Timandra Harkness

Last updated

Timandra Harkness
QED 20161015 159.jpg
Speaking at QEDcon in 2016
NationalityBritish
Alma mater
  • Bulmershe College
  • Open University
Occupations
  • Writer
  • presenter
  • comedian
Years active2000–present
Notable work
  • Big Data: Does Size Matter
Website timandraharkness.com

Timandra Harkness is a British writer, presenter and comedian. [1]

Contents

She has contributed to several publications, including BBC Science Focus magazine and The Daily Telegraph , and authored the book Big Data: Does Size Matter?. Harkness has co-written and performed comedy shows related to science and mathematics, including collaborations with her mother Linda Cotterill and comedian Matt Parker. Since 2016, she has chaired the Data Debate series for the Alan Turing Institute and the British Library. She is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and a visiting fellow at the University of Winchester's Centre for Information Rights.

Education

Harkness has a BA in Film and Drama with Art from Bulmershe College [ when? ] and a BSc in Mathematics & Statistics from the Open University, awarded in 2017. [2] In 2021 she began postgraduate study in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, London, completing an MA in 2023.

Career

Writer

Harkness has written about technology for BBC Science Focus magazine, [3] [4] [5] about statistics for Significance (a popular science magazine published by the Royal Statistical Society), [6] and about motorcycles for The Daily Telegraph . [7]

Harkness is the author of the book Big Data: Does Size Matter? [8] Her second book Technology is not the problem is forthcoming in 2024. [9]

Broadcaster

Harkness' work for BBC Radio 4 includes an afternoon play, [10] documentaries, [11] [12] [13] [14] being a roving reporter for The Human Zoo [15] and presenting FutureProofing, [16] a series about the future potential of science.

Performer

In 1999 Harkness co-wrote a comedy with her mother Linda Cotterill, called No Future in Eternity, about an astronomer who shares a flat with two angels. [17] They received a grant from the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, John Campbell Brown, to perform the show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2000. [18] The show was subsequently broadcast as an afternoon play on BBC Radio 4. [10] [19]

Since 2004 Harkness has collaborated with Dr Helen Pilcher, as a comedy duo named the Comedy Research Project, writing and performing stand-up shows about science. [20] [21] [22]

In 2012 Harkness and fellow comedian Matt Parker co-wrote a comedy show called Your Days are Numbered: The Maths of Death. They performed the show in Australia, at the Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival , on tour around England and in Scotland, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe . [23]

Harkness returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019 to perform a one-woman show, called Take a Risk. [24] [25]

Data engagement

Since 2016, Harkness has chaired the Data Debate for the Alan Turing Institute and the British Library, a series of panel discussions about big data and its implications for society. [26] She has spoken at the Hay Festival , [27] [28] [29] the Battle of Ideas, [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [ excessive citations ] TEDx , [35] The Scotsman Data Conference [36] and the Cheltenham Science Festival . [37]

Harkness is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), a founding member of their special interest group on Data Ethics. [38] She was elected to serve on the Council of the RSS from 2024, [39] and took over the chair of the editorial board of their magazine Significance at that time. [40] Harkness is also a visiting fellow at the University of Winchester's Centre for Information Rights. [41]

Awards

In 1997, Harkness won a column-writing competition, organised by The Independent newspaper.[ citation needed ]

Publications

Radio

Comedy

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinburgh Festival Fringe</span> Arts festival

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 different shows in 322 venues. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place in Edinburgh every August. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has become a world-leading celebration of arts and culture, surpassed only by the Olympics and the World Cup in terms of global ticketed events. As an event it "has done more to place Edinburgh in the forefront of world cities than anything else" according to historian and former chairman of the board, Michael Dale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Munnery</span> British comedian

Simon Munnery is an English comedian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Vine</span> English comedian

Timothy Mark Vine is an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter best known for his one-liners and his role on the sitcom Not Going Out (2006–2014). He has released a number of stand-up comedy specials and has written several joke books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josie Long</span> English comedian (born 1982)

Josie Isabel Long is an English comedian. She started performing as a stand-up at the age of 14 and won the BBC New Comedy Awards at 17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Ince</span> English comedian and writer

Robin Ince is an English comedian, actor and writer, known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox, creating Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People, co-creating The Cosmic Shambles Network, and his stand-up comedy career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Porter</span> English actress, presenter and comedian

Lucy Donna Porter is an English actress, writer, presenter and comedian. She has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Brighton Festival and many clubs around Britain. She is also a regular voice on BBC Radio 4 in various panel shows, including Quote... Unquote and The Personality Test.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Crosby</span> English comedian and writer

Matthew Crosby is an English comedian and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Antopolski</span> British comic, actor and writer

Dan Antopolski is a British comic, actor and writer. He has appeared in various television programs and radio shows, and is best known to younger audiences for hosting the UK game show The Dare Devil. In 1998 Antopolski won the BBC New Comedy Award and in 2009 he won the Dave Award for Best Joke at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He has appeared at international comedy festivals in Montreal, Melbourne and New York. Antopolski has been a regular performer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, had minor roles in films and appeared in a number of panel shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen K. Amos</span> English comedian

Stephen Kehinde Amos is a British stand-up comedian and television personality. A regular on the international comedy circuit, he is known for including his audience members during his shows. He began his career as a compere at the Big Fish comedy clubs in South London, and has been nominated for Chortle's Best Compere Award three times in 2004, 2007 and 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Watson</span> British comedian and writer

Mark Andrew Watson is an English comedian and novelist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Keen</span> English alternative comedian and writer

Helen Keen is an English alternative comedian and writer born in Yorkshire, now living in London. She suffered with SM as a child but overcame this before becoming a comedian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Reed (comedian)</span>

David Reed is a British actor, writer and comedian and one third of comedy troupe The Penny Dreadfuls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Whitehall</span> English comedian, actor, presenter and writer

Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is known for his roles as JP in the comedy-drama series Fresh Meat (2011–2016) and as Alfie Wickers in the sitcom Bad Education also co-writing the latter and its film adaptation, The Bad Education Movie (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Barnes</span> English comedian

Angela Barnes is an English stand-up comedian, mostly known for her appearances on Mock the Week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Robins (comedian)</span> English stand-up comedian and presenter

John Michael David Robins is an English stand-up comedian and radio presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominic Frisby</span> British author, comedian and voice over artist

Dominic Frisby is a British author, comedian and voice over artist. He is best known as co-host of television programme Money Pit.

Lucy Ann Beaumont is a British actress, writer, and stand-up comedian from Kingston upon Hull, England. Her performance is based largely on anecdotes about Hull and the wider Northern England region. She was a finalist on So You Think You're Funny in 2011 and won the BBC Radio New Comedy Award in 2012. Her 2014 debut show at the Edinburgh Festival, We Can Twerk It Out, was nominated for that year's Best Newcomer Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spencer Jones (comedian)</span> English actor, comedian and writer

Spencer Jones is an English actor, comedian and writer. He has performed regularly at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and in 2017 and 2019 was nominated for the main prize in the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. He was co-creator and co-star of the BAFTA-nominated CBBC comedy Big Babies, and had a regular role in the sitcom Upstart Crow.

Sarah Keyworth is an English stand-up comedian who began a career in comedy in 2012, eventually going full-time in 2018 after being nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Keyworth has appeared on television comedy shows such as Roast Battle, The Now Show, The Dog Ate My Homework, Mock the Week and 8 Out of 10 Cats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellie White</span> English actress (born 1989)

Ellie White is an English comedy actress. She is best known for playing Princess Beatrice of York in the British royal family parody The Windsors (2016–2020) and Katia in the sitcom Stath Lets Flats (2018–2021).

References

  1. ↑ Santos, Patricia (2019). "Science, communication and women in networks" (PDF). Women in Science. No. 1. British Council. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "Timandra Harkness". BIM Show Live. Space Group. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  3. ↑ Harkness, Timandra (8 April 2019). "Five key ideas you need to understand now if you want to be ready for the world of 2030". BBC Focus Magazine. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  4. ↑ Harkness, Timandra (21 April 2020). "How will the NHS contact-tracing app work and how could it affect my privacy?". BBC Focus Magazine. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Harkness, Timandra (11 November 2020). "A level results: Why algorithms aren't making the grade". BBC Focus Magazine. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  6. ↑ Harkness, Timandra (8 February 2012). "Seduced by stats?". Significance. Royal Statistical Society. 9 (1): 46–48. doi: 10.1111/j.1740-9713.2012.00549.x .
  7. ↑ Harkness, Timandra (4 September 2004). "Angels". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  8. 1 2 Stoye, Emma (24 October 2014), "Big data: does size matter?", Chemistry World, Royal Society of Chemistry, retrieved 9 November 2020
  9. ↑ "From culture wars to misinformation: Why social media is not the problem' with Timandra Harkness | Selwyn College".
  10. 1 2 3 "No Future in Eternity". Afternoon Play. BBC. Radio 4.
  11. 1 2 Data, Data, Everywhere (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2014.
  12. 1 2 Personality Politics (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2014.
  13. 1 2 Supersense Me (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2017.
  14. 1 2 "Divided Nation". Archive on 4. BBC. Radio 4.
  15. 1 2 "Perfect People". The Human Zoo. BBC. Radio 4.
  16. ↑ Harkness, Timandra. "What is FutureProofing?". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  17. ↑ Pennicott, Kate (23 July 2001). "Astronomy meets angels in a divine comedy". Physics World. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  18. ↑ Brown, John. "Outreach: Public Understanding of Science Work" . Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  19. ↑ "Afternoon Play: No Future in Eternity". BBC Genome. 24 July 2001. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  20. ↑ "Five Top Things in Science - Ever (Comedy Research Project)". The Lecture List. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  21. ↑ "The hidden comedy of science". BBC News. 8 June 2004. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  22. ↑ "Helen Pilcher". LinedIn. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  23. ↑ "Your Days are Numbered Tour Dates". Your Days Are Numbered. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  24. 1 2 Cornwell, Tim (19 August 2019). "Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019 REVIEW Timandra Harkness: Take a Risk". The Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  25. 1 2 Heald, Steve (7 August 2019). "Timandra Harkness – Edinburgh Fringe Festival". The Plus Ones. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  26. ↑ Wood, Beth. "New Data Debates series with the British Library: Smart cities and fake news". The Alan Turing Institute. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  27. ↑ "Big Data". Hay Festival. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  28. ↑ "Creators and Consumers: What's our role in responsibly designing the future?". Hay Festival. 27 May 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  29. ↑ "Can Artificial Intelligence Be Ethical?". Hay Festival. 26 May 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  30. ↑ "Was it Big Data wot won it? Political campaigning today". Battle of Ideas. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  31. ↑ "From AI to Big Data: can technology save the NHS?". Battle of Ideas. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  32. ↑ "Rage against the machines: is automation a threat to jobs?". Battle of Ideas. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  33. ↑ "If data runs the world, who is in control?". Battle of Ideas. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  34. ↑ "Automatic lovers: should we be worried about sex robots?". Battle of Ideas. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  35. ↑ Timandra Harkness (23 June 2017). What is Knowledge in the Age of Big Data? (Presentation). London, England: TEDx Talks.
  36. ↑ Lee, David (29 October 2020). "World-leading experts headline Scotsman data conference on combatting Covid-19". The Scotsman. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  37. ↑ "Cheltenham Science Festival Programme Announced". Cheltenham Festivals. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  38. ↑ "Data Ethics". Royal Statistical Society. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  39. ↑ "RSS announce new Council members".
  40. ↑ "Significance announces new editorial board chair". 12 January 2024.
  41. ↑ "Centre for Information Rights". University of Winchester. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  42. ↑ FutureProofing (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2014.
  43. ↑ "Hindsight Bias". The Human Zoo. BBC. Radio 4.
  44. ↑ "Are You A Numbers Person?". The Why Factor. BBC. Radio 4.
  45. ↑ How to Disagree: A Beginner's Guide to Having Better Arguments (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2018.
  46. ↑ How to Disagree: A Beginner's Guide to Having Better Arguments (Audio book). BBC Digital Audio. 2018.
  47. ↑ "Big Data". The Infinite Monkey Cage. BBC. Radio 4.
  48. ↑ "What Has Sat-Nav Done to Our Brains?". Seriously... BBC. Radio 4.
  49. ↑ Five Knots (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2020.
  50. ↑ Steelmanning (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2021.
  51. ↑ Day, Elizabeth (13 June 2004). "Scientists are serious about having a laugh" . Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  52. ↑ Moorhead, Rosy (10 February 2012). "Timandra Harkness on her new comedy show Your Days are Numbered: The Maths of Death" . Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  53. ↑ Ranscombe, Peter (2013), "BrainSex" (PDF), The Lancet, vol. 12, no. Nov, p. 1047, doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70219-9, S2CID   208785167 , retrieved 9 November 2020
  54. ↑ Timandra Harkness (2019). "Take A Risk" (Podcast).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.