Tony Robinson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Tony Robinson
Robinson in 2009
Born	Anthony Robinson (1946-08-15) 15 August 1946 (age 79) Homerton, London, England
Alma mater	Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupation	Actor author broadcaster political activist
Years active	1971–present
Political party	Labour (1974–2019, 2020–present)
Spouse(s)	Barbara Henshall ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1973)​ Mary Shepherd ​ (div. 1992)​ Louise Hobbs ​ (m. 2011)​
Children	2

Sir Tony Robinson is a famous English actor, author, and TV presenter. He was born on 15 August 1946. Many people know him for playing the character Baldrick in the funny TV show Blackadder. He has also presented many history shows, like Time Team and The Worst Jobs in History. Tony Robinson has written 16 books for children.

He was made a 'Sir' (knighted) in 2013 for his work helping the public and in politics. He was a member of the Labour Party.

Tony Robinson's Early Life

Tony Robinson was born in Homerton, London. His parents, Phyllis and Leslie Robinson, came from working-class backgrounds. His father worked for the government, and his mother was a typist.

Tony went to private school and then a grammar school. He passed some of his exams but decided to go to drama school instead of finishing all his A-levels. He joined the Central School of Speech and Drama in 1963 and finished in 1966.

He got his first acting job when he was just 13 years old. He was in the musical Oliver!, playing a member of Fagin's gang. Sometimes, he even played the main role of the Artful Dodger! For the next five years, he acted in many plays, films, and TV shows.

Tony Robinson's Acting Career

Starting Out in Acting

After drama school, Tony worked in different theatres for four years. He also directed plays and started a theatre company called Avon Touring Company. He had a small role in the TV show Doctor In Charge in 1972.

Tony also appeared in children's TV shows like Sam on Boffs' Island and was a presenter on Play Away. He even acted alongside John Wayne in the film Brannigan. In the 1980s, he was part of the comedy show Who Dares Wins.

Becoming Famous with Blackadder

Tony Robinson became very well known in 1983 because of the historical 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 clever, and his boss, Prince Edmund, was a bit foolish. But in later series, like Blackadder II and Blackadder Goes Forth, their roles switched. Blackadder became the smart one, and Baldrick became the silly character, famous for his catchphrase: "I have a cunning plan."

While working on Blackadder, Tony also wrote and narrated children's stories for TV. These included Tales From Fat Tulip's Garden and Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of Them All, which retold ancient Greek myths.

After Blackadder Roles

After Blackadder, Tony Robinson narrated the animated series Nellie the Elephant from 1989 to 1991. He also presented Stay Tooned, which showed classic cartoons.

In 1989, he created and starred in the children's comedy series 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.

He also provided the voiceover for the TV series Airline, which showed the daily life of EasyJet staff. He narrated this show from 1999 until it ended in 2006.

In 2005, Tony performed a one-man stage show called Tony Robinson's Cunning Night Out. He also narrated audiobooks for Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels and appeared in the TV version of Hogfather in 2006.

More recently, Tony played the character 'Daddy' in the TV series Man Down in 2016 and 2017. In 2019, he appeared in the comedy show Plebs (TV series) as an archaeologist.

Tony Robinson as a History Presenter

Starting with Time Team

In 1994, Tony Robinson started presenting Time Team. This popular TV show focused on archaeological digs that lasted only three days. The show ran for 20 years and helped many people learn about archaeology.

Time Team was so successful that Exeter University gave Tony an honorary degree in 2005. This was to thank him for helping the public understand archaeology better. Tony often called himself an "amateur archaeologist" on the show.

Exploring More History Topics

After Time Team, Tony presented many other history shows. These included Fact or Fiction, which looked at historical myths, and Romans in 2003.

One of his most popular shows was The Worst Jobs in History (2004–2007). In this series, he researched and even tried out some of the most unpleasant jobs from the past. He also presented specials like Britain's Real Monarch (2004) and The Real Da Vinci Code (2005).

In 2005, Tony joined director James Cameron on a dive to the wreck of the RMS Titanic for a special called Tony Robinson's Titanic Adventure. He also presented Tony Robinson's Crime and Punishment, Catastrophe, and Man on Earth, which looked at how humans have dealt with climate change over time.

From 2010, Tony hosted Birth of Britain on the National Geographic Channel. In 2012, he presented Tony Robinson's Time Walks for the History Channel, exploring stories from different cities in Australia and New Zealand.

Time Team ended in 2012 after almost 20 years. Tony said he was lucky to be part of two such iconic TV series.

Recent History Shows

Between 2012 and 2014, Tony presented Walking Through History for Channel 4. In this show, he hiked through famous British landscapes like the Jurassic Coast and 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 explored the reality of America's Wild West in Tony Robinson's Wild West in 2015.

More recently, Tony has hosted shows like Hidden Britain By Drone (2016–2018), Tony Robinson: Coast to Coast (2017), and Britain's Great Cathedrals (2018). In 2019, he started Around the World by Train with Tony Robinson, travelling by rail across different continents. He also presented The Thames: Britain's Great River with Tony Robinson (2019-2021), exploring the River Thames.

In 2020, Tony premiered Tony Robinson's History of Britain, which continued into 2021. In 2022, he presented Tony Robinson's Museum of Us for Channel 4. It was also announced that he would return for a reboot of Time Team in 2023.

Tony Robinson's Broadcasting Work

In 2023, Tony Robinson started his own weekly history podcast called "Tony Robinson's Cunningcast."

Tony Robinson's Political and Charity Work

Tony Robinson is a democratic socialist. He was the vice-president of the actors' union Equity from 1996 to 2000, helping to improve its finances. He was also part of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee from 2000 to 2004.

He supported the Make Poverty History campaign in 2005 and is a patron for the charity Street Child Africa. In 2011, he took part in protests against government spending cuts.

Tony is also the honorary president of the Young Archaeologists' Club. He supports the Burma Campaign UK, which works to highlight human rights issues in Myanmar. He is also a patron of Alive, a charity that helps improve the lives of older people in care homes. He also supports the RSPCA Derby Abbey street animal rehoming centre.

Tony Robinson was made a Knight Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013 for his public and political service.

In 2018, he attended the People's Vote march in London, supporting a public vote on the final Brexit deal. He left the Labour Party in 2019 but rejoined in 2020 after a change in leadership. In 2024, he campaigned for the Labour party in the general election.

Tony Robinson's Personal Life

Tony Robinson has been married three times. He first married Barbara Henshall in 1969, but they divorced four years later. He was then married to Mary Shepherd until 1992, and they had two children together. He married Louise Hobbs in 2011.

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 the challenges involved. He has spoken about the importance of good care for older people and supports the Alzheimer's Society.

Tony is a fan of the football club Bristol City F.C. and the rock band Genesis.

Awards and Honours for Tony Robinson

Tony Robinson has received many awards and honorary degrees for his work in drama, archaeology, and public service:

• 1999: Honorary Master of Arts (M.A.) from the University of Bristol.
• 2002: Honorary Master of Arts (M.A.) 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.) 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.) from University of Chester.
• 2013: Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
• 2019: Honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) from the University of Aberdeen.

Selected Film and TV Shows

• Sam on Boff's Island (1972) – Sam Samson
• Doctor in Charge (1973) – Reginald Grace
• 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
• My Wonderful Life (1997-1999) – Alan
• Fact or Fiction (2001–2004) – Presenter
• Romans (documentary) (2003) – Presenter
• Britain's Real Monarch (2004) – Presenter
• The Worst Jobs in History (2004–07) – Presenter
• Terry Pratchett's Hogfather (2006) – Vernon Crumley
• Airline – Narrator
• Hotel Babylon – Arthur (2009)
• Birth of Britain (2010) – Presenter
• Tony Robinson Explores Australia (2011) – 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 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
• 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

Selected Books Written by Tony Robinson

• Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of Them All (1986) [children's book]
• Maid Marian and Her Merry Men (1989) [children's book]
• Tony Robinson's Kings and Queens (2001) [children's book]
• Archaeology is Rubbish: A Beginner's Guide (2002)
• The Worst Jobs in History (2005) [children's book]
• Bad Kids: The Worst-Behaved Children in History (2009) [children's book]
• Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders! series (2012-2017) [children's book]. Topics include Romans, Egyptians, British, Greeks, World War II, Inventions, Pets, Joke Book.
• Skulduggery (2014) [children's book]
• Tony Robinson: No Cunning Plan (2016) [autobiography]

See also

In Spanish: Tony Robinson para niños