Editing Robyn Williams

{{short description|Australian science journalist}}
{{About|the Australian science journalist|the Australian cricketer|Robyn Williams (cricketer)}}
{{For|other people with similar names|Robin Williams (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Robyn Williams
| honorific_suffix   = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100|AOh|FAA}}
| image       = Robyn Williams.jpg
| alt         = 
| caption     = 
| birth_name  = 
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1944|01|30|df=yes}}
| birth_place = United Kingdom
| death_date  = 
| death_place = 
| nationality = 
| other_names = 
| occupation  = Science journalist, broadcaster
| known_for   = 
}}
'''Robyn Williams''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AOh|FAA}} (born 30 January 1944) is a British/Australian science [[journalist]] and  [[Television presenter|broadcaster]] who has hosted ''The Science Show'' on [[ABC Radio National]] (RN) since 1975, and created ''Ockham's Razor'' in 1984.

==Early life and education==
Williams was born on 30 January 1944<ref name=swinburne>{{cite web | publisher= [[Swinburne University of Technology]]| title=Williams, Robyn |website= Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation | date=25 May 2001 | url=https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P003498b.htm | access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref><ref name=encyc/> in [[Wales]]<ref name="Johnson 2022"/> or [[High Wycombe]], [[Buckinghamshire]], England.<ref name=encyc/>{{efn|Sources vary as to place of birth; the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation says [[Buckinghamshire]],<ref name=swinburne/> and [[Encyclopedia.com]] says [[High Wycombe]], Bucks.<ref name=encyc>{{cite web | title=Williams, Robyn 1944- | website=Encyclopedia.com | date=30 January 1944 | url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/williams-robyn-1944 | access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref> Using 2022 ABC source for now.}} His father, Gwyn, a Welshman, has been variously reported as a [[trade union|union]] executive and journalist,<ref name=encyc/> or a coalminer who also studied engineering.<ref name="Johnson 2022">{{cite web | last=Johnson | first=Natasha | website=ABC News | title =Robyn Williams, host of ABC RN's The Science Show, on 50 years of broadcasting and the day Norman Swan saved his life | date=29 May 2022 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/backstory/2022-05-28/robyn-williams-50-years-abc-science-norman-swan-saved-his-life/101104326 | publisher =[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] | access-date=29 May 2022}}</ref> His mother, Ray (nee Davis), was Jewish, from [[London]]'s [[East End]], and worked as a translator.<ref name=encyc/>

Williams attended various schools in London, including the [[Bec School]] in Tooting Bec, as well as spending a few years at a German language school in [[Vienna]], Austria.<ref name=encyc/>

Williams first spent time in Australia in 1964 and worked as a temporary clerk at the [[Decimal Currency Board of Australia]], among other jobs. He moved back to London with his Australian wife to study science.<ref name=encyc/>
He graduated from the [[University of London]] with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree. During this period he was active in university [[actor|acting]] and was hired as an extra in [[BBC]] series ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]'', ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' and ''[[Doctor Who]]''.<ref name="Johnson 2022"/><ref name=encyc/>

==Professional life==
He joined the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] (ABC) Science Unit in 1972 where, after several years in background production and interviewing for the ''Insight'' program, he hosted ''Innovations'' in early 1974,<ref>"Prof Lovejoy lives", ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', 30 September 1974: 14.</ref> ''Investigations'' (2-hour format) from 6 November 1974. <ref>"Anyone can talk science", ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', 28 October 1974: 11.</ref>  In 1975 he began hosting ''The Science Show'', a one-hour science-based radio interview show. At one time it was the most popular radio show on Radio 2 (Radio National's former name), and it is one of the longest-running radio shows in Australia and the world.<ref name="Johnson 2022"/>

''Ockham's Razor'' followed in 1984, with Williams introducing a leading scientist or personality who then expounds from a prepared text on a topic of their choice, with a view to making a subject simple and accessible to the public, hence the title relating to the famous [[Occam's razor|statement on parsimony]] by [[William of Ockham]]. ''In Conversation'' commenced in 1997, with Williams interviewing the personality.<ref name="Johnson 2022"/>

==Other media work==
* Narrating  ''Nature of Australia'', a series for ABC TV
* Appearing in ''World Safari'' with [[David Attenborough]]
* Instigating the establishment of the [[Eureka Prizes|Eureka Awards for Excellence in Science Communication and Innovation]] by the ABC and [[Australian Museum]]

==Trade union activism==
In 1977, Williams gave an impassioned speech to the ABC Staff Association against ABC management's quiescence in the face of budget cuts and political interference. He said that a UK proposal that the government appoint one third of BBC board members had been publicly opposed by BBC management but that the ABC chairman acted as if he headed an organisation rivalling the BBC. Following his speech the meeting voted unanimously that it had no confidence in the ABC chair, John Norgard.<ref>{{
cite book | year = 1991  | last = Molomby | first = Tom | title = Is there a moderate on the roof? ABC Years  | publisher = William Heinemann Australia  | location = Port Melbourne  | pages  = 97–100}}</ref>

==Other roles==
* Adjunct professor at the [[University of Queensland]]<ref name="Johnson 2022"/>
* Visiting professor at the [[University of New South Wales]]<ref name="Johnson 2022"/>
* Deputy Chair, Australian Science Media Centre, since 2012<ref name=ao2020/>
* President, Australian Science Communicators, 1998–2001<ref name=ao2020/>
* President, Australia and New Zealand Advancement of Science, 1992<ref name=ao2020/>
* Chair, Australian Commission for the Future, 1990–1994<ref name=ao2020/>
* President of the [[Australian Museum Trust]], 1986–1994<ref name=ao2020/><ref name=encyc/>
* Chairman of the Commission For The Future<ref name=anu/>
* President of [[Australian Science Communicators]]<ref name=anu/>
* President of the [[ANZAAS|Australian & New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science]] (ANZAAS) Congress in [[Brisbane]]<ref name=encyc/>
* Co-Chairman of the Biology Department at the [[University of Texas, El Paso]]
* Member of the council of [[Voiceless, the animal protection institute]], 2009–?<ref>{{cite web | title=Robyn Williams | website=Voiceless  | url=https://www.voiceless.org.au/who-we-are/robyn-williams | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228235212/https://www.voiceless.org.au/who-we-are/robyn-williams | archive-date=28 February 2017 | url-status=dead | access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref>

==Honours, awards and recognition==
===Australian honours===
* 1988: Honorary Member of the [[Order of Australia]] (AM), 26 January, "For service to science, particularly in the fields of media and education"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/886129 |title=Mr Robyn Williams [H]: Member of the Order of Australia| website=Australian Honours Search Facility| publisher=[[Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia)]] |access-date= 30 May 2022}}</ref>
*2001: [[Centenary Medal]], 1 January, "For outstanding service in science communication"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1115865 |title=Mr Robyn Williams: Centenary Medal| website=Australian Honours Search Facility| publisher=[[Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia)]] |access-date= 30 May 2022}}</ref>
*2020: Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), 26 January, "For distinguished service to science as a journalist, radio presenter and author, and to education"<ref name=ao2020>{{Cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/2006015 |title=Mr Robyn Williams [H]: Officer of the Order of Australia| website=Australian Honours Search Facility| publisher=[[Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia)]] |access-date= 30 May 2022}}</ref>
===Academic honours===
{{as of|May 2022}} Williams has [[honorary doctorate]]s from seven universities:<ref name="Johnson 2022"/>
* [[Australian National University]] (law)<ref name=anu>{{cite web | title=In conversation with Robyn Williams | website=[[ANU]] | date=13 September 2018 | url=https://www.anu.edu.au/events/in-conversation-with-robyn-williams | access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref>
* [[Deakin University]] (science,<ref name=anu/> 1988<ref name=encyc/>)
* [[University of New South Wales]]
* [[University of Queensland]]
* [[University of South Australia]]
* [[University of Sydney]] (science,<ref name=anu/> 1988<ref name=encyc/>)
* [[Macquarie University]] (science,<ref name=anu/> 1988<ref name=encyc/>)

He was a [[Reuters Fellow]] at the [[University of Oxford]] in 1994<ref name=encyc/> (where he wrote his [[autobiography]]), and a visiting fellow at [[Balliol College]] in 1995–6.<ref name=rnprofile>{{cite web | title=Robyn Williams | website=ABC Radio National | date=10 Jun 2016 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/robyn-williams/2913842 | access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref>

===Other recognition===
* [[list of Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science|Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science]],<ref name=swinburne/> the first journalist so honoured,<ref name=anu/> in 1993<ref name=encyc/>
* Proclaimed a [[Australian Living Treasures|Living National Treasures]] (1987)<ref name=anu/>
* [[Australian Rostrum]] Speaker of the Year (1993)
* [[Australian Humanist of the Year]] (1993); awarded by the [[Council of Australian Humanist Societies]]
* Radio Prize from the [[Human Rights Commission]]
* [[United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Prize ]]
* [[Michael Daley Award]] for Science Journalism<ref>{{cite web |url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/Eureka-past |title=Past Winners & Finalists (Eureka Prizes) |publisher=Australian Museum}}</ref>
* Centre for Australian Cultural Studies National Award 1996 (Individual)

==Publications==
As well as many articles and introductions to books,<ref name=encyc/> Williams has written at least 10 books,<ref name="Johnson 2022"/> including:

*''The Uncertainty Principle'' (1991, nonfiction)<ref name=encyc/>

* ''And Now For Something Completely Different'' (1995), [[autobiography]], written when he was a Reuters Fellow at Oxford.<ref name=rnprofile/> The title refers to a popular radio interview he did with [[John Cleese]] on the topic of [[psychiatry]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Robyn Williams AO | website=Celebrity Speakers | date=18 February 2021 | url=https://www.celebrityspeakers.com.au/speakers/robyn-williams-ao/ | access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref> 

* ''This Is the Science Show ''(1995, nonfiction)<ref name=encyc/>

*''Normal Service Won't Be Resumed: The Future of Public Broadcasting'' (1996, nonfiction)<ref name=encyc/>

*''Future Perfect'' (2007, nonfiction),<ref>{{cite web | title=Robyn Williams, AM | website=Celebrity Speakers  | url=http://www.celebrityspeakers.com.au/science-speakers/robyn-williams-am/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402234610/http://www.celebrityspeakers.com.au/science-speakers/robyn-williams-am/ | archive-date=2 April 2011 | url-status=dead | access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref> about "the future of just about everything"<ref>{{cite web | last=Conway-Wood | first=Sian | last2=Vincent | first2=James | title=Future Perfect | website=Allen & Unwin | url=https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/general-books/popular-science/Future-Perfect-Robyn-Williams-9781741753189 | access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref>

*''2007'' (published 2001) is  a [[dystopian novel]]  describing a rebellion of animals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nautilus.org/network/associates/richard-tanter/robyn-williams-2007-a-true-story-waiting-to-happen/|title=Robyn Williams, 2007—a true story, waiting to happen|website=Nautilus Institute|date=19 December 2011}}</ref>

*''Turmoil: Letters from the Brink'' (2018, nonfiction)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Robyn |title=Turmoil: Letters from the Brink |date=2018 |publisher=NewSouth |isbn=9781742235776 |url=https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/turmoil/ |access-date=21 August 2023}}</ref>

==Personal life==

Williams met Pamela Traylor when in Australia for the first time, and they married on 10 June 1966 before both moving back to the UK, where he studied science. They had two children.<ref name=encyc/>

He is a good friend of fellow ABC presenter, [[Norman Swan]], a qualified medical doctor, who intervened to help save his life when he suffered a [[cardiac arrest]] in 1988.<ref name="Johnson 2022"/>

{{as of|2022}} Williams is in a long-term relationship with Jonica Newby,<ref name="Johnson 2022"/> a former presenter on [[ABC Television (Australian TV network)|ABC Television]]'s  ''[[Catalyst (TV program)|Catalyst]]'' science journalism program. Williams underwent [[chemotherapy]] for [[colorectal cancer]] in 2014 and 2015; at one point he was hospitalised for five weeks but continued to make ''The Science Show'' from his hospital bed.<ref name="catalyst">{{cite web| last1=Newby| first1=Jonica| title=Catalyst - Exercise and Cancer - Transcript|url=http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4459555.htm|website=ABC Website|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=22 May 2016|date=15 May 2016}}</ref>

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.celebrityspeakers.com.au/science-speakers/robyn-williams/ Robyn Williams, Full Biography]
* [http://www.abc.net.au/science/ ABC Science Unit]
* [http://www.eoas.info/biogs/P003498b.htm Encyclopedia of Australian Science]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Robyn}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of London]]
[[Category:English male journalists]]
[[Category:English humanists]]
[[Category:English people of Welsh descent]]
[[Category:English expatriates in Australia]]
[[Category:Honorary officers of the Order of Australia]]
[[Category:Honorary members of the Order of Australia]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science]]
[[Category:Australian humanists]]
[[Category:ABC radio (Australia) journalists and presenters]]
[[Category:Australian science journalists]]