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Ghosts: The real-life story behind caveman Robin's real name

Sometimes the funniest joke comes from your real life

Still image of the character Robin in Ghosts
Image credit: BBC

Sometimes the best bits come from your own life. At least that's what happened with this particular bit of backstory threaded through BBC's Ghosts.

When asked by a fan at this weekend's MCM Comic Con about why Robin's character introduces himself as "Rogh" but is called "Robin," Robin actor Laurence Rickard shared that "We talked about it really early on that the idea is his name's not Robin. His name is Rogh, but at some point Humphrey went, 'That must presumably be short for something' and just started calling him Robin, and it was easier to go along with it than having an argument. Then, as new ghosts came along, Humphrey would go 'This is Robin.'"

And that's how it went, and why we all think of kindly old Rogh as Robin - though Rickard does point out that if he were asked his name, he'd respond 'Rogh.'

But that's not the whole story. Apparently this funny little bit was pulled directly from Laurence Rickard's life. "It was sort of born from the fact that when I was at university," Rickard shared, "My friend George found out I didn't like to be called Larry, and so started calling me Larry and introducing me as Larry. And now everyone in my life apart from my partner and my mum and dad call me Larry. And it's been 25 years."

So it looks like poor Rogh is stuck with "Robin" for at least a few more centuries, right?


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Tiffany Babb avatar

Tiffany Babb

Deputy Editor

Tiffany Babb is Popverse's deputy editor and resident Sondheim enthusiast. Tiffany likes stories that understand genre conventions (whether they play into them or against them), and she cries very easily at the movies— but rarely at the moments that are meant to be tearjerkers.

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