Robin read philosophy and English at St Andrews University and trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Much of his early career was involved with Alan Ayckbourn and the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Joining the company in 1976 as an actor, he was appointed Associate Director in 1979 and was Artistic Director from 1986 to 1988.

At that time, Robin had appeared in the original productions of more Ayckbourn plays than any other actor, from Ten Times Table in 1977 to Henceforward... in 1987, and including the monster 16 play two-hander Intimate Exchanges.

He came to London with Season’s Greetings and Suburban Strains (Roundhouse); Intimate Exchanges (Ambassadors) and Henceforward... (Vaudeville).

While Artistic Director at Scarborough, he commissioned and directed Stephen Mallatratt’s phenomenally successful adaptation of The Woman in Black, which played in the West End at the same theatre for over 33 years, and has completed 14 national tours. He always personally directs every recast, and has also directed productions of the play abroad in Tokyo (in Japanese!), America, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

Other London productions include: The Glory of the Garden (Duke of York’s); Rough Justice (Apollo); Joking Apart and The Importance of Being Earnest (Greenwich) and The Secret of Sherlock Holmes (Duchess).

Directorial credits include: Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance, All My Sons, Twelfth Night, Old Time, Clouds, Butley, She Stoops to Conquer, The Beaux’ Stratagem, Touch Wood and Whistle, Calling, Spokesong, Getting on, Tapster, Just Between Ourselves, Forty Years On, A Going Concern and What Every Woman Knows (Scarborough); Hard Times (Croydon Warehouse); Last of the Red Hot Lovers (Old Laundry Bowness); Ten Times Table, Sisterly Feelings, Woman in Mind, The Constant Wife (Windsor); Man of the Moment (Chester); Absent Friends and Same Time Next Year (world tours); Bedroom Farce (Lyceum Edinburgh); A Going Concern (Nuffield Southampton); Time of My Life, Taking Steps, Perfect Days, Shining City (Derby Playhouse); Talking Heads, April in Paris; (Northcott Exeter); Time and Time Again (Salisbury) and The Rivals (Vienna).

Recent regional productions: Hay Fever (Basingstoke); Educating Rita, Sugar Daddies, Barefoot in the Park and How the Other Half Loves (Sonning); Home, Driving Miss Daisy, The Turn of the Screw, Proof, The Mortal Ash, An Inspector Calls, Blithe Spirit, Private Lives, Bedroom Farce, Taking Steps and Boeing Boeing (Oldham Coliseum); The Price (New Vic, Stoke-on-Trent) and Stray Dogs (Park Theatre).

National tours include: Relatively Speaking, Confusions, Time and Time Again, Corpse!, Strangers on a Train, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Bedroom Farce, Season’s Greetings, Rain Man, Duet for One and Ten Times Table.

As an actor, Robin’s radio credits are numerous, and his television appearances include Only Fools and Horses, Casualty and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4. Most recently, he has played the lead role of Arthur Kipps in The Woman in Black in Luxembourg, Singapore, India, Hong Kong, New Zealand and San Francisco. Other occasional forays back on stage include Killing Time (59E59 Theatres, New York) and in Barney Norris’ play Visitors (Oldham Coliseum).