off the train and left my suitcase behind, so I ran all the way back to
the station and believe it or not, the train was still at the platform and
my case was safe and sound, so I just picked it up and jumped back in
a taxi! Lucky? I think so.
How about if you had £1 for every person who asked you whether
you had a cunning plan?
Yes – it’s certainly become my catchphrase! There’s a reason why I
called my autobiography “No Cunning Plan”. People ask me about
it all the time but what most don’t realise is that ‘I have a cunning
plan’ didn’t become Baldrick’s catchphrase until the third series of
Blackadder. Looking back, it all seems preordained, as if Blackadder
was always going to be a success. But at the time we didn’t have a clue
how it was going to be received.
In fact, the first series wasn’t even that popular! It wasn’t until the
second series that it started to take off.
But amazing fun though?
You would assume it was good fun and of course it was intoxicating, but
in actual fact it was incredibly focused work. We were all perfectionists.
It was like playing for Real Madrid given the quality of the writers and
actors you were working with. Every episode was about trying to be
funnier, more engaging, more literate.
The bar felt very high. Everyone else was 10 years younger than me,
and I realised straight away what calibre of people I was working
with, despite a lot of them not really being known to television at that
time. There was Rowan (Atkinson) Stephen (Fry) and Hugh (Laurie)
who were pretty new to the industry and Tim McInnerny was at the
National Theatre so was known as a character actor but weren’t famous
or anything. There were just so much fresh talent there!
I remember being in the lunch queue at the BBC one day - and this was
in the days when every programme was rehearsed in the same place
in Acton, West London. So you’d see all sorts of people in the canteen
- and Victoria Wood, bless her, was behind me and just leaned over
and said, ‘You and I will never be Romeo and Juliet, we will always be
known as the little one and the fat one.’
What was it like working with the late, great Rik Mayall?
Like a grenade going off! I mean he was just dazzling! He could
rehearse something, and it would be like bam! Then he’d just stop and
wink at you!
Do you have a most embarrassing moment?
Yes, but it’s not a Blackadder one. The full story I’ve included in my
autobiography, but I’ll just say it involves me being locked outside a
theatre in the middle of the night with no clothes on!
18 wirrallife.com
Since Blackadder, your career has remained hugely varied from
being awarded a BAFTA for your TV writing, touring your one-
man stage show, to touching on political issues such as your
documentary on care for the elderly. How important is it to raise
awareness of these issues?
I’ve been an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society since 2008 and
this time of year, the depths of the winter, is a terrible time for many
elderly people. I found out a great deal about issues to do with the
elderly when I was making the documentary “Me and My Mum.”
The problems of loneliness, the cold and mobility difficulties for
elderly people are not going away and it’s important that people don’t
forget that.
You are politically active and have been a Labour Party supporter
for many years. What are your thoughts on Jeremy Corbyn’s
opposition?
Well I’ve always been critical of Jeremy but that’s the beauty of a large
party like the Labour party, you can criticise and put your point of
view across but at the end of the day you’re loyal to the party. I’ve even
campaigned on the Wirral!
I’m starting to wonder how you fit it all in, and I’m not surprised
you were presented with the “Outstanding Contribution by an
Individual” award by the Museums and Heritage Association.
You’ve also written 30 children’s books. Is it difficult to write
successful books for children?
The series of books that I’ve been writing for the last 6-7 years is called
Tony Robinson’s Weird World of Wonders and it looks at everything
extraordinary weird or funny. It’s not that it’s difficult to write for
children, but I like to try and breathe life into what would otherwise be
considered a dull subject. Although it’s not that the subject itself is dull,
it’s just sometimes it can be told in a really boring way.
You’ve got to scrape away at the tedium in the same way as you would
scrape away at a dull brown painted bannister to reveal the beautiful
wood underneath. Things aren’t dull, they just seem so and when you
find out more about them everything becomes interesting!
What’s next for you then? Is there anything left to achieve!
Well I guess my main ambition is to do more things I haven’t done yet.
I wouldn’t mind a character part in an HBO series. I’m starting to feel
left out that all my friends have been in Game of Thrones! Nor was I
in any of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy – even though he’s a
fan and owns an original Baldrick costume!
My next project is for Channel 5, and it takes me all over England
exploring the country’s Cathedrals. I’m really looking forward to it.
It includes Liverpool, so I’ll be back in my second home soon!