Category Archives: BBC

Transparency and the Gender Pay Gap

Posted on 21 July 2017 by Athene Donald

The gender pay gap has been much in the news with the revelations about the pay of the BBC’s superstars. Whatever you may feel about the level of remuneration for Chris Evans compared with Andrew Marr, whether you believe one … Continue reading →

Posted in BBC, Equal Pay Review, Equality, Glynis Breakwell | Comments Off on Transparency and the Gender Pay Gap

Multitasking in the Public Eye

Posted on 6 September 2015 by Athene Donald

I spent much of the last week in Belgium. A long-scheduled trip, I spent a couple of nights in Brussels and one in Leuven. With Cambridge-Brussels being easy and streamlined (usually at least) via Eurostar, this should have been a … Continue reading →

Posted in BBC, British Science Association, Communicating Science, Justin Webb, LERU | Comments Off on Multitasking in the Public Eye

What Makes a Breakthrough?

Posted on 12 November 2014 by Athene Donald

Until a few days ago, I’d never really thought very much about the Breakthrough Prize, a huge collection of prizes created by Mark Zuckerberg and friends. Or, more precisely a smallish collection of huge prizes, the big ones each being … Continue reading →

Posted in BBC, Breakthrough Prize, Communicating Science, Longitude Prize, Saul Perlmutter, Science Funding, YourLIfe | Comments Off on What Makes a Breakthrough?

Science and Nerves at the BBC

Posted on 6 April 2014 by Athene Donald

Last week you would have found three professors gathered nervously together in the depths of (Old) Broadcasting House waiting for the studio to be ready to air the week’s broadcast of In Our Time. Three professors who had never met … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrea Sella, BBC, Communicating Science, education, In Our Time, Justin Wark, Melvyn Bragg | Comments Off on Science and Nerves at the BBC

Why are Scientists off the Radar?

Posted on 7 November 2013 by Athene Donald

There are those who believe that one should never have “women-only” lists of anything and that even the venerable BBC programme Woman’s Hour should be banned because there isn’t a Man’s Hour on Radio 4. This viewpoint has it that all … Continue reading →

Posted in BBC, Communicating Science, lists, media | Comments Off on Why are Scientists off the Radar?

Anglo-Saxon Attitudes

Posted on 11 November 2012 by Henry Gee

You’ll both be aware of my interest in Old English and the Anglo-Saxon period of English history. Here, then, is a description of how evidence was judged in an Anglo-Saxon coutroom circa 990 AD. The defendant was not required to … Continue reading →

Posted in BBC, journalism, Monbiot, Newsnight, paedophiles, Politicrox | Comments Off on Anglo-Saxon Attitudes

Scritti

Posted on 24 October 2012 by Henry Gee

Occasionally I make the mistake of tuning in to the BBC, an organization for whom the lead news item will always be its own self-importance. Now then now then now then. There has been much brouhaha, for example, about the … Continue reading →

Posted in BBC, george entwhistle, graphology, jimmy savile, Pseudoscience, Silliness, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Scritti

A television programme about the second law of thermodynamics

Posted on 20 October 2012 by Stephen

CP Snow must be doing cartwheels in his grave. The BBC has made a beautiful, intelligent film about the second law of thermodynamics. You only have until Tuesday 30th Oct* to catch it on iPlayer and you should. Presented by … Continue reading →

Posted in BBC, Entropy, History of Science, jim Al Khalili, Science & Media, TV review | Comments Off on A television programme about the second law of thermodynamics