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Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is an English actor, author, broadcaster, and political activist. He played Baldrick in the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
television sitcom ''
Blackadder ''Blackadder'' is a series of four Period piece, period British sitcoms - ''The Black Adder'', ''Blackadder II'', ''Blackadder the Third'' and ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' - plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 19 ...
'' and has presented many historical documentaries, including the
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
series ''
Time Team ''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4, Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned in 2022 on online platforms YouTube and Patreon. Created by television produce ...
'' and '' The Worst Jobs in History''. He has written 16 children's books. As a member of the Labour Party, Robinson was
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
in the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours 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 had ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, to Phyllis (1916–2005) and Leslie Robinson (1913–1989). His parents were from working-class Hackney backgrounds; his father was a civil servant and council employee who served in the RAF, and his mother, an audio-typist, served in the WAAF. He attended the private 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 Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...
.Wanstead High, history of our school
Wansteadhigh.co.uk, Retrieved 16 May 2015.
He passed four O-levels (English language, English literature, history, and geography) and went on to study for
A-levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
, 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, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...
, Robinson enrolled at the
Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, commonly shortened to Central, is a drama school founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for ...
in 1963, graduating in 1966. Robinson had his first acting role at the age of 13, as a member of
Fagin Fagin () is the secondary antagonist in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. In the preface to the novel, he is described as a " receiver of stolen goods". He is the leader of a group of children (the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates ...
's gang in the original production of the musical ''
Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a 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 opening in the W ...
'', including a stint as the
Artful Dodger Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. The Dodger is a pickpocket and his nickname refers to his skill and cunning in that occupation. In the novel, he is the leader of th ...
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. 1194–1195, ...
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.


Acting career


Early career

After drama school, he spent four years in
repertory theatre A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...
Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...
programme 1976.
most notably at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
. Robinson won an Arts Council bursary to work as a director at the Midlands Arts Centre,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, and founded the Avon Touring Company, a
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
-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 Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...
, 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, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
's ''
An Enemy of the People ''An Enemy of the People'' (original Norwegian title: ''En folkefiende'') is an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen that explores the conflict between personal integrity and societal norms. The play centers on Dr. Thomas Stockmann, w ...
''. In 1976, he appeared as
Feste Feste is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's comedy ''Twelfth Night''. He is a fool (royal jester) attached to the household of the Countess Olivia. He has apparently been there for some time, as he was a "fool that the Lady Olivia' ...
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 entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...
'', 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 The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...
'' documentary ''Joey'', and in the title role in the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
production of ''The Miracle of Brother Humphrey''. He also appeared in the film '' Brannigan'' starring
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
, 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 the
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
comedy/satirical series '' Who Dares Wins'' in the early/mid-1980s. He was also seen in ''
The Rag Trade ''The Rag Trade'' is a British television sitcom broadcast by the BBC between 1961 and 1963 and by ITV (TV network), ITV between 1977 and 1978. Although a comedy, it shed light on gender, politics and the "class war" on the factory floor. Th ...
s 1970s reboot.


''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 piece, period British sitcoms - ''The Black Adder'', ''Blackadder II'', ''Blackadder the Third'' and ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' - plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 19 ...
'', as
Edmund Blackadder Edmund Blackadder is the single name given to a collection of fictional characters who appear in the BBC mock-historical comedy series ''Blackadder'', each played by Rowan Atkinson. Although each series is set within a different period of Britis ...
's dogsbody Baldrick. In the first series, broadcast as ''
The Black Adder ''The Black Adder'' is the first series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, directed by Martin Shardlow and produced by John Lloyd. The series was originally aired on BBC1 from 15 June 1983 to 20 Ju ...
'', he was quite astute, while his master was an idiot. Later series (''
Blackadder II ''Blackadder II'' is the second series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 9 January 1986 to 20 February 1986. The series is set in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–160 ...
'', ''
Blackadder the Third ''Blackadder the Third'' is the third series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired on BBC1 from 17 September to 22 October 1987. The series is set during the Georgian Era, and sees the principal ch ...
'', ''
Blackadder Goes Forth ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' is the fourth series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989 on BBC One, BBC1. The series placed the recurring characters of Captain B ...
'') moved the duo through history and switched the relationship: the
Edmund Blackadder Edmund Blackadder is the single name given to a collection of fictional characters who appear in the BBC mock-historical comedy series ''Blackadder'', each played by Rowan Atkinson. Although each series is set within a different period of Britis ...
of ''Blackadder 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 on ''Blackadder'', Robinson also wrote and narrated several ''
Jackanory ''Jackanory'' was a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in Reading (activity), reading. The programme was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the ...
''-style children's programmes, encouraged by
Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a British screenwriter, producer and director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known for romantic comedy-drama films, including ''Four Weddings and a Funeral' ...
. Programmes in this style included '' Tales From Fat Tulip's Garden'' (continued in ''Fat Tulip Too''), ''
Odysseus In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...
: The Greatest Hero of Them All'' (a retelling of the ''
Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) 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 ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...
'' and the ''
Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...
'') and ''Blood and Honey'' (tales from the
Old Testament The Old Testament (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 and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
, filmed on location). Robinson also performed within the BBC Radio 4 comedy '' Delve Special'' (1984–1987), written by Tony Sarchet.


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 CITV is a British children's morning programming block on ITV2 and formerly a free-to-air channel owned by ITV plc. CITV, then Children's ITV, launched on 3 January 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the ITV network for children aged ...
. Robinson 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 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...
, which featured a selection of classic
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
and
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
cartoons. In 1989, after attending a
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
at Tyndale Baptist Church,
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
, which was based on the
Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
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 noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
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 channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...
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", 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 The Millennium Dome was the original name of the large dome-shaped building on the Greenwich Peninsula in South East (London sub region), South East London, England, which housed a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millen ...
throughout 2000 and was later aired on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
in 2002. Robinson also contributed the voiceover for the television series ''
Airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers or freight (cargo). Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines ...
'' 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 airlin ...
staff at a selection of airports. The series was made for ITV and is often repeated today on
Sky Real Lives Sky Real Lives was an in-house channel from British Sky Broadcasting that showed extensive programmes about travel, adverts for travel agencies and documentaries. The channels closed on 19 August 2010. History Sky Real Lives first launched as S ...
,
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 1989, ...
, Sky Two, Sky Three (now
Sky Mix Sky Mix (formerly Sky Three, Sky3, Sky 3, Pick TV and Pick) is a British free-to-air television channel, owned by Sky UK. The channel originally launched on 31 October 2005 as Sky Three. The channel's current name, which was adopted in 202 ...
), and
ITV2 ITV2 is a Television in the United Kingdom, 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 fiv ...
. 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 author, humorist, and Satire, satirist, best known for the ''Discworld'' series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the Apocalyp ...
'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 Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a fl ...
'' novels.
Nigel Planer Nigel George Planer (born 22 February 1953) is a British actor, writer and musician. His television credits include playing Neil in the sitcom '' The Young Ones'' and Ralph Filthy in the sitcom '' Filthy Rich & Catflap'', as well as narrating th ...
, Celia Imrie, and
Stephen Briggs Stephen Briggs (born 1951) is a British writer of subsidiary works and merchandise surrounding Terry Pratchett's comic fantasy '' Discworld''. '' The Streets of Ankh-Morpork'', the first Discworld map, was co-designed by Briggs and Pratchett a ...
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 Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a fl ...
''. 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 The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...
over the Christmas season in 2006. Robinson also presented Classic FM's '' Friendly 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 the
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
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, model, and activist. Born and raised in Islington, Inner London, she later attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieve ...
, "Chasing Cars" by
Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland, consisting of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), and Johnny McDaid (piano, guitar, keyboards, backi ...
, "Beautiful" by
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
, "Unfinished Sympathy" by
Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...
, " Tangled Up In Blue" by
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
, "Shoulda Woulda Coulda" by
Beverley Knight Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English singer, songwriter, actress and radio personality. She released her first album, ''The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke ...
, "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 of N ...
, " He's So Fine" by the Chiffons, and "Falling Slowly" by
the Frames The Frames are an Irish rock band based in Dublin. Founded in 1990 by Glen Hansard, the band has been influential in the Dublin rock music scene. The group has released six studio albums. In addition to Hansard, the band's current line-up inc ...
. In 2007, Robinson narrated television advertisements for
Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
, 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 a fictional, anthropomorphised tank locomotive who originated from the British children's books ''The Railway Series'', created and written by Wilbert Awdry with his son Christopher Awdry, Christopher, first publish ...
''). He also did voiceovers for cleaning products Domestos 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, Robinson appeared in the light-hearted BBC1 series '' Hotel 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.


2010–present

In September 2013, Robinson played the Fool in the Gala Performance of
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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 nation ...
's ''
King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...
'' at
the Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, nonprofit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. It was 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 ...
in London, directed by
Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, comedian and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 19 ...
. In 2014, Robinson played the title role in a touring production of ''The Hypochondriac'', Richard Bean's new translation of Molière's ''
Le malade imaginaire ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' ( French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act ''comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes ( H.495, H ...
'', directed by Lindsay Posner. In 2016 and 2017, Robinson played the antagonist 'Daddy' in Man Down alongside Greg Davies and Roisin Conaty. In 2019, Robinson guested in the episode 'The Dig' in Series 5 of the ITV comedy Plebs (TV series) as an Archaeologist called Daedalus Graeco.


History presenter


Beginnings and ''Time Team'' (1994–2001)

In 1994, Robinson began presenting ''
Time Team ''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4, Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned in 2022 on online platforms YouTube and Patreon. Created by television produce ...
'', a TV programme devoted to
archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
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 The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School o ...
conferred an
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
on Robinson, and honorary professorships on principal presenter
Mick Aston Michael Antony Aston (1 July 1946 – 24 June 2013) was an English archaeologist who specialised in Early Medieval landscape archaeology. Over the course of his career, he lectured at both the University of Bristol and University of Oxford and ...
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, Robinson 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, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...
on his final dive to the wreck of the
RMS Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that Sinking of the Titanic, sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking Iceberg that struck the Titanic, an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York Ci ...
. Also with Channel 4, he presented '' Tony Robinson's Crime and Punishment'', '' Catastrophe'' and '' Man on Earth'' focusing on humanity's struggle with
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
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. Not ...
phenomena combining the fields of
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
,
parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, teleportation, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry (paranormal), psychometry) and other paranormal cla ...
, history and
spiritualism Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...
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 Enter ...
called ''Birth of Britain'' which was repeated on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
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 and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...
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 (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
,
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
,
Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
, Woolloomooloo,
Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...
,
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
, Carlton,
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
, St Kilda,
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
,
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
,
Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie-Boulder (or just 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 referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder as the surroundi ...
,
Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
and Launceston. He also went to
Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
, New Zealand. In 2015, Robinson continued his history presenting in Australia with "Tour of Duty", again on
History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...
. 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. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' 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 channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
to pursue an alternative "innovative" approach to historical documentary programming.


Post-''Time Team'' and presenting other history documentaries (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 () are a mountain range in the eastern Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland closely associated with the mountain Cairn Gorm. The Cairngorms became part of Scotland's second national parks of Scotland, national park (the Cairn ...
, the Jurassic Coast and
Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric Megalith, megalithic structure 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, to ...
. 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 channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
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 in the American West, including Dodge City, Kansas, Dodge City, Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, and Tombstone, Arizona, Tombstone. Earp was involved in the gunfight ...
,
Geronimo Gerónimo (, ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a military leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache bands the Tchihen ...
and
Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at the young age ...
, it included artefacts and
stereographic Stereoscopy, also called stereoscopics or stereo imaging, is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stereoscopic image is ...
images. Also in 2015 he hosted a short-lived programme '' Time Crashers.'' In 2016, Robinson hosted ''Hidden Britain By Drone'', exploring parts of Britain only accessible by drone. A second series ran in 2018. In February 2017, Robinson hosted his self-titled Channel Five programme '' Tony Robinson: Coast to Coast''. In 2018 Robinson continued his work with 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 Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...
called ''Egyptian Tomb Hunting''. In March 2019, Robinson 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 The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
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 The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
on Channel 5, now retitled ''The Secret Life of the Thames with Tony Robinson''. In 2021, Robinson narrated a series ''World War 2 From Above'' on
UKTV UKTV Media Limited, trading as UKTV, is a British multi-channel broadcaster, which, since 2019, has been wholly owned by BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. It was formed on 1 November 1992 through a join ...
. In 2022, Robinson presented a new show for Channel 4 titled ''Tony Robinson's Museum of Us''. In 2022, Robinson was confirmed to return to the re-boot of Time Team in 2023.


Broadcasting career

In 2023, Robinson started broadcasting a weekly history podcast called "Tony Robinson's Cunningcast".


Politics and charity work

Robinson identifies as a
democratic socialist Democratic socialism is a left-wing economic and political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-mana ...
and an allied member of the Jewish Labour Movement. From 1996 to 2000, Robinson was vice-president of the actors' union 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 Labour Party's National Executive Committee, a position he held until 2004. Robinson was active in the
Make Poverty History Make Poverty History were organizations in a number of countries, which focused on issues relating to 8th Millennium Development Goal such as aid, trade and justice. They generally formed a coalition of aid and development agencies which worked ...
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 Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...
, which opposed the
Cameron–Clegg coalition The Cameron–Clegg coalition was formed by David Cameron and Nick Clegg when Cameron was invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government, following the resignation of Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010, after the general el ...
's spending cuts programme. Robinson is honorary president of the Young Archaeologists' Club of the
Council for British Archaeology The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) is an educational charity established in 1944 in the UK. It works to involve people in archaeology and to promote the appreciation and care of the historic environment for the benefit of present and fut ...
. Robinson has shown his support for the Burma Campaign UK, an NGO that aims to highlight human rights violations in
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
under the
State Peace and Development Council The State Peace and Development Council ( ; abbreviated SPDC or , ) was the official name of the Military dictatorship, military government of Burma (Myanmar) which, in 1997, succeeded the State Law and Order Restoration Council (; abbrevi ...
. 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 was
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
in the 2013 Birthday Honours for public and political service. On 23 June 2018, Robinson appeared at the
People's Vote People's Vote was a United Kingdom campaign group that unsuccessfully campaigned for a second referendum following the UK's Brexit vote to leave the European Union (EU) in 2016. The group was launched in April 2018 at which four Members of ...
march in London to mark the second anniversary of the 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. 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 Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North (UK Parliament constituency), Islington North since 1983. Now an Independent ...
and the party's handling of
Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
and
antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
allegations. He subsequently rejoined on 4 April 2020 after Corbyn's resignation and
Keir Starmer Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and lawyer who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2024 and as Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He previously ...
's election as Labour leader. On the day of the 2024 general election, Robinson campaigned for the Labour party, and posted to
TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
and
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, telling voters to "vote today, vote change, ndvote Labour" in the "crucial" election.


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, Robinson appeared in ''Tony Robinson: Me and My Mum'', a documentary surrounding his decision to find a
nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...
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 channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
's short series of programmes titled ''The Trouble with Old People''. 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 described
Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
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 The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...
club Bristol City F.C. He is also a fan of the rock band
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
and provided sleeve notes for the reissue of the album ''
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway ''The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'' is a studio double album and sixth overall by the English progressive rock band Genesis (band), Genesis. It was released on 22 November 1974 by Charisma Records, and is their last to feature original lead voc ...
'' as part of the ''
Genesis 1970–1975 ''Genesis 1970–1975'' is a box set of five studio albums by Genesis featuring Peter Gabriel. It was released on 10 November 2008 in Europe by EMI and on 11 November 2008 in North America by Atlantic/Rhino. The 7-CD/6-DVD box set includes ...
'' box set.


Honours and awards

*1999: Honorary
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
(M.A.) degree from the
University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...
for his services to drama and archaeology. *2002: Honorary
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
(M.A.) degree by the
University of East London University of East London (UEL) is a public university located in the London Borough of Newham, London, England, based at three campuses in Stratford, London, Stratford and London Docklands, Docklands, following the opening of University Squar ...
. *2005: Honorary degree of Doctor of the University (D.Univ.) from the
Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...
for his contribution to the educational or cultural well-being of society. *2005: Honorary
Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...
(LL.D.) degree from the
University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...
for his active involvement in politics. *2006: Honorary degree of Doctor of the University (D.Univ.) from
Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (OBU; formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Th ...
. *2008: James Joyce Award from the Literary and Historical Society of UCD. *2011: Honorary
Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...
(D.Sc.) degree by
University of Chester The University of Chester is a public university located in Chester, England. The university originated as the first purpose-built teacher training college in the UK. As a university, it now occupies five campuses, campus sites in and around Ch ...
. *2013:
Knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
from
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
in her 2013 Birthday Honours List. *2019: Honorary
Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...
(D.Litt.) degree from the
University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...
.


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'' (1983-1988) - Various characters * ''
Blackadder ''Blackadder'' is a series of four Period piece, period British sitcoms - ''The Black Adder'', ''Blackadder II'', ''Blackadder the Third'' and ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' - plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 19 ...
'' (1983-1989, 1999) – Baldrick * '' The Young Ones'' (1984 Episode entitled "
Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American Animated film, animated Coming of age, coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Felix Salten's 1923 novel ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', the ...
") – Dr. Not-The-Nine-O'clock-News * '' Maid Marian and her Merry Men'' (1989-1994) – Sheriff of Nottingham & creator/writer * ''Stay Tooned'' (1990-1996) – Presenter * ''Blood and Honey'' (1991) – Presenter (Storyteller) * '' Young Indiana Jones'' (1992) – Pierre Duclos * '' The Neverending Story III'' (1994) – Engywook (male gnome) * ''
Time Team ''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4, Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned in 2022 on online platforms YouTube and Patreon. Created by television produce ...
'' (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 A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...
'' (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 * '' Terry Pratchett's Hogfather'' (2006) – Vernon Crumley * ''The Doomsday Code'' (2006) – Presenter * ''
Codex The codex (: codices ) was the historical ancestor format of the modern book. Technically, the vast majority of modern books use the codex format of a stack of pages bound at one edge, along the side of the text. But the term ''codex'' is now r ...
'' (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) * ''
Airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers or freight (cargo). Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines ...
'' – Narrator * '' Hotel Babylon'' – Arthur – Series 4, Episode 3 (2009) * ''Jam TV'' (2009) – Himself, Episode 5 * '' Man on Earth'' (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) *''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 ''The Madame Blanc Mysteries'' is a cosy crime comedy drama television series, produced by Saffron Cherry Productions, which is broadcast on Channel 5 and Acorn TV. The series, written by and starring Sally Lindsay and Sue Vincent, concerns ...
'' (2022) - Uncle Patrick (Channel 5) *''The Great Christmas Bake Off!'' (2022) - Contestant (Channel 4) *''Britain's Forgotten Wars with Tony Robinson'' (2021) - Presenter (Channel 5) *''Britain on Film with Tony Robinson'' (2022) - Presenter (Apple TV) *''Tony Robinson's Museum of Us'' (2022)- Presenter (Channel 4) *''Tony Robinson's Marvellous Machines'' (2023) - Presenter (Yesterday) *'' The Masked Singer'' (2023) - Contestant (ITV1)


Selected books written by Robinson

* ''Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of Them All'' (1986) co-written by Richard Curtis hildren's book* ''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men'' (1989) hildren's book* ''Odysseus Superhero'' (1996) co-written by Amanda Robinson and Richard Curtis hildren's book* ''The Hutchinson Book of Kings and Queens of England'' (1999) illustrated by Posy Simmonds, Babette Cole and Nicholas Allan hildren's book* ''Tony Robinson's History of Australia: From New Holland to Neighbours'' (2001) ravel book* ''Tony Robinson's Kings and Queens'' (2001) illustrated by Tony Robinson hildren's book* ''Archaeology is Rubbish: A Beginner's Guide'' (2002) co-written by Michael Aston * ''In Search of British Heroes'' (2003) iography* ''The'' ''Worst Jobs in History'' (2005) illustrated by Mike Phillips hildren's book* ''Bad Kids: The Worst-Behaved Children in History'' (2009) illustrated by Mike Phillips hildren's book* ''Tony Robinson's'' ''Bad Kids: The Naughtiest Children in History'' (2011) illustrated by Del Thorpe hildren's book* ''Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders!'' series, illustrated by Del Thorpe hildren'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 hildren's book* ''Tony Robinson: No Cunning Plan'' (2016) utobiography


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 Actors from the London Borough of Hackney Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Amateur archaeologists Audiobook narrators Classical music radio presenters English autobiographers English children's writers English knights English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors English people of Jewish descent English socialists English television presenters Labour Party (UK) officials Labour Party (UK) people Knights Bachelor Male actors from London Television personalities from London Time Team