Greg Foot
| Greg Foot | |
|---|---|
|
at Cheltenham Science Festival, 2011 | |
| Born |
6 September 1983 Bradford, England, UK |
| Occupation | Science television presenter |
| Website | |
| http://www.gregfoot.com/ | |
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Greg Foot (born 6 September 1983) is a British science presenter. In March 2013 he was seen presenting Gizmodo on BBC America and his website says he's just finished filming a new series for BBC Worldwide. He's the 'resident scientist' on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch, has been into BBC Radio 1 to do experiments with The Scott Mills team and is a regular presenter on the YouTube Head Squeeze channel. In March 2012, he presented a 6-part science series for BBC Three called The Secrets of Everything, which first aired on 4 March 2012 at 8pm.[1]
Biography
Foot was born in Bradford, lived in Suffolk until he was 8, and spent the next 10 years in the Lake District and went to Ulverston Victoria High School. He read Natural Sciences at King’s College at Cambridge University, gaining a first class BA Hons degree, and then an MSc in Science Media Production from Imperial College London.
During his summer holidays he was an outdoor pursuits instructor at Lakeside YMCA and a high wire rope instructor at Go Ape!. Foot is now an avid surfer and snowboarder.
TV career
Foot's first television appearance was in 2007 presenting the children’s science/invention series Whizz Whizz Bang Bang on BBC One making such ridiculous inventions such as an underwater canoe, hover-board, robotic horse and a jet engine bed driven by The Stig.
During 2008 Foot appeared performing explosive experiments on Richard & Judy and was an on-screen expert for Channel 4’s award-winning Routes Game (supported by the Wellcome Trust) where he also gave a lecture in Cambridge to tie in with the fictional Alternate Reality Game.
In 2009, Foot was the Science & Tech expert on the BBC Two 'quiz without questions' Knowitalls hosted by Gyles Brandreth. In 2014, he was one of three hosts on Factomania.
How To Kill A Celebrity
In 2010, Foot lay himself on the line to persuade Gavin Henson to take a direct hit from 750,000 volts of electricity on How To Kill A Celebrity, which was aired on Bravo that year.
"Daredevil scientist Greg Foot, a science junkie renowned for pushing the boundaries of extreme experiments, will demonstrate the very real jeopardy, pain and danger using a variety of methods and demonstrations that would make even the bravest volunteer think twice.
Greg has just one hour to convince Gavin to make this possible life changing decision and place his life solely in the hand of science by showing Gavin an array of jaw dropping stunts showing the extreme damage that electricity really can do. Unsure, and with obvious trepidation, Gavin mulls over the challenge, and what his final decision will be."
Secrets of the Universe
Also in 2010, Foot was the presenter on the BBC Three science documentury show Secrets of the Universe, which saw him performing a whole range of science stunts to tell the 13.7 billion year history of the universe:
"Greg Foot buckles up for a 13.7 billion year trip through time, to answer the biggest question of them all - where do we come from?
But the last thing you'll find in this programme is a particle accelerator. All Greg needs is the stuff that's lying around. So, you want to prove the Big Bang really happened? Easy - it can all be done by playing guitar at 60 mph and blowing up a watermelon in super slow-motion.
What about calculating the speed of light? By microwaving ants on full power, of course.
Whether Greg is squeezing a car into suitcase or making Big Ben strike 13 o'clock - this is the story of how we all got here, as you've never seen it before."[2]
The programme was first aired on 4 November 2010 at 8pm.[3]
The Secrets of Everything
In 2012, Foot began presenting BBC Three’s first ever science series to air on the channel - The Secrets of Everything. The series contained six 30-minute episodes.
"Could you survive in a falling lift if you jumped at the last minute? Daredevil science geek Greg Foot is prepared to attempt ANYTHING to find you answers to some of life's weirder questions"
Episode guide
| Episode | Description[4] | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Foot finds out what humans taste of and whether a bellyflop could kill you. | 4 March 2012 |
| 1.2 | Could a person survive in a falling lift if they jumped as it hits the ground? | 4 March 2012 |
| 1.3 | Greg finds out if winning unfair fights only happens in films and why the sky is blue. | 11 March 2012 |
| 1.4 | Can you can escape when you're buried alive? Why a boomerang comes back. | 11 March 2012 |
| 1.5 | Could a coin falling from the top of the Empire State Building could kill you? | 18 March 2012 |
| 1.6 | Can you dig to Australia? Is it physically possible to die of a broken heart? How can you escape from quicksand? Why does it become colder the higher the altitude? | 25 March 2012 |
Gizmodo
From the BBC America website: For the first time ever the world’s top gadget site, Gizmodo, blasts its way onto TV with their irreverent technological expertise. Gizmodo’s team of tech-obsessed hosts test the latest gadgets in outrageous, adrenaline-charged and sometimes dangerous ways.
Whether they’re street luge racing, sumo wrestling or parachuting with their top picks, our team is on a mission to find out which of their picks make the cut – and which ones fall to pieces.
Live show
Foot runs his own company Daredevil Labs – a team of science presenters & sports professionals who "use immersive stunts, eye-catching spectacles, & hands-on demos to bring alive the science of sport, adventure & anything else cool".
Daredevil Labs' shows include 'Daredevil Labs: Everest' and an 'Extreme Sports Battle'. For the 'Daredveil Labs: Everest' show Foot recently trekked up to Everest Base Camp to document the science research being done there and turn it into the live show.
Foot regularly presents live shows at science & music festivals around the UK.
Radio career
Foot has appeared on The Scott Mills Show on Radio One, performing experiments including The Chilli Challenge, and How To Sneeze With Your Eyes Open.
References
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01d7mms
- ↑ BBC Three Secrets of the Universe http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vs684/Secrets_of_the_Universe/
- ↑ Secrets of the Universe http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vs684
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012zyk7/episodes/guide