Tony Robinson | |
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 Robinson in 2009 | |
| Born | Anthony Robinson (1946-08-15)15 August 1946 (age 78) |
| Alma mater | Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1971–present[1] |
| Political party | Labour (1974–2019, 2020–present) |
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| Children | 2 |
Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is an English actor, author, broadcaster, and political activist. He playedBaldrick in theBBC television sitcomBlackadder and has presented many historical documentaries, including theChannel 4 seriesTime Team andThe Worst Jobs in History. He has written 16 children's books.
As a member of theLabour Party, Robinson wasknighted in the2013 Queen's Birthday Honours for his public and political service.
Robinson was born on 15 August 1946 inHomerton,London, to Phyllis (1916–2005) and Leslie Robinson (1913–1989).[3] His parents were from working-classHackney backgrounds; his father was a civil servant and council employee who served in the RAF, and his mother, an audio-typist, served in theWAAF.[4] He attended the privateWoodford Green Preparatory School andWanstead County Highgrammar school.[5][6] He passed fourO-levels (English language, English literature, history, and geography) and went on to study forA-levels, but did not complete them and decided to study at a drama school instead.[1] Too young to attend theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art, Robinson enrolled at theCentral School of Speech and Drama in 1963, graduating in 1966.[7]
Robinson had his first acting role at the age of 13, as a member ofFagin's gang in the original production of the musicalOliver!, including a stint as theArtful Dodger when the boy playing the role failed to turn up.[1][8][9] Over the next five years, he appeared in a number ofWest End theatre shows, and in film, and television.
Through genealogical research, Robinson found that one of his great-great-great grandmothers, Julia Levy, was Jewish; his father, unaware of this ancestry, had been beaten by Fascists in the East End of London in the 1930s who assumed he was a Jew.[10]
After drama school, he spent four years inrepertory theatre[11] most notably at theWest Yorkshire Playhouse inLeeds. Robinson won an Arts Council bursary to work as a director at theMidlands Arts Centre,Birmingham, and founded the Avon Touring Company, aBristol-based community theatre company, with writer David Illingworth.[11] He played a small role as student doctor Grace in the 1972–73 series ofDoctor In Charge.
Robinson appeared in the 1974–75 season atChichester Festival Theatre, as Angel Chicago in thenativity musicalFollow The Star. In the 1975 season, he appeared as Hovstad inHenrik Ibsen'sAn Enemy of the People. In 1976, he appeared asFeste inTwelfth Night, and as Majorin inMonsieur Perrichon's Travels.[11]
In 1972, Robinson starred in the children's educational programmeSam on Boffs' Island and was later a presenter onPlay Away.[12] He also appeared in the award-winningHorizon documentaryJoey, and in the title role in theBBC production ofThe Miracle of Brother Humphrey. He also appeared in the filmBrannigan starringJohn Wayne,[11] in which he shared two speaking part scenes with Wayne, playing a motorcycle courier who is pushed off a quay into the Thames by Wayne. He was also one of the team in theChannel 4 comedy/satirical seriesWho Dares Wins in the early/mid-1980s. He was also seen inThe Rag Trade's 1970s reboot.
Robinson came to prominence in 1983 for his role in the British historical sitcomBlackadder, asEdmund Blackadder'sdogsbodyBaldrick. In the first series, broadcast asThe Black Adder, he was quite astute, whilehis master was an idiot. Later series (Blackadder II,Blackadder the Third,Blackadder Goes Forth) moved the duo through history and switched the relationship: theEdmund Blackadder ofBlackadder II was a brilliant schemer, whereas Baldrick had devolved into a buffoon whose catchphrase was "I have a cunning plan".
In addition to his acting onBlackadder, Robinson also wrote and narrated severalJackanory-style children's programmes, encouraged byRichard Curtis.[13] Programmes in this style includedTales From Fat Tulip's Garden (continued inFat Tulip Too),Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of Them All (a retelling of theIliad and theOdyssey) andBlood and Honey (tales from theOld Testament, filmed on location).
Robinson also performed within the BBC Radio 4 comedyDelve Special (1984–1987), written by Tony Sarchet.
AfterBlackadder, Robinson became the narrator and one of the lead actors for the British animated seriesNellie the Elephant, based on the song of the same name. The series ran from 1989 until 1991 and was screened onChildren's ITV.
Robinson also provided voice-over for the cartoon shortFree-Ranger, an English child-scripted arts-funded production in 1989. Robinson also presented the early-Saturday evening seriesStay Tooned forBBC 1, which featured a selection of classicWarner Bros. andMGM cartoons. In 1989, after attending apantomime at Tyndale Baptist Church,Bristol, which was based on theRobin Hood story but featuring Maid Marian as the lead role, he created the children's comedy seriesMaid Marian and her Merry Men, a loose retelling of the legend ofRobin Hood in which he appeared as theSheriff of Nottingham. Four series were broadcast onBBC1 from 1989 until 1994. In 1990 he appeared as "Shlomo Denkoviz" in an episode ofBergerac, entitled "My Name's Sergeant Bergerac" (Series 8, Episode 2).
Also in 1994, Robinson played a minor part in an episode of the television seriesMinder, called "One Flew Over the Parents' Nest", in which he played a character called "Willie the Weed".
In 1999, Robinson returned to star as Baldrick in a one-off short film in theBlackadder series, made to celebrate the new millennium. EntitledBlackadder: Back & Forth, it was screened in theMillennium Dome throughout 2000 and was later aired onBBC One in 2002.
Robinson also contributed the voiceover for the television seriesAirline screened from 1999 and focusing on the daily routine ofEasyJet staff at a selection of airports. The series was made forITV and is often repeated today onSky Real Lives,Sky One,Sky Two, Sky Three (nowSky Mix), andITV2. Robinson worked as the narrator for six of the remaining nine series until 2006 when it ended.
Tony Robinson's Cunning Night Out, a largely improvised one-man stage show, followed in early 2005 and included a mix of the many themes from his career for which Robinson is famous. The show was later released on DVD.
In addition to telling his own stories, Robinson narrated the abridgedaudiobook versions ofTerry Pratchett'sDiscworld novels.Nigel Planer,Celia Imrie, andStephen Briggs narrated the unabridged versions. He also provided the voicing for several characters in the videogameDiscworld. He followed on thisDiscworld work by playing a role in the live action television dramatisation ofHogfather, broadcast onSky over the Christmas season in 2006.
Robinson also presentedClassic FM'sFriendly Guide to Classical Music which aired on a Sunday at 4pm. The whole 16-episode series was repeated on 26 December 2006. He revealed on theBBC Radio 2 feature "Tracks of My Years" that his favourite songs are: "I Can Help" byBilly Swan, "Bleeding Love" byLeona Lewis, "Chasing Cars" bySnow Patrol, "Beautiful" byChristina Aguilera, "Unfinished Sympathy" byMassive Attack, "Tangled Up In Blue" byBob Dylan, "Shoulda Woulda Coulda" byBeverley Knight, "This Woman's Work" byMaxwell, "He's So Fine" bythe Chiffons, and "Falling Slowly" bythe Frames.
In 2007, Robinson narrated television advertisements forHonda, in the humorous style ofTales From Fat Tulip's Garden. The advertisements feature plastic cars with expressive faces (similar toThomas the Tank Engine). He also did voiceovers for cleaning productsDomestos andVanish from 2007 until 2009. Also in 2007, Robinson visited 30 towns in Britain and Ireland withA Cunning Night Out.
In July 2009, Robinson appeared in the light-hearted BBC1 seriesHotel Babylon as a sly hit-man named Arthur Barnes. The character is knocked unconscious by a flying bottle expertly lobbed by the hotel manager during a showdown in the lobby.[14]
In September 2013, Robinson played the Fool in the Gala Performance ofWilliam Shakespeare'sKing Lear atthe Old Vic in London, directed byJonathan Miller .[15]
In 2014, Robinson played the title role in a touring production ofThe Hypochondriac,Richard Bean's new translation of Molière'sLe malade imaginaire, directed byLindsay Posner.[16]
In 2016 and 2017, Robinson played the antagonist 'Daddy' inMan Down alongside Greg Davies and Roisin Conaty.
In 2019, Robinson guested in the episode 'The Dig' in Series 5 of the ITV comedyPlebs (TV series) as an Archaeologist called Daedalus Graeco.
In 1994, Robinson began presentingTime Team, a TV programme devoted toarchaeological investigations limited to three days. The series spanned 20 years, and included 59 one-offspecials, which paved the way for his later history presenting career.
In 2005Exeter University conferred anhonorary doctorate on Robinson, and honorary professorships on principal presenterMick Aston and producer Tim Taylor, to reflect its great appreciation for whatTime Team has done for the public understanding of archaeology in the UK.[17] In the 2011 episode "Hitler's Island Fortress", Robinson described himself as an amateur archaeologist.
From 2001, Robinson branched out into other history documentary series, including the seriesFact or Fiction (which debunked historical myths and gave the true story), followed byRomans in 2003 and the highly successfulThe Worst Jobs in History in 2006, researching and re-enacting some of the more horrible jobs of the past millennium. He also took this show on tour around the country along with an autobiographical question and answer session. This first series was followed byThe Worst Christmas Jobs in History in December 2005 and then a second series ofThe Worst Jobs in History on Channel 4 in April 2006.
Following this, he presented one-off specials such asBritain's Real Monarch (2004)[18] andThe Real Da Vinci Code (2005).[19]
With Channel 4 in 2005, Robinson presented a special calledTony Robinson's Titanic Adventure where he joined directorJames Cameron on his final dive to the wreck of theRMS Titanic.[citation needed] Also with Channel 4, he presentedTony Robinson's Crime and Punishment,Catastrophe andMan on Earth focusing on humanity's struggle withclimate change in the past 200,000 years.Unexplained with Tony Robinson was first broadcast on Channel 4 in December 2008. In this series, Robinson investigatesparanormal phenomena combining the fields ofarchaeology,parapsychology, history andspiritualism to investigate paranormal evidence. He also presentedThe Doomsday Code in 2006.[20]
From 1 September 2010, Robinson hosted a series on theNational Geographic Channel calledBirth of Britain which was repeated onChannel 4 beginning in January 2011.[21] In 2011 he also presentedGods and Monsters.
Tony Robinson Explores Australia was first broadcast in the first half of 2012. Filmed in High Definition, the series roughly follows a chronology from the earliest sightings ofTerra Australis Incognita through to the present with each era defined by a theme rather than equal blocks of time.[22]
From 10 September 2012, Robinson hosted a series onHistory Channel calledTony Robinson's Time Walks. The series uncovers stories that shaped the character of various cities and suburbs around Australia, includingFremantle,Melbourne,Hobart,Woolloomooloo,Bendigo,Newcastle,Carlton,Brisbane,St Kilda,Adelaide,Canberra,Kalgoorlie,Townsville andLaunceston. He also went toChristchurch, New Zealand.[citation needed] In 2015, Robinson continued his history presenting in Australia with "Tour of Duty", again onHistory Channel.
During October 2012, it was announced thatTime Team would be cancelled after nearly 20 years on television. Tara Conlan fromThe Guardian called the show "television history". When talking about the successful run of the show, Robinson said, "Not many performers are given the privilege of featuring in two iconic TV series—but I've been lucky." The show's ratings were falling, causingChannel 4 to pursue an alternative "innovative" approach to historical documentary programming.[23]
Between 2012 and 2014, Robinson presented a series of programmes for Channel 4 calledWalking Through History. It featured Robinson hiking through iconic British landscapes, including theCairngorms, theJurassic Coast andStonehenge. At least 16 hour-long episodes were aired, in four series.[24] A further three-part series calledBritain's Ancient Tracks with Tony Robinson was shown on Channel 4 in 2016. A second four-part series ofBritain's Ancient Tracks was aired in 2017.[25]
In 2014, Robinson presented a history ofThe Great War titledTony Robinson's World War 1. He also presentedThe Real Mill, revealing the true history to theChannel 4 series,The Mill.[26]
In 2015, Robinson presented a three-hour-long programmes forDiscovery TV,Tony Robinson's Wild West[27][28] (also known asTony Robinson's Wild West in 3D[29]), in which he attempted to uncover the reality of America's Wild West in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Featuring such key figures asWyatt Earp,Geronimo andBuffalo Bill,[30] it included artefacts andstereographic images. Also in 2015 he hosted a short-lived programmeTime Crashers.
In 2016, Robinson hostedHidden Britain By Drone, exploring parts of Britain only accessible bydrone. A second series ran in 2018.[31]
In February 2017, Robinson hosted his self-titledChannel Five programmeTony Robinson: Coast to Coast.[citation needed]
In 2018 Robinson continued his work withChannel Five presentingBritain's Great Cathedrals where he uncovers the history behind six of Britain's best cathedrals.[31] He also presented a two-part series onAncient Egypt calledEgyptian Tomb Hunting.
In March 2019, Robinson premieredAround the World by Train with Tony Robinson on Channel 5 where he travelled to Asia, Australia and South America by rail.[32][33] Series two of the programme premiered in March 2020.[34]
In June 2019, Robinson presented a four-part series on Channel 5 titledThe Thames: Britain's Great River with Tony Robinson where he walks theRiver Thames from source to the mouth.[35][36]
In January 2020 Robinson premiered a new programme on Channel 5,Tony Robinson's History of Britain.[37] A second series was broadcast in 2021.[38]
In January 2021 Robinson returned to present the third series of his shows about theRiver Thames on Channel 5, now retitledThe Secret Life of the Thames with Tony Robinson.[39]
In 2021, Robinson narrated a seriesWorld War 2 From Above onUKTV.[40]
In 2022, Robinson presented a new show for Channel 4 titledTony Robinson's Museum of Us.[41]
In 2022, Robinson was confirmed to return to the re-boot of Time Team in 2023.[42]
In 2023, Robinson started broadcasting a weekly history podcast called "Tony Robinson's Cunningcast".[43]
Robinson identifies as ademocratic socialist[44] and an allied member of theJewish Labour Movement.[45] From 1996 to 2000, Robinson was vice-president of the actors' unionEquity, helping with a restructuring programme which turned a £500,000 deficit into a small surplus.[46] He continues to work within Equity. In 2000, he was elected to theLabour Party'sNational Executive Committee, a position he held until 2004.[13]
Robinson was active in theMake Poverty History campaign in 2005,[47] and is the patron for UK-based charity Street Child Africa.[48]
In March 2011, Robinson participated in the "March for the Alternative" protests inCentral London, which opposed theCameron–Clegg coalition's spending cuts programme.[49]
Robinson is honorary president of the Young Archaeologists' Club of theCouncil for British Archaeology.[50] Robinson has shown his support for theBurma Campaign UK, an NGO that aims to highlight human rights violations inMyanmar under theState Peace and Development Council.[51]
Robinson is a patron of older people's charity Alive, saying that the organisation is "at the forefront of promoting stimulating activities which help improve the quality of life of people in care". Alive works to transform the residential care sector, so that older people's mental, social and emotional well-being is prioritised alongside their physical care.
Robinson is a patron of the RSPCA Derby Abbey street animal rehoming centre in Derby, after adopting a dog from the centre.
Robinson wasknighted in the 2013 Birthday Honours for public and political service.[52][53]
On 23 June 2018, Robinson appeared at thePeople's Vote march in London to mark the second anniversary ofthe referendum to leave the European Union. People's Vote was a campaign group calling for a referendum on the final Brexit deal between the UK and the European Union.[54]
On 3 May 2019, Robinson announced that he had left the Labour Party after more than 40 years of membership, citing his dissatisfaction with the leadership ofJeremy Corbyn and the party's handling ofBrexit andantisemitism allegations.[55] He subsequently rejoined on 4 April 2020 after Corbyn's resignation andKeir Starmer's election as Labour leader.[56][57]
On the day of the2024 general election, Robinson campaigned for the Labour party, and posted toTikTok andTwitter, telling voters to "vote today, vote change, [and] vote Labour" in the "crucial" election.[58]
Robinson was first married in 1969 to Barbara ("Bardy") Henshall,[59] and divorced four years later. He was married from the late 1970s until 1992 to Mary Shepherd, with whom he had two children.[60] He married Louise Hobbs in 2011.[60]
In 2006, Robinson appeared inTony Robinson: Me and My Mum, a documentary surrounding his decision to find anursing home for his mother, and the difficulty he had doing so. The documentary showed his mother's death in the home. It also featured stories from other families in similar situations. It appeared as part ofChannel 4's short series of programmes titledThe Trouble with Old People.[citation needed]
In late 2009, Robinson was invited to be guest speaker at the Pride of Craegmoor Awards, where he gave a speech about his time with his mother and finding a care home. He then went on to give the prizes to Craegmoor's Shining Star and Leading Light. In January 2016, he describedAlzheimer's as "one of the last great medical terrors" and announced he would be leaving money to theAlzheimer's Society in his will.[61]
Robinson is a fan ofEFL Championship clubBristol City F.C.[62] He is also a fan of the rock bandGenesis and provided sleeve notes for the reissue of the albumThe Lamb Lies Down on Broadway as part of theGenesis 1970–1975 box set.[63]
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