Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is an English actor, author, broadcaster, comedian, presenter, and political activist. He played
Baldrick in the
BBC television series ''
Blackadder
''Blackadder'' is a series of four period British sitcoms, plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC One from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony R ...
'' and has presented several historical documentaries including the
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
programmes ''
Time Team'' and ''
The Worst Jobs in History''. He has published 16 children's books.
Robinson, a member of the
Labour Party, was
knighted in the
2013 Queen's Birthday Honours
The 2013 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of t ...
for his public and political service.
Early life
Robinson was born on 15 August 1946 in
Homerton
Homerton ( ) is an area in London, England, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is bordered to the west by Hackney Central, to the north by Lower Clapton, in the east by Hackney Wick, Leyton and by South Hackney to the south. In 2019, it ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, to Phyllis and Leslie Robinson. He attended
Woodford Green Preparatory School and
Wanstead County High grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school, ...
.
[Wanstead High, history of our school]
Wansteadhigh.co.uk, Retrieved 16 May 2015 He passed four
O-levels
The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-dept ...
(English language, English literature, history, and geography) and went on to study for
A-levels, but did not complete them and decided to study at a drama school instead.
Too young to attend the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...
, Robinson enrolled at the
Central School of Speech and Drama in 1963, graduating in 1966.
Robinson had his first acting role at the age of 13, as a member of
Fagin's gang in the original production of the musical ''
Oliver!
''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before ...
'', including a stint as the
Artful Dodger when the boy playing the role failed to turn up.
Over the next five years, he appeared in a number of
West End theatre
West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194– ...
shows, and in film, and television.
Through
genealogical research
Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...
, Robinson found that one of his great-great-great
grandmother
Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic gra ...
s, Julia Levy, was
Jewish; his father, unaware of this ancestry, had been beaten by
Fascist
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...
s in the
East End
The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...
of London in the 1930s who assumed he was a
Jew.
Acting career
Early career
After drama school, he spent four years in
repertory theatre[ Chichester Festival Theatre programme 1976] most notably at the
West Yorkshire Playhouse
Leeds Playhouse is a theatre in the city centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire. Having originally opened in 1970 in a different location in Leeds, it reopened as West Yorkshire Playhouse, on Quarry Hill, in March 1990. After a refurbishment in 2018-20 ...
in
Leeds
Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...
. Robinson won an Arts Council bursary to work as a director at the
Midlands Arts Centre,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
, and founded the Avon Touring Company, a
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...
-based community theatre company, with writer David Illingworth.
He played a small role as student doctor Grace in the 1972–73 series of ''Doctor In Charge''.
Robinson appeared in the 1974–75 season at
Chichester Festival Theatre, as Angel Chicago in the
nativity musical ''Follow The Star''. In the 1975 season, he appeared as Hovstad in
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential pla ...
's ''
Enemy of the People''. In 1976, he appeared as
Feste in ''
Twelfth Night
''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins V ...
'', and as Majorin in ''Monsieur Perrichon's Travels''.
In 1972, Robinson starred in the children's educational programme ''
Sam on Boffs' Island'' and was later a presenter on ''
Play Away''. He also appeared in the award-winning ''
Horizon'' documentary ''Joey'', and in the title role in the
BBC production of ''The Miracle of Brother Humphrey''. He also appeared in the film ''
Brannigan'' starring
John Wayne.
where 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 the
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
comedy/satirical series ''
Who Dares Wins'' in the early/mid-1980s.
''Blackadder'' period (1983–1989)
Robinson came to prominence in 1983 for his role in the British historical sitcom ''
Blackadder
''Blackadder'' is a series of four period British sitcoms, plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC One from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony R ...
'', as
Edmund Blackadder's
dogsbody Baldrick. In the first series,
broadcast
Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...
as ''
The Black Adder'', he was quite astute, while
his master was an idiot. Later series (''
Blackadder II'', ''
Blackadder the Third'', ''
Blackadder Goes Forth'') moved the duo through history and switched the relationship: the
Edmund Blackadder of ''
Blackadder
''Blackadder'' is a series of four period British sitcoms, plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC One from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony R ...
II'' was a brilliant schemer, whereas Baldrick had devolved into a
buffoon whose
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recogni ...
was "I have a cunning plan".
In addition to his acting on ''
Blackadder
''Blackadder'' is a series of four period British sitcoms, plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC One from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony R ...
'', Robinson also wrote and narrated several ''
Jackanory''-style children's programmes, encouraged by
Richard Curtis
Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, producer and film director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films, among them '' ...
.
Programmes in this style included ''
Tales From Fat Tulip's Garden'' (continued in ''Fat Tulip Too''), ''
Odysseus
Odysseus ( ; grc-gre, Ὀδυσσεύς, Ὀδυσεύς, OdysseúsOdyseús, ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; lat, UlyssesUlixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the ''Odyssey''. Odys ...
: The Greatest Hero of Them All'' (a retelling of the ''
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...
'' and the ''
Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...
'') and ''Blood and Honey'' (tales from the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
, filmed on location).
Robinson also performed within the
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term ori ...
''
Delve Special'' (1984–1987), written by
Tony Sarchet
Tony Sarchet is a British television and radio writer for alternative comedy shows.
Sarchet studied chemistry at University College, Oxford, where he was a member of the University College Players and wrote a revue called ''Gargoyles'' at the Ox ...
.
After ''Blackadder'' (1989–1999)
After ''Blackadder'', Robinson became the narrator and one of the lead actors for the British animated series ''
Nellie the Elephant'', based on the song of the same name. The series ran from 1989 until 1991 and was screened on
Children's ITV.
He also provided voice-over for the cartoon short ''Free-Ranger'', an English child-scripted arts-funded production in 1989. Robinson also presented the early-Saturday evening series ''
Stay Tooned'' for
BBC 1, which featured a selection of classic
Warner Bros. and
MGM cartoons. In 1989, after attending a
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...
at Tyndale Baptist Church,
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...
, which was based on the
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is de ...
story but featuring Maid Marian as the lead role, he created the children's comedy series ''
Maid Marian and her Merry Men'', a loose retelling of the legend of
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is de ...
in which he appeared as the
Sheriff of Nottingham. Four series were broadcast on
BBC1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins ...
from 1989 until 1994. In 1990 he appeared as "Shlomo Denkoviz" in an episode of ''
Bergerac'', entitled "My Name’s Sergeant Bergerac" (Series 8, Episode 2).
Also in 1994, Robinson played a minor part in an episode of the television series ''
Minder'', called "
One Flew Over the Parents' Nest" and in which he played a character called "Willie the Weed".
1999–2010
In 1999, Robinson returned to star as Baldrick in a one-off short film in the ''Blackadder'' series, made to celebrate the new millennium. Entitled ''
Blackadder: Back & Forth'', it was screened in the
Millennium Dome throughout 2000 and was later aired on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...
in 2002.
Robinson also contributed the voiceover for the television series ''
Airline
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in which ...
'' screened from 1999 and focusing on the daily routine of
EasyJet
EasyJet plc (styled as easyJet) is a British multinational low-cost airline group headquartered at London Luton Airport. It operates domestic and international scheduled services on 927 routes in more than 34 countries via its affiliate airli ...
staff at a selection of airports. The series was made for
ITV and is often repeated today on
Sky Real Lives,
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1 ...
,
Sky Two, Sky Three (now
Pick TV) and
ITV2
ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial station ...
. 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 abridged
audiobook
An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements.
Spoken audio has been available in sch ...
versions of
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comic fantasy, comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels.
Pratchet ...
's ''
Discworld
''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat ...
'' novels.
Nigel Planer,
Celia Imrie and
Stephen Briggs narrated the unabridged versions. He also provided the voicing for several characters in the videogame ''
Discworld
''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat ...
''. He followed on this ''Discworld'' work by playing a role in the live action television dramatisation of ''
Hogfather
''Hogfather'' is the 20th ''Discworld'' novel by Terry Pratchett, and a 1997 British Fantasy Award nominee. It was first released in 1996 and published by Victor Gollancz. It came in 137th place in The Big Read, a BBC survey of the most loved ...
'', broadcast on
Sky over the Christmas season in 2006.
Robinson also presented
Classic FM's ''
Friendly Guide to Classical Music
''The Friendly Guide to Music'' by Darren Henley is a book and CD about classical music published in 2006. That year, English actor and presenter Tony Robinson presented a radio series of the same name on Classic FM.
It covers the period from ...
'' which aired on a Sunday at 4pm. The whole 16-episode series was repeated on 26 December 2006. He revealed on the
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content ...
feature "Tracks of My Years" that his favourite songs are: "I Can Help" by
Billy Swan, "Bleeding Love" by
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved nationa ...
, "Chasing Cars" by
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, backing vocals), Jonny Quinn (d ...
, "Beautiful" by
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice o ...
, "Unfinished Sympathy" by
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall.
The debut Massive Attack album '' Blue Lines'' was rele ...
, "
Tangled Up In Blue" by
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
, "Shoulda Woulda Coulda" by
Beverley Knight, "This Woman's Work" by
Maxwell
Maxwell may refer to:
People
* Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist
* Justice Maxwell (disambiguation)
* Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage o ...
, "
He's So Fine" by
the Chiffons
:''The Chiffons also briefly recorded under the name The Four Pennies; for the British band of the latter name see The Four Pennies.''
The Chiffons are an American girl group originating from the Bronx, a borough of New York City, in 1960.
H ...
and "Falling Slowly" by
the Frames.
In 2007, Robinson narrated television advertisements for
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
, in the humorous style of ''
Tales From Fat Tulip's Garden''. The advertisements feature plastic cars with expressive faces (similar to ''
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is an anthropomorphised fictional tank locomotive in the British '' Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher, published from 1945. He became the most popular and famous character in the seri ...
''). He also did voiceovers for cleaning products
Domestos
Domestos is a British brand of household cleaning range which contains bleach (primarily sodium hypochlorite NaOCl). It is manufactured by Unilever. Domestos (and Chlorox, essentially a 10–25% solution of sodium hypochlorite) contains 100, ...
and
Vanish from 2007 until 2009. Also in 2007, Robinson visited 30 towns in Britain and Ireland with ''A Cunning Night Out''.
In July 2009, he appeared in the light-hearted BBC1 series ''
Hotel Babylon Hotel Babylon may refer to:
Television
* Hotel Babylon (BBC series), a 2000s BBC drama series
* Hotel Babylon (music programme), a 1990s ITV late night music programme
Literature
* ''Hotel Babylon'' (novel), a novel by Imogen Edwards-Jones
* ...
'' 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.
2010–present
In September 2013, Sir
Jonathan Miller directed the Gala Performance of
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's ''
King Lear
''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.
It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...
'' at
the Old Vic
The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal Vi ...
in London, in which Robinson played the Fool.
In 2014, he played the title role in a touring production of ''The Hypochondriac'',
Richard Bean's new translation of Molière's ''
Le malade imaginaire'', directed by
Lindsay Posner.
In 2016 and 2017 he played the antagonist 'Daddy' in
Man Down alongside Greg Davies and Roisin Conaty.
History presenter
Beginnings and ''Time Team'' (1994–2001)

In 1994, Robinson began presenting ''
Time Team'', a TV programme devoted to
archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscape ...
investigations limited to three days. The series spanned 20 years, and included 59 one-off
specials, which paved the way for his later history presenting career.
In 2005
Exeter University conferred an
honorary doctorate on Robinson, and honorary professorships on principal presenter
Mick Aston and producer Tim Taylor, to reflect its great appreciation for what ''Time Team'' has done for the public understanding of archaeology in the UK. In the 2011 episode "Hitler's Island Fortress", Robinson described himself as an amateur archaeologist.
Broader history presenting (2001–2012)
From 2001, Robinson branched out into other history documentary series, including the series ''Fact or Fiction'' (which debunked historical myths and gave the true story), followed by
''Romans'' in 2003 and the highly successful ''
The 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 by ''The Worst Christmas Jobs in History'' in December 2005 and then a second series of ''The Worst Jobs in History'' on Channel 4 in April 2006.
Following this, he presented one-off specials such as ''
Britain's Real Monarch'' (2004) and ''The Real Da Vinci Code'' (2005).
With Channel 4 in 2005, he presented a special called ''Tony Robinson's Titanic Adventure'' where he joined director
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post- New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability ...
on his final dive to the wreck of the
RMS Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...
. Also with Channel 4, he presented ''
Tony Robinson's Crime and Punishment'', ''
Catastrophe'' and ''
Man on Earth
''Man on Earth'' is a four-part British documentary television series presented by Tony Robinson. The programme documents the effects of climate change across 200,000 years of human history. The series premiered 7 December 2009 on Channel 4 wit ...
'' focusing on humanity's struggle with
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
in the past 200,000 years. ''Unexplained with Tony Robinson'' was first broadcast on Channel 4 in December 2008. In this series, Robinson investigates
paranormal
Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. No ...
phenomena combining the fields of
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...
,
parapsychology
Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near- ...
, history and
spiritualism
Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (when not lowercase) ...
to investigate paranormal evidence. He also presented ''The Doomsday Code'' in 2006.
From 1 September 2010, Robinson hosted a series on the
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney General ...
called ''Birth of Britain'' which was repeated on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
beginning in January 2011. In 2011 he also presented ''Gods 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 of ''Terra Australis Incognita'' through to the present with each era defined by a theme rather than equal blocks of time.
From 10 September 2012, Robinson hosted a series on
History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Dis ...
called ''
Tony Robinson's Time Walks''. The series uncovers stories that shaped the character of various cities and suburbs around Australia, including
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
,
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
,
Hobart,
Woolloomooloo,
Bendigo
Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital.
As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, mak ...
,
Newcastle,
Carlton,
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
,
St Kilda,
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...
,
Canberra,
Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area inclu ...
,
Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 30 ...
and
Launceston. He also went to
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
, New Zealand. In 2015, Robinson continued his history presenting in Australia with "Tour of Duty", again on
History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Dis ...
.
During October 2012, it was announced that ''Time Team'' would be cancelled after nearly 20 years on television. Tara Conlan from ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' 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, causing
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
to pursue an alternative "innovative" approach to historical documentary programming.
Post-''Time Team'' and historical walking shows (2012–present)
Between 2012 and 2014, Robinson presented a series of programmes for Channel 4 called ''
Walking Through History''. It featured Robinson hiking through iconic British landscapes, including the
Cairngorms
The Cairngorms ( gd, Am Monadh Ruadh) are a mountain range in the eastern Highlands of Scotland closely associated with the mountain Cairn Gorm. The Cairngorms became part of Scotland's second national park (the Cairngorms National Park) on 1 ...
, the
Jurassic Coast and
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connecting ...
. At least 16 hour-long episodes were aired, in four series. A further three-part series called ''
Britain's Ancient Tracks with Tony Robinson'' was shown on Channel 4 in 2016. A second four-part series of ''Britain's Ancient Tracks'' was aired in 2017.
In 2014, Robinson presented a history of
The Great War titled ''Tony Robinson’s World War 1''. He also presented ''The Real Mill'', revealing the true history to the
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
series,
The Mill.
In 2015, Robinson presented a three-hour-long programmes for
Discovery TV, ''Tony Robinson's Wild West'' (also known as ''Tony Robinson's Wild West in 3D''), in which he attempted to uncover the reality of America's Wild West in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Featuring such key figures as
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which la ...
, Geronimo and Buffalo Bill,
it included artefacts and Stereoscopy, stereographic images. Also in 2015 he hosted a short-lived programme ''Time Crashers.''
In 2016 he hosted ''Hidden Britain By Drone'', exploring parts of Britain only accessible by Unmanned aerial vehicle, drone. A second series ran in 2018.
In February 2017, Robinson hosted his self-titled Channel Five (UK), Channel Five programme ''Tony Robinson: Coast to Coast''.
In 2018 Robinson continued his work with Channel Five (UK), Channel Five presenting ''Britain’s Great Cathedrals'' where he uncovers the history behind six of Britain's best cathedrals.
He also presented a two-part series on Ancient Egypt called ''Egyptian Tomb Hunting''.
In March 2019 he premiered ''Around the World by Train with Tony Robinson'' on Channel 5 where he travelled to Asia, Australia and South America by rail. Series two of the programme premiered in March 2020.
In June 2019, Robinson presented a four-part series on Channel 5 titled ''The Thames: Britain’s Great River with Tony Robinson'' where he walks the River Thames from source to the mouth.
In January 2020 Robinson premiered a new programme on Channel 5, ''Tony Robinson’s History of Britain''. A second series was broadcast in 2021.
In January 2021 Robinson returned to present the third series of his shows about the River Thames on Channel 5, now retitled ''The Secret Life of the Thames with Tony Robinson''.
In 2021 he narrated a series ''World War 2 From Above'' on UKTV.
Politics and charity work
From 1996 to 2000, Robinson was vice-president of the actors' union British Actors' Equity Association, Equity, helping with a restructuring programme which turned a £500,000 deficit into a small surplus.
He continues to work within Equity. In 2000 he was elected to the The Labour Party (UK), Labour Party's National Executive Committee of the Labour Party, National Executive Committee, a position he held until 2004.
Robinson was also active in the "Make Poverty History" campaign in 2005, and is the patron for UK-based charity Street Child Africa.
In March 2011, Robinson participated in the "March for the Alternative" protests in Central London, which opposed the 2010 United Kingdom government formation, Conservative led Coalition UK Government's spending cuts programme.
Robinson is honorary president of the Young Archaeologists' Club of the Council for British Archaeology. Robinson has shown his support for the Burma Campaign UK, an NGO that aims to highlight human rights violations in Myanmar under the State Peace and Development Council.
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 work to transform the residential care sector, so that older people's mental, social and emotional wellbeing is prioritised alongside their physical care.
Robinson is a patron of the RSPCA Abbey street rehoming centre in Derby, after adopting a dog from the centre.
Robinson was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2013 Birthday Honours for public and political service.
On 23 June 2018, Robinson appeared at the People's Vote march in London to mark the second anniversary of 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, the referendum to leave the European Union. People's Vote is a campaign group calling for a referendum on the final Brexit deal between the UK and the European Union.
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 of Jeremy Corbyn and the party's handling of Brexit and Antisemitism in the UK Labour Party, antisemitism. He subsequently rejoined on 4 April 2020 after Corbyn's resignation and Keir Starmer's election as Labour leader.
Personal life
Robinson was first married in 1969 to Barbara ("Bardy") Henshall, and divorced four years later. He was married from the late 1970s until 1992 to Mary Shepherd, with whom he had two children.
He married Louise Hobbs in 2011.
[
In 2006, he appeared in ''Tony Robinson: Me and My Mum'', a documentary surrounding his decision to find a nursing 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 of ]Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's short series of programmes titled ''The Trouble with Old People''.
In late 2009, he 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 described Alzheimer's as "one of the last great medical terrors" and announced he would be leaving money to the Alzheimer's Society in his will.
Robinson is a fan of EFL Championship club Bristol City F.C., Bristol City F.C. He is also a fan of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and provided sleeve notes for the reissue of the album ''The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'' as part of the ''Genesis 1970–1975'' box set.
Honours and awards
*1999: Honorary Master of Arts (M.A.) degree from the University of Bristol for his services to drama and archaeology.
*2002: Honorary Master of Arts (M.A.) degree by the University of East London.
*2005: Honorary degree of Doctor of the University (D.Univ.) from the Open University for his contribution to the educational or cultural well-being of society.
*2005: Honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree from the University of Exeter for his active involvement in politics.
*2006: Honorary degree of Doctor of the University (D.Univ.) from Oxford Brookes University.
*2008: James Joyce Award from the Literary and Historical Society (University College Dublin), Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin, UCD.
*2011: Honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree by University of Chester.
*2013: Knight Bachelor, Knighthood from Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II in her 2013 Birthday Honours, 2013 Birthday Honours List.
*2019: Honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) degree from the University of Aberdeen.
Selected filmography
* ''Sam on Boff's Island'' (1972) – Sam Samson
* ''Doctor in Charge'' (1973) – Reginald Grace
* '' Brannigan'' (1975) – Messenger
* ''The Boys and Mrs B'' (1977) - Mark
* ''Who Dares Wins (TV series), Who Dares Wins'' (1983-1988) - Various characters
* ''Blackadder
''Blackadder'' is a series of four period British sitcoms, plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC One from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony R ...
'' (1983-1989, 1999) – Baldrick
* ''The Young Ones (TV series), The Young Ones'' (1984 Episode entitled "Bambi (The Young Ones), Bambi") – Dr. Not-The-Nine-O'clock-News
* '' Maid Marian and her Merry Men'' (1989-1994) – Sheriff of Nottingham & creator/writer
* ''Blood and Honey'' (1991) – Presenter (Storyteller)
* The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Young Indiana Jones (1992) – Pierre Duclos
* ''The Neverending Story III'' (1994) – Engywook (male gnome)
* '' Time Team'' (1994–2013) – Presenter
* ''Wrestling with the Big One'' (1995) – Presenter (Storyteller)
* ''I'm Starting School'' (1995) – Timmy the Tortoise (voice)
* ''Holed'' (1996) – Hugh
* ''My Wonderful Life'' (1997-1999) – Alan
* ''Faeries (1999 film), Faeries'' (1999) – Broom (voice)
* '' Minder'' (" One Flew Over the Parents' Nest", Series 10, Episode 4) (1994) – Willie the Weed
* ''Fact or Fiction'' (2001–2004) – Presenter (Channel 4)
* ''Mrs Calicot's Cabbage War'' (2002) – Nick Reid
* ''Romans (documentary)'' (2003) – Presenter
* '' Britain's Real Monarch'' (2004) – Presenter
* '' The Worst Jobs in History'' (2004–07) – Presenter (Channel 4)
* ''The Real Da Vinci Code'' (2005) – Presenter (Channel 4)
* ''Tony Robinson's Titanic Adventure'' (2005) - Presenter (Channel 4)
* ''Spider-Plant Man'' (2005) – Robin (comics), Robin
* ''Terry Pratchett's Hogfather'' (2006) – Vernon Crumley
* ''The Doomsday Code'' (2006) – Presenter
* ''Codex (TV series), Codex'' (2006–2007) – Presenter (Tuesday Morning Channel 4 and 4 HD)
* ''Unexplained'' (2008) – Presenter (Channel 4)
* '' Tony Robinson's Crime and Punishment'' (2008) – Presenter
* '' Catastrophe'' (2008) – Presenter
* ''Big Top (2009 TV series), Big Top'' (2009)
* ''Airline
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in which ...
'' – Narrator
* ''Hotel Babylon Hotel Babylon may refer to:
Television
* Hotel Babylon (BBC series), a 2000s BBC drama series
* Hotel Babylon (music programme), a 1990s ITV late night music programme
Literature
* ''Hotel Babylon'' (novel), a novel by Imogen Edwards-Jones
* ...
'' – Arthur – Series 4, Episode 3 (2009)
* ''Jam TV'' (2009) – Himself, Episode 5
* ''Man on Earth
''Man on Earth'' is a four-part British documentary television series presented by Tony Robinson. The programme documents the effects of climate change across 200,000 years of human history. The series premiered 7 December 2009 on Channel 4 wit ...
'' (2009) – Presenter
* ''Birth of Britain'' (2010) – Presenter (Channel 4)
* ''Tony Robinson Explores Australia'' (2011) – Presenter (The History Channel Australia)
* ''Tony Robinson’s God’s and Monsters'' (2011–12) – Presenter (Channel 4)
* '' Tony Robinson's Time Walks'' (2012–2014) – Presenter (The History Channel Australia)
* ''The Life Of the Midland & South Western Junction Railway'' (2012) – Contributor (Independent Film)
* '' Walking Through History'' (2013–2014) – Presenter and Producer (Channel 4 and SBS)
* ''The Real Mill'' (2014) – Presenter (Channel 4)
* ''Tony Robinson’s World War 1'' (2014) – Presenter (Discovery)
* ''Tony Robinson’s Tour of Duty'' (2015) – Presenter (The History Channel Australia)
* ''Tony Robinson’s Wild West'' (2015) – Presenter (Discovery)
* ''Time Crashers'' (2015) – Host (Channel 4)
* ''Imaginative Storytelling Experiences featuring 'Tales from Fat Tulip's Garden'' (2016) – Contributor (Independent Film)
* '' Britain's Ancient Tracks with Tony Robinson'' (2016–2018) – Presenter (Channel 4 and SBS)
* '' Man Down'' (2016)
* ''Hidden Britain by Drone'' (2016–2018) – Presenter (Channel 4)
* ''Tony Robinson: Coast to Coast'' (2017) - Presenter (Channel 5 and SBS)
* ''Britain's Great Cathedrals with Tony Robinson'' (2018) – Presenter (Channel 5)
*''Egyptian Tomb Hunting'' (2018) - Presenter (Channel 5)
*''Around The World By Train With Tony Robinson'' (2019–20) - Presenter (Channel 5)
*''The Thames: Britain’s Great River with Tony Robinson'' (2019-2021) - Presenter (Channel 5) (also known under the alternative title ''The Secret Life of the Thames with Tony Robinson'')
*''Tony Robinson's History of Britain'' (2020–21) - Presenter (Channel 5)
*''World War II from Above'' (2021) - Narrator (Yesterday (TV channel), Yesterday)
*''Britain's Forgotten Wars with Tony Robinson'' (2021) - Presenter (Channel 4)
*''Thames at Night with Tony Robinson'' (2021) - Presenter (Channel 5)
*''Tony Robinson's Museum of Us'' (2022) - Presenter (More4)
*''The Madame Blanc Mysteries'' (2022) - Uncle Patrick (Channel 5)
*''The Great Christmas Bake Off!'' (2022) - Contestant (Channel 4)
Selected books written by Robinson
* ''Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of Them All'' (1986) co-written by Richard Curtis [children's book]
* ''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men'' (1989) [children's book]
* ''Odysseus Superhero'' (1996) co-written by Amanda Robinson and Richard Curtis [children's book]
* ''The Hutchinson Book of Kings and Queens of England'' (1999) illustrated by Posy Simmonds, Babette Cole and Nicholas Allan [children's book]
* ''Tony Robinson's History of Australia: From New Holland to Neighbours'' (2001) [travel book]
* ''Tony Robinson's Kings and Queens'' (2001) illustrated by Tony Robinson [children's book]
* ''Archaeology is Rubbish: A Beginner's Guide'' (2002) co-written by Michael Aston
* ''In Search of British Heroes'' (2003) [biography]
* ''The'' ''Worst Jobs in History'' (2005) illustrated by Mike Phillips [children's book]
* ''Bad Kids: The Worst-Behaved Children in History'' (2009) illustrated by Mike Phillips [children's book]
* ''Tony Robinson's'' ''Bad Kids: The Naughtiest Children in History'' (2011) illustrated by Del Thorpe [children's book]
* ''Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders!'' series, illustrated by Del Thorpe [children's book]. Topics include ''Romans'' (2012); ''Egyptians'' (2012); ''British'' (2012); ''Greeks'' (2012); ''World War II'' (2013); ''Inventions: A World Book Day Book'' (2013); ''Pets'' (2015); ''Joke Book'' (2017)
* ''Skulduggery'' (2014) illustrated by Jamie Smith [children's book]
* ''Tony Robinson: No Cunning Plan'' (2016) [autobiography]
References
External links
*
* Tony Robinson presents th
Birth of Britain
o
National Geographic Channel
– starts 1 September 2010
*
Tony Robinson's cunning plan
– BBC News article dated Friday 26 May 2000
Interview about book (November 2005)
"Time Team"
– Television series
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Tony
1946 births
Living people
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
Actors awarded knighthoods
Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Amateur archaeologists
Audiobook narrators
BBC people
British male comedy actors
English children's writers
English male comedians
English male film actors
English male television actors
English male voice actors
English people of Jewish descent
English television presenters
Classical music radio presenters
Labour Party (UK) officials
Labour Party (UK) people
Knights Bachelor
Male actors from London
People from the London Borough of Hackney
Time Team