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No Cunning Plan
Sir Tony Robinson is a much-loved actor, presenter and author with a stellar career lasting over fifty years. Now, in his long-awaited autobiography, he reveals how the boy from South Woodford went from child stardom in the first stage production of Oliver!, a pint-sized pickpocket desperately bleaching his incipient moustache, to comedy icon Baldrick, the loyal servant and turnip aficionado in Blackadder.
It wasn't all plain sailing though. Along the way he was bullied by Steve Marriott, failed to impress Liza Minnelli and was pushed into a stinking London dock by John Wayne. He also entertained us with Maid Marion and Her Merry Men (which he wrote and starred in) and coped manfully when locked naked outside a theatre in Lincoln during the live tour of comedy series Who Dares Wins. He presented Time Team for twenty years, watching countless gardens ruthlessly dug up in the name of archaeology, and risked life and limb filming The Worst Jobs in History.
Packed full of incident and insight, No Cunning Plan is a funny, self-deprecating and always entertaining read.
It wasn't all plain sailing though. Along the way he was bullied by Steve Marriott, failed to impress Liza Minnelli and was pushed into a stinking London dock by John Wayne. He also entertained us with Maid Marion and Her Merry Men (which he wrote and starred in) and coped manfully when locked naked outside a theatre in Lincoln during the live tour of comedy series Who Dares Wins. He presented Time Team for twenty years, watching countless gardens ruthlessly dug up in the name of archaeology, and risked life and limb filming The Worst Jobs in History.
Packed full of incident and insight, No Cunning Plan is a funny, self-deprecating and always entertaining read.
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First published September 22, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
September 22, 2016
This is one of the most entertaining autobiographies I've read in some time. I suspect like most people, I know Tony Robinson best from Blackadder, Time Team and involvement in the Labour Party, but his story goes back much further, and is full of variety and interest. He was in the cast of the original London production of Oliver, and spent many years acting and directing in some of the new breed of theatres and companies that came out of the 1960s and 1970s.
He is also candid about his personal life. His partners (and friends) come across as real people, his relationship with them alternately passionate, funny, sad. His handling of the role that Alzheimer's played in the life of both his parents is honest and unsentimental (and completely believable to someone with whom it unfortunately strikes a chord).
The style of the book is just right; light, but full of detail; funny and bittersweet. My only criticism is that the last two or three chapters seem to be a bit rushed; there is less detail, and bigger gaps. This might be because he got bored (?!), but I suspect it's just that he didn't want to go into as much detail about what are effectively current events.
Aside from this minor criticism, it is an excellent read; this is an autobiography where there is so much more to the subject than you might first suspect.
He is also candid about his personal life. His partners (and friends) come across as real people, his relationship with them alternately passionate, funny, sad. His handling of the role that Alzheimer's played in the life of both his parents is honest and unsentimental (and completely believable to someone with whom it unfortunately strikes a chord).
The style of the book is just right; light, but full of detail; funny and bittersweet. My only criticism is that the last two or three chapters seem to be a bit rushed; there is less detail, and bigger gaps. This might be because he got bored (?!), but I suspect it's just that he didn't want to go into as much detail about what are effectively current events.
Aside from this minor criticism, it is an excellent read; this is an autobiography where there is so much more to the subject than you might first suspect.
October 4, 2017
Tony Robinson as Baldrick in Blackadder was superb. I have not watched Time Team but will now (I have just watched the first one and Robinson looks like Comrade Bala - I am now hooked and am up to Series 5 - only 20 years behind now (edited 04-Oct-2017). I have a few documentary DVDs that he has done and they are all very good. I enjoyed reading this and was looking forward to getting back to reading it whenever I could.
It is not a rip-roaring laugh of a biography though there are some funny moments and there is a lot of interesting information. One of those interesting bits is how Ben Elton researched for the Georgian period in Blackadder III and also some of the stars Robinson met when he was a child actor. Sad stories of his mother and father which many, including me, can relate too. There is probably not enough space to go over all the filming he has done. He acknowledges that he has made mistakes in the past and a few of these are out there.
He does, though, have quite an ego so no real self-deprecating humour and I presume he has had to be this way to get on in the industry he is in but it does come over as a little cocky and self-important. The book still does not give a good reason to why he accepted a knighthood and was so excited by it when he is a Socialist Republican. Very odd but there you go.
It is not a rip-roaring laugh of a biography though there are some funny moments and there is a lot of interesting information. One of those interesting bits is how Ben Elton researched for the Georgian period in Blackadder III and also some of the stars Robinson met when he was a child actor. Sad stories of his mother and father which many, including me, can relate too. There is probably not enough space to go over all the filming he has done. He acknowledges that he has made mistakes in the past and a few of these are out there.
He does, though, have quite an ego so no real self-deprecating humour and I presume he has had to be this way to get on in the industry he is in but it does come over as a little cocky and self-important. The book still does not give a good reason to why he accepted a knighthood and was so excited by it when he is a Socialist Republican. Very odd but there you go.
June 4, 2019
Much of this book covers Tony's formative life experiences working in theatre and drama school. It's uncompromisingly open and honest, which is refreshing to see. I doubt anyone under the age of 40 will recognize most of the actors he encounters, though - I now appreciate why big stars name drop, as it provides a useful and entertaining context.
However, it's not until the second half of the book that we see anything about Blackadder or Time Team, and even then they formed a couple of short chapters, which I found a little disappointing, especially when they covered nearly 30 years of his life.
Also, the ending - it appears he'd suddenly reached his required wordcount while writing about visiting the Titanic, so he suddenly stopped the narrative to wrap up with a quick paragraph to end the book. Er, no, that's not how you do it.
It's not a bad book, and it is richly written, but it would have been nice to see more on subjects he was better known for - though to be fair it he appears to have been very busy with a hand in many, many theatrical and political projects.
However, it's not until the second half of the book that we see anything about Blackadder or Time Team, and even then they formed a couple of short chapters, which I found a little disappointing, especially when they covered nearly 30 years of his life.
Also, the ending - it appears he'd suddenly reached his required wordcount while writing about visiting the Titanic, so he suddenly stopped the narrative to wrap up with a quick paragraph to end the book. Er, no, that's not how you do it.
It's not a bad book, and it is richly written, but it would have been nice to see more on subjects he was better known for - though to be fair it he appears to have been very busy with a hand in many, many theatrical and political projects.
April 10, 2018
I picked up Tony Robinson's autobiography because I loved him in Black Adder and am a fan of Time Team. I imagined that he was an affable sort of chap, and he may be. He writes in detail about his life and early professional work, but the writing is rather dry and he tends to overshare. I could have gone my whole life happily not knowing that he won a wanking contest during a physics class, for example. He does namedrop regularly but there weren't many interesting anecdotes.
A third of the way through I decided not to read any more. Unfortunately the more I read the less I found I liked the author. It does seem to be all about him all of the time, which is fair enough in an autobiography but tiresome with no real humour or self deprecation.
His delight in the opening chapter, as a self professed republican, when he was awarded a knighthood also seemed incongruous.
A third of the way through I decided not to read any more. Unfortunately the more I read the less I found I liked the author. It does seem to be all about him all of the time, which is fair enough in an autobiography but tiresome with no real humour or self deprecation.
His delight in the opening chapter, as a self professed republican, when he was awarded a knighthood also seemed incongruous.
October 23, 2020
Opinions incoming:
I grew up knowing Tony Robinson as Baldrick from ‘Blackadder’, the British historical comedy show, and as the host of the archaeological show ‘Time Team’. When I saw that he had written a memoir I bought it on sight, but I’m afraid it falls slightly into the same pattern as the likes of Stephen Fry. Older English man, slightly arrogant in thinking he’s more famous and/or successful than he actually is, actually a bit of a dick.
The physical copy I bought references ‘Blackadder’ in at least 3 different ways on the cover alone, perhaps more depending on how you’re counting, and this is definitely to make more sales off the back of his most famous role. The time he actually spent on the topic of Blackadder was the bare minimum he could have gotten away with while also using it as a marketing tactic. He spent more time discussing Time Team (fair, the show ran for 20 years) but even then, that hardly took up any significant space in this book. Given these were his 2 main hooks for getting people to buy the book I was already very disappointed.
As mentioned, the book has a slightly arrogant flavour. Not as strong as Stephen Fry, or even Rainn Wilson (whose memoir ‘The Bassoon King’ still sticks in my memory as one of the worst books I’ve read this year), but it’s definitely there. Since Tony was an actor and self-professed attention seeker since childhood though I suppose that’s only fair. But I found his opening chapter about being almost offended by ~having to get a knighthood~ a really off-putting way to start. Poor Sir Tony… interesting how you can be so disgusted by the monarchy but still accept a knighthood and mention it in literally the first sentence of your memoir…
Other than that I found the glorifying of his extensive history with drugs/alcohol/fighting really odd. He openly admits that it damaged many areas of his life and often very negatively impacted his work (which he wasn’t getting much of to begin with at the time) and it just felt… odd how often he insisted on coming back to the subject and trying to turn it into a positive thing when it only left him a mess. Weird. There’s also the fact of him being put-out when his partner and mother of his children, Mary, left him after he’d been completely unfaithful for their 20 years together (and also unfaithful to his first wife before that). But it may take a second reading for some to understand that, because he seemingly wanted to be far less open about that than he did about how abandoned he felt… mmm…
The real “cunning” part of this book, however, was to dress it up as a story of his time in his most famous roles, only to talk politics for 80-90% of the book. I’m not fascinated by politics at the best of times, but if I hadn’t downloaded the audiobook, I honestly don’t think I could have gotten through this memoir.
In summary:
Expectation: tales of growing up as a child actor, fighting for his place amongst the great actors of the age, mainstream success, and current work in advocacy.
Reality: I was such a good child actor, then I got older, politics, married a girl but lost interest, politics, monogamy is hard, politics, (BlackadderandTimeTeambutanyway), politics, meeting a woman literally half my age (literally younger than both his children) and being kind of creepy talking about how I fancied her straight away and got her to marry me, politics and a bit of advocacy, bizarre ending that no one will ever see coming that feels out of place and weird.
If you reaaaallllly like Tony, see if you can get it from the library. Don’t pay for it.
I grew up knowing Tony Robinson as Baldrick from ‘Blackadder’, the British historical comedy show, and as the host of the archaeological show ‘Time Team’. When I saw that he had written a memoir I bought it on sight, but I’m afraid it falls slightly into the same pattern as the likes of Stephen Fry. Older English man, slightly arrogant in thinking he’s more famous and/or successful than he actually is, actually a bit of a dick.
The physical copy I bought references ‘Blackadder’ in at least 3 different ways on the cover alone, perhaps more depending on how you’re counting, and this is definitely to make more sales off the back of his most famous role. The time he actually spent on the topic of Blackadder was the bare minimum he could have gotten away with while also using it as a marketing tactic. He spent more time discussing Time Team (fair, the show ran for 20 years) but even then, that hardly took up any significant space in this book. Given these were his 2 main hooks for getting people to buy the book I was already very disappointed.
As mentioned, the book has a slightly arrogant flavour. Not as strong as Stephen Fry, or even Rainn Wilson (whose memoir ‘The Bassoon King’ still sticks in my memory as one of the worst books I’ve read this year), but it’s definitely there. Since Tony was an actor and self-professed attention seeker since childhood though I suppose that’s only fair. But I found his opening chapter about being almost offended by ~having to get a knighthood~ a really off-putting way to start. Poor Sir Tony… interesting how you can be so disgusted by the monarchy but still accept a knighthood and mention it in literally the first sentence of your memoir…
Other than that I found the glorifying of his extensive history with drugs/alcohol/fighting really odd. He openly admits that it damaged many areas of his life and often very negatively impacted his work (which he wasn’t getting much of to begin with at the time) and it just felt… odd how often he insisted on coming back to the subject and trying to turn it into a positive thing when it only left him a mess. Weird. There’s also the fact of him being put-out when his partner and mother of his children, Mary, left him after he’d been completely unfaithful for their 20 years together (and also unfaithful to his first wife before that). But it may take a second reading for some to understand that, because he seemingly wanted to be far less open about that than he did about how abandoned he felt… mmm…
The real “cunning” part of this book, however, was to dress it up as a story of his time in his most famous roles, only to talk politics for 80-90% of the book. I’m not fascinated by politics at the best of times, but if I hadn’t downloaded the audiobook, I honestly don’t think I could have gotten through this memoir.
In summary:
Expectation: tales of growing up as a child actor, fighting for his place amongst the great actors of the age, mainstream success, and current work in advocacy.
Reality: I was such a good child actor, then I got older, politics, married a girl but lost interest, politics, monogamy is hard, politics, (BlackadderandTimeTeambutanyway), politics, meeting a woman literally half my age (literally younger than both his children) and being kind of creepy talking about how I fancied her straight away and got her to marry me, politics and a bit of advocacy, bizarre ending that no one will ever see coming that feels out of place and weird.
If you reaaaallllly like Tony, see if you can get it from the library. Don’t pay for it.
March 30, 2019
I have loved Tony Robinson since I watched him in 'Maid Marian and Her Merry Men' on TV when I was a child. He brings an infectious energy and enthusiasm to history so he's a regular feature in my classroom: thanks, Tony, for 'Time Team', 'Black Adder' and 'The Worst Jobs in History'!
'No Cunning Plan' is my first autobiography of 2019 and I found it a joy to read. Robinson has a charming way of writing; it felt like a relaxed narrative - not heavy going at all, even with the sadder sections he seemed more pragmatic than sentimental. I struggled a little bit with the many reminiscences of his theatre experiences, but only because I'm not a regular theatregoer so a lot of this was over my head.
Tony Robinson remains up there with my other intellectual crushes: Lucy Worsley, Alice Roberts, Stephen Fry and Michael Palin, and I enjoyed the book so much I managed to read it in four days putting me back on target for my 52 books in 2019!
'No Cunning Plan' is my first autobiography of 2019 and I found it a joy to read. Robinson has a charming way of writing; it felt like a relaxed narrative - not heavy going at all, even with the sadder sections he seemed more pragmatic than sentimental. I struggled a little bit with the many reminiscences of his theatre experiences, but only because I'm not a regular theatregoer so a lot of this was over my head.
Tony Robinson remains up there with my other intellectual crushes: Lucy Worsley, Alice Roberts, Stephen Fry and Michael Palin, and I enjoyed the book so much I managed to read it in four days putting me back on target for my 52 books in 2019!
March 22, 2017
Really disappointing! First time I've read an autobiography and thought less of the person after reading. Such a shame, he's quite full of himself, and I'm not really sure why.
April 2, 2017
Tony Robinson's autobiography is really interesting. He reveals a different side to his character than the mild mannered person we see on tv. His life and path to fame was very interesting. He started as a child star in the stage show of 'Oliver' which must have been very exciting. Being small for his age and clearly talented he got other parts too. His parents were musical, and although they were not rich or posh, they were not dirt poor either. They had ambitions for their son which in those days meant grammar school, where their free natured son did not fit in and was clearly unhappy. After school, Tony embarked on a career as a jobbing actor and always managed to find some sort of work. I was most interested to see that he has been the director of the Midland Arts Centre in Cannon Hill in the early 70s. I lived not far from there then and was taken as a child to see some of their productions. Tony got some interesting parts and worked with some very well known people, but was frustrated at not getting a big break. Of course, reading the book, you know he does get his break. He only took the small part of Baldrick to meet with the Oxbridge comedy set and after the pilot, it was quite some time before the first series was made. His life changes after this and he goes on to the other successes that we know. Tony clearly has a determined character and includes some very personal things like his drug taking, which I was surprised at. He also has quite a temper but only mentions this a few times, this does seem to go against what we see on tv. He is also a bit of a womaniser but does not go into this - maybe to protect his children? For a short man, he seems to have no trouble finding ladies, although, I can imagine that his charm and wit make up for a lack of height. He is also very passionate about his politics and is heavily involved in equity. He also gets involved in the Labour Party and gives a fair assessment of some of the problems it faces. I would have liked to know more about where his socialism came from, from the book he seems balanced and not too radical. An interesting book which could have had a bit more depth but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
December 4, 2016
This isn't one of the best autobiographies I've read, but is saved and given its 4th star by the charm of the author.
I say that, as while Tony Robinson gives a thorough retelling of a fascinating life and career, including things I honestly never know about him, he never really digs into his own phycology. As a comparison, in approximately the same length book John Cleese only gets about thirty or so years, while Robinson manages over seventy. This doesn't mean this isn't worth the read, especially if you're a fan of his work (and who isn't a fan of at least something this man has worked of). What we have is a list of his career, the high and low lights, and his predominant thoughts about them at the time. I would have liked a little more insight into his thoughts and his life than we are given. A little more personal insight into the man, rather than just the career.
But it's definitely a must read for any fan of Tony Robinson.
I say that, as while Tony Robinson gives a thorough retelling of a fascinating life and career, including things I honestly never know about him, he never really digs into his own phycology. As a comparison, in approximately the same length book John Cleese only gets about thirty or so years, while Robinson manages over seventy. This doesn't mean this isn't worth the read, especially if you're a fan of his work (and who isn't a fan of at least something this man has worked of). What we have is a list of his career, the high and low lights, and his predominant thoughts about them at the time. I would have liked a little more insight into his thoughts and his life than we are given. A little more personal insight into the man, rather than just the career.
But it's definitely a must read for any fan of Tony Robinson.
April 20, 2017
An interesting experiment because this was the first unabridged audiobook I've listened to. I am not sure I would have read the print version - there's a fair few sections where I didn't really pay attention and might have found a bit dull if I was actually reading it. That said, I did really enjoy the book and Tony Robinson, as ever, is a superb narrator.
Does make you realise that a successful acting career is often down to luck than talent. Robinson had slogged away for years before hitting the big time with Blackadder, continually being dropped from productions because he didn't have the right "look" or being disappointed that the project that was to be his "big break" fell through.
One thing is clear -he is absolutely devoted to his children and was equally devoted to his parents (he makes references to his family in pretty much every chapter).
Does make you realise that a successful acting career is often down to luck than talent. Robinson had slogged away for years before hitting the big time with Blackadder, continually being dropped from productions because he didn't have the right "look" or being disappointed that the project that was to be his "big break" fell through.
One thing is clear -he is absolutely devoted to his children and was equally devoted to his parents (he makes references to his family in pretty much every chapter).
May 22, 2020
I like how honest Tony was about the good and the bad in his life. I've appreciated his work on Time Team now for years and it was wonderful to hear about some of the people he worked with on that show. I also liked some of his brief political commentary. I appreciated much of it.
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November 3, 2025Why I read it: As I promised many moons ago, I've done it. I've read Sir Tony Robinson's memoir -- or listened to it, as it were, because I love his voice and he narrates it himself for Audible -- though in our household he's known as "my good and close friend Sir Tony".
Thoughts: Short review, but I liked this. There are many things that I wish he'd gone into more detail about, but I genuinely had a blast listening to his life story from birth and up to about 2016. I could've listened to him narrate more random anecdotes from his life for another three hours.
Some reviews talk about how he minimised certain unsavoury things about his life, but to me it was refreshing that the unsavoury bits were mentioned at all, and often without trying to put a spin on them that made him sound like a saint. There was a lot of "And this is where I fucked up." and sure, he doesn't go into a lot of detail about them at times, but like... are we owed that? What would be a satisfactory way to address things like the failure of his first two marriages, when he doesn't fully go over the ins and outs of the marriages in the first place and we weren't there to witness his mistakes personally?
Anyway, I read this as I would any work of fiction, really. Just because it's a memoir doesn't mean it has to be factually accurate, and the way we each perceive ourselves is to a degree fictionalised anyway. The important part to me is this memoir was interesting, even when I really couldn't give a damn about Sir Tony Robinson's political career, which I think just goes to show he can at the very least tell a good story.
Would I read more from this author: Yeah.
Would I recommend it: Yep.
Would I reread it: I dunno. Maybe? I definitely wished I had a print copy of it with an index and bibliography so I could check out the works, shows, and plays he mentioned.
Thoughts: Short review, but I liked this. There are many things that I wish he'd gone into more detail about, but I genuinely had a blast listening to his life story from birth and up to about 2016. I could've listened to him narrate more random anecdotes from his life for another three hours.
Some reviews talk about how he minimised certain unsavoury things about his life, but to me it was refreshing that the unsavoury bits were mentioned at all, and often without trying to put a spin on them that made him sound like a saint. There was a lot of "And this is where I fucked up." and sure, he doesn't go into a lot of detail about them at times, but like... are we owed that? What would be a satisfactory way to address things like the failure of his first two marriages, when he doesn't fully go over the ins and outs of the marriages in the first place and we weren't there to witness his mistakes personally?
Anyway, I read this as I would any work of fiction, really. Just because it's a memoir doesn't mean it has to be factually accurate, and the way we each perceive ourselves is to a degree fictionalised anyway. The important part to me is this memoir was interesting, even when I really couldn't give a damn about Sir Tony Robinson's political career, which I think just goes to show he can at the very least tell a good story.
Would I read more from this author: Yeah.
Would I recommend it: Yep.
Would I reread it: I dunno. Maybe? I definitely wished I had a print copy of it with an index and bibliography so I could check out the works, shows, and plays he mentioned.
September 7, 2023
Torn on this one…I spent much of this listen being intensely annoyed by Robinson’s arrogance and entitlement and the tedious detail of endless theatre and union adventures. But the back third or so saved it for me, with some deeply personal and moving accounts of his parent’s struggles with dementia, the loss of people close to him, and insights into his many years with Time Team. Given his clear facility for remembering the minutest of details about obscure events from decades ago, it is disappointing that he chose to devote so little time and detail to his Blackadder days - arguably his most recognisable role and the one which would have prompted many to buy this autobiography (Robinson has happily capitalised on his most famous catchphrase for the title, after all). Perhaps he’d rather distance himself, anxious to avoid being defined predominantly for his role as Baldrick. It’s understandable that he’d want to show there’s more to him and share his passion for radical politics and disrupting the status quo. Those are undoubtedly interesting parts of the whole but the balance was out of whack, resulting in large chunks which just felt bloated and self-indulgent. The odd bits that bobbed up around this, however, were sublime.
April 3, 2024
absolutely loved hearing tales from Tony's life. His acting and presenting career has featured so many of my favourites
-time team
- blackadder
-maid marian and her merry men
-discworld audiotapes
-looney tunes
Thanks Tony
-time team
- blackadder
-maid marian and her merry men
-discworld audiotapes
-looney tunes
Thanks Tony
August 8, 2025
I had no idea that Tony Robinson had been a child actor. This was an interesting memoir, full of anecdotes without being 'name-droppy'. It was very long though, and nearly 80% of it was pre-Blackadder. I would be very interested to read a follow-up that covers the last few years, especially to hear Tony's thoughts on the current Labour government...
May 21, 2017
Most people will know Tony Robinson as the wonderful Baldrick in the Blackadder TV series, in recent years I have been just as enamored with his series of historical walks and work with the TV series Time Team. So when I was at the library last week looking for something new, this poked its head out at me.
As an autobiography, this is in depth. It is mostly quite dry reading, and if you are looking for something that is fall over laughing humorous you are in the wrong place. It has smatterings no doubt, but what this provides is a detailed run down of his life in show business, with practically every stage show he has participated in or directed or written or all three. If you aren't interested in shows that you've never heard of and are unlikely to ever see, then this may not be for you. However, if you are interested in Tony's life and loves, and how the decisions he made changed his life stream throughout, then this is a good read. It does get repetitive in places, but if you can wade through these it is rewardingly informative.
As an autobiography, this is in depth. It is mostly quite dry reading, and if you are looking for something that is fall over laughing humorous you are in the wrong place. It has smatterings no doubt, but what this provides is a detailed run down of his life in show business, with practically every stage show he has participated in or directed or written or all three. If you aren't interested in shows that you've never heard of and are unlikely to ever see, then this may not be for you. However, if you are interested in Tony's life and loves, and how the decisions he made changed his life stream throughout, then this is a good read. It does get repetitive in places, but if you can wade through these it is rewardingly informative.
December 1, 2017
A pleasant surprise. I mostly think of time team and discworld when I think of Tony Robinson, but he has been a constant presence in TV for the past 30 or so years.
Tony tells an interesting and for the most part, entertaining tale which really does pick up for the last third of the book, so much so that I didn't want to put it down.
I was less interested in the Labour Party activities, but fortunately the anecdotes selected are amusing, and it doesn't spoil the book too much.
It is interesting to hear someone articulate why it is they feel so betrayed by Blair though. An interesting point of view, if not one I personally subscribe to.
Tony tells an interesting and for the most part, entertaining tale which really does pick up for the last third of the book, so much so that I didn't want to put it down.
I was less interested in the Labour Party activities, but fortunately the anecdotes selected are amusing, and it doesn't spoil the book too much.
It is interesting to hear someone articulate why it is they feel so betrayed by Blair though. An interesting point of view, if not one I personally subscribe to.
February 24, 2019
I loved it!
I love Tony Robinson! I discovered Time Team and am still trying to watch all the episodes. I've watched every episode of Worst Jobs in history & found out here he hated doing it. Learn something new every day! He is a riot, so funny, smart and adorable! He is a treasure and so is his book. You have to read this. I have learned more about archeology from Time Team than I ever did in school! Tony Robinson may have started as a child actor but he is a treasure teacher, a man who cares passionately about life, his family and people.
I love Tony Robinson! I discovered Time Team and am still trying to watch all the episodes. I've watched every episode of Worst Jobs in history & found out here he hated doing it. Learn something new every day! He is a riot, so funny, smart and adorable! He is a treasure and so is his book. You have to read this. I have learned more about archeology from Time Team than I ever did in school! Tony Robinson may have started as a child actor but he is a treasure teacher, a man who cares passionately about life, his family and people.
February 25, 2019
I love this guy. So modest and unassuming and yet with all the celebrity he is still so blooming kind and down-to-earth. Never will forget his kindness in coming to visit our desperately ill Blackadder fan daughter in Bristol Children's Hospital and lending her his entire collection of Blackadder videos. So I had to read this to learn what made him this way. Nothing to disappoint. It was well-written, funny - I was unable to read at one point due to the tears of laughter - and I could hear his voice the entire book through.
March 5, 2019
Interesting read up to a point......I know that he is a political animal, but giving us the blow by blow descriptions of political meetings he was involved in, really isn’t that interesting to anybody who hasn’t got a clue about English politics, or the who’s who of the English theatre.
Lots of information about the making of four episodes of Black Adder but very little real information about the making of 20 years worth of Time Team......and for this of us who never saw the majority of his other work, the book tended to drag on.
Lots of information about the making of four episodes of Black Adder but very little real information about the making of 20 years worth of Time Team......and for this of us who never saw the majority of his other work, the book tended to drag on.
January 23, 2018
If you read this book hoping to learn more about Blackadder, don't bother. Tony manages to gloss the entire thing in under a chapter. In fact he covers the Millenium special in more detail than the entire Blackadder saga.
There's a bit about Time Team but not much, considering how long it ran for.
There's next to nothing about Maid Marion which is very sad.
There's a bit about Time Team but not much, considering how long it ran for.
There's next to nothing about Maid Marion which is very sad.
July 24, 2017
Listened to as an audio-book; a very honest depiction, well written and read.
So a good book, only my high esteem for him was destroyed by his honest portrayal of his life. I guess it's true what they say you never want to meet your heroes.
So a good book, only my high esteem for him was destroyed by his honest portrayal of his life. I guess it's true what they say you never want to meet your heroes.
November 4, 2016
An Excellent book.
February 15, 2020
Possibly my favorite celebrity autobiography. I suspect he actually wrote it, a rare thing in such books. And I laughed aloud several times, and smiled others. I liked how he rolled his eyes at his younger, arrogant, clueless self. (I think some other reviewers here saw that as arrogance, but I read it as "OMG, I was such a wanker.") I'm American, and all the references to obscure/dead English stage actors and directors were lost on me, and the end is mishandled. But many other bits were interesting. So many child actors really go off the rails, and he reinvented himself several times and not only survived but thrived into old age. (I guess to be polite, I'm supposed to call that "late middle age," but I'm younger than he is by a decade plus, and I'm fuckin' old, so sorry, but it's old age.) I had no idea he was in the original London cast of Oliver! (playing the Artful Dodger as understudy, and one of the unnamed orphan boys on normal nights.)
Forgive me for a little autobiography of my own to explain why I sought out this book. I encountered Tony Robinson in 2018 on Remembrance Day, when a social media friend in England told me to go watch Black Adder series 3. I did watch part of it, including the powerful last episode, and one episode each of series 1 and 2. I found most of the comedy awful, it did not improve my opinion of the talent of Rowan Atkinson, and Miranda Richardson's interpretation of Queen Elizabeth I made me wish I'd been born deaf, it was so painfully screechy. The only thing that worked for me over all the three years was this guy playing Baldrick, who was more controlled and reined in and deadpan and therefore much funnier than the over-the-top muggers in the cast. (For my American friends here, it's Baldrick's catchphrase, "I have a cunning plan," that gives rise to this book's title.) I had to look him up on imdb to get the name, and then I put him into youtube's search engine and found all the history/science/archeology programs he'd been the presenter of. That is 100% my kind of thing. I was hooked. It's all I watched for about six months, and he was terrific on them. Thus, despite this book not being published in the US, I hunted for an American used book store that had it in paper (I don't approve of the gouging prices trade publishers charge for ebooks, which cost nothing extra for them to produce, so I don't pay them.) It was a bit of a chore to find, and I wouldn't have known to hunt for it except for a reading he did out of it in a tribute to Mick Aston, also discovered on youtube. I enjoyed the Time Team chapters especially and did not envy him the work he had to do on The Worst Jobs In History.
Forgive me for a little autobiography of my own to explain why I sought out this book. I encountered Tony Robinson in 2018 on Remembrance Day, when a social media friend in England told me to go watch Black Adder series 3. I did watch part of it, including the powerful last episode, and one episode each of series 1 and 2. I found most of the comedy awful, it did not improve my opinion of the talent of Rowan Atkinson, and Miranda Richardson's interpretation of Queen Elizabeth I made me wish I'd been born deaf, it was so painfully screechy. The only thing that worked for me over all the three years was this guy playing Baldrick, who was more controlled and reined in and deadpan and therefore much funnier than the over-the-top muggers in the cast. (For my American friends here, it's Baldrick's catchphrase, "I have a cunning plan," that gives rise to this book's title.) I had to look him up on imdb to get the name, and then I put him into youtube's search engine and found all the history/science/archeology programs he'd been the presenter of. That is 100% my kind of thing. I was hooked. It's all I watched for about six months, and he was terrific on them. Thus, despite this book not being published in the US, I hunted for an American used book store that had it in paper (I don't approve of the gouging prices trade publishers charge for ebooks, which cost nothing extra for them to produce, so I don't pay them.) It was a bit of a chore to find, and I wouldn't have known to hunt for it except for a reading he did out of it in a tribute to Mick Aston, also discovered on youtube. I enjoyed the Time Team chapters especially and did not envy him the work he had to do on The Worst Jobs In History.
August 12, 2018
I would highly recommend this to anyone who has had an interest in Tony ROBINSON's career. For me being an Australian I was only aware of his Television productions and not his vast history in theatre.
I enjoyed his 'near' tell all of his life and its ups and downs and formed an opinion or maybe a picture of him. He appears to be besotted with his penis, has a high rating of his ideas and how things should be done and wants us to believe he is humble in being ignored and would cheerfully move on to the next available production.
He appeared to have no qualms relating his sexual and drug history, in fact I feel he reveled in it.
I was surprised at his involvement in politics, however on learning he was a staunch Labor supporter I was not surprised of his political coups, backslapping, denunciation of his peers and support of whatever 'wing' he was affiliated with.
I am yet to determine whether he is a name dropper or just wants us to know how many people are involved in theatre in England. Name after name poured forth and I gave up googling them as I listened to the CDs.
Give it a go.
I enjoyed his 'near' tell all of his life and its ups and downs and formed an opinion or maybe a picture of him. He appears to be besotted with his penis, has a high rating of his ideas and how things should be done and wants us to believe he is humble in being ignored and would cheerfully move on to the next available production.
He appeared to have no qualms relating his sexual and drug history, in fact I feel he reveled in it.
I was surprised at his involvement in politics, however on learning he was a staunch Labor supporter I was not surprised of his political coups, backslapping, denunciation of his peers and support of whatever 'wing' he was affiliated with.
I am yet to determine whether he is a name dropper or just wants us to know how many people are involved in theatre in England. Name after name poured forth and I gave up googling them as I listened to the CDs.
Give it a go.
March 22, 2019
Tony Uncovered...
This book is a good read from start to finish.
It’s filled with an honesty and openness that you won’t find in most biographies particularly in the early stages.
Being of the generation that saw Blackadder develop through his teens I would’ve hoped for more in depth information about his work on the show but I felt like perhaps he shied away from this as he didn’t want it to define his career (which it certainly doesn’t.)
My eyes were opened to some of the projects that he had been involved in, as well as some of the people he had been involved with during his exceptionally interesting life so far.
There were times when I felt that the constant political drum banging went on too long. Although I appreciate it has been a huge part of his life, it’s not a subject that interests me and I frequently found myself irritated by his consistent pro Labour dialogue.
Although the book seemed to start quite up-beat, the longer the book went on the more jaded TR seemed to become and I found my mood dropped in line with his.
Worth a read and if you’re more politically motivated perhaps you’d give this a 5*
This book is a good read from start to finish.
It’s filled with an honesty and openness that you won’t find in most biographies particularly in the early stages.
Being of the generation that saw Blackadder develop through his teens I would’ve hoped for more in depth information about his work on the show but I felt like perhaps he shied away from this as he didn’t want it to define his career (which it certainly doesn’t.)
My eyes were opened to some of the projects that he had been involved in, as well as some of the people he had been involved with during his exceptionally interesting life so far.
There were times when I felt that the constant political drum banging went on too long. Although I appreciate it has been a huge part of his life, it’s not a subject that interests me and I frequently found myself irritated by his consistent pro Labour dialogue.
Although the book seemed to start quite up-beat, the longer the book went on the more jaded TR seemed to become and I found my mood dropped in line with his.
Worth a read and if you’re more politically motivated perhaps you’d give this a 5*
July 29, 2024
I enjoyed the prologue - an amusing account of getting a KBE. I'm not sure why he was so honoured, and perhaps he was too modest to say. He seems to have been very surprised. I haven't bothered to find out, but perhaps it was in recognition of the amazing variety of work he has done, from being a child actor to running small theatre companies to grown-up acting to writing children's books to political work in Equity and the Labour party to presenting historical TV programs. And, of course, acting in Blackadder.
A lot of the writing is funny, just what you would expect from Tony Robinson, which helps get you through the book. He is forthright in his condemnation of Tony Blair for entering the Iraq War.
However, as another reviewer has mentioned, I ended up liking him less after reading this work than I did before. He's a bit of a randy old b****r! And he doesn't seem remorseful about (or even to regret) the breakups of his many marriages and partnerships. Perhaps that's showbiz!
A lot of the writing is funny, just what you would expect from Tony Robinson, which helps get you through the book. He is forthright in his condemnation of Tony Blair for entering the Iraq War.
However, as another reviewer has mentioned, I ended up liking him less after reading this work than I did before. He's a bit of a randy old b****r! And he doesn't seem remorseful about (or even to regret) the breakups of his many marriages and partnerships. Perhaps that's showbiz!
June 5, 2017
The iconic Baldrick puts pen to paper to draft a history of his life. It cracks along at a right old pace charting the career of the erstwhile actor, his loves, triumphs and losses. It is funny but has plenty of pathos and moments of reflection and sadness. Of course Tony is essentially a comic actor and writer with a genius for communicating to the common man or woman whoever they might be. There is one thing you need to be aware of - a certain nob obsession. Actors have few qualms and comic actors even less so there are a few tales to tell in that department - nothing smutty mind! There is also quite a lot of Labour politics too which I didn't mind at all.
I enjoyed it but felt that like many biographies nowadays we learn little about what it was like to be Tony Robinson, how he felt and related to the people and environments around him.
I enjoyed it but felt that like many biographies nowadays we learn little about what it was like to be Tony Robinson, how he felt and related to the people and environments around him.
June 11, 2021
Touching, humourous, and downright warm
One of the things I've always enjoyed about autobiographies, if they happen, is that the author is able to reflect back on their life in third person with a fair amount of humor and any admissions of wrongdoing or things they've learned. Tony Robinson does all of these things, and does so in a way that allows you to see The human side of the other people he was involved with without degrading or demeaning anyone to push himself up on a pedestal.
Moreover, it doesn't read like War and Peace, it doesn't present itself to be anything more than the memories of one man's career, and it's amazingly good if you listen to it in his own voice doing the narration. It's as if Tony is sitting in the room with you and just nattering away while you have a cup of tea with him.
One of the things I've always enjoyed about autobiographies, if they happen, is that the author is able to reflect back on their life in third person with a fair amount of humor and any admissions of wrongdoing or things they've learned. Tony Robinson does all of these things, and does so in a way that allows you to see The human side of the other people he was involved with without degrading or demeaning anyone to push himself up on a pedestal.
Moreover, it doesn't read like War and Peace, it doesn't present itself to be anything more than the memories of one man's career, and it's amazingly good if you listen to it in his own voice doing the narration. It's as if Tony is sitting in the room with you and just nattering away while you have a cup of tea with him.
December 29, 2022
An interesting life!
I'm not a big fan of autobiography stories as they can tend to ramble on and flit from one period to another. In contrast, this is written chronologically, starting with his upbringing and dislike of school and working through to 2015 and his current marraige. It does now feel like it needs some updating with perhaps an extra chapter at the end to bring it up to date.Tony is honest about his life and readily admits his mistakes and faults along the way. Anyone looking for behind the scenes tidbits from Blackadder or Timeteam may be sadly disappointed. Tony does talk us through his time with both shows but refrains from indulging in gossip. Some may find his frequent mention of politics annoying but as this seems to have played such a large role in his life, it cannot be avoided. A good read for those who are fans.
I'm not a big fan of autobiography stories as they can tend to ramble on and flit from one period to another. In contrast, this is written chronologically, starting with his upbringing and dislike of school and working through to 2015 and his current marraige. It does now feel like it needs some updating with perhaps an extra chapter at the end to bring it up to date.Tony is honest about his life and readily admits his mistakes and faults along the way. Anyone looking for behind the scenes tidbits from Blackadder or Timeteam may be sadly disappointed. Tony does talk us through his time with both shows but refrains from indulging in gossip. Some may find his frequent mention of politics annoying but as this seems to have played such a large role in his life, it cannot be avoided. A good read for those who are fans.
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