Then & now James Burke, science historian

IN THE 1970s, few things could match Star Trek, Dr Who and Scooby-Doo for sheer televisual thrills. But then a plummy-voiced scientist with hippy hair and big spectacles came along, and lit a touchpaper under our tellies with the hit 1978 series Connections. As the presenter of Connections, James Burke was not just another Open University-type boffin, he was a consummate showman.

One of the most famous – and breathtaking – moments in Connections was the celebrated rocket launch scene, which began with Burke explaining the workings of the thermos flask, and ended with him magically causing an Apollo rocket to take off – right on cue.

James Burke spoke with the accent of an Oxford don, but he was actually born in Derry. He went to Maidstone Grammar School in London, and when he enrolled in Oxford, his chosen field was medieval English.

In the late 1960s, he got bitten by the science bug – and the presenting bug – when he joined the team in the most popular science show of the day, Tomorrow’s World. Soon he was anchoring the BBC’s coverage of the moon landings, and presenting his own series, The Burke Special.

But it was Connections that launched Burke into the stratosphere and helped him do what many British stars could only dream of – crack the US market. Connections became the most-watched documentary series on US television. Connections made Burke a household name in the UK – he was namechecked by The Human League in their 1980 song The Black Hit of Space (“Get James Burke on the case”). That same year, The Human League were namechecked in My Perfect Cousin by The Undertones, who are also from Derry – now there’s a connection.

In the mid-1980s, Burke came up with another winning television formula – a 10-part series called The Day the Universe Changed. As well as exploring hidden scientific connections, the series posited a future in which everyone could contact each other instantly. Did his predictions come true? Answers on an email in the next 60 seconds, please.

It’s been a long time since James Burke graced our screens. “No one under the age of 50 has heard of me and everyone over the age of 50 thinks I’m dead,” he said recently. But the man hailed by the Washington Post as “one of the most intriguing minds in the western world” has not been idle. He has started up the Knowledge Web, continuing his quest for connections online. In September, he’ll be speaking at technology and culture event dConstruct in Brighton.