Fyfe Robertson
James "Fyfe" Robertson was a Scottish television journalist and broadcaster.
Biography
Robertson was born at 8:30am on 19 August 1902 at 35 Shandon Crescent in the District of St. George, in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. He was one of six children of Jane and James Robertson, a miner who became a minister in the United Free Church of Scotland. He attended the High School of Glasgow.Career
After briefly studying medicine at Glasgow University, he became a reporter with the Glasgow Herald, then Shrewsbury Chronicle and later, in London with the Daily Herald and Daily Express.In 1943 Robertson joined Picture Post magazine where he was picture editor and feature writer. His investigative abilities led to a crucial exposé of the Tanganyika groundnut scheme. His report was quoted in the House of Commons.
When Picture Post closed in 1957, he went to work in television. He is chiefly remembered for his association with the BBC programme Tonight. His bearded, haggard face topped by a tweed trilby hat and a slow over-emphatic Scottish voice became well known, which led to parodies on radio comedy shows: firstly by Bill Pertwee on Beyond Our Ken as "Rife Hoverton"; as "Forth Robinson" in The Men from the Ministry; and also by Graeme Garden on I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, who began every item with an alleged Robertson catchphrase "I'm standing here...". Another of his frequently used phrases that was parodied was "I don't know, I really don't know". For Tonight Robertson travelled widely providing serious stories as well as finding some remarkable eccentrics; he was often described as "our roving reporter".
He appeared briefly as himself in the comedy film What a Whopper.
When Tonight was replaced by 24 Hours, Robertson continued in his same investigative manner. He presented a series for BBC Television, Brush Off the Dust, in which he visited several British museums, commenting on their collections, and in 1975 presented Robbie, which ran for three series until 1980.
Despite being a heavy smoker, he remained in good health and in his late 60s took part in two exhausting televised expeditions, crossing the Scottish Highlands on horseback and paddling down the Severn in a canoe.