerly been Osbert was successfully destroyed by the Knights Templar, who hacked it apart with axes and burned the remains. This did not spell the end of the troubles faced by Earl Godfrey's village, however, as they were soon attacked by the wolf-Krynoid, now grown to gigantic size. (AUDIO: The Green Man)

Behind the scenes
The ultimately rather small part of Osbert was played by Nigel Fairs, also the director and composer for The Green Man, making it a directorial cameo of sorts.