Robin Parkinson (born "Christopher Robin Parkinson" on 25th October 1929 in Coventry, died 7th May 2022) appeared on Coronation Street in May 1973 as caterer Fred Nelson.
He began his career at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and before his retirement, appeared in a plethora of British television programmes, specialising in comedy roles in series such as On the Buses, The Dick Emery Show, The Fenn Street Gang, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, The Liver Birds, My Name Is Harry Worth, Dad's Army, A Little Bit of Wisdom (with Norman Wisdom), Love Thy Neighbour, Rising Damp, Bless This House, Happy Ever After, The Many Wives of Patrick, Terry and June, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Shelley, Hi-De-Hi!, Fresh Fields and 'Allo, 'Allo!.
He was equally at home in straight roles and these included parts in The Odd Man, Crossroads, Out of the Unknown, Softly Softly, The Wednesday Play, Man at the Top, Play for Today, Z Cars, All Creatures Great and Small, Partners in Crime, Rosemary & Thyme and as the narrator for the children's series Button Moon.
On stage, he appeared in productions of The Imperial Nightingale, The Enchanted, The Crooked Billet, Monsieur Lautrec, Abraham Lincoln, Not in the Book, The Merchant of Venice, Never Had It So Good, I Killed the Count, The Cat and the Canary, Stop It, Whoever You Are, End of Conflict, The Caretaker, Close the Coalhouse Door, Shut Your Eyes and Think of England, Two Into One and 'Allo 'Allo.