Maggie Philbin | |
|---|---|
 Philbin in 2009 | |
| Born | Margaret Elizabeth Philbin 23 June 1955 Manchester, England [1] |
| Alma mater | University of Manchester |
| Occupation(s) | Television and radio presenter |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Margaret Elizabeth Philbin OBE (born 23 June 1955) is an English radio and television presenter whose credits include Tomorrow's World , Multi-Coloured Swap Shop and latterly Bang Goes the Theory .
As a child, she became interested in science through wanting to become a veterinary surgeon. [2] She grew up in Leicester and went to a girls' Roman Catholic grammar school, Evington Hall Convent School in Evington. [3]
In the sixth-form she studied English, History, French and German, although she says she was also good at Maths and Physics, but not Chemistry. [4]
After studying English and Drama at the University of Manchester, Philbin responded to an advertisement in The Stage and was offered the job of co-presenter on Multi-Coloured Swap Shop . [5] During her time on Swap Shop, with Noel Edmonds and others, she formed the one-hit wonder band Brown Sauce and had a No. 15 hit with "I Wanna Be A Winner" in 1981.
She returned to television on BBC 1's flagship science and technology programme Tomorrow's World , where she stayed for eight years. Since then, she has presented a variety of television and radio programmes, including Hospital Watch, Bodymatters Roadshow, QED , and BBC 2's women's documentary series The Doll’s House. Philbin flew upside down in a Hawker Hunter as part of the Tomorrow's World at Large series, and drove a Top Fuel dragster, earning her International Racing Licence. She decided not to race the car, which then spun out of control after a tyre exploded with top driver Dennis Priddle at the wheel. [6]
She has worked as a medical and consumer reporter for ITV1's This Morning and presented film reports for BBC's current affairs programme 4×4, as well as a series of 20 programmes called Heartland for Channel Health. She has also presented 40 editions of the science programme Wideworld for Five. In October 2003 she spearheaded the BBC's Talking Teenagers project across television and radio. Starting April 2004 she co-presented the BBC Radio Berkshire weekday breakfast show with Jim Cathcart before moving to the Andrew Peach show. [7] [8] She reunited with her former Swap Shop colleagues for a special programme celebrating the 30th anniversary of the programme, It Started With Swap Shop, in December 2006.
In 2008 she created TeenTech an interactive science and engineering event for teenagers. [9] In 2010 it was awarded Best Engineering Event in National Science and Engineering Week by the British Science Association. [10] In 2012 HRH Duke of York KG became patron of TeenTech. [11]
BBC News announced that she would be their face of technology on television, radio and online from 2007. [12] In December 2011 she took part in BBC Radio 5 Live's first Science Night. [13] She has launched the Helping Hand Campaign, encouraging digital switchover help for the elderly. [14] She is a regular reporter on the BBC One regional programme Inside Out . She writes about technology for BBC WebWise and The Guardian . [15] [16]
On 25 July 2010, she featured as guest presenter in episode 3 of the LadyGeek App Show. [17]
On 26 March 2012, she featured as guest presenter in Episode 3 of the 6th Series of the BBC TV show Bang Goes the Theory, about mobile phone internet security. [18] From March 2013 she became a full-time presenter of the programme, appearing with co-presenters Liz Bonnin and Jem Stansfield. [19] [20]
In November 2013 she was asked to lead the UK Digital Skills Task Force which published an interim report in July 2014. [21] [22] On 14 October 2014, she appeared as a witness before the House of Lords Digital Skills Committee. [23]
On 22 November 2018, she and Howard Stableford co-presented Tomorrow's World Live: For One Night Only, a 90-minute special edition broadcast on BBC Four. [24]
She married her Swap Shop co-presenter Keith Chegwin in 1982; the couple divorced in 1993. [25] They had a daughter, Rose, named after Rosemary Gill, the Swap Shop editor who gave Philbin a job on the programme. [26]
She is a patron of the National Osteoporosis Society and was invited by the IOF to sit on the Women leaders panel in Brussels in 2008. [27] She is also a patron of the Daphne Jackson Trust helping scientists, engineers and technologists return to work after a career break. [28] She was a Lay Council Member of the University of Warwick. [29] In February 2015 she became patron of the Council of Professors and Heads of Computing. [30] She was a board member of the Children's Media Foundation [31] and a panel member of the Haringey STEM Commission. [32]
On 26 August 2009, Philbin featured as a speaker at the London branch of Girl Geek Dinners at their fourth anniversary event. At this event she put forward her support and encouragement for women in the IT sector saying, "It's not about moaning about the negative side of things – tonight is about flagging up the things that really are making a difference for women, and looking at what we can change to make a difference. We are anxious to move forward." [33]
In July 2012 she was awarded the degree Honorary Doctor of Technology by De Montfort University for services to the world of science and technology. [34] [35] In November 2012 Princess Anne presented her with the award for Communication and Outreach in the 2012 WISE Women of Outstanding Achievement Awards. [35] [36] In 2013 she was given the Promotion of Design Award by the Institution of Engineering Designers. [37] In March 2014 she was elected president of the IED in recognition of her ongoing work to support and promote science, technology and engineering. [37] [38] On 3 July 2014, Computer Weekly named her as the 5th most influential woman in UK IT [39] and on 3 December 2014 as the 23rd most influential person in UK IT. [40] In 2015, Philbin was identified as the 4th [41] most influential woman in UK IT 2015, by Computer Weekly. In July 2015 she was made an honorary fellow of Queen Mary University of London. [42] On 9 December 2015, she received the honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the Earl of Wessex, Chancellor of the University of Bath, at a ceremony held in the city's Assembly Rooms. [43]
In the 2016 Digital Leaders 100 Awards she was voted Digital Leader of the Year. [44] In June 2016 she was named as Computer Weekly's most influential woman in its UK IT 2016 award. [45] In July 2016 she was conferred with an honorary doctorate of the University of Huddersfield for services to science broadcasting and technology education. [46] In the 2017 New Year Honours list she was appointed OBE for services to promoting careers in STEM and creative industries. [47] [48] In June 2017 she officially opened the 50th Bedford Park Festival. On 10 July 2017, she accepted the honorary degree of Doctor of Technology from Southampton Solent University. [49] On 11 July 2017, she was presented with the AbilityNet Tech4Good Special Award for her contribution to technology. [50] On 12 July 2017, Computer Weekly recognised her lifetime contribution by entering her in their Hall of Fame. [51] On 25 January 2018, the University of Leicester honoured her with a Doctor of Science degree. [52] On 28 January 2019, she was given an honorary degree by the University of Roehampton. [53] On 16 July 2019, she was awarded an honorary fellowship by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. [54] On 17 May 2022 she was honoured with a Doctor of Science degree by the University of Manchester [55]
Tomorrow's World is a former British television series about contemporary developments in science and technology. First transmitted on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003. The Tomorrow's World title was revived in 2017 as an umbrella brand for BBC science programming.
Keith Chegwin, also known as Cheggers, was an English television presenter and actor, appearing in several children's entertainment shows in the 1970s and 1980s, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop and Cheggers Plays Pop.
Elizabeth Sarah Greene is an English television presenter. She co-presented Blue Peter from May 1980 until June 1983, and hosted the Saturday-morning series Saturday Superstore and Going Live!.
Howard Stableford is a British television and radio presenter.
Amanda Elizabeth Chessell is a computer scientist and a Distinguished Engineer at IBM. She has been awarded the title of IBM Master Inventor. She is also a Member of the IBM Academy of Technology.
Katherine Bellingham is an English engineer and television presenter known for her role presenting the BBC1 science show Tomorrow's World from 1990–1994. Following a period pursuing other interests and raising children, she resumed her broadcasting career in 2010.
Bang Goes the Theory or Bang was a British television science magazine series, co-produced by the BBC and the Open University, that began on 27 July 2009 and ended on 5 May 2014 on BBC One. Originally presented by Liz Bonnin, Jem Stansfield, Dallas Campbell and Yan Wong, the show employed a hands-on approach to test scientific theory and demonstrate how science shapes our world. From series seven, Maggie Philbin replaced Dallas Campbell as a main presenter and Yan Wong no longer appeared and the programme was subsequently cancelled after just two more seasons.
Susan Elizabeth Black is a British computer scientist, academic and social entrepreneur. She is known for saving Bletchley Park, with her Saving Bletchley Park campaign. Since 2018, she has been Professor of Computer Science and Technology Evangelist at Durham University. She was previously based at the University of Westminster and University College London.
Margaret Ebunoluwa Aderin-Pocock is a British space scientist and science educator. She is an honorary research associate of University College London's Department of Physics and Astronomy, and has been the chancellor of the University of Leicester since February 2023. Since February 2014, she has co-presented the long-running astronomy television programme The Sky at Night with Chris Lintott. In 2020 she was awarded the Institute of Physics William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize for her public engagement in physics. She is the first black woman to win a gold medal in the Physics News Award and she served as the president of the British Science Association from 2021 to 2022.
TeenTech is a not-for-profit Charity and Community Interest Company founded in 2008 by Maggie Philbin and Chris Dodson to help young people understand the real opportunities available in the contemporary STEM workplace and engender some excitement about technology and entrepreneurship.
Trudy Norris-Grey is a Welsh businesswoman, and is a well-recognized leader in the U.K., globally and in the Tech industry.
Lopa Patel, MBE, is a British Indian businesswoman and a strategically minded leader in executive and non-executive roles. She is best known for delivering transformational change via the implementation of digital technology.
Naomi Wendy Climer, is a British engineer who has worked in broadcast, media and communications technology chiefly at the BBC and Sony Professional Solutions, and was the first female President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Climer is the co-founder and co-chair of the Institute for the Future of Work.
Gillian Docherty is a British computer scientist and CEO of The Data Lab and Chair of Scotland's AI Alliance, which helps Scottish industry innovate through data science and artificial intelligence. Gillian promotes the use of Data to drive economic, societal and environmental benefits. She was appointed the first Chair of Scotland's AI Alliance in 2021, created to implement the activities of Scotland's AI Strategy,
Carrie Anne Philbin is an English teacher of computer science and an author. She is a director of educator support at the Raspberry Pi Foundation and chairs the Computing At School (CAS) diversity and inclusion group, #CASInclude. She wrote the computing book Adventures in Raspberry Pi (2013) for teenagers. She runs the YouTube channel Geek Gurl Diaries and in 2017, was the host for Crash Course Computer Science.
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Alexandra Depledge is a British technology entrepreneur, known best for being the founder and CEO of Resi, and as the founder and former CEO of Helpling, formerly known as Hassle.com. In 2016 she was awarded an MBE for services to the sharing economy.
Dr. Shini Somara EngD is a British mechanical engineer, media broadcaster, producer and author. She has presented TechKnow on Al Jazeera America and reporting for various BBC shows including The Health Show. She has also hosted two educational series of physics and engineering videos on the Crash Course YouTube channel for PBS Digital Studios. She has been a presenter on BBC America, Sky Atlantic, BBC1, BBC2, and PBS.
Sheree Atcheson is a Sri Lankan-born Northern Irish computer scientist and Group Vice-President of Diversity & Inclusion at Valtech. She previously has held roles such as Global Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Peakon Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Monzo and Consulting Inclusion Lead at Deloitte. Atcheson has been recognised by Computer Weekly as one of the Most Influential Women in UK Tech. She is the Global Ambassador for Women Who Code.