Latest news with #TheSecretGeniusofModernLife
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Is HANNAH FRY the cleverest woman on TV? From taking over Stephen Fry's Cambridge turrets to cracking the dating app code
If there was a prize for being the smartest person on the box, Hannah Fry, 41, would surely be the frontrunner. In November she was appointed the first Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics at Cambridge University and is president of the Institute of Mathematics. She presents numerous popular science TV and radio shows and has one million followers on Instagram, where she posts scientific explainers. But if it was a contest between her and Stephen Fry, who would win? 'We're very different sorts of clever,' she says, sitting opposite me wearing a green corduroy jumpsuit and never quite getting around to eating her lemon drizzle cake. They do, however, share more than a surname. 'I have his old room at Cambridge. It's got two turrets, which I think is very Stephen Fry. Although I've genuinely spent about 25 minutes in that room because I just find it very intimidating.' Fry's mission is not to make the complicated simple but to bring to our attention the scientific marvels and stories that surround us. Her latest project is the third series of The Secret Genius of Modern Life, which has just aired on BBC Two. In it Fry disassembles – sometimes violently – domestic items in order to illustrate how they work. In one episode she hacks at the back of a fridge, in another she melts a credit card in a glass of nail varnish remover. It's mesmerising viewing, made even more so by Fry's inexhaustible charisma and everywoman appeal. Fry grew up, the middle of three sisters, in Ware, Hertfordshire, and attended an all-girls state secondary school. Neither of her parents went to university. Her father worked in a factory making hydraulic lifts for trucks and her mother, who had come to London from her native Ireland in the 1970s, was a part-time teaching assistant who pushed her daughters academically. 'She was just like, 'Life is suffering, so crack on with it',' says Fry. While working as a lecturer at the UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Fry was asked to fill in at a science stand-up comedy night. 'It was terrifying,' she says. 'But I'd always rather try something and it not go that well than not do it at all. It's a maths idea – regret minimisation. You imagine yourself in a few years' time, looking back, and choose the path that you think you'll regret the least.' It was this decision-making strategy that compelled Fry to deliver a Ted Talk called 'The Mathematics of Love' in 2014, about dating, statistics and finding the perfect match. It has since been viewed more than five million times. As a result of this success the public engagement gigs rolled in. She was commissioned to write the book version of her Ted Talk while on honeymoon in 2014, having married Phil Lythell, a sports writer, the year before. The couple have two daughters, who are now five and eight. Fry's frenetic teaching and broadcasting schedule meant that Lythell was the stay-at-home parent. 'That was always the way it was going to work for us,' she says. 'It made sense financially.' Of course, there were barriers that Fry surmounted along the way, such as the endemic sexism in her field. 'When I was younger, professors were all male and there were numerous situations where people thought that I wasn't as good as I actually was. But the flip side of this is one of the most glorious things ever, because if people think you're not capable, it's like being able to speak a language when people don't realise that you can speak it. There have been times I've been at a conference and people have written me off. Then it's just so much fun to drop in a little sentence that shocks them.' Likewise, she experienced class-based prejudice. 'There were references that people used, expectations that people had. You have to be cautious, not to give yourself away.' She is less concerned about this now, even though her new position at Cambridge means she has found herself in some confounding scenarios. 'I went for a dinner and it was literally like that scene in Titanic where they can't work out what the cutlery is for. There were six glasses on the table. It was ridiculous.' As a result of being an outsider, Fry found it harder to turn down the many opportunities that came her way – until life intervened and forced her to pause. In 2021, at 36, following an abnormal smear test, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and underwent a radical hysterectomy. She documented this in the extraordinary 2022 Horizon programme, Making Sense of Cancer With Hannah Fry. This examined statistical data around diagnosis and treatment, as well as offering a vividly intimate video diary of Fry's experience, including the moment she bursts into tears when telling her husband that she has the all-clear. Fry's procedure involved removing her womb and much of the surrounding tissue, including her lymph nodes, and as a result she developed lymphoedema, a condition that causes limbs to swell. She had an operation to minimise the impact of this and also feels fortunate that she was able to keep her ovaries – 'they took basically everything else' – and so did not have to go into early menopause. It was in the aftermath of this experience that Fry, who introduced us to the 'mathematics' of love, divorced her husband. And while her formula didn't lead her to lasting happiness, Fry has discovered the next best thing: a great divorce. 'My ex is genuinely one of life's good people, but we were never a good match, we're just too different.' They live three doors down from each other in South London and share looking after their daughters. 'We are still incredibly good friends. I don't like to brag but I think I might have the best divorce of all time. He was over at my house watching Gladiators with the kids on Saturday night.' A return to single life offered Fry the opportunity to do some rigorous data analysis of dating apps. Initially she found herself booted off Hinge because the app thought she was someone pretending to be Hannah Fry. So she made a new profile, and then a few more, to game the system and get linked with the most eligible matches. Fry is now writing a book about uncertainty. 'Everybody struggles with it. All of us know, deep down, that certainty is impossible. But we like to trick ourselves into believing that there are answers out there.' She is also now on series 22 of her Radio 4 show Curious Cases, is working on a new series for National Geographic, and will soon return to teaching. She has a better understanding than most of the impact that AI might have on the world in which her daughters will grow up. She has been presenting the Google DeepMind podcast since 2019, for which she has frequently interviewed the founder of the DeepMind AI research lab, Demis Hassabis. 'What's changed in the past two years is that AI has a conceptual understanding of our world in a way that it didn't before,' she says. 'It can do creativity now.' I ask if this scares her. 'No. We do have to be very careful and there are genuine legitimate existential dangers on the horizon, but I also think that there is a potential version of the future that is exciting.' Fry is a natural optimist, and part of the pleasure of being in her company, of watching her on television, of listening to her on the radio, of engaging with her on all her many platforms, is that she is able to make the world seem like a less scary, more interesting place. The only problem is there is not enough time for her to do all the projects she is interested in. 'There has been talk of cloning me,' she says. Now that would make good science TV. Stylist: Joanne M Kennedy. Hair: Alex Szabo at Carol Hayes.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The One Show guest explains science behind loving rollercoasters
The One Show welcomed The Secret Genius of Modern Life presenter Hannah Fry onto the couch on Tuesday, 15 April. Alex Jones and JB Gill, who were on hosting duties, brought up the recent news of Universal Studios getting the greenlight to open its first-ever theme park in the UK. Fry went on to explain the science behind people's thirst for riding rollercoasters. "It's kind of a 'love them or hate them' thing isn't it..." pointed out Jones, with the guest agreeing. "The thing that you have to think about is, with a rollercoaster your body is terrified but your brain knows it's safe," replied Fry. Read more: Keanu Reeves awkwardly reminded of Sandra Bullock crush on The One Show Lauren Laverne apologises after guest swears on The One Show The One Show guest Ralf Little in hysterics over Will Mellor mistake "It's a way for you to have all of those hormones - all of the kind of adrenaline, all of the stress hormones rushing through your body but you know inside that you're safe. It's the rush. "They did an experiment where they tested people's heart rate and the bit that people's heart rate peaked at the most was actually not when you're going upside down," she continued. "It was the moment when the bar comes down. The anticipation." Meanwhile, former X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Fleur East also stopped by the BBC studio to tease her upcoming West End role as iconic singer Tina Turner. "It does [feel like a full circle moment] for many reasons strangely, because I performed Tina Turner on The X Factor 11 years ago now; my first album I wrote a song called 'Kitchen' [and] that actually has a Tina Turner lyric in it, and then a couple of years ago I performed a Tina Turner song again on Strictly as part of the tribute," she told Jones and Gill. "So I feel like, without knowing, Tina Turner has always been with me." The One Show airs weekdays from 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Telegraph
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The Secret Genius of Modern Life, review: Hannah Fry jumps on the air fryer hype-wagon
Three series in, this was the episode of The Secret Genius of Modern Life (BBC Two) I'd been waiting for. Because let's face it, a good 97 per cent of all of my conversations in the last five years have been about air fryers. Do they, in fact, reduce the cooking time on an average chicken fillet by up to 38 seconds? Can I really make delicious chips at home slightly faster, if I ever did make delicious chips at home, which I didn't? Was I as resistant to viral marketing twaddle as I thought I was? So it was consolatory to find that Hannah Fry had also been in two minds about doing one of her excellent tech-splanations of air fryers, and for the same reasons – would it just be jumping on the hype train? Luckily, Fry decided to give the world what it wants – air fryers are now in one in three of our kitchens; the market has spoken, and her history of the device was perfectly done. It followed the usual Secret Genius blueprint, taking us into the research labs where they destruction-test broccoli, before leaving you with the usual conclusions – this stuff is really clever, and thank God we have really clever people working on it. Otherwise my chicken fillet might take 38 seconds longer to cook. I was mostly heartened to learn that air fryers don't actually fry, and that they're also just smaller, more efficient fan ovens. The heat comes from the same metal element that's in your toaster. The fan is the same type of fan that's in your… fan. So in the main it really is just a few twists and some clever marketing. But the story of how each of these components came about was full of happy accidents and obsessive inventors, just as you'd hope. It is good to see that even as recently as 2010, when the air fryer was invented, it was one man in a garage rather than a research team at some patent-bagging multi-national. The story probably didn't require its allotted hour, but no matter: I used that time to go and incinerate some chicken wings in my new air fryer. Have you heard how great they are?
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
What's new to watch on BBC iPlayer? APRIL
Spring has arrived! The sunshine isn't the only thing to look forward to this month, we've also got a wealth of brand new shows, fantastic films, and unmissable drama on BBC iPlayer. Scroll down to discover just some of the things coming to BBC iPlayer in April. But don't worry, there's lots more to explore on BBC iPlayer. What's new on BBC iPlayer in April? Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone Tuesday 1 April In a new series Ashley Cain visits some of the world's most dangerous places to deep-dive into issues that affect young men born into a life where criminality has become a form of survival. After an insider secures him an intro, he'll use his curiosity, physicality and sheer force of personality to earn peoples' trust and infiltrate an infamous underworld. In each episode Ashley explores the reasons why young men in each location have chosen a life of extreme criminality. He will be pushed to his physical and emotional limits, form personal bonds with complex men, and explore extreme male cultures he never knew existed. Watch Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone on BBC iPlayer. Add to your Watchlist now More: Ashley Cain says Into the Danger Zone revealed "I'm not as fearless as I thought" Stacey & Joe Tuesday 1 April In this brand new series, cameras follow the lives of Stacey and Joe, their children, four ducks and two dogs. With exclusive behind the scenes access, viewers are given a refreshing, honest take on their modern blended family. Raising their 'pickles', Zach, Leighton, Rex, Rose and Belle who are aged between 16 and one, is no mean feat especially combined with busy work schedules and ambitious passion projects like building a two acre fishing lake. Watch Stacey & Joe on BBC iPlayer The Secret Genius of Modern Life Wednesday 2 April, 8pm Hannah Fry is back for a second series where she uncovers the secrets behind the miraculous technologies of the modern world, revealing the mind-blowing stories behind their invention. In episode one of the new series Hannah takes a look at the air fryer – a device that is rapidly taking over people's kitchens, cooking up everything from bread rolls to baked Alaska and almost making ovens obsolete. Watch the previous series of Secret Genius of Modern Life of BBC iPlayer Black Snow Friday 4 April, 9pm Zoe Jacobs disappeared without a trace in 2003, on the night of her 21st birthday party. Many believe Zoe ran away, but others suspect she was murdered. When police officer Sam Kahlil discovers Zoe's backpack, Detective James Cormack is called in to investigate. Watch the first series of Black Snow on BBC iPlayer Austin Friday 4 April, 9.30pm A new BBC Comedy starring Ben Miller and Sally Phillips. Within hours of best-selling children's author Julian Hartswood being cancelled for reposting a white supremacist, he discovers he has a neurodivergent son called Austin. Meanwhile, Julian's wife and work partner Ingrid calculate that Austin was conceived when she and Julian were first dating. Watch Austin on BBC iPlayer from Friday 4 April More: Behind the scenes of Austin - meet the cast and creatives of a new BBC comedy as they reveal what really happens off set Reunion Monday 7 April, 9pm Brand-new thriller of revenge and redemption following the journey of Daniel Brennan, a deaf man determined to right his wrongs while unravelling the truth behind the events that led him to prison. Starring Matthew Gurney, Lara Peake, Anne-Marie Duff, Eddie Marsan and Rose Ayling-Ellis, the bilingual series, filmed in and around Sheffield, features both British Sign lLanguage (BSL) and spoken English. Watch Reunion on BBC iPlayer from Monday 7 April More: BBC unveils first look at new epic revenge thriller Reunion Simon Schama: The Road to Auschwitz Monday 7 April, 9pm In the most personal and unflinching film of his career, historian Simon Schama confronts the Holocaust as not just a Nazi obsession, but as a European-wide crime of complicity. Watch The Road To Auschwitz on BBC iPlayer from Monday 7 April More: BBC to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau What They Found Monday 7 April Directed by Sam Mendes, this is the story of two soldier-cameramen, Sgt Mike Lewis and Sgt Bill Laurie, who witnessed the liberation of Belsen during the closing days of World War II. Watch What They Found on BBC iPlayer from Monday 7 April More: Sam Mendes directs first documentary What They Found for BBC Two and iPlayer How to Win The Champions League Wednesday 9 April When it comes to lifting Europe's most coveted football trophy, what are the secrets of success? This documentary tells the story of Liverpool's Champions League win in 2019, uncovering how Jurgen Klopp galvanised a team – and the red half of the city – to deliver a sixth European title. Watch series one of How to Win the Champions League on BBC iPlayer Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr Thursday 10 April New series. Ten talented designers. One life-changing contract. Alan Carr and interiors guru Michelle Ogundehin are on the hunt for talent, passion and dazzling designs. Watch the previous series of Interior Design Masters on BBC iPlayer
