Mick Robertson
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mick" Robertson (born February 14, 1946 in Petworth
, Sussex
) is a former presenter of the ITV
children's television magazine programme Magpie
.
and trained as a teacher before working in a London play scheme. He then worked as a researcher for Thames Television
.
from 1972 to 1980, then went on to present an out of school activity programme called Freetime. When Freetime was axed by ITV
in 1985, he helped to establish The Children's Channel
, where he presented a show called Roustabout.
Since the 1980s he has produced television programmes for children, including the series "Wise Up", and "Blunt", and has won several Children's Baftas. In 2007 he was awarded the Special Award Children's Bafta for his work in television. Accepting his award he said "I am hugely proud to be receiving my Bafta award. My television career has been entirely spent in making programmes for children. There is no more important audience.
"All my programmes have been in the factual entertainment genre which is fast disappearing from children's screens because of its minority appeal."
"I hope ways will be found to support factual television for children in the future. They should always enjoy a rich and varied viewing choice."
Petworth
Petworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east-west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some twelve miles to the south west of Petworth along the A285 road...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
) is a former presenter of the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
children's television magazine programme Magpie
Magpie (TV series)
Magpie was a children's television programme shown on ITV from the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. It was a magazine format show intended to compete with the BBC's Blue Peter, but attempted to be more "hip", focusing more on popular culture...
.
Early career
He attended Midhurst Grammar SchoolMidhurst Grammar School
Midhurst Grammar School was a comprehensive upper school in Midhurst, West Sussex. It served pupils aged 13 to 18 who usually joined the school from one of the local intermediate schools. It was replaced in 2009 by the new Midhurst Rother Academy.-History:...
and trained as a teacher before working in a London play scheme. He then worked as a researcher for Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
.
Children's TV
He co-presented MagpieMagpie (TV series)
Magpie was a children's television programme shown on ITV from the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. It was a magazine format show intended to compete with the BBC's Blue Peter, but attempted to be more "hip", focusing more on popular culture...
from 1972 to 1980, then went on to present an out of school activity programme called Freetime. When Freetime was axed by ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in 1985, he helped to establish The Children's Channel
The Children's Channel
The Children's Channel, also known as TCC, was a television station in the United Kingdom, Benelux and Scandinavia, which was owned by Flextech . It began broadcasting on 1 September 1984, and was closed on 3 April 1998...
, where he presented a show called Roustabout.
Since the 1980s he has produced television programmes for children, including the series "Wise Up", and "Blunt", and has won several Children's Baftas. In 2007 he was awarded the Special Award Children's Bafta for his work in television. Accepting his award he said "I am hugely proud to be receiving my Bafta award. My television career has been entirely spent in making programmes for children. There is no more important audience.
"All my programmes have been in the factual entertainment genre which is fast disappearing from children's screens because of its minority appeal."
"I hope ways will be found to support factual television for children in the future. They should always enjoy a rich and varied viewing choice."