No Cunning Plan at Birkenhead School

An evening with Sir Tony Robinson at Wirral Chamber Patron Member, Birkenhead School proved a wonderfully entertaining event for the 200 strong audience of loyal fans in attendance. Organised by Linghams Booksellers, the event formed part of a national tour to promote Tony’s recently released autobiography ‘No Cunning Plan’ which charts the ups and downs of a career spanning 50 plus years and covering his roles as actor, author, presenter, comedian, producer, political activist and Knight of the realm.

Sir Tony’s involvement in such notable shows as Blackadder, Time Team, Marion and her Merry Men, Worst Jobs in History and Time Walks have typecast him in a variety of historical incarnations so it’s perhaps no surprise that he chose the equally historic setting of Birkenhead School for his latest appearance. The school’s Bushell Hall hosted the evening and its professional lighting and sound systems provided a flawless backdrop to the evening. This is not the first time Tony has visited Birkenhead School. He made an earlier appearance here in June this year and was so impressed with the intimacy of the venue and the warm reception he received that he made sure to return at the earliest opportunity.  

Attempting to cram such an illustrious working life into a 90 minute personal appearance is nigh on impossible but Tony is a genuine raconteur and his ability to draw an audience in and have them hanging on every word, led to an evening of funny, engaging and revealing anecdotes that disclosed as much about his endearing character as his life. With stories from his first acting role in the original stage production of ‘Oliver’; appearing naked on stage at the Almost Free Theatre in the 60’s; living in a Bristol squat and being the unwitting inspiration behind the Small Faces song ‘Itchycoo Park’ Tony proved he is happy being the butt of his own jokes. That lack of ego, allied to his obvious talents is perhaps the secret behind his incredible success.

The success of last night’s event and an equally popular appearance by sports presenter Clare Balding earlier this year mean we may be seeing more of these events in the future as the school look to explore ways of engaging with the community, promoting the school and expanding its offering. Headmaster, Paul Vicars said of the evening " I would just like to say a huge thank you to Sir Tony for his appearance tonight. It has been a wonderful evening for everyone concerned and for the school in particular. The audience have enjoyed a truly heart warming performance by ony and we hope to enjoy similar evenings in the future."