Johnny Ball

Updated on Nov 18, 2023

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Full Name Graham Ball Education Bolton School Role Television personality		Name Johnny Ball Occupation Presenter Children Zoe Ball


Born 23 May 1938 (age 85) ( 1938-05-23 ) Bristol, England, UK TV shows Play School, Play Away, The Great Egg Race, Cabbages and Kings Grandchildren Nelly May Lois Cook, Woody Fred Cook Books Think of a Number, Mathmagicians, Ball of Confusion: Puzzles, Why Pi?, Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Boo Similar People Zoe Ball, Derek Griffiths, Brian Cant, Sid Owen, Fatboy Slim

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Johnny Ball (born 23 May 1938) is an English television personality, a populariser of mathematics and the father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoë Ball.

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Early life

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He was born as Graham Ball in Bristol where he attended Kingswood Primary School on the eastern edge of the city. Later in his childhood the family moved to Bolton, Lancashire, where he attended Bolton County Grammar School. He left formal education with two 'O' Levels, one in Mathematics and one in Geography. He then signed on for three years in the Royal Air Force, worked as a Butlin's Redcoat, and was an entertainer in northern clubs and cabaret.

Television and radio career

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He was a regular fixture on children's television in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, presenting several series of popular science and technology programmes intended for children (including Think of a Number; Think Again; Think Backwards; Think...This Way and Johnny Ball Reveals All). He was also one of the hosts of infant education programme Play School beginning in 1967 and continuing throughout the 1970s and beyond. As well as appearing on screen Ball wrote jokes for some shows including Crackerjack. All of these shows (except the ITV programme ...Reveals All) appeared on the BBC. Ball's shows were renowned for presenting scientific and technological principles in an entertaining and accessible way for young people.

In 2003, he appeared on The Terry and Gaby Show in which he answered viewers' questions. In July 2004, he was named in the Radio Times list of the top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time. In July 2012, he presented a Horizon special on ageing on BBC Four. He has recently starred in ITV and Channel 4 television adverts as well as radio adverts for the Yorkshire-based firm Help-Link.

Ball's daughter Zöe presents Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two for BBC TV and presents a Saturday afternoon show on BBC Radio 2. Son Nick’s first film (director) won a World Award and second script (co-writer) was filmed in California. Second oldest son Dan is a design/structural engineer in Henley. Johnny lists as his hobbies writing, research, gazebo building, drums, golf and his six grandchildren. He currently lives with wife Di at their home in South Buckinghamshire.

In 2012, the 74-year-old Ball was announced as one of the 14 celebrities who would take part in the Strictly Come Dancing TV show. He was the first celebrity to be eliminated from the competition.

Series guide

Think of a Number

Pilot: 2 April 1977

Series 1: 6 editions – 12 April 1978 – 17 May 1978

Series 2: 6 editions – 12 September 1979 – 17 October 1979

Series 3: 6 editions – 10 September 1980 – 15 October 1980

Series 4: 6 editions – 15 September 1982 – 20 October 1982

Series 5: 6 editions – 4 January 1984 – 8 February 1984

Series 6: 6 editions – 26 September 1984 – 31 October 1984

Think Again

Series 1: 5 editions – 9 January 1981 – 22 April 1981

Series 2: 6 editions – 8 January 1982 – 12 February 1982

Series 3: 6 editions – 7 January 1983 – 11 February 1983

Series 4: 6 editions – 13 September 1983 – 18 October 1983

Series 5: 6 editions – 10 September 1985 – 15 October 1985

Think!Backwards

Five editions shown over one week – 28 September 1981 – 2 October 1981

Think! This Way

Five editions shown over one week – 28 March 1983 – 1 April 1983

Think It ... Do It

Series 1: 6 editions – 11 March 1986 – 15 April 1986

Series 2: 6 editions – 27 February 1987 – 3 April 1987

Knowhow

Series 1: 6 editions – 8 March 1988 – 12 April 1988

Series 2: 6 editions – 25 October 1988 – 29 November 1988

Series 3: 6 editions – 2 January 1990 – 6 February 1990 (does not feature in series 3)

Johnny Ball Reveals All

Series 1: 7 editions – 14 June 1989 – 26 July 1989

Series 2: 6 editions – 3 August 1990 – 7 September 1990

Series 3: 7 editions – 18 March 1992 – 29 April 1992

Series 4: 7 editions – 5 July 1993 – 16 August 1993

Series 5: 5 editions – 8 August 1994 – 1 September 1994

(source: BBC)

Other activities

Ball is in favour of nuclear power and has given speeches arguing for its development. and has rejected the notion of man-made climate change, arguing that carbon dioxide has been unfairly victimised in the debate. On 15 December 2009, Ball was booed off stage at a show "in celebration of ... science" in London for climate change denial comments.

In November 2006, Ball voiced his opposition to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, which would require any adult working with children to be vetted by the Criminal Records Bureau. In an interview with The Sunday Times, he said: "It is like George Orwell's 1984... a quarter of adults will have to be checked... The fear we are instilling in [children] is abhorrent."

Ball served as Rector of the University of Glasgow from 1993-96.

Ball is a declared supporter of the FatallyFlawed campaign against the use of plug-in socket covers.

In April 2014, Ball donated his time and talent as voice-over in an educational animated video for the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a Cambridge-based UK charity whose aim is to get children interested in taking up a career in computer programming.

References

Johnny Ball Wikipedia

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