STARS OF THE PAST WHO TOLD US THE FUTURE
James Burke (1965–1971)
James landed the Tomorrow’s World gig shortly after graduating from Oxford University with a degree in Middle English – an expert in yesterday’s world.
The presenter, now 80, says: “I joined Tomorrow’s World in 1966, when the BBC had a policy of hiring presenters who were not qualified in science, so that if we understood it, anyone would.”
He was also the BBC’s science reporter for the Project Apollo missions, and presenter of the BBC’s coverage of the first moon landing in 1969.
He now runs the Knowledge Web online learning tool and is writing a book, The Culture Of Scarcity.
Michael Rodd (1972–1982) Michael was a well-known kids’ TV host, fronting film-based quiz show Screen Test for eight years as well as Tomorrow’s World. One of his most memorable moments came in 1981 when he ate a worm omelette – claiming it was an excellent source of protein.
Now 73, he has fond memories of the show, saying: “I showcased everything from the first digital watch, to Teletext, the personal stereo, the CD player and, of course, the first mobile phone, which was huge in size.”
After leaving TV he advised businesses on how best to use new tech. Maggie Philbin (1983–1994)
Maggie, now 61, used to watch the show as a child before presenting it years later.
She and co-stars stayed with the show despite big-money commercial offers “because we were so dedicated”. She adds: “I was the first to demonstrate virtual reality, a digital camera and satellite navigation,” she says. “It has been so exciting watching the convergence of those technologies.”
Now she is a tech writer and boss of TeenTech, encouraging youngsters to use science and invent. She was married to entertainer Keith Chegwin, and they have a daughter Rose, 29.
William Woollard (1974–1978) William, now 77, was the presenter who predicted trains half a mile long would thunder through a Channel Tunnel at up to 200mph and reach Paris in two-and-a-half hours. In 1981 he joined Top Gear, where his habit of presenting links to camera with one foot on a car’s front bumper led to a copycat photo craze known as Woollarding.
He went on to set up an independent production company and now works as a scriptwriter on documentaries. Howard Stableford (1985-97)
He hosted Beat The Teacher and Newsround before joining Tomorrow’s World as one of its longest-serving presenters.
He says of the inventions he introduced: “I was more disappointed by the ones that disappeared when you thought, ‘That should catch on’. Some guy came up with a window blind that was transparent and had concentric circles on it that would pick up a great picture from a satellite. That sounded like a great idea.”
Now a BBC producer, he says: “It’s fantastic the name’s coming back. For many years there wasn’t a science show on TV after Tomorrow’s World went off air.”
Shahnaz Pakravan (1994-97) Science journalist Shahnaz was also a presenter on BBC News 24 and Channel 4 News and hosted one of the biggest news shows in the Middle East.
In 2007 she went to Scotland to run a hotel before moving on to manage a business and social club in Bahrain.
She now runs her own production and events company called SP Productions in Dubai.
Raymond Baxter (1965-77) Wartime Spitfire pilot Raymond was the first Tomorrow’s World presenter. He demonstrated the first video game, reported live from the first hovercraft channel crossing, flew on the prototype Concorde and introduced viewers to the breathalyser and barcode reader. After leaving the show he continued to make regular television appearances before his death in 2006, aged 84. Judith Hann (1974-1994) Judith was the longest running Tomorrow’s World presenter, fronting the show for 20 years. She has written several science books, including How Science Works which has sold over a million copies in 20 languages. She also worked for the Royal Society for 11 years and was a member of the Biotechnology Commission, advising the Government on GM crops and animal cloning. Now 74, she runs a media training company with her husband and is president of the Herb Society. Kieran Prendiville (1979–1983) Kieran demonstrated the indestructibility of the compact disc by smearing strawberry jam on a Bee Gees CD.
But instructing a robot to dress his salad, he watched in horror as the machine sprayed the studio with oil.
After leaving the show Keiran, now 69, became a highly successful TV writer, creating hit Ballykissangel. Peter Macann (1983–1991) Peter says many of his favourite memories come from the show’s spin-off, Tomorrow’s World at Large. “I loved the derring-dos,” he says. “I learned to be a North Sea diver, did a survival course on Dartmoor, trained as an astronaut in Houston and took part in the world speed record attempt with Richard Branson on Virgin Atlantic Challenger. For a while I was a record breaker.” Now 72, since retiring from the BBC he has worked as a consultant for various corporations on managing culture change within their organisations. Philippa Forrester (1996-2000) Philippa moved on from Tomorrow’s World to host Robot Wars with Craig Charles.
She got a degree in environmental sciences and began filming natural history programmes with her husband Charlie Hamilton James. The couple now live in Wyoming, US, where Philippa is documenting her daily run-ins with bears and moose as well as working as a children’s author. John Diamond (1991) As the son of a biochemist, John was born to present Tomorrow’s World.
He presented one series in 1991 and married Nigella Lawson a year later.
He wrote extensively about his battle with throat cancer after being diagnosed in 1997 and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for his book Because Cowards Get Cancer Too.
He died in 2001, a year before The John Diamond Voice Laboratory was opened at the Royal Marsden Hospital.