Robin Askwith

Robin Mark Askwith (born 12 October 1950) is an English actor and singer who has appeared in a number of film, television and stage productions.

Askwith began an interest in acting because his neighbour was the floor manager at Pinewood Studios where he and his neighbour's son would watch movies being filmed, including The Servant (1963) and Cleopatra (1963).

The next-door neighbour of a friend was Carry On actor Kenneth Connor, and so Askwith began attending a local amateur dramatics group.

He also did a stint of modelling for catalogues and appeared in several commercials for baked Beans and Fairy Liquid.

After finishing at Orley Farm at the age of twelve, Askwith attended Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood.

He found the school unduly strict and became a rebellious student to the extent that Askwith and two friends stole several rifles from the school armoury and held up Pinner post office stealing hundreds of pounds' worth of stamps with the intention of returning them the following week.

Askwith also persuaded a crane operator, who was carrying out work at the school, to lift the headmaster's car onto the school roof.

As a result of playing King Edward IV during a school production of Richard III, Askwith was approached by film director Lindsay Anderson, who had been in the audience, and encouraged to audition for a role in his upcoming film if.....

Following a successful audition he played the role of Keating in the film.

Following the success of if..., Askwith made his television debut as a yob in the BBC series Scene.

He would also attend the Corona Theatre School in between acting jobs.

Making his film debut as Keating in the film if.... (1968), a role he would reprise in Britannia Hospital (1982), Askwith went on to appear in many films including Otley (1969), Alfred the Great (1969), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) and The Canterbury Tales (1972), the horror films Tower of Evil (1972), The Flesh and Blood Show (1972) and Horror Hospital (1973) and the comedy films Bless This House (1972), Carry On Girls (1973) and No Sex Please, We're British (1973).

However it was his role as Timothy Lea in the Confessions film series that would make him a household name.

Askwith had roles in the historical epic film Alfred the Great (1969), the thriller Otley (1969), and, playing the title role, in the film version of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates (1969).

In 1970, Askwith had his first major role in the comedy film Cool It Carol! (1970).

In 1970, Askwith starred in Scramble (1970), the first of four films he would make for the Children's Film Foundation, the others being All Coppers Are... (1971), Hide and Seek (1972) and The Hostages (1975).

Askwith then appeared on television in series' such as Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and Father, Dear Father and a recurring role as Eddie in Please Sir! and its spin-off The Fenn Street Gang, before having his first regular role as Harvey Micklethwaite in the sitcom On The House in 1971.

Askwith also had a role in the epic film Nicholas and Alexandra (1971).

He would then have roles in television series' including Dixon of Dock Green, Public Eye, The Main Chance and Bless This House, and in a deleted scene from the film Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972).

Askwith also starred in a string of horror films: Tower of Evil (1972), The Flesh and Blood Show (1973) and Horror Hospital (1973).

After appearing in Pasolini's The Canterbury Tales (1972) and the comedy film Four Dimensions of Greta (1972), Askwith played Mike Abbot in film version of television sitcom Bless This House (1972).

During filming, Askwith became good friends with co-star Sid James.

Other members of the cast included comedy stalwarts Peter Butterworth, Terry Scott, June Whitfield and Wendy Richard.

He has appeared on television as Fred Pickering in Beryl's Lot (1973–1975), Dave Deacon in Bottle Boys (1984–1985) and Ritchie de Vries in Coronation Street (2013–2014).

Impressed by his performance, the producers offered Askwith a role in Carry On Girls (1973) which also starred Sid James.

Shortly after starring in Antony Balch's Horror Hospital (1973), Askwith was offered the starring role in Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974), directed by Val Guest.

The part had been turned down by Richard Beckinsale, Richard O'Sullivan, Nicky Henson and Dennis Waterman.

In 1975, at Drury Lane's New London Theatre, he was voted "Most Promising Newcomer – Male" at the Evening Standard British Film Awards.

Askwith's most recent television roles include Emmerdale, Benidorm and a main role in The Madame Blanc Mysteries.

Askwith was born in Southport, Lancashire, England, the eldest child of Nelson and Hazel Askwith (née Cookson).

His father was an accountant but served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and his mother in the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRENs).

Unbeknown to Askwith, still a young child, he swam in a pool contaminated with insects; later that day Askwith's mother found him fully submerged underwater in the bath.

Taken to hospital in an ambulance, Askwith was found to have contracted polio and had to spend nine months in an isolation ward at Southport Infirmary and had to learn how to walk again.

Shortly after this, the family moved from Southport to Eastcote, London where Askwith was educated at Orley Farm in nearby Harrow.

Particularly sporty at school, Askwith represented the school at football, rugby and cricket and after joining the Ruislip and Northwood Swimming Club, he represented the South Counties at backstroke.

The success of the film led to three sequels, Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976) and Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977).

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.

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 poorly received ITV sitcom Bottle Boys (1984–1985).

He has also had roles in the soap operas EastEnders, Doctors, Hollyoaks and Coronation Street where he played a holiday tour guide named Aidan.