Robin Askwith

Robin Askwith (born 12 October 1950, Southport, Lancashire),^[1] is an English film actor, most famous for his role as Timmy Lea in the Confessions... sex comedies.

Career

Confessions...

Askwith appeared in a number of film and television roles before two key appearances in 1973. The first was in appearing in Antony Balch's Horror Hospital. Now seen as something of a cult film, it is in many ways a bizarre hybrid of horror and the mild titillation of the later 'Confessions...' films. In the same year Askwith also appeared in a Carry On film, Carry On Girls. These appearances led producers Norman Cohen, Greg Smith and Michael Klinger to offer him the starring role in Confessions of a Window Cleaner after the part was turned down by several other previous candidates, Richard Beckinsale, Richard O'Sullivan, Nicky Henson and Dennis Waterman. The success of the film led to three sequels, Confessions of a Pop Performer, Confessions of a Driving Instructor and Confessions from a Holiday Camp.

Although the Confessions series came to an end with Confessions from a Holiday Camp, a fifth and a sixth film, Confessions of a Plumber’s Mate and Confessions of a Private Soldier had been planned in 1977. Askwith even expressed a desire to direct Private Soldier, but neither film materialised. Plans to shoot a further made-for-video Confessions film in the 1980s also came to nothing, although by this time he was appearing in the ITV sitcom Bottle Boys.

Stage work

Askwith’s extensive work on stage, includes numerous farces like Run For Your Wife plus the stage Confessions sequel The Further Confessions of a Window Cleaner- and Pantomimes- appearing with the Chuckle Brothers in Dick Whittington in the late 1990s, while in 2002 he played under Frank Bruno and Sooty in a Wolverhampton production of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears and in 2004 he played in a Milton Keynes production of Aladdin.

More unusual stage roles include the title role in a production of Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, and The Childcatcher in a 2006 touring production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Still active on the stage, Askwith has, for some time, been preparing “Paint It Black”, a one-man show based on the life and death of Brian Jones. In 2007 he appeared in Terry Johnson's Dead Funny, and in the summer of that year, appeared in Coronation Street as a holiday tour guide named Aidan.^[2] The episodes of the soap that feature Askwith were filmed in Malta, close to the island of Gozo where he has lived for many years.

In the 2010-11 pantomime season he appeared as Abanazar in Aladdin at the Theatre Royal, Lincoln. From 30 November 2011 - 14 January 2012, Robin is appearing at the Mill at Sonning, Reading, Berkshire in Ray Cooney's farce Funny Money.

Recent activity

Askwith’s autobiography, The Confessions of Robin Askwith, was published by Ebury Press in 1999. The book documents his early life and acting career, the success of the Confessions films, and his relationship with Linda Hayden, his common-law wife during the 1970s.

Filmography

• If.... (1968)
• Otley (1968)
• Alfred the Great (1969)
• Hans Brinker (1969)
• Scramble (1970)
• Cool It Carol! (1970)
• Bartleby (1972 film) (1970)
• The Canterbury Tales (1971)
• All Coppers Are (1971)
• Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
• Tower of Evil (1972)
• Four Dimensions of Greta (1972)
• Hide and Seek (1972)
• The Flesh and Blood Show (1972)
• Arctic Patrol (1972)
• Bless This House (1972)
• No Sex Please, We're British (1973)
• Horror Hospital (1973)
• Carry On Girls (1973)
• Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974)
• The Hostages (1975)
• Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975)
• Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976)
• Queen Kong (1976)
• Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers (1977)
• Let's Get Laid (1977)
• Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977)
• That's Carry On! (1978)
• Britannia Hospital (1982)
• Stagg's Night (1983)
• The Asylum (2000)
• U-571 (2000)
• Evil Calls: The Raven (2008)

Television appearances

• Scene - "The Last Bus" (1968)
• Scene - "The Sentence of the Court" (1968)
• Z-Cars (1968)
• Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)- "That's How Murder Snowballs" (1969)
• ITV Saturday Night Theatre - "The Full Cheddar" (1969)
• The Borderers - "The Quacksalver" (1970)
• Here Come the Double Deckers - "The Go-Carters" (1970)
• Menace - "Trespasser" (1970)
• The Misfit - "... On The New Establishment" (1971)
• On The House - "Series 2" (1971)
• Father, Dear Father - "The Life of the Party" (1971)
• The Fenn Street Gang - "Meet The Wizard" (1971)
• Please Sir - "A.W.O.L." (1971)
• Dixon of Dock Green - "Wingy" (1971)
• Bless This House - "A Touch of the Unknown" (1972)
• The Main Chance - "The Killing Ground" (1972)
• Beryl's Lot - "Series 1" (1973)
• Public Eye - "How About a Cup of Tea" (1975)
• Beryl's Lot - "Series 2" (1975)
• It's A Celebrity Knockout (1976) (all are special editions of It's a Knockout)
• It's A Celebrity Knockout (1977)
• Marc (1977)
• It's A Celebrity Knockout (1978)
• Star Games - "Series 1" (1978)
• Christmas Star Games (1978)
• Give Us a Clue (1979)
• It's A Celebrity Knockout (1979)
• Star Games - "Series 2" (1979)
• Easter Star Games (1980)
• It's A Celebrity Knockout (1980)
• Star Games - "Series 3" (1980)
• The Kenny Everett Video Cassette (1981)
• The Journey (1982)
• Play of the Month - "Infidelities" (1983) (based on Double Inconstancy)
• Good Morning Britain (1984)
• Bottle Boys - "Series 1" (1984)
• What A Carry On (1984)
• Bottle Boys - "Series 2" (1985)
• Just For Laughs (1987)
• Boon - "Peacemaker" (1988)
• TV Heaven (1992)
• This Is Your Life - "Frazer Hines" (1992)
• Doing Rude Things (1995)
• EastEnders (1997)
• Sunburn - "New Opportunities, Second Chances and Dominoes" (2000)
• 100 Greatest TV Moments from Hell (2000)
• Mission Improbable (2001)
• Doctors - "A Lion or A Sheep" (2004)
• X-Rated - "The Films That Shocked Britain" (2004)
• Sex In The '70s - "Blue Movies" (2005)
• Crumpet! - "A Very British Sex Symbol" (2005)
• Coronation Street (2007)
• Benidorm (2009)
• Hollyoaks (2011)

Television commercials

• Baked Beans - "brand unknown" (year unknown)
• Summer County - "margarine" (1967) - directed by Ridley Scott
• Smith's Crisps - "crisps" (1967) with Simon Dee
• Pepsi Cola - "drink" (1971)
• Thompson Sky Tours- "airways" (1971) - directed by Tony Scott
• Dulux Magicote - "paint" (1971)
• TUF Boots - "footwear" - (1971) - directed by Terence Donovan
• KitKat - "chocolate biscuit" (1973)
• Car Care - "part work magazine" (1980s)

Stage appearances

• Play By Play - "Kings Head Theatre, London" (1975)
• The Further Confessions of a Window Cleaner - "UK Tour" (1977)
• The Further Confessions of a Window Cleaner - "Rhodesia" (1978)
• I Love My Wife - "Prince of Wales, London" (1978)
• Who Goes Bare? - "UK Tour" (1979)
• The Further Confessions of a Window Cleaner - "New Zealand Tour" (1980)
• The Further Confessions of a Window Cleaner - "UK Tour" (1980)
• Confessions From A Health Farm" - "New Zealand Tour" (1981)
• Casanova's Last Stand - "UK Tour" (1982)
• The Resistible Ride of Arturo Ui - "Cambridge Theatre Company" (1982)
• Aladdin - "Theatre Royal, Lincoln" (1983)
• Run For Your Wife! - "Criterion Theatre, London" (1984)
• Run For Your Wife! - "Criterion Theatre, London" (1985)
• Doctor In The House - "UK Tour" (1985)
• Run For Your Wife! - "New Zealand" (1986)
• Funny Peculiar - "Australia" (1986)
• Jack and the Beanstalk - "Wimbledon Theatre, London" (1986)
• Run For Your Wife! - "New Zealand" (1987)
• Run For Your Wife! - "West End, London" (1987)
• Aladdin - "De Montfort Hall, Leicester" (1987)
• Les Enfants Terribles - "Avignon Drama Festival" (1988)
• One For The Road - "Mercury Theatre, Colchester (1988)
• Dick Whittington and His Cat - "Richmmond Theatre, Surrey" (1988)
• Run For Your Wife! - "Summer Season, Jersey" (1989)
• One For The Road - "UK Tour" (1990)
• One For The Road - "Australia Tour" (1991)
• One For The Road - "New Zealand Tour" (1992)
• Cash On Delivery - "Theatre Royal, Windsor" (1993)
• Dick Whittington and His Cat - "Theatre Royal, Bath" (1993)
• Run For Your Wife! - "UK Tour" (1994)
• Cinderella - "Wimbledon theatre, London" (1994)
• Doctor In The House - "UK Tour" (1995)
• Dick Whittington - "Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield" (1997)
• Dick Whittington and His Cat - "CIV" (1998)
• Aladdin - "Yvonne Arnaud theatre, Guildford" (1999)
• Jack and the Beanstalk - "Theatre Royal, Nottingham" (2000)
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears - "Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton" (2001)
• Aladdin - "Theatre Royal, Newcastle-upon-Tyne" (2002)
• Funny Business - "Palace Theatre" (2003)
• Bedside Manners - "The Pier Theatre, Bournemouth" (2003)
• Aladdin - "Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes (2003)
• Aladdin - "New Wimbledon Theatre, Outer London" (2004)
• Canterbury Tales - "The Castle, Nottingham" (2005)
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - "Empire Theatre, Sunderland (2005)
• Dead Funny - "UK Tour" (2007)
• Aladdin - "Cliffs Pavillion" (2008)
• Aladdin - "Theatre Royal, Lincoln" (2010)
• Funny Money - "The Mill at Sonning, Reading" (2011)

References

Further reading

• • Simon Sheridan Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema 2011 (fourth edition) (Titan Publishing, London)
  • The Confessions of Robin Askwith by Robin Askwith (Ebury Press) 1999 (ISBN 0091869714)

External links

• Robin Askwith at the Internet Movie Database
• Robin Askwith at AllRovi
• Robin Askwith interview
• Evil Calls: The Raven