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Media

 

Television

I have done many interviews and some television presenting, including a "Horizon" on alien abductions and 'The cleverest ape in the world' for Channel 4. I used to take part in programmes on ESP, ghosts, and reincarnation, but now prefer to do science programmes, especially those concerned with evolution, memetics, meditation, and consciousness - as well as the case for the legalization of recreational drugs. Here is a selected list.

TV Presenter

The cleverest ape in the world, Channel 4, 3.9.01 Photos
Horizon "Close Encounters", BBC2, 28.11.94
Out of this World, BBC1, 7.10.94

Recent TV Interviews and Contributions

UK:

Did Darwin kill God? interview on memes. BBC1 31 March 2009
BBC1 The One Show BBC1 on near-death experiences. 27 Oct 2008
BBC 1 TV "The big questions" debate on drug policy.
Channel 4 "What makes us human" interview on memes, plus imitation games with children, 19.08.06
Discovery Channel, Nostradamus : The Truth, 17.05.06                                      
CBBC, interview and phone-in on sleep and dreams, 26.10.04
BBC2, Weakest Link Winner - "Boffins Special" edition, 4.12.03
BBC2, The day I died, interview on NDEs, 1.03 (for my objections see NDEs on TV)
HTV, The trouble with home, interview on haunting, 9.8.02
Channel 4, Richard and Judy, discussion on drugs, 22.1.02
Channel 4, Everyman, interview on angels, 12.12.00
ITV "Life, death and suchlike" interview with Geoffrey Milland, 14.11.00
Channel 4, Ultimate Questions, panellist, 5.11.00
Channel 4, "Big Brother", comment on sleep and dreams, 4.9.00
BBC, "Sins of the Flesh" interviews in 2 programmes, 10.9.00; 24.9.00
Channel 4, "Secrets of the Dead", interview on hallucinogens, 7.8.00
Channel 5, Natural mystery, interview on Persinger, 6.00
Channel 4, Witness, astrology 18.6.00
BBC 1, Nick Ross Show, panel on the paranormal (rec. 2.11.99)
UK Today, Worldwide TV, interview on The Meme Machine.
Channel 5, Stranger than Fiction, interview on alien abduction, 12.7.99
BBC, Tomorrow’s World Plus, interview on memes, 13.4.99
BBC News 24, interview on memes, 16.3.99
HTV, "The Sunday Roast", discussion on drug legalization, 17.1.99

Worldwide:

Debate on Aljazeera's "Frost over the world". Should religion be banned? 17.11.2006 

Barbara Walters special on "Heaven", interview on NDEs, ABC December 2005

NOVA/WBGH contribution to 8-part series on Evolution, Sept 2001

Also contributions to: ABC 2020 (USA), ABC "Turning Point" (USA), Unsolved Mysteries (USA), various Nova (USA), Good Morning Australia, The Sci-Fi Channel, Newsnight New Zealand, WDR Fernsehen (Germany), VPRO The Netherlands, "OverLeven" Belgium.

Radio

I do frequent interviews for local, national, and foreign radio programmes. In the past I have often talked about parapsychology, near-death experiences, alien abductions, and other unusual experiences, but I am now more interested in memes, evolution, and consciousness. I am happy to talk about science and religion or drug legalisation. Here is a selected list - many have links to "listen again".

Radio Presenter

BBC Radio Devon Pause for Thought, November 2008 (happiness) and April 2009 (Darwin), read scripts

BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival, in Liverpool. Listen to "The Myth of Free Will", broadcast on Radio 3, on 2.11.08

BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival, in Liverpool. Panel on "The value of experience", broadcast  11.11.08.

BBC Radio 4  Iconoclasts,  I present my views on using - not abusing - drugs especially hallucinogens. 29.10.08

BBC Radio 3 Remember, Remember. The Sunday Feature. I explore the effect that modern technology is having on our memories. 21.9.2008 and see the article in the Radio Times.

Thought for the Day, Radio Bristol, 8, 15, 22, 29 January 2007, July 9, 16, 30. Read the Scripts.

BBC Radio 3 "This Meaningless Life" Series of three interviews with scientists about their beliefs, 7, 8 and 9.12.00
LISTEN BBC Radio 3 - speech and transcript
1. Interview with Brother Guy Consolmagno, Vatican astronomer. Transcript Meaningless Life 1

BBC Radio 4 "A Place of Silence", 3.2.98 and 8.2.98. A half-hour documentary about the Maenllwyd, a retreat house in rural Wales.

BBC Radio 4 "All in the Mind", 7 and 12.10.97

BBC Radio 4 "Action/Reaction" Chair of panel for 5 science programmes.
17.9.97 - 19.10.97

3 series of 8 features on BBC Radio 4, "All in the Mind", May-June 1989; Jan-Mar 1990; Mar-May 1991

Radio Music and Interviews 

Castaway on Desert Island Discs BBC Radio 4, 3.5.98 and 8.5.98

Access All Areas, Radio Bristol, 26.3.07. Guest on Me and My Music - the three songs I chose were Circle, by Edie Brickell, Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem, and A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procul Harum

Classic Fm Australia, with Margaret Throsby, 20.8.04. See my choice of music.

Recent Radio Interviews

UK: (excluding local radio)

BBC Radio 4, 9 a.m. Start the Week, discussion on memes and the value of experience, with Andrew Marr, 27.10.08

BBC Radio 4 "What's the point of the archbishop?" Listen again. 04.03.08

BBC Radio 4. Beyond Belief. Debate on free will. 04.08.08

BBC Radio Five Live Discussion on the Pope. 17.04.08

BBC Radio 2 Jeremy Vine show. Discussion on the Pope. 17.04.08

BBC Radio 4 "What's the point of the archbishop?" Listen again. 4 March 2008

BBC Radio 4 Discussion on meditation, on "Beyond Belief" 7.01.2008

BBC Radio 4 "Jon Ronson on... waking up from a dream" (in my case changing my mind about the paranormal) 05.06.2007, 23.00.

BBC Radio 4, "A good read" - I chose Sam Harris "The end of faith", 24.10.06

BBC Radio 2, Jeremy Vine show, the expressions of faith, 16.10.06

BBC Radio 4, Sunday, discussion on religious experiences, 3.9.2006

BBC Radio 2, Jeremy Vine show, the (non) effects of prayer, 03.08.06

BBC Radio 3  "Belief". A half-hour interview with Joan Bakewell, 10.04.06

BBC Radio 4 "Analysis" on humanism. 16.03.06. 

BBC Radio 4 "Today", discussion on whether there is a philosophical equivalent to Darwin's natural selection for species, 13.02.06.

BBC Radio 4 PM, discussion on the drug Ketamine, 14.7.05.

BBC Radio Wales, discussion on drugs, 10.6.05

BBC Radio 2, Radio 2's Jeremy Vine show, discussion on drugs, 25.5.05

BBC Radio 5 Live, discussion on coincidences, 27.04.05

BBC Radio 4, “Sunday” discussion on the brain and religious experience, for Easter, with John Bowker, 27.3.05. Listen 

BBC Radio 4, "From this moment on - the first trip". Interview on LSD, 1.1.05

BBC Radio 4, "The Eureka years: 1938", interview on LSD with Adam Hart-Davis, 30.10.04

BBC Radio 5 Live, interview on drug use, 1.8.04

BBC Radio 4, "Beyond Belief", discussion on religion without God, 23.2.04

BBC Radio 4, “Feedback” discussion on “sex” and “gender”, 13.02.04 

BBC Radio 4, "Inspiration" Science Quiz, with Adam Hart-Davis and Louis Wolpert, 10.12.03 and 7.1.04

Radio 4, "You and yours" - why I support legalization of drugs, 14.10.03 

BBC Radio 4, “Beyond Belief”, discussion on happiness, 4.8.03

BBC Radio 4, "Off the page", scripted piece on memes, with discussion, 6.8.00
BBC Radio 4, "Today" interview with Geoffrey Miller on evolution, 1.5.00
BBC Radio 4, "Off the page", scripted piece on memes, and discussion on the Internet, 6.8.00
BBC Radio 4, "Today" interview with Geoffrey Miller on evolution, 1.5.00
BBC Radio 4, "Today" interview on the future of technology, 5.11.99
Radio Scotland, "Being Human; 4. The end of evolution", 18.8.99
Radio Scotland, "Being Human; 2. Obsessions and dreams", 4.8.99
BBC Radio Scotland, The Usual Suspects, interview on memes, 15.4.99
BBC Radio 4, Q and A, science and the soul, 18.3.99
BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, memes, 3.3.99
BBC Scotland, Colin Bell Show, interview on memes, 3.2.99
BBC Radio 4, Frontiers, interview on blindsight, 20.1.99

Worldwide:

The Sci Phi Show - Outcast #8, 21.08.06. Interview on Memes with Jason Rennie. Listen here.

Radio New Zealand, Saturday Morning with Kim Hill, 22.07.2006.

Newstalk, Dublin, Ireland, discussion on drugs, 9.6.2005

ABC Australia, debate on consciousness with Dave Chalmers and Paul Davies, in Sydney 28.8.04 http://abc.net.au/rn/allinthemind/stories/2004/1183559.htm and 4.9.04 http://abc.net.au/rn/allinthemind/stories/2004/1184056.htm

Classic Fm Australia, interview and choice of music with Margaret Throsby, 20.8.04. Details of my choice of music can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/classic/daily/stories/s1151250.htm

Radio Netherlands, Vox Humana, interview on memes for documentary “Seducing the mind”, 9.3.2004
Radio New Zealand, interview on the Internet, 30.10.01
Sveriges Radio P1, monologue on memes (recorded Tucson, April 2002)
Johannesburg, South Africa, "Believe it or not" discussion and phone-in on The Meme Machine, 4.6.00
Johannesburg, South Africa, "Patricia’s People", interview on The Meme Machine, 10.3.00
ABC (Australia), ‘Late Night Live’ interview on The Meme Machine, 27.10.99
Radio New Zealand, Sunday Edition, interview on The Meme Machine, 20.6.99
Radio 3, Belgium, interview on The Meme Machine, 6.99
ABC (Australia), The Science Show, interview on memes, (recorded 25.5.99)
National Public Radio, USA, Talk of the Nation, discussion and phone in with Robert Wright, on The Meme Machine, 20.5.99
BBC World Service, interview on sleep paralysis, 19.4.99
Science Talk, Pasadena, discussion and phone-in on memes, 21.4.99
Radio PR Perth, Australia, discussion on memes, 25.3.99

Podcasts

Interview about Ten Zen Questions,  on Buddhist Geeks. May 2009

C-Realm podcast - Sue Blackmore talks to KMO about memes, drugs and Zen. 28 Jan 2009

Genes, memes and temes. Lecture at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Monterey, CA, 28 Feb 2008

Free will and why I don't believe in it. Podcast for G'Day World 22 May 2008

Is God a dangerous delusion? A debate with Alister McGrath at Bristol University, 13.11.2007

The Reasoning Show, discussion with David Quinn and Dan Rowden, on parapsychology, consciousness, OBEs and more. May 2007

Guardian Unlimited Science podcasts. Conversations on Consciousness 23 April 2007

Darwin Day Lecture "Darwin's Meme: On the origin of culture by means of natural selection" , , University of Central Lancashire, 12.02.07 Abstract 

Skeptico Interview on consciousness and the paranormal. 5 March 2007  audio

Point of Inquiry discussion with D.J. Grothe on science, belief and naturalism,     15 December 2006

The Sci Phi Show - Outcast #8, Interview on Memes, 21 August 2006

The Future of Memetics audio of a lecture given at Pop!Tech 2005

The grand illusion of consciousness, Video of lecture at Skeptics Conference - Brain, Mind and Consciousness, Caltech, Pasadena, 13-15.5.05  

WIE Unbound (What is Enlightenment), "Does consciousness exist?" an interview with Craig Hamilton about consciousness and spirituality. November 2004

See also online articles

Multi-Media - CD-ROMs

Encarta, British version, entry for Parapsychology,1996 and 2004
The Unexplained, First Information Group (interview 23.1.96)
Eve, Real World Multi Media, November 1995
Of Monsters and Miracles, Interactive Designs Ltd., October 1995
Ghosts, Media Design interactive, July 1995

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Last updated: Wednesday, 17 June 2009 09:45