Should you meet them?! Sometimes, no. But in this particular case, a resounding YES!
I grew up with ‘Think of a Number’, a programme we desperately need back on our TV screens IMO.
Johnny Ball was a stand-up comedian playing nightclubs and comedy clubs in the 1960s when he got his big break and started a highly successful television career. It was during this phase that a young impressionable me became a fan, and realised how wonderful the world of mathematics really was. I never looked back.
So you can only imagine how exciting it was to introduce Johnny in my role as chair of the OSIRIS Primary Maths conference in London today. He was on great form, even at the age of 77, and was off home before driving to Hull to give three talks tomorrow!
His secret? I reckon it’s a potent mixture of knowledge and passion – each without the other is of limited use.
So – any TV producers out there looking for a maths show – give me a ring!!!
