Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Birthday: Born in 1968-03-09 in Islington, London, England, UK
Deathday: Alive
I’m so pleased to be part of this cherished and much loved institution. Presenting The Sky at Night has brought me full circle; as a child I would beg my parents to allow me to stay up late and watch the programme. It even inspired me to go to night school at a young age to make my own telescope mirror, which I lovingly crafted and gave me my first glimpse of the breath-taking spectacle above us. This enthusiasm eventually led to a degree in Physics and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and then working on the wonderful 8m Gemini telescope in Chile, as well as the James Webb Space Telescope. Growing up, I always wanted to be an astronaut - I haven’t succeeded in doing that (yet!) but being a space scientist is the next best thing because I’m building instruments that go into space. I’m very lucky to have found work I enjoy so much and that is also so varied – not just building equipment that goes into space but also talking about it. I like to pass on my enthusiasm when I can. But I haven’t given up on that dream; I want to retire to Mars. Some people choose gardening, I choose Mars!
TV Credits
QI
Character: Self
Comedy quiz show full of quirky facts, in which contestants are rewarded more if their answers are 'quite interesting'....
The Sky at Night
Character: Self - Presenter
Your monthly journey through the fascinating world of space and astronomy with the latest thinking on what's out there in space and what you can see in the night sky....
I Literally Just Told You
Character: Self - Question Writer
Jimmy Carr hosts the game show where paying attention pays off, as players answer questions that have just been written, about things that have just happened during the show, in a bid to win £25,000....
Would I Lie to You?
Character: Self
A comedic panel show featuring team captains Lee Mack and David Mitchell plus two guests per side, hosted by Rob Brydon (formerly Angus Deayton). Each person must reveal embarrassing facts and outrageous lies during a series of different rounds including "Home Truths", "This Is My..." and "Quickfire Lies". It is up to the opposing team to tell tall tales from fantastic facts....
Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit
Character:
Gaming enthusiast Dara O Briain presides over the mayhem as two stars join team captains – gaming geek Steve McNeil and gaming cynic Sam Pamphilon – to battle each other at their favourite computer games....
Robot Wars
Character: Self
Original robots Sir Killalot, Matilda, Dead Metal and Shunt are back for the rebooted series presented by Dara Ó Briain and Angela Scanlon...
Pointless Celebrities
Character: Self
Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman present a celebrity version of the general knowledge quiz in which contestants try to come up with the answers that nobody else could think of....
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
Character: Self - Participant
Antiques experts accompany celebrities on a road trip around the UK searching for treasures and competing to make the most money at auction...
Michael McIntyre's The Wheel
Character: Self - Expert
Michael McIntyre hosts a gameshow packed with huge stars, big laughs and a giant spinning wheel. Can the contestants, guided by celebrity experts, answer their way to a fortune?...
The Infinite Monkey Cage
Character: Panellist
Brian Cox and Robin Ince host a close encounter of the first kind with comedian Lucy Beaumont, astronomer Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Prof Tim O’Brien and science presenter Dallas Cambell to ask if UFOs and aliens have visited Earth....
Richard Osman's House of Games
Character: Self - Contestant
Each week a group of four famous faces go toe to toe in testing their general knowledge skills in a variety of entertaining games....
Strangest Things
Character: Self - Space Scientist
From a piece of meteorite found in Tutankhamun's tomb to the Crown of Thorns, explore some of the most perplexing and unusual objects lying hidden away in museums, laboratories and storage rooms...
The Sky at Night
Character:
Your monthly journey through the fascinating world of space and astronomy with the latest thinking on what's out there in space and what you can see in the night sky....
Alien Files: Reopened
Character: Self - Physicist & Space Scientist
A team of experts separate fact from fiction to figure out the history behind the mystery of some of the most well-known and extraordinary cases of UFO sightings and alien encounters....
Movie Credits
The Science of Doctor Who
Character:
Like all great science fiction shows, there are kernels of truth and nuggets of science fact scattered throughout the incredible ‘Doctor Who’ universe. In this special, we are going to explore these dynamic ‘Doctor Who’ moments where science fiction and science fact converge and mingle....
In Orbit: How Satellites Rule Our World
Character: Herself - Presenter
How the thousands of satellites orbiting the Earth have transformed the modern world....
Do We Really Need the Moon?
Character: Host
The moon is such a familiar presence in the sky that most of us take it for granted. But what if it wasn't where it is now? How would that affect life on earth?...