Eric Robson
Encyclopedia
Eric Robson, born 31 December 1946 (age 65) in Scotland
, is a television broadcaster, author and documentary film maker who has lived for most of his life in Cumbria
, where he has a sheep farm
.
(based in Carlisle) in 1966. He is currently Chairman of Gardeners' Question Time
on BBC Radio 4
. Previously he contributed to various regional TV series about Alfred Wainwright
's walking guides. In 1980 he presented the final episode of the first series of Great Railway Journeys of the World, produced by the BBC. He has been a hobby farmer since 1987, and also was a reporter on the BBC Scotland Landward
show. In September 2011 he was accused of a conflict of interest by anti-nuclear protesters opposed to a second generation of nuclear power plants and the possible siting of a high-level waste dump in the lake District region. Robson is the chairman of the Cumbria Tourism organisation but at the same time is a part owner of Osprey Communications, a PR firm that is advisor to the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership.
in the mid 1980s that looked back over the reclusive writer's life. He lives in Wasdale
, where he farms at Crag House Farm and (with his wife) runs a mail order company named after Striding Edge, specialising in DVD
s, map
s and book
s about the countryside, particularly that of Cumbria.
He married Mary Armstrong in 1976, but they divorced in 1984. They have a son and daughter. He married Annette Steinhilber in 1988. They have a son and two daughters.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, is a television broadcaster, author and documentary film maker who has lived for most of his life in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, where he has a sheep farm
Sheep husbandry
Sheep husbandry is a subcategory of animal husbandry specifically dealing with the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. Sheep farming is primarily based on raising lambs for meat, or raising sheep for wool. Sheep may also be raised for milk or to sell to other farmers.-Shelter and...
.
Career
He started at Border TelevisionBorder Television
Border Television is the ITV franchise holder for the Border region, spanning the England/Scotland border and covering Dumfries & Galloway region, a small part of the south-west area of Ayrshire, the Scottish Borders, parts of north and west Northumberland and the majority of Cumbria...
(based in Carlisle) in 1966. He is currently Chairman of Gardeners' Question Time
Gardeners' Question Time
Gardeners' Question Time is a long-running BBC Radio 4 programme in which amateur gardeners can put questions to a panel of experts.-History:...
on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. Previously he contributed to various regional TV series about Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
's walking guides. In 1980 he presented the final episode of the first series of Great Railway Journeys of the World, produced by the BBC. He has been a hobby farmer since 1987, and also was a reporter on the BBC Scotland Landward
Landward
Landward is a long-running television programme focusing on agricultural and rural issues, produced and broadcast by BBC Scotland. Until 2007, it aired on Sunday mornings in Scotland, replacing the similar show Countryfile which aired elsewhere in the UK; however in 2007 Landward moved to a regular...
show. In September 2011 he was accused of a conflict of interest by anti-nuclear protesters opposed to a second generation of nuclear power plants and the possible siting of a high-level waste dump in the lake District region. Robson is the chairman of the Cumbria Tourism organisation but at the same time is a part owner of Osprey Communications, a PR firm that is advisor to the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership.
Personal life
He is chairman of The Wainwright Society and made a series of TV programmes with Alfred WainwrightAlfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
in the mid 1980s that looked back over the reclusive writer's life. He lives in Wasdale
Wasdale
Wasdale is a valley and civil parish in the western part of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. The River Irt flows through the valley to its estuary at Ravenglass. A large part of the main valley floor is occupied by Wastwater, the deepest lake in England...
, where he farms at Crag House Farm and (with his wife) runs a mail order company named after Striding Edge, specialising in DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, map
Map
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
s and book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s about the countryside, particularly that of Cumbria.
He married Mary Armstrong in 1976, but they divorced in 1984. They have a son and daughter. He married Annette Steinhilber in 1988. They have a son and two daughters.
Books
- Co-author 'Great Railway Journeys of the World' (pub. BBC)
- Editor of The Allotment Handbook (Arena Press).
- Author - Outside Broadcaster (Autobiography) 2007 - Pub: Frances Lincoln Ltd