Jim Al-Khalili is among the public faces of science. Now his career is taking a novel turn. Jane McGowan finds him on a path to the Guildford Book Festival...
How does the old saying go? If you want something done, ask a busy person. I suppose that’s what the publishing bigwigs thought when they decided to commission quantum physicist, broadcaster, podcaster, writer and blogger Professor Jim Al-Khalili to pen his first novel.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Sunfall, by the much-loved presenter of Radio 4’s The Life Scientific, is a race-against-time thriller, dealing with quantum physics, cyber hacking and the threat of global catastrophe.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say: ‘I knew I had a novel within me.’ But I can’t say that I’d ever had that sense particularly,” admits the 57-year-old father of two. “After the launch of one of my non-fiction books, the publishers just happened to ask what I was going to write next, and I said somewhat flippantly: ‘Maybe I’ll do a novel.’”
And with a string of factual popular science bestsellers already to his name, the publishers wasted no time in getting Jim to sign on the dotted line.
“Once the seed was planted in my head, I just had to get on with it. I love everything I do, so I found the time from somewhere. Once I have a new project, I don’t care how much time I give to it – as long as my wife doesn’t mind, of course,” he laughs.
Born in Iraq in 1962, Jim came to England in 1979 when the family decided to leave the country they loved, as Saddam Hussein tightened his grip on power. The hardest transition for the 16 year old?
“Learning to write equations in English – I was used to writing them in Arabic, so everything was back to front.”
As a young teenager Jim preferred girls, guitars and his beloved Leeds United – he became a fan after seeing them on Match of the Day, which was staple viewing in Baghdad – to studying. It wasn’t until his late teens that he “fell in love with physics”.
After studying for a degree in the subject at the University of Surrey, he was persuaded by his tutors to stay and take a PhD. There followed a brief spell at University College London, before Jim returned to his alma mater in 1991, becoming Professor of Physics in 2005. And there he remains, in a post he describes fondly as his “day job”.
After writing numerous research papers, Jim began giving talks to schools about various aspects of physics and was soon the go-to guy for journalists seeking someone to couch complex new developments in layman’s terms. He was then asked to write a couple of magazine articles: his media career had lift-off.
“There was never any desire to be on TV,” he says. “I never set out to write a popular science book or present a documentary. But one thing just led to another.
“Then, in the late 90s, I decided that I wanted two strings to my bow: to be a serious research scientist, but also to be a communicator and the explainer of science. Back then it was difficult to be both. If you were seen on TV, it was hard to be taken seriously as a scientist.”
Today, thanks to Stephen Hawking, Brian Cox et al, science has become “cool”. Fans say that Jim’s TV programmes enable them to “geek out” and get in touch with their “inner nerd”, laughs Jim, who is nonetheless thrilled by the trend.
“Science has moved from being the eye-rolling ‘And finally’ news story about boffins to setting the day’s agenda,” he says. “Whether it’s genetics or artificial intelligence, it’s part of the conversation – and to a science communicator that is wonderful.”
Yet while Jim is justly proud of the role that physics now plays in our lives, he also wants people to embrace his more imaginative side.
He describes the book as “near future, hard sci-fi”, reminiscent of the Arthur C Clarke novels he loved as a teenager, featuring AI (artificial intelligence) and augmented reality. Even the Hadron Collider makes an appearance.
“I would call it a fictional account of what a very scary future could look like. It’s improbable, but it’s feasible. Basically, it’s a Hollywood blockbuster disaster movie in book form – something that Tom Cruise might star in, saving the world.”
Hollywood, admittedly, hasn’t come calling just yet. For this most erudite multitasker, however, one senses that it can only be a matter of time.
Jim Al-Khalili will be in conversation with Marcus Berkmann at The Electric Theatre on October 9 as part of the Guildford Book Festival. For more info: guildfordbookfestival.co.uk. Sunfall, by Jim Al-Khalili, is published by Bantam Press (£16.99).
