Tony Robinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tony Robinson
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Robinson in 2009
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Anthony Robinson
15 August 1946 |
| Alma mater | Central School of Speech and Drama |
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| Years active | 1971–present |
| Political party | Labour (1974–2019, 2020–present) |
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| Children | 2 |
Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is a famous English actor, author, and TV presenter. He is best known for playing the character Baldrick in the popular BBC comedy show Blackadder. He has also hosted many history shows, like Time Team and The Worst Jobs in History. Tony Robinson has written 16 books for children.
He was made a knight in 2013 by Queen Elizabeth II. This was for his work in public service and politics, as he was a member of the Labour Party.
Contents
- Who is Tony Robinson?
- Tony Robinson's Acting Career
- Tony Robinson as a History Presenter
- Tony Robinson's Broadcasting Work
- Tony Robinson's Political and Charity Work
- Tony Robinson's Personal Life
- Awards and Honours for Tony Robinson
- Tony Robinson's Film and TV Appearances
- Books Written by Tony Robinson
- Images for kids
- See also
Who is Tony Robinson?
Tony Robinson was born on 15 August 1946, in Homerton, London. His parents, Phyllis and Leslie Robinson, came from working-class families in Hackney. His father worked for the government and served in the RAF. His mother was a typist and served in the WAAF.
Tony went to Woodford Green Preparatory School and Wanstead County High. He passed four O-levels (exams for school leavers). He then decided to study at a drama school. In 1963, he joined the Central School of Speech and Drama and finished his studies in 1966.
Tony had his first acting job when he was just 13 years old. He was in the musical Oliver! playing a member of Fagin's gang. He even played the Artful Dodger sometimes! For the next five years, he acted in many shows in London's West End, as well as in films and on TV.
Tony Robinson's Acting Career
How did Tony Robinson start acting?
After drama school, Tony worked in different theatres for four years. He also helped start a community theatre group called Avon Touring Company in Bristol. In 1972, he played a small role in the TV series Doctor In Charge.
Tony also appeared in plays at the Chichester Festival Theatre. He played different roles in musicals and classic plays like Twelfth Night.
In the 1970s, Tony starred in a children's educational show called Sam on Boffs' Island. He also presented Play Away, another children's programme. He even appeared in a film with John Wayne called Brannigan.
Tony Robinson and Blackadder
Tony Robinson became very famous in 1983 because of the British comedy show Blackadder. He played Baldrick, the loyal but often silly helper to Edmund Blackadder.
In the first series, The Black Adder, Baldrick was quite smart, and his master, Prince Edmund, was a bit foolish. But in later series, like Blackadder II and Blackadder Goes Forth, their roles switched. Blackadder became the clever one, and Baldrick became a silly character whose famous line was "I have a cunning plan."
While working on Blackadder, Tony also wrote and narrated children's stories for shows like Jackanory. These included Tales From Fat Tulip's Garden and Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of Them All, which retold stories from ancient Greece.
What did Tony Robinson do after Blackadder?
After Blackadder, Tony Robinson narrated the animated series Nellie the Elephant from 1989 to 1991. He also presented Stay Tooned, a show that featured classic cartoons.
In 1989, he created a children's comedy series called Maid Marian and her Merry Men. This show was a funny version of the Robin Hood story, and Tony played the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show ran on BBC1 until 1994.
In 1999, Tony returned as Baldrick for a special Blackadder film called Blackadder: Back & Forth. This film was made for the new millennium. He also narrated the TV series Airline, which showed the daily lives of EasyJet staff.
Tony also narrated Terry Pratchett's Discworld audiobooks. He even appeared in the TV show Hogfather in 2006. From 2007 to 2009, he did voiceovers for cleaning product commercials.
In 2009, he appeared in the BBC1 series Hotel Babylon as a character named Arthur Barnes.
Tony Robinson's recent acting roles
In 2013, Tony played the Fool in William Shakespeare's play King Lear in London. In 2014, he starred in a play called The Hypochondriac.
From 2016 to 2017, Tony played the character 'Daddy' in the TV series Man Down. In 2019, he appeared in an episode of the ITV comedy Plebs (TV series) as an archaeologist. In 2022, he was in The Madame Blanc Mysteries.
Tony Robinson as a History Presenter
How did Tony Robinson start presenting history shows?
In 1994, Tony Robinson started presenting Time Team. This was a popular TV show about archaeological digs that lasted only three days. The show ran for 20 years and helped make archaeology popular in the UK.
In 2005, Exeter University gave Tony an honorary degree. This was to thank Time Team for helping the public understand archaeology. Tony has said he is an amateur archaeologist himself.
What other history shows has Tony Robinson presented?
After Time Team, Tony presented other history shows. These included Fact or Fiction, which looked at historical myths. In 2003, he presented Romans.
One of his most successful shows was The Worst Jobs in History (2006). In this series, Tony researched and re-enacted some of the most unpleasant jobs from the past. He even took this show on tour!
He also presented special shows like Britain's Real Monarch (2004) and The Real Da Vinci Code (2005). In 2005, he joined director James Cameron on a dive to the wreck of the RMS Titanic for a show called Tony Robinson's Titanic Adventure.
Other history shows he presented include Tony Robinson's Crime and Punishment, Catastrophe, and Man on Earth, which looked at how humans have dealt with climate change over 200,000 years.
In 2010, Tony hosted Birth of Britain on the National Geographic Channel. In 2011, he presented Gods and Monsters.
Tony Robinson's history shows in Australia and New Zealand
In 2012, Tony presented Tony Robinson Explores Australia. This series looked at Australia's history from its earliest days.
From 2012, he also hosted Tony Robinson's Time Walks on the History Channel. This show explored the stories of different cities and suburbs in Australia, like Melbourne and Brisbane. He also visited Christchurch, New Zealand. In 2015, he continued his history work in Australia with "Tour of Duty".
In 2012, it was announced that Time Team would end after almost 20 years. Tony said he was lucky to be part of two iconic TV series.
What is Tony Robinson doing now in history presenting?
Between 2012 and 2014, Tony presented Walking Through History for Channel 4. In this show, he hiked through famous British landscapes like Stonehenge. He also presented Britain's Ancient Tracks with Tony Robinson in 2016 and 2017.
In 2014, Tony presented Tony Robinson's World War 1, a history of The Great War. He also presented The Real Mill, which explored the true history behind the Channel 4 series The Mill.
In 2015, Tony presented Tony Robinson's Wild West for Discovery TV. This show looked at the real history of America's Wild West. He also hosted a show called Time Crashers.
In 2016, Tony hosted Hidden Britain By Drone, exploring parts of Britain using drones. In 2017, he presented Tony Robinson: Coast to Coast for Channel Five.
In 2018, Tony presented Britain's Great Cathedrals and a two-part series on Ancient Egypt called Egyptian Tomb Hunting.
In 2019, Tony started Around the World by Train with Tony Robinson on Channel 5. He also presented The Thames: Britain's Great River with Tony Robinson, walking the entire River Thames.
In 2020, he premiered Tony Robinson's History of Britain. In 2021, he narrated World War 2 From Above. In 2022, he presented Tony Robinson's Museum of Us.
Tony Robinson is set to return to a reboot of Time Team in 2023.
Tony Robinson's Broadcasting Work
In 2023, Tony Robinson started a weekly history podcast called "Tony Robinson's Cunningcast".
Tony Robinson's Political and Charity Work
Tony Robinson believes in democratic socialism. From 1996 to 2000, he was vice-president of the actors' union Equity. He helped the union improve its finances. From 2000 to 2004, he was part of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee.
Tony was involved in the Make Poverty History campaign in 2005. He is also a supporter of the charity Street Child Africa. In 2011, he took part in protests against government spending cuts in London.
Tony is the honorary president of the Young Archaeologists' Club. He supports the Burma Campaign UK, which works to improve human rights in Myanmar. He also supports Alive, a charity for older people.
Tony was made a knight in 2013 for his public and political service.
In 2018, Tony spoke at the People's Vote march, supporting a new vote on the final Brexit deal. In 2019, he left the Labour Party due to disagreements with its leadership. However, he rejoined in 2020. In 2024, he campaigned for the Labour Party in the general election.
Tony Robinson's Personal Life
Tony Robinson has been married three times. His first marriage was in 1969 to Barbara Henshall. He then married Mary Shepherd, with whom he has two children. In 2011, he married Louise Hobbs.
In 2006, Tony appeared in a documentary called Tony Robinson: Me and My Mum. It showed his experience of finding a nursing home for his mother and her passing.
Tony is a fan of the football club Bristol City F.C. He also likes the rock band Genesis.
Awards and Honours for Tony Robinson
Tony Robinson has received many awards and honorary degrees for his work:
- 1999: Honorary Master of Arts (M.A.) degree from the University of Bristol.
- 2002: Honorary Master of Arts (M.A.) degree from the University of East London.
- 2005: Honorary Doctor of the University (D.Univ.) from the Open University.
- 2005: Honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree from the University of Exeter.
- 2006: Honorary Doctor of the University (D.Univ.) from Oxford Brookes University.
- 2008: James Joyce Award from UCD.
- 2011: Honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree from University of Chester.
- 2013: Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
- 2019: Honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) degree from the University of Aberdeen.
Tony Robinson's Film and TV Appearances
- Sam on Boff's Island (1972) – Sam Samson
- Brannigan (1975) – Messenger
- Who Dares Wins (1983-1988) – Various characters
- Blackadder (1983-1989, 1999) – Baldrick
- Maid Marian and her Merry Men (1989-1994) – Sheriff of Nottingham & creator/writer
- Stay Tooned (1990-1996) – Presenter
- Time Team (1994–2013) – Presenter
- Minder ("One Flew Over the Parents' Nest", 1994) – Willie the Weed
- Fact or Fiction (2001–2004) – Presenter
- Romans (documentary) (2003) – Presenter
- Britain's Real Monarch (2004) – Presenter
- The Worst Jobs in History (2004–07) – Presenter
- The Real Da Vinci Code (2005) – Presenter
- Tony Robinson's Titanic Adventure (2005) – Presenter
- Terry Pratchett's Hogfather (2006) – Vernon Crumley
- Codex (2006–2007) – Presenter
- Unexplained (2008) – Presenter
- Tony Robinson's Crime and Punishment (2008) – Presenter
- Catastrophe (2008) – Presenter
- Airline – Narrator
- Hotel Babylon – Arthur (2009)
- Man on Earth (2009) – Presenter
- Birth of Britain (2010) – Presenter
- Tony Robinson Explores Australia (2011) – Presenter
- Tony Robinson's God's and Monsters (2011–12) – Presenter
- Tony Robinson's Time Walks (2012–2014) – Presenter
- Walking Through History (2013–2014) – Presenter and Producer
- Tony Robinson's World War 1 (2014) – Presenter
- Tony Robinson's Tour of Duty (2015) – Presenter
- Tony Robinson's Wild West (2015) – Presenter
- Time Crashers (2015) – Host
- Britain's Ancient Tracks with Tony Robinson (2016–2018) – Presenter
- Man Down (2016)
- Hidden Britain by Drone (2016–2018) – Presenter
- Tony Robinson: Coast to Coast (2017) – Presenter
- Britain's Great Cathedrals with Tony Robinson (2018) – Presenter
- Egyptian Tomb Hunting (2018) – Presenter
- Around The World By Train With Tony Robinson (2019–20) – Presenter
- The Thames: Britain's Great River with Tony Robinson (2019-2021) – Presenter
- Tony Robinson's History of Britain (2020–21) – Presenter
- World War II from Above (2021) – Narrator
- Tony Robinson's Museum of Us (2022) – Presenter
- The Madame Blanc Mysteries (2022) – Uncle Patrick
- The Masked Singer (2023) – Contestant
Books Written by Tony Robinson
Tony Robinson has written many books, especially for children:
- Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of Them All (1986) – a children's book with Richard Curtis
- Maid Marian and Her Merry Men (1989) – a children's book
- Odysseus Superhero (1996) – a children's book with Amanda Robinson and Richard Curtis
- The Hutchinson Book of Kings and Queens of England (1999) – a children's book
- Tony Robinson's Kings and Queens (2001) – a children's book
- Archaeology is Rubbish: A Beginner's Guide (2002) – with Michael Aston
- In Search of British Heroes (2003) – a biography
- The Worst Jobs in History (2005) – a children's book
- Bad Kids: The Worst-Behaved Children in History (2009) – a children's book
- Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders! series (2012-2017) – children's books on topics like Romans, Egyptians, British, Greeks, World War II, Inventions, Pets, and a Joke Book.
- Skulduggery (2014) – a children's book
- Tony Robinson: No Cunning Plan (2016) – his autobiography
Images for kids
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Tony Robinson (left), Mick Aston and Guy de la Bédoyère on a Time Team shoot in 2007.
See also
In Spanish: Tony Robinson para niños
