Can't say I've ever been a fan, his science is often questionable. I'll stick with Jim Al Khalili, Brian Cox, Alice Roberts, Helen Cserski and others.
Always thought that some of his "connections" were rather tenuous to say the least.
Indeed - my abiding memory of him is when the Halley's Comet (I think) mission was on live, as some data began to return. He got steadily more and more desperate as various scientists in the 'audience' systematically refused to offer
any opinions about what was going on.
Are you able to give any comments about what we know so far? - Oh, I think it's a bit too early at the moment. - When do you think you'll be able to? - In about eighteen months.
This was in a
live special that was due to last about two or three hours. There was no fill-in video available, he was just expected to 'create a discussion of the results', but nobody would hazard the slightest of guesses.
In the end, he spent a lot of the time talking to a lad of about twelve, there as a 'human interest' example of a 'popular astronomer'. He was the only person prepared to guess what might be going on. The look of increasing desperation on Burke's face was priceless.
