Kate Elizabeth Robbins (born 21 August 1958) is an English actress, singer and songwriter. She came to prominence in the early 1980s when she scored a top ten single on the UK Official Charts with "More Than in Love", while she was appearing in the television soap opera ''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

''. She went on to become a prolific voice actress, most notably for nine years with the satirical show ''

Spitting Image ''Spitting Image'' is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television ov ...

''.

Early life

Robbins is the older sister of fellow actress

Amy Robbins Amy Louise Robbins (born 18 February 1971) is an English stage, film and TV actress best known for her role as Dr. Jill Weatherill in the British television series ''The Royal''. Before her role in ''The Royal'' she played Police Sergeant Rachel ...

, sculptor Jane Robbins, and '' The Sheilas'' singer Emma Robbins. Her older brother is radio broadcaster and actor

Ted Robbins Edward Michael Robbins (born 11 August 1955) is an English comic, actor, television presenter and radio broadcaster. He has performed as a warm-up artist for numerous pre-recorded comedy shows that have been filmed before live studio audiences i ...

. Through her sister Emma she was the sister-in-law of Simon Shelton and through her sister Amy she is the sister-in-law of actor

Robert Daws Robert Daws (born 4 May 1959) is an English actor, and crime fiction author. He is best known for his television roles, including Tuppy Glossop in ''Jeeves and Wooster'' (1990-93), gruff cricketer Roger Dervish in the comedy '' Outside Edge'' ...

. Her father was Mike Robbins, who grew up in Hightown, Wrexham, the son of

Ted TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depa ...

, who served as the secretary of the

Football Association of Wales The Football Association of Wales (FAW; cy, Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Welsh national football team, its corresponding women's team, as well as the Welsh ...

for more than 35 years. She attended

Wirral Grammar School for Girls ("A monument more lasting than bronze", from Horace's Poem 3:30) , established = 1931 , closed = , type = Grammar school;Academy , religious_affiliation = , president ...

in Bebington, Cheshire. Robbins is a first cousin once removed of

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

as her mother Elizabeth "Bett" Robbins (née Danher) was McCartney's cousin. In 1960, McCartney and

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

performed as "

The Nerk Twins The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

" at the Fox and Hounds pub in

Caversham, Reading Caversham is a suburb of Reading, England. Originally a village founded in the Middle Ages, it lies on the north bank of the River Thames, opposite the rest of Reading. Caversham Bridge, Reading Bridge, Christchurch Bridge, and Caversham Lock ...

, which was run by Bett and her husband Mike.

Career

Robbins' first released recording, in 1978, was the song '' Tomorrow'', from the musical ''

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

''. Robbins' first chart appearance was as a backing singer, along with her sister Jane, on the minor Top 40 hit "

Lines Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...

" by

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

group

Planets A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a young ...

, a spin-off from

Deaf School Deaf School is an English art rock/ new wave band, formed in Liverpool, England, in January 1974. Overview Between 1976 and 1978, the year in which they split up, Deaf School recorded three albums for the Warner Brothers label. The first a ...

. Her profile was raised soon afterwards when both she and Jane represented the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in the ''

Eurovision Song Contest 1980 The Eurovision Song Contest 1980 was the 25th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in The Hague, Netherlands, and was organised by host broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) – which agreed to stage the event a ...

'' as part of the group

Prima Donna In opera or commedia dell'arte, a prima donna (; Italian for "first lady"; plural: ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage pers ...

. They finished third. The following year, Robbins joined the cast of the ITV soap opera ''

'', playing the part of a pop singer who was recording a single in the fictional motel's basement recording studio. The song, "More Than in Love", was released commercially in the UK, credited as '' Kate Robbins and Beyond'' and gave Robbins a major hit single, reaching number 2 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. It was her only lead-vocal hit. In late 1982, Robbins provided backing vocals on the Top 3 single '' Story of the Blues'' by

Wah! Peter James Wylie (born 22 March 1958) is an English singer/songwriter and guitarist, best known as the leader of the band variously known as Wah!, Wah! Heat, Shambeko! Say Wah!, JF Wah!, The Mighty Wah! and Wah! The Mongrel. Career Early b ...

, but was replaced for the band's ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'' appearance by London soul trio Sylvia and the Sapphires. Robbins wrote the first theme tune to '' Surprise, Surprise'' performed by

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her ...

. She provided almost all the female voices on the television show ''

'' in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She sang the lead vocals on "

The Chicken Song "The Chicken Song" is a novelty song by the British satirical comedy television programme ''Spitting Image'' (series 3, episode 6). The nonsensical lyrics were written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor; the music was written by Philip Pope, who als ...

" with

Michael Fenton Stevens Michael Fenton Stevens (born 12 February 1958) is an English actor and comedian. He is best known for being a founder member of The Hee Bee Gee Bees and the voice behind the ''Spitting Image'' 1986 number 1 hit "The Chicken Song". He also starred ...

which reached number 1 in 1986. The 1986

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

sketch show ''Robbins'' featured Kate, her brother

, and her sisters

, Jane Robbins and Emma Robbins. Emma is now best known as one of the singers with The Sheilas. She participated in the 1989 '' Children's Royal Variety Performance'' BBC, singing her own comic songs at the piano, and featured in the original series of '' Dead Ringers'' on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

in 2000. In 1995, Robbins provided all of the voices, including the male ones, in the children's television series '' The Caribou Kitchen''. During the 1990s, Robbins performed a number of different roles as both an impersonator and a singer in the BBC Radio 4 satirical comedy series ''

A Look Back at the Nineties ''A Look Back At The Nineties'' was a British comedy radio series first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1993. Presented by Brian Perkins, the 5 episodes were a spoof look back at the years 1995 to 1999 from the standpoint of New Year's Eve 1999. Eac ...

'' and its sequel series '' A Look Back at the Future''. Robbins also provided the English language dubbing for Europeans, featured on the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

series '' Eurotrash'' and, in 2006, made two appearances on the

programme '' Just a Minute''. In 2007, Robbins was awarded an Honorary Bachelor of Arts degree from Bedfordshire University, for her lifetime contribution to the Performing Arts. In December 2010, Robbins released her third album, a jazz based affair, entitled ''

Soho Nights Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

'', which was written as a collaboration with the Italian saxophonist Alessandro Tomei, and recorded at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

in London. Robbins also co-wrote the well-received easy listening album '' We're Just Passing Through'' with broadcaster and journalist

Nicky Campbell Nicholas Andrew Argyll Campbell, OBE (born Nicholas Lackey, 10 April 1961) is a Scottish broadcaster and journalist. He has worked in television and radio since 1981 and as a network presenter with BBC Radio since 1987. Early life Campbell wa ...

, which was released in 2014. Robbins was one of the ''

Grumpy Old Women ''Grumpy Old Women'' is a British television series, continuing in the same vein as its predecessor, '' Grumpy Old Men''. Both programmes are shown on BBC Two. The first two series were narrated by Alison Steadman Alison Steadman (born 26 A ...

'' on a sell-out tour in 2014 with comedian

Jenny Eclair Jenny Eclair (born Jenny Clare Hargreaves; 16 March 1960) is an English comedian, novelist, and actress, best known for her roles in ''Grumpy Old Women'' between 2004 and 2007 and in '' Loose Women'' in 2011 and 2012. Early life Eclair was born ...

and actress

Susie Blake Susie Blake (born 19 April 1950) is an English television, radio and stage actress. She is best known for her portrayal of the snobbish TV announcer in '' Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV'' and Bev Unwin in ''Coronation Street'', which she playe ...

which toured again in 2015.

Film and television work

Robbins has acted in many feature films. She was named Best Supporting Actress at the Angel Awards of the Monaco International Film Festival, for her role as Kathleen in the low-budget British film, ''Fated''. In 2005, she played Joan alongside

Johnny Vegas Michael Joseph Pennington (born 5 September 1970), better known as Johnny Vegas, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He is known for his thick Lancashire accent, husky voice, overweight appearance, angry comedic rants, and us ...

in ''

Sex Lives of the Potato Men ''Sex Lives of the Potato Men'' is a 2004 British sex comedy film, written and directed by Andy Humphries. The film is about the sexual antics of a group of potato delivery men in Birmingham and stars Johnny Vegas and Mackenzie Crook. ''Sex Liv ...

''. The following year she appeared with

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-M ...

and

Jean Reno Jean Reno () (born 30 July 1948), is a French actor. He has worked in American, French, English, Japanese, Spanish and Italian movie productions; Reno appeared in films such as ''Crimson Rivers'', ''Godzilla'', ''The Da Vinci Code'', '' Mission: ...

in the film '' Flyboys'', playing the role of Clarisse, a brothel Madame. In the comedy ''

Lunchbox A lunch box (alt. spelling lunchbox) refers to a hand-held container used to transport food, usually to work or to school. It is commonly made of metal or plastic, is reasonably airtight and often has a handle for carrying. In the United ...

'' she starred as man-hungry teacher, Suzanne. She also starred in Farrena Films' comedy-thriller short movie '' The Other Side With Valerie Hope''. Robbins appeared in two series of the comedy series ''

Dinnerladies Lunch lady, in Canada and the US, is a term for a woman who cooks and serves food in a school cafeteria. The equivalent term in the United Kingdom is dinner lady. The role is also sometimes known as cafeteria lady. Sometimes, a lunch lady also ...

'', playing the character Babs, a friend of Petula Gordeno, played by

Julie Walters Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a B ...

, BBC. Robbins later appeared with the sitcom's writer

Victoria Wood Victoria Wood (19 May 1953 – 20 April 2016) was an English comedian, actress, lyricist, singer, composer, pianist, screenwriter, producer and director. Wood wrote and starred in dozens of sketches, plays, musicals, films and sitcoms over se ...

in the Christmas special ''

Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings ''Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings'' is a one-off Christmas comedy sketch-show special, written by and starring comedian Victoria Wood. It was first broadcast on BBC One on Christmas Day 2000. The cast included Wood's frequent co-stars Celia ...

'' and ''

Victoria Wood's Big Fat Documentary Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

''. Alongside daughter

Emily Atack Emily Jane Atack (born 18 December 1989) is an English actress, comedian, and television personality. She is best known for playing Charlotte Hinchcliffe on the E4 comedy series ''The Inbetweeners'' (2008-2010), and for her roles in Keith Lemo ...

, Robbins appeared on ''

Celebrity Gogglebox ''Gogglebox'' is a British reality television series created by Stephen Lambert, Tania Alexander and Tim Harcourt, and broadcast on Channel 4. The series documents families and groups of friends around the United Kingdom who are filmed for thei ...

'' and is a regular contributor on ''

Steph's Packed Lunch ''Steph's Packed Lunch'' (formerly aired as ''The Steph Show'') is a daytime television programme in the UK that is broadcast on Channel 4 each weekday afternoon. The show is presented by English journalist and broadcaster Steph McGovern. The s ...

'' for Channel 4. Robbins has worked on many comedy and drama TV shows including: ''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes foll ...

'' (BBC), '' Heartbeat'' (BBC), ''

The Harry Enfield Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (BBC), ''

Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights ''Phoenix Nights'' is a British sitcom about The Phoenix Club, a working men's club in the northern English town of Bolton, Greater Manchester. The show is a spin-off from the "In the Club" episode of the spoof documentary series '' That Pet ...

'' (BBC), '' Shooting Stars'' (BBC), ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...

'' (BBC), '' Where the Heart Is'' (BBC - 2 seasons), ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' (BBC), '' Heartbeat'' (BBC), ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' (BBC), ''

'' (BBC), '' Citizen Khan'' (BBC), ''

The Legend of Dick and Dom ''The Legend of Dick and Dom'' is a sitcom that stars Dick and Dom as two budding young princes who are on a quest to find the antidote to a terrible plague that consumed their kingdom Fyredor because Dick accidentally dropped the original c ...

'' (BBC), '' Soapington Way'' (written by

Harry Hill Matthew Keith Hall (born 1 October 1964), known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in stand-up following years working as a medical doctor, developing an off-beat, energetic performan ...

), ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' (BBC - character of Jen Glover 2021), '' Mandy'' (BBC - character of Joan McDonald), '' After Life'' (Netflix - character of Penny Spencer-Wright, Season 3) Robbins can also be heard as a voice-over artist on many commercials. She was the

Edith Piaf Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and vari ...

soundalike on a lager advert. She was the '

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

' voice in a

Waitrose Waitrose & Partners (formally Waitrose Limited) is a brand of British supermarkets, founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, later shortened to Waitrose. It was acquired in 1937 by employee-owned retailer John Lewis Partnership, which still se ...

commercial. Her singing can be heard on television advertisements for

Clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

Debenhams Debenhams plc was a British department store chain operating in the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1778 as a single store in London and grew to 178 locations across those countries, also owning the Danish ...

First Choice Holidays First Choice Holidays Limited (trading as First Choice) is a British online travel agency and tour operator, headquartered in Luton, England. It is a subsidiary of TUI UK, itself a subsidiary of TUI Group, and its holidays are sold in TUI stores ...

and many more. She also recorded the

Capital Radio Capital London is a radio station owned and operated by the Global media company as part of its national Capital FM Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Britain's first two commercial radio stations. ...

jingle package for Sue Manning Productions. She also played

The Singing Ring ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

in the mini-series ''

The 10th Kingdom ''The 10th Kingdom'' is an American fairytale fantasy miniseries written by Simon Moore and produced by Britain's Carnival Films, Germany's Babelsberg Film und Fernsehen, and the US's Hallmark Entertainment. It depicts the adventures of a young ...

'', which aired in 2000.

Filmography

Theatre Credits

Radio

Personal life

Robbins divorced musician Keith Atack in 2007 after 19 years of marriage. The couple had three children: actress

(born 1989); Martha Atack (born 1991), a PR consultant; and George Atack (born 1992), a musician and TV researcher.

UK discography

Singles

*1978 "Tomorrow" (Anchor) *1980 "Love Enough for Two" (Ariola) (with

) UK No. 48 *1980 "Just Got to be You" (Ariola) (with Prima Donna) *1981 "More Than in Love (RCA) UK No. 2 *1981 "I Want You Back" (RCA) *1981 "Run Wild" (RCA) *1983 "The Real Me" (RCA) *1983 "That First Love" *1986 "

" (Lead female vocal) *1988 "If You Wanna Help Somebody"

Albums

*1981 ''Kate Robbins'' (RCA) *2008 ''Songs from the Pool'' *2010 ''Soho Nights'' *2014 ''We're Just Passing Through'' (Long Lunch Music)

Voices

* ''The Beano Video'' - Neighbour's Wife * ''The Beano Videostars'' - Nurse

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Kate English impressionists (entertainers) Living people Actresses from Liverpool Musicians from Liverpool English television actresses English film actresses English people of Welsh descent Eurovision Song Contest entrants for the United Kingdom Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1980 Comedians from Liverpool 1958 births