Rony Robinson (born 24 December 1940 in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

) is an English writer, educationalist and Sony Award-winning

BBC Radio Sheffield BBC Radio Sheffield is the BBC's local radio station serving South Yorkshire and north Derbyshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital television and via BBC Sounds from studios on Shoreham Street in Sheffield. According to RAJAR, the statio ...

daytime presenter. His novels include: ''The Ted Carp Tradition'' (Hodder), ''The Beano'' (Faber). His plays include ''Snapshots'' (Theatre Royal, Stratford East), ''Events In An Upper Room'' (Belgrade, Coventry and ICA) and the Sony Award-winning ''Last Loves'' 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' ...

Childhood and education

Born John Goronwy Robinson, he was educated at All Saints Church of England Primary School and King Edward VII School. He won a scholarship to Keble College, Oxford, where he studied History. While he was at Oxford he was the Editor of the weekly University newspaper ''Cherwell''. He also gained a

Diploma of Education The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Overview The diploma can build on the g ...

Working life and early writing

Robinson taught English at two large inner-city London comprehensive schools, Eltham Green school and, as head of department,

Sedgehill Sedgehill is a former civil parish, with scattered small settlements, now within Sedgehill and Semley civil parish in the southwest of the English county of Wiltshire. It lies to the west of the A350 primary route, about north of Shaftesbury ...

. He wrote a number of text and source books for the ''New English'' in the 1960s. He published his first novel in 1971 and has been a full-time writer since 1974.

Writing and broadcasting

Twice resident playwright at The Crucible Theatre (Sheffield) and once each at the Theatre Royal (Stratford East) and Deptford Green School, Robinson has had over a hundred plays produced all over the country. He has written stories and plays and poems for young people: most successfully with ''Down Your Way'' (Nelson), ''A Time Of Bears'' (Macmillan) and ''I Want Doesn't Get'' (Faber). His ''The Beano'' has been adapted for various stage performances broadcast by the BBC and published in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. As a broadcaster, Robinson has presented a daily show on BBC Radio Sheffield uninterrupted since 1984. For the BBC network, he has written and voiced various documentaries and scripted seven radio and one television play. His children's poetry includes the much anthologised ''We've Got A Wawa At Our House''. He lives in

Totley Totley is a suburb on the extreme southwest of the City of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. Lying in the historic county boundaries of Derbyshire, Totley was amalgamated into the city of Sheffield in 1933, and is today part of the Dore ...

and plays and writes songs for the autoharp. He has had a lifelong interest in the revolutionary poet

Edward Carpenter Edward Carpenter (29 August 1844 – 28 June 1929) was an English utopian socialist, poet, philosopher, anthologist, an early activist for gay rightsWarren Allen Smith: ''Who's Who in Hell, A Handbook and International Directory for Human ...

(1844–1929) who lived near Sheffield, about whom he has written in two of his plays, including "Edward Carpenter Lives!" and also appearing in a number of his novels. In 1999, he received an honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University. He is a supporter of Sheffield United F.C.

References

External links

Radio Sheffield profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Rony 1940 births Living people Alumni of Keble College, Oxford British dramatists and playwrights People educated at King Edward VII School, Sheffield English male dramatists and playwrights