Robert Robinson
Biography
Robinson was a film and television critic for newspapers before appearing on screen as the presenter of a film review programme, Picture Parade. In 1962 he became the gossip columnist of The Sunday Times, and continued to work in television as the host of BBC viewer feedback programme Points of View. He was also once a presenter on Radio 4's 'Today' programme.
He is particularly noted for accumulating as many as six concurrent presenting roles on TV and radio panel games, quizzes and talk shows. On Radio 4, he presented Stop the Week and Brain of Britain. He has the unique distinction in British broadcasting of having hosted three different game shows (Ask the Family, Brain of Britain and Call My Bluff) for more than 15 years each.
He died on 12 August 2011 at the age of 83.
Trivia
He is the father of the actress Lucy Robinson, who appeared as the formidable Mayoress in several editions of the BBC's mid-90s comedy series, 'The Thin Blue Line', which starred Rowan Atkinson. His other daughter, Suzy Robinson, is a famous soprano and he also has a son, Nick (who is a civil servant and not to be confused with the BBC's current Political Editor of the same name).
He wrote two novels: "Landscape with Dead Dons" (1956) and "The Conspiracy" (1968).
Among his many other credits, he was the main anchorman for the short-lived satire show BBC-3 (actually aired on BBC1). On the 13 November 1965 edition, he chaired the infamous discussion on censorship during which Ken Tynan said the F-word, causing quite a storm of controversy, questions being asked in the House of Commons, Mary Whitehouse writing to the Queen, etc.
Successful though Robinson was during his time on the 'Today' programme, the experience proved something of a poisoned chalice. Because he and his main co-presenter, John Timpson, were constantly delivering bad news, normally concerning strikes, violence and political unrest (the period being the increasingly troubled early 1970s), the pair were soon unkindly dubbed 'The Brothers Grim'.
Web links
An appreciation at transdiffusion.org
