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Tony Robinson (born August 15, 1946) is an English actor, broadcaster, and political campaigner known for playing the part of Baldrick in the BBC TV series Blackadder and for hosting a number of archaeology related shows for Channel 4, especially Time Team. In addition to his television work, Robinson is also an important member of the Labour Party having served on their National Executive Committee and a respected author of 16 children's books.

Early Life

Born in Leytonstone, London he went to Wanstead High School in what is now the London Borough of Redbridge, and his first professional acting experience came at the age of twelve, when he appeared as a member of Fagin's gang in the original production of the musical Oliver!, including a stint as the Artful Dodger, with Robinson being promoted when the boy playing the Artful Dodger didn't turn up.Unofficial Tony Robinson Website : Biography

At school, Robinson passed 4 'O' Levels (English Language, English Literature, History and Geography) and went on to study for 'A' Levels, but decided to study at a drama school instead. Too young to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Robinson studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama. After leaving, he spent several years in repertory theatre including a period at Chichester Festival Theatre and a period in theatre management

In the early 1970s he starred in the children's fantasy-comedy programme Sam On Boff's Island, which was about a man who falls asleep while eating his breakfast cereal and ends up transported to an island which looks just like his cereal. After being part of the Who Dares Wins comedy performers.

Blackadder Period (1983-1989)

Robinson came to prominence for his role in the British historical sitcom Blackadder as Edmund Blackadder's disgusting man-servant/batman Baldrick. In the first series he was quite intelligent but subsequently his character evolved into that of an intellectually challenged buffoon. His catch phrase in this programme was, "I have a cunning plan". The character of Baldrick would go on to appear in all episodes.

In addition to his acting on Blackadder, he also wrote and narrated several Jackanory-style children's programmes, encouraged by Richard CurtisTony Robinson's Cunning Plan : BBC News Online. These programs would see Robinson bounding about the place acting out all the parts. Programmes in this style included Tales From Fat Tulip's Garden (continued in Fat Tulip Too), Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of Them All (a retelling of the Iliad and the Odyssey), and Blood and Honey (tales from the Old Testament, filmed on location).

In the late eighties he created the children's comedy TV series Maid Marian and her Merry Men, a loose retelling of the legend of Robin Hood in which he appeared as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Maid Marian would air for a total of 4 series on BBC1 from 1989 through to 1994.

Beyond Blackadder (1989 - present)

In 1994, Robinson began presenting Time Team, an TV program devoted to unearthing archaeological treasures in 3 days, as of 2006, the series has been re-commissioned through 2007, with Robinson being drafted in to present other history based shows on Channel 4, including The Worst Jobs in History, 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.

In 1999, Robinson returned to star in a one-off Blackadder short film to celebrate the millennium, titled Blackadder: Back & Forth. This short film was shown in the Millennium Dome throughout 2000 and was later aired on BBC One in 2003.

Tony Robinson's Cunning Night Out, a largely improvised stage show, followed in early 2005 and included a mix of the many themes from his career for which Robinson is famous. He also edited and presented The Real Da Vinci Code, a documentary for Channel 4's Weird World series which countered the claims made by Dan Brown in his novel The Da Vinci Code.

In addition to telling his own stories, Tony narrated the abridged audio book versions of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books. Nigel Planer, Celia Imrie and Stephen Briggs narrated the unabridged versions.

Robinson currently presents Classic FM's Friendly Guide to Classical Music which airs on a Sunday afternoon at 4pm. His favourite piece is Finlandia by Sibelius however his appreciation of music is broad. He is quoted as saying "Well, today, my favourite piece is 'Finlandia', but tomorrow it’ll be something by The Killers,".

Politics and Outside Interests

From 1996 to 2000, he was vice-president of the actors' union Equity, helping with a massive restructuring program which turned a £500,000 deficit into a small surplus.Absolute Speakers - Tony Robinson Since leaving, he was elected to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee, a position he held from 2000 to 2004.

He was also active in the "Make Poverty History" campaign during early 2005, in the lead-up to the G8 summit in Scotland.

In 2006 he appeared in Tony Robinson: Me and My Mum, a documentary surrounding Tony's decision to put his mother into a nursing home, and the difficulty he had with doing so. It controversially 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's short season of programmes entitled The Trouble With Old People.

Trivia

• He is also a supporter of Bristol City FC and Valencia CF.
• He is allergies to cats, feathers, red wine, stinging nettles and cod.
• He stands at 5'4" (1.63 m) in height

Selected filmography

• Carry On Cowboy (1965) - Rider
• Brannigan (1975) - Messenger
• Blackadder (1983–1989, 1999) - Sodoff Baldrick
• Maid Marian and Her Merry Men (1989–1994) - Sheriff of Nottingham & creator/writer
• The Neverending Story III (1994) - Engywook (male gnome)
• Faeries (1999) - Broom (voice)
• Time Team (1994–present) - Presenter
• Codex (2006) - Presenter

References

External links

• Tony Robinson's page in the Internet Movie Database
• The Unofficial website for Tony Robinson
• "Tony Robinson's cunning plan" - BBC News article dated Friday 26th May 2000
• Tony Robinson - Interviews in Sherwood
• Politics Isn't a Pop Concert - Tony Robinson
• "The Worst Jobs in History" (2004) Television Series
• "The Worst Christmas Jobs in History" (December 2005)
• "Time Team" - Television series. New season starts 2006
• Classic FM Friendly Guide to Classical Music Started September 2006

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