Education
Robinson was educated at the Friends School in Saffron Walden (1958-1963) and King"s College, Cambridge (1963-1966) studying economics and editing Cambridge University student newspaper Varsity (Cambridge).
Robinson was educated at the Friends School in Saffron Walden (1958-1963) and King"s College, Cambridge (1963-1966) studying economics and editing Cambridge University student newspaper Varsity (Cambridge).
He is the older brother of musician, broadcaster and gay rights activist Tom Robinson. He started directing in British Broadcasting Corporation Current Affairs (1969-1973) on The Money Programme, 24 Hours and Nationwide. This was followed by many episodes of popular television drama including Coronation Street, Brookside, Angels, Emmerdale and two Doctor Who adventures broadcast in 1984 and 1985 (Resurrection of the Daleks and Attack of the Cybermen).
Under pseudonym Henry Seaton he wrote 30 episodes of Central television"s Crossroads in 1986.
Writing work also included two plays about television - Did Anyone Else Think TK9 Was Brilliant? and SUDS - staged in two London Fringe theatres in 1981 and 1983. Nicknamed Pope of Soap by United Kingdom tabloid The Sun, Robinson was lead director of BBC1"s soap opera EastEnders when it launched in 1985.
His early casting included Den Watts (Dirty Den), Pauline Fowler, Dot Cotton, Nick Cotton, Ian Beale, Charlie Cotton, Tony Carpenter. From 1989 to 95 Robinson set up, produced and directed the teenage soap opera Byker Grove.
He cast Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly as teenage heroes P.J. and Duncan and in 1993 launched their post-Byker Grove careers.
Now known as Ant & December they are the United Kingdom"s foremost light entertainment acting In 1998 Robinson was appointed EastEnders" Executive Producer by Mal Young, British Broadcasting Corporation Head of Drama Series and Peter Salmon, Controller BBC1. Robinson also earned tabloid soubriquet Axeman of Albert Square after sacking a large number of characters in one hit including.
Sanjay Kapoor, Gita Kapoor, Neelam Kapoor, Michael Rose, Susan Rose, Bruno di Marco, Luisa di Marco, Ruth Fowler and George Palmer.
He later went on to axe others characters including Tony Hills, Simon Raymond and Huw Edwards. In their place Robinson introduced new long-running characters including Melanie Healy, Jamie Mitchell, Lisa Shaw, Steve Owen and Billy Mitchell.
He quit EastEnders in 2000 to serve as Head of Drama for British Broadcasting Corporation Wales. In May 2003, Robinson left the United Kingdom for Cambodia to devise and produce a Human Immunodeficiency Virus health-related television drama.
The 100 episodes of Taste of Life - broadcast on the main entertainment channel, TV5, repeated on the state channel TVK - were financed by the British Government through Department for International Development managed by the British Broadcasting Corporation World Service Trust.
In 2006, after Taste of Life ended its run, he set up a film production company, Khmer Mekong Films, KMF, operating from Cambodia"s capital Phnom Penh. In addition to KMF"s many television dramas, documentaries and television Spots, he has produced three Khmer language feature films, all released on the Cambodian cinema circuit - Staying Single When 2007, Palace of Dreams 2008 (for British Broadcasting Corporation World Service Trust) and Vanished 2009. A fourth cinema film, The Price of Love - directed and written by Robinson, based on an original story outline by Stuart Cheetham.
Release date in all Cambodian cinemas 11 April 2016.