Sir Tony Robinson - ‘I learned comedy as a defence mechanism’
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Navigating Personal Failures
This chapter explores the emotional impact of personal failures and the lessons learned from past regrets. Through poignant stories, the speaker reflects on the enduring significance of failure and how perspectives on past challenges evolve with age.
Recorded with a live audience in Cambridge, this captivating conversation delves deep into the life and career of a cultural force of the last half-century. Known of course for his iconic role as Baldrick in Blackadder, Sir Tony's sharp intelligence and dry humour have had a formative influence on generations.
In this candid discussion, he opens up about the unexpected turns and profound challenges that have shaped his extraordinary journey as an actor, presenter, documentary maker and writer.
You'll hear his deeply personal reflections on fatherhood, insights into the creative process behind his recently announced novel, and the powerful lessons learned from a lifetime of experiences, both public and private.
Prepare for an engaging, wise, and moving conversation that explores the transformative power of vulnerability and the importance of finding meaningful connection. This is a unique opportunity to hear a national treasure like never before.
✨ IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Intro
00:45 Tony Robinson's Early Life and Career
03:13 Fatherhood and Family
04:55 Writing and Publishing a Novel
10:50 The Impact of Blackadder
13:16 Challenges and Conflicts in Blackadder
16:33 Height and Personal Insecurities
20:42 Childhood and Adolescence Struggles
22:41 Growing Up in the Shadow of WWII
24:49 The Ups and Downs of Gambling
27:28 Early Career and Poker Lessons
29:29 Child Actor Earnings and Capitalism
34:23 Dealing with Alzheimer's in the Family
37:03 Reflecting on Personal Failures
44:56 Finding Meaningful Relationships
💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:
“The trick is to minimise when you’re losing.”
“If someone gouges the oak tree when it's young, it's almost obscene. When you look at it, it's horrible. But gradually, as the oak grows older and wider and bigger, and the bark becomes more twisted and more sophisticated, that gouge becomes not only a thing of beauty, but probably the most beautiful and defining thing about that oak tree."
🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:
Sir Tony’s new book: The House of Wolf
Elizabeth’s upcoming one-off show at Cadogan Hall on 21 Sep for her new novel One of Us: https://www.fane.co.uk/elizabeth-day
Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/
Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
📚 WANT MORE?
Stephen Merchant, on height, stand-up and turning 50 https://listen.sonymusic-podcasts.link/ighNsQn7
Richard Osman, on professional failure, food addiction and his fear of joining in https://link.chtbl.com/oo_ct3h3
💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE?
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👋 Follow How To Fail & Elizabeth:
Instagram: @elizabday
TikTok:
Podcast Instagram: @howtofailpod
Website: www.elizabethday.org
Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/
Elizabeth and Sir Tony Robinson answer YOUR questions live in Cambridge in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: howtofailpod.com
Have a failure you’re trying to work through for Elizabeth to discuss? Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com
Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan
Live Show Engineer: Will Kontargyris
Sound Engineer: Matias Torres
Assistant Producer: Suhaar Ali
Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot
Executive Producer: Carly Maile
How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production.
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