A BRIGHTON TOY MUSEUM INTERVIEW
WITH TONY ROBINSON

TOYS

As we are the Brighton Toy & Model Museum, what was your favourite toy as a child?
My two teddy bears, imaginatively entitled Big Ted and Little Ted. Later I had a game called Magic Robot. The robot was green and held a stick. When you asked it a question it spun round and pointed to the correct answer. Cool? I think so!

Have you still got any of your old toys?
No - but I got a load of Lego for my 60th birthday.

When you were a child, can you remember if there was a toy you
always wanted but never got?
An enormous chemistry set which showed you how to make explosives.

Time Team, Worst Jobs etc

As Time Team is hugely successful among young and old alike, do you feel it plays an important role in making history accessible and engaging? What do you think is its appeal?
People are barmy. Why would two and a half million of them want to see a bunch of old hippies ruining someone's garden each week? Do they call that entertainment?

It always seems to be raining on Time Team. How often do you get soaked? Have you ever had a sunny three days on a dig?
It must have been sunny at least once during our 166 digs. But I can't remember when.

Are there times when you have found it difficult to learn something or not enjoyed a Time Team dig?
I enjoy every Time Team. Each episode is a new adventure. But I've always found learning difficult. Maybe that's why I'm still preoccupied with finding simple ways to talk about complicated things.

Through doing Worst Jobs, has it put you off any particular period in history?
No. but having been up to my knees in wee, I wouldn't want to be a leather tanner at any time in history.

On various projects such as Worst Jobs, you seem to champion the lower end of the social scale. Do you feel that this type of history is more real or relevant and if so how?
It's just that I'm more interested in ordinary people than in kings and queens.

For at least two decades you have provided many people with a doorway into history. How do you feel about this responsibility?
Is it a responsibility? I simply see myself as a storyteller who loves telling great stories.

HISTORY

What first got you interested in history as a subject?
My dad telling me tales about his life in World War Two.

What was your most memorable history-related experience?
Pretending to be a soldier marching round the ruins of Corfe Castle when I was six.

Why do you feel it is important for people to learn about history?
How do you know who you are unless you know where you came from?

What is your favourite period in history and why?
I love King Alfred and the Saxons. It's a time when England started to become the country we know today. Not only that, but we whipped the Vikings!

Who is your favourite figure in history and why?
I like King Harold. Nowadays he's only remembered as the bloke who lost the Battle of Hastings. But that seems unfair. Up 'til that moment he'd been a brilliant leader. It wasn't his fault he got an arrow through his eye!

What event in history do you wish you could have witnessed and why?
What actually happened in the Garden of Gethsemane? I'd love know!

Is there any historic period or person that you would like to find out more about?
I'd be really interested to know more about the first indigenous settlers in North and South America.

Many people believe that history has no relevance in the modern world. Why do you think it is still relevant?
We wouldn't have invaded Iraq if our politicians had read their history books properly.

History surrounds us constantly, but not many people realise they have history on their doorstep. Does this surprise you?
Yes, and there's a thought. Has anyone written a history of doorsteps yet?

School - History. Recently there has been a lot of discussion about the place history has on the National Curriculum and whether history should still be taught in schools. How do you think we can keep the children's interest in history if it is dropped from the Curriculum?
I doubt that we can.