From comedic actor and iconic science journalist to National Living Treasure, Australian broadcaster Robyn Williams has forged a hefty career of inspiration and influence.
Like many students in 1960s Britain, Robyn Williams split his time between acting and studying. A science graduate of the University of London, Williams appeared in iconic shows like Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Doctor Who, and The Goodies. But after five years of performing, he found himself caught between his love of acting and his love of science. In 1972, the 27-year-old decided to emigrate to Australia to try his luck. And then he had a chance encounter that changed his life – a meeting with Australian cinematographer, Geoff Burton, who suggested Williams contact the ABC when he arrived.
Williams followed up and got a job as a research assistant – and went on to make science communication history. In almost 50 years of broadcasting, he’s interviewed more than 10,000 scientists, including scores of Nobel laureates, written ten books, inspired countless young Australians to study science, and been voted one of Australia’s Living National Treasures.
“I landed in one of the best science units in the media anywhere on earth, and I learned very quickly that I knew practically nothing,” he tells The Brilliant. But he says his television experience stood him in good stead, because he knew how to turn up on time. “Being reliable and somehow organised, meant that I lasted. I’ve been there ever since – nearly 50 years.”
The power of longevity
For most of his time at the ABC, Williams has hosted the weekly radio program, The Science Show. Today his shows sound effortless but, he says, those first few stories weren’t easy.
One of William’s early interviews was with Nobel laureate, Sir Hans Krebs, famous for his work in human biochemistry – who had fled Hitler in 1933. The inexperienced Williams was terrified. “Here was someone whose work I studied. But he was too shy even to be interviewed and I thought, ‘how can this mega star be shy?’,” says Williams. “But it was my job to persuade him to talk. So we talked about Hitler, and his life, and gradually we moved to biochemistry and how he was inspired. In the end, it was wonderful.”
Decades later, Williams had the chance to interview his son, zoologist John Krebs, who was Principal of Jesus College, Oxford, Chairman of the House of Lords committee on science and technology, as well as President of the British Science Association. “The wonderful thing about science is that it is international. Everything links. It connects history,” Williams says of that interview.
Still pounding the pavement
Throughout his career, Williams’ approach has been the same: get out and talk to people. “One of my main philosophies is to leave the building,” he explains. “I go places and sometimes I’m rather embarrassed that I am doing the same things in 2021 as I used to do in 1972. That is, I go to campuses, or into the field, and I walk around and knock on doors and ask people what they are doing.”
Prior to Covid-19, Williams also went to large science conferences, like the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference, where he would get a number of his interviews for the year. “It’s essential because you get a variety of people from different nationalities. And from that network, and using legwork, you then develop a picture of what’s out there in the world,” Williams says.
Williams, an old-school journalist, laments the rise of what he calls an “absolutely predictable” approach to news, born of budget cuts and lack of legwork. “Of course there’s Covid, Covid, Covid,” he says. “Then you get a few monstrous street accidents. Why do we need to know that someone has lost control of a car and hit a tree in South Australia? How is this national news?”
People love science
Williams also rejects the notion that the general public isn’t interested in science, pointing out that some of the biggest stars of the TED Talks, or other public events, are scientists. He’s seen this interest first hand because, as President of the Australian Museum Trust, Williams regularly invited the world’s top scientists to come and speak to the public. There was always a full house. “Once, with David Attenborough and a couple of other people, we had to do three talks instead of one,” he says. “The place was completely packed – and they were talking about the most sensationally wonderful ideas. It might be fairly simple stuff, but it was done in a language that was direct and exciting, and you had the feeling of adventure.”
Mentoring the next generation
Williams’ generosity and mentorship to young science journalists is renowned, but it’s heartfelt – he loves shining a light on young talent.
Most recently, 18-year-old science student Zofia Witkowski-Blake has been contributing to the Science Show. In a recent episode Witkowski-Blake reviewed a book of astronomer Vera Rubin. “Here we have a book dealing with the discovery of dark matter being talked about highly intelligently by a teenager,” says Williams. But Witkowski-Blake’s interest in science partly came from Williams, as she grew up listening to his show while doing woodwork with her mother every week.
For Williams, the mentorship goes both ways. “What I have learned from young people is not to be shy about your enthusiasm,” he says. But he worries about what he sees as a gradual decline in general knowledge, particularly around science history. “You need to know about the men and the women who pioneered science; what made them do it, and how they did it in their times, because it’s a human experience,” he says.
Williams also believes that young journalists shouldn’t specialise early on (as he did), but rather rise through the ranks, being challenged by multiple disciplines as they go. “When it comes to journalism itself, you need to be trained by experience. If you don’t know the science to a fairly solid degree, which always helps, then you need to do something to continue your education,” he says. Williams himself attends formal lectures on subjects he doesn’t understand well, and has returned to university during his career, either as a student or a visiting professor.
But for anybody out there considering a career in science journalism or communication, he has one piece of advice: Jump in. “It’s the reality that really excites people. And if you take the trouble to try to help explain what’s going on in the world, they love it.”
Listen to the ABC Science Show
Article by Kylie Ahern
Photo Credit: Photo supplied