The Unofficial website for Tony Robinson

 

Biography for Tony

Tony was born on August the 15th, 1946 in Hackney, East London

His first school was Woodford green preparatory school, then he attended Wanstead County High Grammar School.

He made his stage debut when still at school, at the age of 12 in the original production of Oliver. The boy playing the Artful Dodger didn’t turn up and Tony volunteered to take his place as there were no designated understudies.

This was followed by numerous shows, films and TV appearances as a Child actor.

Tony passed 4 O’levels ( History, Geography and both English Language and English Literature) and went on to do ‘A’ levels, however he decided that wasn’t for him and chose to go to drama school. He was too young to go to RADA but got a place at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

After leaving he spent several years in rep and worked for two years as a theatre director  before joining the Chichester festival theatre.

Tony did various television appearances before getting his “big break” in landing the part of Baldrick in Blackadder.

This changed Tony’s life and really launched him into the public eye, from this point on Tony has rarely been off our screens and has made, written and produced many programmes, over 1000 in fact and appeared in several feature films.

 

Tony Robinson

Tony presents Channel 4's archaeology series "Time Team", and played Baldrick in "Blackadder". He also devised and wrote four series of the BBC's "Maid Marian and Her Merry Men" in which he played the Sheriff of Nottingham.

His first professional appearance was at the age of thirteen in the original version of the stage musical "Oliver!" This was followed by a number of shows, films and TV appearances as a child actor. After training at the Central School of Speech and Drama, he spent several years in rep, and worked for two years as a theatre director, before moving on to the Chichester Festival Theatre, the RSC and the National Theatre. It was around this time that he made his first notable television appearance as the cerebral palsied Ernie Roberts in Horizon's award-winning documentary "Joey".

He has had lead roles in numerous television series including Channel 4's cult sketch show "Who Dares Wins" and ITV's sit-com "My Wonderful Life".

As a writer of children's television programmes he has won two Royal Television Society awards, a BAFTA and the International Prix Jeunesse. His childrens work includes thirty episodes of Central TV's "Fat Tulip's Garden", a thirteen-part BBC series based on Homer's Iliad and Odyssey called "Odysseus – the Greatest Hero of Them All", and twenty six episodes of his Old Testament series "Blood and Honey".

He has written seventeen children's books, including "Tony Robinson's Kings and Queens". His three most recent books for adults are "The Worst Jobs in History", "Archaeology is Rubbish – A Beginner's Guide", co-written with Professor Mick Aston, and 'In Search of British Heroes'.

He has made many historical documentaries for Channel 4 over the last three years dealing with such subjects as The Peasants Revolt, the Roman Emperors, Macbeth and Robin Hood. A new film about the Holy Grail will be shown this Christmas. His social history series "The Worst Jobs in History" was transmitted this autumn. A second series and a Christmas special are planned for next year.

Thirteen new episodes of "Time Team", three Time Team documentaries and a week-long live televised Time Team event will be transmitted in 2005. Further series will be screened in 2006 and 07.

At the end of January 2005 he will be touring his one-man stage show "Tony Robinson's Cunning Night Out".

He is putting the entire works of Terry Pratchett onto audiotape. 39 titles have so far been completed.

From 1996 – 2000 he was Vice-President of British Actors Equity and is currently President of the Young Archaeology Club.  From 2000 – 04 he was a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. In July 1999 he was awarded an honorary MA by Bristol University and another in 2002 by the University of East London for services to drama and archaeology.

November 2004