Background
Robertson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He grew up in poverty but attended the High School of Glasgow.
editor reporter television journalist
Robertson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He grew up in poverty but attended the High School of Glasgow.
After briefly studying medicine at Glasgow University, he became a reporter firstly with the Glasgow Herald, then Shrewsbury Chronicle (1921) and later, in London with the Daily Herald and Daily Express. In 1943 Robertson joined Picture Post magazine where he was picture editor and feature writer His investigative abilities led to a crucial exposé of the Tanganyika groundnut scheme.
His report was quoted in the House of Commons.
When Picture Post closed in 1957, he went to work in television He is chiefly remembered for his association with the British Broadcasting Corporation programme Tonight.
His bearded, haggard face topped by a tweed trilby hat and a slow over-emphatic Scottish voice became well known (usually introducing his reportage with a characteristic "Hellooo therrr, I"m Fyfe Robertson"), which led to parodies on radio comedy shows: firstly by Bill Pertwee on Beyond Our Ken as "Rife Hobertson", and also by Graeme Garden (a fellow Scot) on I"m Sorry I"ll Read That Again, who began every item with an alleged Robertson catchphrase "I"m standing here..". Foreign Tonight Robertson travelled widely providing serious stories as well as finding some remarkable eccentrics.
He was often described as "our roving reporter".
When Tonight was replaced by 24 Hours, Robertson continued in his same investigative manner. He presented a series for British Broadcasting Corporation Television, Brush Office the Dust, in which he visited several British museums, commenting on their collections, and in 1975 presented a series, Robbie, which ran for three seasons until 1980. Despite being a heavy smoker, he remained in good health and in his late 60s took part in two exhausting televised expeditions, across the Scottish Highlands on horseback and paddling down the Severn in a canoe.
Betty died in 1973 but Robertson married Vera Ford in 1978.
In 1986 he experienced a heart attack shortly after appearing as a guest on This is Your Life for Cliff Michelmore and died in Eastbourne in 1987.