Johnny Ball
Encyclopedia
Johnny Ball is a British
television
personality, a great populariser of mathematics
and the father of BBC Radio 2
DJ Zoë Ball
.
, he spent his primary years there and later in his childhood moved to Bolton
, Lancashire
where he attended Bolton School
. He left formal education with two 'O' Levels, one in Mathematics. He then signed on for three years in the Royal Air Force
, worked as a Butlin's Redcoat
and was an entertainer in northern clubs and cabaret
.
programme ...Reveals All) appeared on the BBC
. Ball's shows were renowned for presenting scientific and technological principles in an entertaining and accessible way for young people.
In 2003, he appeared on The Terry and Gaby Show
in which he answered viewers' questions. In July 2004, he was named in the Radio Times list of the top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time.
Think Again
Think!Backwards
Think! This Way
Knowhow
Johnny Ball Reveals All
(source: BBC)
Johnny Ball (born 23 May 1938) is a British
television
personality, a great populariser of mathematics
and the father of BBC Radio 2
DJ Zoë Ball
.
, he spent his primary years there and later in his childhood moved to Bolton
, Lancashire
where he attended Bolton School
. He left formal education with two 'O' Levels, one in Mathematics. He then signed on for three years in the Royal Air Force
, worked as a Butlin's Redcoat
and was an entertainer in northern clubs and cabaret
.
programme ...Reveals All) appeared on the BBC
. Ball's shows were renowned for presenting scientific and technological principles in an entertaining and accessible way for young people.
In 2003, he appeared on The Terry and Gaby Show
in which he answered viewers' questions. In July 2004, he was named in the Radio Times list of the top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time.
Think Again
Think!Backwards
Think! This Way
Knowhow
Johnny Ball Reveals All
(source: BBC)
Johnny Ball (born 23 May 1938) is a British
television
personality, a great populariser of mathematics
and the father of BBC Radio 2
DJ Zoë Ball
.
, he spent his primary years there and later in his childhood moved to Bolton
, Lancashire
where he attended Bolton School
. He left formal education with two 'O' Levels, one in Mathematics. He then signed on for three years in the Royal Air Force
, worked as a Butlin's Redcoat
and was an entertainer in northern clubs and cabaret
.
programme ...Reveals All) appeared on the BBC
. Ball's shows were renowned for presenting scientific and technological principles in an entertaining and accessible way for young people.
In 2003, he appeared on The Terry and Gaby Show
in which he answered viewers' questions. In July 2004, he was named in the Radio Times list of the top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time.
Think Again
Think!Backwards
Think! This Way
Knowhow
Johnny Ball Reveals All
(source: BBC)
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality, a great populariser of mathematics
Popular mathematics
Popular mathematics is mathematical literature aimed at a general audience.Sometimes this is in the form of books which require no mathematical background and in other cases it is in the form of expository articles written by professional mathematicians to reach out to others working in different...
and the father of BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
DJ Zoë Ball
Zoë Ball
Zoë Louise Ball is an English television and radio personality, most famous for becoming the first female host of the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show and for her earlier work presenting the 1990s children's show, Live & Kicking.-TV career:The daughter of the children's TV presenter Johnny Ball and his...
.
Early life
Originally from BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, he spent his primary years there and later in his childhood moved to Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
where he attended Bolton School
Bolton School
Bolton School is an independent day school in Bolton, in the North-West of England. It comprises a co-educational Nursery and Infant School and single sex Junior and Senior Schools . With almost 2,400 pupils it is one of the largest independent day schools in the country.-History:Bolton School...
. He left formal education with two 'O' Levels, one in Mathematics. He then signed on for three years in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, worked as a Butlin's Redcoat
Redcoats (Butlins)
Redcoat is the name given to frontline staff at Butlins holiday camps. A Redcoat may have many duties ranging from adult entertainer or children's entertainer to stewarding.-History:The first Redcoat was Norman Bradford...
and was an entertainer in northern clubs and cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
.
Television and radio career
He was a regular fixture on children's television in the 1970s and 1980s, presenting several series of popular science and technology programmes intended for children (including Think of a Number; Think Again; Think Backwards; Think...This Way and Johnny Ball Reveals All). He was also one of the hosts of infant education programme Play School at the start of BBC2 in 1964.. All of these shows (except the ITVITV
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...
programme ...Reveals All) appeared on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Ball's shows were renowned for presenting scientific and technological principles in an entertaining and accessible way for young people.
In 2003, he appeared on The Terry and Gaby Show
The Terry and Gaby Show
The Terry and Gaby Show was a daytime television show broadcast on Five on weekday mornings between June 2003 and April 2004, produced by Chris Evans' company UMTV. It was hosted by Terry Wogan and Gaby Roslin....
in which he answered viewers' questions. In July 2004, he was named in the Radio Times list of the top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time.
Series guide
Think of a Number- Pilot: 2 April 1977
- Series 1: 6 editions – 12 April 1977–17 May 1977
- Series 2: 6 editions – 12 September 1979–17 October 1979
- Series 3: 6 editions – 10 September 1980–15 October 1980
- Series 4: 6 editions – 15 September 1982–20 October 1982
- Series 5: 6 editions – 4 January 1984–8 February 1984
- Series 6: 6 editions – 26 September 1984–31 October 1984
Think Again
- Series 1: 5 editions – 9 January 1981–22 April 1981
- Series 2: 6 editions – 8 January 1982–12 February 1982
- Series 3: 6 editions – 7 January 1983–11 February 1983
- Series 4: 6 editions – 13 September 1983–18 October 1983
- Series 5: 6 editions – 10 September 1985–15 October1985
Think!Backwards
- Five editions shown over one week – 28 September 1981–2 October 1981
Think! This Way
- Five editions shown over one week – 28 March 1983–1 April 1983
Knowhow
- Series 1: 6 editions – 8 March 1988–12 April 1988
- Series 2: 6 editions – 25 October 1988–29 November 1988
- Series 3: 6 editions – 2 January 1990–6 February 1990 (does not feature in series 3)
Johnny Ball Reveals All
- Series 1: 7 editions – 14 June 1989–26 July 1989
- Series 2: 6 editions – 3 August 1990–7 September 1990
- Series 3: 7 editions – 18 March 1992–29 April 1992
- Series 4: 7 editions – 7 May 1993–16 August 1993
- Series 5: 5 editions – 8 August 1994–1 September 1994
(source: BBC)
Other activities
- Ball is in favour of nuclear powerNuclear powerNuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
and has given many talks and speeches arguing for the development of nuclear power. - He rejects the notion of man-made climate change, arguing that carbon dioxide has been unfairly victimised in the debate. On 15 December 2009, Ball was booed offstage at a show "in celebration of ... science" in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for suggesting that climate change is not anthropogenic. - In November 2006, he voiced his opposition to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, which would require any adult working with children to be vettedVettingVetting is a process of examination and evaluation, generally referring to performing a background check on someone before offering him or her employment, conferring an award, etc...
by the Criminal Records BureauCriminal Records BureauThe Criminal Records Bureau , is an Executive Agency of the Home Office, which provides wider access to criminal record information through its Disclosure service for England and Wales...
. In an interview with The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times (UK)The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
, he said: "It is like George Orwell's 1984... a quarter of adults will have to be checked... The fear we are instilling in [children] is abhorrent."
- He was Rector of the University of Glasgow from 1993 to 1996.
External links
- Johnny Ball Productions — Official website
- Johnny Ball biography and credits at BFI Screenonline
- Think of a number... think Johnny Ball
- Johnny Ball "slates" children's TV
- What Would Johnny Do? – Johnny Ball the role model
- Think of a Number - TV Cream entry
Johnny Ball (born 23 May 1938) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality, a great populariser of mathematics
Popular mathematics
Popular mathematics is mathematical literature aimed at a general audience.Sometimes this is in the form of books which require no mathematical background and in other cases it is in the form of expository articles written by professional mathematicians to reach out to others working in different...
and the father of BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
DJ Zoë Ball
Zoë Ball
Zoë Louise Ball is an English television and radio personality, most famous for becoming the first female host of the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show and for her earlier work presenting the 1990s children's show, Live & Kicking.-TV career:The daughter of the children's TV presenter Johnny Ball and his...
.
Early life
Originally from BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, he spent his primary years there and later in his childhood moved to Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
where he attended Bolton School
Bolton School
Bolton School is an independent day school in Bolton, in the North-West of England. It comprises a co-educational Nursery and Infant School and single sex Junior and Senior Schools . With almost 2,400 pupils it is one of the largest independent day schools in the country.-History:Bolton School...
. He left formal education with two 'O' Levels, one in Mathematics. He then signed on for three years in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, worked as a Butlin's Redcoat
Redcoats (Butlins)
Redcoat is the name given to frontline staff at Butlins holiday camps. A Redcoat may have many duties ranging from adult entertainer or children's entertainer to stewarding.-History:The first Redcoat was Norman Bradford...
and was an entertainer in northern clubs and cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
.
Television and radio career
He was a regular fixture on children's television in the 1970s and 1980s, presenting several series of popular science and technology programmes intended for children (including Think of a Number; Think Again; Think Backwards; Think...This Way and Johnny Ball Reveals All). He was also one of the hosts of infant education programme Play School at the start of BBC2 in 1964.. All of these shows (except the ITVITV
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...
programme ...Reveals All) appeared on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Ball's shows were renowned for presenting scientific and technological principles in an entertaining and accessible way for young people.
In 2003, he appeared on The Terry and Gaby Show
The Terry and Gaby Show
The Terry and Gaby Show was a daytime television show broadcast on Five on weekday mornings between June 2003 and April 2004, produced by Chris Evans' company UMTV. It was hosted by Terry Wogan and Gaby Roslin....
in which he answered viewers' questions. In July 2004, he was named in the Radio Times list of the top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time.
Series guide
Think of a Number- Pilot: 2 April 1977
- Series 1: 6 editions – 12 April 1977–17 May 1977
- Series 2: 6 editions – 12 September 1979–17 October 1979
- Series 3: 6 editions – 10 September 1980–15 October 1980
- Series 4: 6 editions – 15 September 1982–20 October 1982
- Series 5: 6 editions – 4 January 1984–8 February 1984
- Series 6: 6 editions – 26 September 1984–31 October 1984
Think Again
- Series 1: 5 editions – 9 January 1981–22 April 1981
- Series 2: 6 editions – 8 January 1982–12 February 1982
- Series 3: 6 editions – 7 January 1983–11 February 1983
- Series 4: 6 editions – 13 September 1983–18 October 1983
- Series 5: 6 editions – 10 September 1985–15 October1985
Think!Backwards
- Five editions shown over one week – 28 September 1981–2 October 1981
Think! This Way
- Five editions shown over one week – 28 March 1983–1 April 1983
Knowhow
- Series 1: 6 editions – 8 March 1988–12 April 1988
- Series 2: 6 editions – 25 October 1988–29 November 1988
- Series 3: 6 editions – 2 January 1990–6 February 1990 (does not feature in series 3)
Johnny Ball Reveals All
- Series 1: 7 editions – 14 June 1989–26 July 1989
- Series 2: 6 editions – 3 August 1990–7 September 1990
- Series 3: 7 editions – 18 March 1992–29 April 1992
- Series 4: 7 editions – 7 May 1993–16 August 1993
- Series 5: 5 editions – 8 August 1994–1 September 1994
(source: BBC)
Other activities
- Ball is in favour of nuclear powerNuclear powerNuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
and has given many talks and speeches arguing for the development of nuclear power. - He rejects the notion of man-made climate change, arguing that carbon dioxide has been unfairly victimised in the debate. On 15 December 2009, Ball was booed offstage at a show "in celebration of ... science" in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for suggesting that climate change is not anthropogenic. - In November 2006, he voiced his opposition to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, which would require any adult working with children to be vettedVettingVetting is a process of examination and evaluation, generally referring to performing a background check on someone before offering him or her employment, conferring an award, etc...
by the Criminal Records BureauCriminal Records BureauThe Criminal Records Bureau , is an Executive Agency of the Home Office, which provides wider access to criminal record information through its Disclosure service for England and Wales...
. In an interview with The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times (UK)The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
, he said: "It is like George Orwell's 1984... a quarter of adults will have to be checked... The fear we are instilling in [children] is abhorrent."
- He was Rector of the University of Glasgow from 1993 to 1996.
External links
- Johnny Ball Productions — Official website
- Johnny Ball biography and credits at BFI Screenonline
- Think of a number... think Johnny Ball
- Johnny Ball "slates" children's TV
- What Would Johnny Do? – Johnny Ball the role model
- Think of a Number - TV Cream entry
Johnny Ball (born 23 May 1938) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality, a great populariser of mathematics
Popular mathematics
Popular mathematics is mathematical literature aimed at a general audience.Sometimes this is in the form of books which require no mathematical background and in other cases it is in the form of expository articles written by professional mathematicians to reach out to others working in different...
and the father of BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
DJ Zoë Ball
Zoë Ball
Zoë Louise Ball is an English television and radio personality, most famous for becoming the first female host of the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show and for her earlier work presenting the 1990s children's show, Live & Kicking.-TV career:The daughter of the children's TV presenter Johnny Ball and his...
.
Early life
Originally from BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, he spent his primary years there and later in his childhood moved to Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
where he attended Bolton School
Bolton School
Bolton School is an independent day school in Bolton, in the North-West of England. It comprises a co-educational Nursery and Infant School and single sex Junior and Senior Schools . With almost 2,400 pupils it is one of the largest independent day schools in the country.-History:Bolton School...
. He left formal education with two 'O' Levels, one in Mathematics. He then signed on for three years in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, worked as a Butlin's Redcoat
Redcoats (Butlins)
Redcoat is the name given to frontline staff at Butlins holiday camps. A Redcoat may have many duties ranging from adult entertainer or children's entertainer to stewarding.-History:The first Redcoat was Norman Bradford...
and was an entertainer in northern clubs and cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
.
Television and radio career
He was a regular fixture on children's television in the 1970s and 1980s, presenting several series of popular science and technology programmes intended for children (including Think of a Number; Think Again; Think Backwards; Think...This Way and Johnny Ball Reveals All). He was also one of the hosts of infant education programme Play School at the start of BBC2 in 1964.. All of these shows (except the ITVITV
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...
programme ...Reveals All) appeared on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Ball's shows were renowned for presenting scientific and technological principles in an entertaining and accessible way for young people.
In 2003, he appeared on The Terry and Gaby Show
The Terry and Gaby Show
The Terry and Gaby Show was a daytime television show broadcast on Five on weekday mornings between June 2003 and April 2004, produced by Chris Evans' company UMTV. It was hosted by Terry Wogan and Gaby Roslin....
in which he answered viewers' questions. In July 2004, he was named in the Radio Times list of the top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time.
Series guide
Think of a Number- Pilot: 2 April 1977
- Series 1: 6 editions – 12 April 1977–17 May 1977
- Series 2: 6 editions – 12 September 1979–17 October 1979
- Series 3: 6 editions – 10 September 1980–15 October 1980
- Series 4: 6 editions – 15 September 1982–20 October 1982
- Series 5: 6 editions – 4 January 1984–8 February 1984
- Series 6: 6 editions – 26 September 1984–31 October 1984
Think Again
- Series 1: 5 editions – 9 January 1981–22 April 1981
- Series 2: 6 editions – 8 January 1982–12 February 1982
- Series 3: 6 editions – 7 January 1983–11 February 1983
- Series 4: 6 editions – 13 September 1983–18 October 1983
- Series 5: 6 editions – 10 September 1985–15 October1985
Think!Backwards
- Five editions shown over one week – 28 September 1981–2 October 1981
Think! This Way
- Five editions shown over one week – 28 March 1983–1 April 1983
Knowhow
- Series 1: 6 editions – 8 March 1988–12 April 1988
- Series 2: 6 editions – 25 October 1988–29 November 1988
- Series 3: 6 editions – 2 January 1990–6 February 1990 (does not feature in series 3)
Johnny Ball Reveals All
- Series 1: 7 editions – 14 June 1989–26 July 1989
- Series 2: 6 editions – 3 August 1990–7 September 1990
- Series 3: 7 editions – 18 March 1992–29 April 1992
- Series 4: 7 editions – 7 May 1993–16 August 1993
- Series 5: 5 editions – 8 August 1994–1 September 1994
(source: BBC)
Other activities
- Ball is in favour of nuclear powerNuclear powerNuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
and has given many talks and speeches arguing for the development of nuclear power. - He rejects the notion of man-made climate change, arguing that carbon dioxide has been unfairly victimised in the debate. On 15 December 2009, Ball was booed offstage at a show "in celebration of ... science" in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for suggesting that climate change is not anthropogenic. - In November 2006, he voiced his opposition to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, which would require any adult working with children to be vettedVettingVetting is a process of examination and evaluation, generally referring to performing a background check on someone before offering him or her employment, conferring an award, etc...
by the Criminal Records BureauCriminal Records BureauThe Criminal Records Bureau , is an Executive Agency of the Home Office, which provides wider access to criminal record information through its Disclosure service for England and Wales...
. In an interview with The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times (UK)The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
, he said: "It is like George Orwell's 1984... a quarter of adults will have to be checked... The fear we are instilling in [children] is abhorrent."
- He was Rector of the University of Glasgow from 1993 to 1996.
External links
- Johnny Ball Productions — Official website
- Johnny Ball biography and credits at BFI Screenonline
- Think of a number... think Johnny Ball
- Johnny Ball "slates" children's TV
- What Would Johnny Do? – Johnny Ball the role model
- Think of a Number - TV Cream entry