Who am I?
 I was born on 4 July 1943, and work as a freelance photographer, writer and broadcaster.
For more information about the Hart-Davis family see www.hd.org
I live in the west of England with psychologist Sue Blackmore and her two children.
Before presenting, I spent five years in publishing and 17 years at Yorkshire Television, as researcher and then producer of such series as Scientific Eye and Arthur C Clarke’s World of Strange Powers.
Television
In 1977 I worked as a researcher with Magnus Pyke, and the first item I did was about why banana skins are slippery. After Don’t Ask Me and Don’t Just Sit There (studio shows with Magnus Pyke and David Bellamy) came Where There’s Life (with Miriam Stoppard and Rob Buckman), and Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious World.
In 1985 I produced Arthur C Clarke’s World of Strange Powers.
 I invented and produced Scientific Eye, the most successful school science series on TV – which was used in some 70 per cent of UK secondary schools, and in 35 other countries.This was followed by Mathematical Eye (1989-92) - the most successful school maths series
I also produced Fun & Games, an audience-participation studio series based on mathematical puzzles, The Battle of the Bottle-Snatchers (QED), a co-production with the Japanese TV company NHK, and five programmes about Loch Ness for Discovery Channel (1993).
In 1990, fat and unfit, I bought a pink-and-yellow mountain bike in an attempt to change shape; instead I changed direction, and became a presenter.
I have presented eight series of Local Heroes from the bike, riding around the country talking about dead scientists and doing demonstrations.
The first two (1992 and -3) were regional series for YTV.In On the Edge (1994), a scientific look at the East coast, we covered everything from the science of fish and chips to the colour of Henry VIII’s socks.
 The other six series of Local Heroes were on BBC2, finishing in summer 2000.I have presented for BBC2 one programme on the Top Ten Treasures of the British Museum, four programmes on What the Stuarts did for us, four programmes on What the Tudors Did for Us, eight programmes on What the Victorians Did for Us, and six programmes on What the Romans Did for Us.
I have also presented two six-part series on current science and technology (Science Shack), 14 chat shows with top scientists for Mag Rack, an American Science Channel, 12 Tomorrow’s World programmes for BBC1, five Science in Focus programmes for C4 Schools, three programmes called Adam Hart-Davis Says Come to your Senses, and four programmes called Live from Dinosaur Island.
In addition, I have made 35 history programmes (Hart-Davis on History), and eight programmes about the history of London for Carlton (Secret City). I have appeared on Celebrity Mastermind, Richard and Judy (3 times), Have I Got News For You, and various other programmes.
"Believe it or not, I have no car, but seven cycles - one for each occasion!"
How Joseph Priestley changed my life ...
In the summer of 1990 I was a producer at Yorkshire Television. On 7 August I bought a mountain bike and started riding from my home in Heckmondwike to the office in Leeds. One day I was staggering up the long hill from Birstall to Drighlington when I spotted a blue plaque on what turned out to be Field Head Farm, almost overhanging the M62.
Having discovered that this was Joseph Priestley’s birth place, I then found that he had spent his teenage years with his Aunt at the Old Hall in Heckmondwicke, which had become my local pub, and had discovered oxygen as a result of watching the beer brewing in a brewery in Leeds. This was the beginning of Local Heroes; so Joseph Priestley changed my life.
Radio
I have presented 20 documentaries called Inventors Imperfect, plus six High Resolution, four Elements of Surprise, and five on Reinventing the Wheel. In 2004 I also appeared in the Radio 4 panel game Inspiration and presented Engineering Solutions.
Photography
I enjoy taking scientific photographs, specially close-ups of fibre optics, milk and water drops, bursting balloons, and spiders’ webs. My pictures have appeared in many magazines and books, and in a dozen national newspapers. A book based on some of the scientific ones is published by Ebury in September, entitled Why Does a Ball Bounce: and 100 other questions from the worlds of science.
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