GamesMaster S03-E16 - Dec 23, 1994

Just when I was losing hope of ever seeing a new (to me) Robin appearance again, I get word from Robin’s #1 fan Robert, telling me about this appearance!

It is some kind of British game show about teams who compete against each other playing video games. Hmm. Gotta admit, I wouldn’t care to watch this program willingly. It’s pretty dull. Who finds watching others play videogames interesting?

It’s hard for me to understand what’s going on at first, but it looks as though there’s three teams from Christmas pantomime shows playing around England at the time, and two of them are both called Dick Whittington, one from Croydon and one (Robin’s team) from Bath. Robin is nicely dressed up in costume as the “Captain of the Ship”. The other team is Alladin from Woking.

After the first round, we get treated to 1990s videogame recommendations from some I guess famous gaming nerds of the day, talking very seriously about what hot new hi-tech features each has. While we in the future look back and laugh.

Two rounds in, Robin still hasn’t played, but the Dick Wittingtons from Croydon have been eliminated, and Robin’s team is still safe –whew- and in the lead!

Break for Santa Claus (this is Christmastime, you know) to come in and play one game challenge with his daughter, Nicola, a cute name you never hear anyone named here in America, but seems very popular over there. Brian Connolly of the Sweet named his daughter that. And she wins! Okay, enough of that, I’m tired of waiting for Robin!

But no, time out for some kids who ask video game advice.

Ah, finally, Robin’s back in view. He’s competing against a woman from the Alladin team, some mind-numbingly boring looking game where you have to get characters parachuted down a block of ice and into a cottage. Yes, that seems to be the extent of that game. The woman goes first and gets 45%. Then Robin’s up! He doesn’t strike me as much of a videogamer, so I’m curious as to how he’ll do, although the announcer says he’s been practicing. Love the adorable look of concentration on his face as he gives it his all. And…he wins! 60%! Way to go, Robin!

Seems very appropriate he won the “Golden Joystick” wink wink.

Happy 64th bday Robin Askwith!

Just had to pop in to wish my very favorite actor a happy birthday!

Sorry so quiet on this blog for so many months, it always shocks me to come on and find out such a long time has gone by since my last post. It's been over half a year since his Coronation Street appearances? Yikes. Hopefully sometime soon some appearance I've never seen before will surface and I'll be writing about it here.

Misty Moon Gallery interview - March 21, 2014

Robin gave an interview recently at the Misty Moon gallery in London. Looking great! And so cheerfully upbeat as usual in these kinds of things. Chats about his various works, with a couple stories I've not heard before, and keeps the "Confessions" talk to a minimum, although that Bubbles scene was brought up once again, ha ha. I do wonder why his latest appearances in "Coronation Street" were not mentioned! You'd think he'd want to let people know he is indeed still a working actor!

You can watch it here:

Robin and Linda! Mar 25, 2014

Together again??? 'Fatal Attraction' Press Night in London

Coronation Street - Feb 17, 2014

Dennis is moping in a bar with Gloria serving drinks. Richie comes in, having been texted by Gloria (ah…is it as easy as that? Just text Robin and he’ll come to you? ;) ) to drop by because Dennis needs some cheering up. He tells them he was going to stop by and see them anyway because he was on his way to the airport and had a car waiting outside. (Cute vintage Robin bit here – Dennis asks if he smells a groupie in a singsong voice and Richie responds in a Timmy Lea fashion that no, it’s just his aftershave, ha ha) Anyway, he says, a promoter of his from the old days wants him to go touring in Eastern Europe and he’s leaving. Gloria gets huffy about him ditching them, but Dennis seems relieved that it’s all over. At the end Dennis and Rita make up and celebrate with champagne.

And I suppose that’s the final exit of our hero from “Coronation Street”.

Coronation Street - Feb 10-14, 2014

Part 1: Back in the restaurant, Richie is talking with the grandma Gloria (mom of the restaurant owner) character. He tells her of the first time he heard Sgt. Pepper on the radio. Richie is asked if he ever had any kids, and he replies, yes, two that he knows of who are now grown and an accountant and a solicitor. A girl comments that that sounds a bit boring, after what he does…and he replies well, they’ve seen what the music business does to you.Dennis comes in to talk about his ideas about the setlist, he wants Richie to open with a medley of all his best songs. The grandma character is more interested in looking at Richie’s rings on his fingers. She tells him a man with rings is “Very rock and roll!” Later in the episode, Dennis stuns the crowd at the restaurant when he walks in with “rocker” clothes: a leather jacket and rings on his fingers.

Part 2: A birthday is being celebrated at the restaurant and a woman is opening gifts. She opens a fancy scarf and Dennis’ wife Rita tells him that he should borrow that scarf, it would go well with his jacket. Richie laughs. Dennis pulls Richie away from talking to a girl about traveling through Belgium so they can talk about the current band they’re working on. Richie insists he wants to play covers, but Dennis tries to talk him into playing his own works. Richie breaks into song with “Suspicious Minds”. Dennis’ wife is getting more and more annoyed with Dennis wanting to be in the whole rocker scene.

Feb 12, 2014

No Robin in this episode. The plot of his storyline just involves Dennis’ wife getting mad at him for spending too much time around Richie and Gloria, and she kicks him out of the house. Gloria invites him to spend the night on her sofa. I have to wonder, where is Richie staying all this time, couldn’t Dennis stay with him?

Feb 14, 2014 part 1

No Robin. Dennis begs Rita to take him back and she does, admonishing him first for “hurting her so much”. I’m confused as to what he did that was so bad, he didn’t cheat on her. Just because he hung out with Richie, wanted to be a rocker, and flirted a bit with Gloria? Really? Come on. A guy’s got to have a little excitement in his life at that age!

Part 2:

Still no Robin. Rita and Dennis are happily back together and having a Valentine’s day dinner date when Gloria walks in and comments that oh, he’ll probably not need to sleep at her place again tonight. To which Rita gets huffy again and storms out, Dennis pleading that he only slept on the sofa. Drama, drama.

Coronation Street - Feb 7, 2014

Part 1: Richie is in the restaurant working out the setlist of songs. He wants to open with Waterloo Sunset, but Dennis thinks it too melancholy and would rather he play original material. Richie says they’ll figure it out later, and he has to use the bathroom, Dennis rolls his eyes, but follows him. When the men have left, the restaurant owner warns Gloria that both of the guys are besotted with her and she can do what she likes with Richie, but leave Dennis alone, his wife Rita is getting suspicious.

Part 2: Richie unloads the van with his band at a club, the Hyde Working Men’s club. They complain how cramped is was back there. Richie tells Gloria she could have ridden up front with him. Robin's really cute in this episode with him and the other characters joking back and forth!

Coronation Street - Feb 5, 2014

Just when I'd gotten lazy about checking to see if Robin's made a re-appearance as "Richie" on this show, I find out a week too late that his role started up again on Feb 5! Frantically I search YouTube for it, hoping whoever's been uploading recent episodes haven't already taken it down, but am out of luck. I get an inspiration and type the episode into a Google search and voilà! I find it on a video site called Daily Motion. This includes text at the bottom of the screen, but oh well, all the better for understanding some of the accents!

Not too much goes on in this episode, Richie just comes into the restaurant and meets with Dennis’ wife Rita and Gloria (the mom of the restaurant owner) and makes some small talk. He has bigger parts in the next few episodes, so stay tuned!

Coronation Street - Dec 20, 2013

Right before Robin's scene in this episode there was a story featuring one of the other characters learning to drive in a car with a driving instructor...wonder if that was put in as an inside joke? :)

Anyway, in this episode we see Richie starting to bring the music equipment into the restaurant. The young woman owner complains about the size of the speakers and her mom says condescendingly that she was always that way, even back in the days when she, the mom, was younger and dancing around the kitchen to Marc Bolan.

Getting ready to start, the people are commmenting that a lot of tickets were sold, how Facebook helped publicize, and that it isn't just for young people. Richie comments that "You're only as young as the person you feel!" ha ha

Now...that was the end of Robin that I could see. This is a godawful boring show so I kind of skipped through episodes from Dec 23, Dec 25, and Dec 27 super fast, but seeing no Robin, I deleted them. I hope I didn't miss him. After that I just kind of gave up and forgot about looking for new episodes. Just my luck, I probably missed what I was waiting for: the actual performance scene! Did they have one, did anyone see? And if not, why wouldn't they? Why would they just fizzle out on this very important story that seemed like it could have gone on awhile longer?