James Burke (science historian)

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For other people with the same name, see James Burke.
James Burke in his Connections TV series
James Burke in his Connections TV series

James Burke (born 22 December 1936) is a Northern Irish science historian, author and television producer best known for his documentary television series called Connections, focusing on the history of science and technology leavened with a sense of humour.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Born in Derry, Northern Ireland and educated at Maidstone Grammar School and Oxford University, he received his MA in Middle English from Jesus College. Later he moved to Italy where he lectured at universities in Bologna and Urbino as well as at English schools in that country.

During that time he was engaged in the creation of an English–Italian dictionary and the publication of an art encyclopedia. After a period of broadcasting work in 1966, he moved to London to join the BBC's Science and Features Department where he hosted and co-hosted a number of programmes. He was fascinated by the possibilities of television and the potential to educate and entertain by making programmes about science and technology. He also worked for a while as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language at the Regency Language School in Ramsgate.

Burke first made his name as a reporter on the popular and very long-running BBC science series, Tomorrow's World. He was BBC television's science anchor and chief reporter on the Project Apollo missions, including being the main presenter on the BBC's coverage of the first moon landings in 1969. However, the prestige output of the BBC Features Department in the 1970s was the "epic 13-parter" dominated by one charismatic and scholarly figure, epitomised by Sir Kenneth Clark's Civilisation and Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man. Following in their footsteps, Burke produced his most important work: a highly acclaimed 10-part documentary series Connections (1978) that was first aired on the BBC, and subsequently on PBS channels in the United States. The series was a great success for Burke and was followed by the 20-part Connections2 (1994) and the 10-part Connections³ (1997) series. Later, it was shown in more than 50 countries and appeared in about 350 university and college curricula. Additionally, the book that followed the series was also a best seller on both sides of the Atlantic. Burke also produced a 10 part series "The Day The Universe Changed" in 1985 (revised in 1995). He has also been a regular contributor for Scientific American and Time magazines and served as a consultant to the SETI project.

He received the Royal Television Society's silver and gold medals.

[edit] KnowledgeWeb

James Burke is the leading figure of the KnowledgeWeb Project. This is the digital incarnation of his books and television programmes, which allows the user to fly through history and create their own connective paths. It will eventually have immersive, inhabited virtual reality recreations of historical people and places.

In the closing scenes of The Day the Universe Changed, Burke suggested that a forthcoming revolution in communication and computer technology would allow people all over the world to exchange ideas and opinions instantaneously. Subsequent events seem to have proven him right. His views of the connected nature of history have also been substantiated by recent research in chaos/complexity/network theory. See for example complex systems and six degrees of separation.

[edit] Major television credits

Television series and major single documentaries made by James Burke:

  • The Burke Special (1972–1976)
  • The End of the Beginning, marking the end of Project Apollo (1972)
  • Connections (1978)
  • The Men who Walked on the Moon, 10th anniversary of Apollo 11 (1979)
  • The Other Side of the Moon, a more critical look at Apollo (1979)
  • The Real Thing, on various aspects of perception (1980)
  • The Neuron Suite on the human brain (1982)
  • The Day the Universe Changed (1985)
  • After the Warming (1990), on the greenhouse effect
  • Masters of Illusion (1993), on Renaissance painting
  • Connections 2 (1994) (sometimes written Connections²)
  • Connections 3 (1997) (or Connections³)
  • Stump the Scientist, in which an audience of children were invited to put questions to a resident panel of scientists in the hope of "stumping" them

[edit] Books

[edit] Popular Culture

James Burke is mentioned in the lyrics of the Human League song "The Black Hit of Space," a 1980 sci-fi-tinged single about a hit song "sucking up the human race." The lyrics urge, "get James Burke on the case."

The BBC topical comedy series 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' included a sketch in which an actor imitating Burke delivered a passage of elaborately mischievous prose somewhat in his manner -- ending with the following: "So there we have it. The truth is, the theory is really very, very simple. And if it isn't, I change it so it is. Or do I?"

[edit] External links

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