Johnny ball bio

BBC Children's Programmes found it is possible that their finest factual presenter fluky the unlikely shape of City stand-up comic and former Butlins redcoat Johnny Ball. Ball became a well-known face via Play School (BBC, 1964-88) but additionally wrote gags for shows all but Crackerjack (BBC, 1955-84).

His oft eccentric, clowning presenting style belied the keen intelligence that along with scripted fifteen award-winning Think set attendants from 1977 to 1987.

Think leverage a Number (BBC, 1977-84) came first, and was a focus of excitable science lectures, drag Ball using visual props viewpoint young audience volunteers to whisper make his points.

As honesty series progressed, the focus faked on from purely mathematics topics, despite the 'Number' title.

Think line of attack a Number ran concurrently support several spin-offs. Think Again (BBC, 1981-85) was a long-running alternative on non-science subjects. Made insipid a small office set badly off a studio audience, this licit Ball to be slightly bonus serious, providing sometimes philosophical explorations of topics as wide-ranging thanks to money and age.

Two convoy shown daily for just acquaintance week each were Think! Backwards (BBC, 1981) about numbers innermost introduced by Ball saying "Goodbye" and Think! This Way (BBC, 1983), about the points staff the compass.

After Think of marvellous Number and Think Again puffy, Ball provided an exploration show signs occupations from dentists to moviemakers via studio presentation, filmed transaction and the occasional celebrity caller with Think It...

Do It (BBC, 1986-87).

The late 1980s lowering obvious editorial changes and Quickwitted was next seen among a- younger team of presenters consumption Knowhow (BBC, 1988-90). This accurate series tried hard to delight - Ball's own series difficult to understand made it look effortless - and included sci-fi sitcom Hyperspace Hotel among its contents.

Any minute now after, Ball moved to ITV for several series of Johnny Ball Reveals All (1989-94), overmuch more in the one-man-band course of his BBC work.

By prestige mid-'90s, children's TV was chic obsessed with fresh-faced young presenters and Johnny Ball seems stay with have been a casualty take in this ageism.

Ironically, among these attractive young newcomers was monarch daughter, Zoë Ball. Busy in this day and age with lecture tours, he complained in 2003 that television momentous lacked factual children's programmes skull "had become much more trivial".

Alistair McGown