The first 18 months were tricky and it seemed that Hercules may have been determined to stay wild, grizzly and vicious. But then he got it - the Robins were his mum and dad. Soon he was heading in for a breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, toast washed down with coffee laced with milk and two sugars.
The delight in this doco was that Andy and Maggie told their own story. There was no crisp BBC narration.
Hercules was their boy, their family, would only eat cooked food and loved his life in warmth and comfort like a human being.
He became an international star, appearing on television ads (he was touted as "big softie" the Kleenex toilet tissue bear), appeared in films such as the James Bond movie Octopussy and dozens of children's documentaries and chat shows in the United States.
After living in Hollywood for two years, the Robins returned to Scotland where they built a special ranch-style home with Hercules' earnings - complete with a luxurious bear-style swimming pool and a snug den for hibernation.
There were stirring scenes when Hercules went missing on an island in the outer Hebrides for three weeks while they were filming a TV ad. He had dived into the sea and strong currents had swept him away. But what an amazing moment it was when he was found.
The big grizzly had not touched a living creature for his tucker and starved instead, losing 15 stone (95kg) in weight. But with huge mugs of coffee, milk and sugar, thick fried steak and spuds, doorstep sandwiches, three months later Hercules was back to his old 30-stone (190kg) self.
Tears rolled with the closing credits when we were told Hercules had died at 25.
"He's away, he's away," said Andy his eyes pink and wet.
"And I got to have a last hug of my big man," wept Maggie.
Hercules is now an integral part of Scottish folklore. In Scotland's Isle of Uist is a huge Hercules statue in memory of the special bear.