Jem Stansfield
Encyclopedia
Jem Stansfield is an inventor and television presenter, currently working in the United Kingdom. He has appeared on Scrapheap Challenge
(Channel 4
), Science Shack
(BBC Two), Home On Their Own (ITV1
), Zero to Hero (Channel 4
), Men in White
(Channel 4), Bang Goes the Theory
(BBC One
), Wild Thing I Love You (Channel 4), and Planet Mechanics
(National Geographic Channel
). He presented a documentary Explosions: How We Shook the World (BBC Four
) in October 2010.http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00v9kb3
For the past decade, Jem has been creating special effects for movies like Lost in Space and Van Helsing, and producing jaw-dropping exhibits for the Science Museum and Royal Observatory. He's worked with kindred spirits Wallace and Gromit.
When companies want mad machines and quirky gadgets, they turn to Jem. That's hardly surprising. This is the man who invented the world's first air-powered motorbike, and won a New Scientist prize for boots that walk on water.
Before Bang, this hands-on approach to science and technology found a small-screen outlet on Scrapheap Challenge, Men in White (both Channel 4), Science Shack (BBC Two) and Home on their Own (ITV1).
Jem has also turned his hand to herding sheep, labouring, and, stand-up comedy.
He has a degree in aeronautics
from Bristol University, and, before his television career, worked in a Czech
school and as a shepherd
in the Australian outback. Among his inventions is a compressed-air powered motorcycle
. He has worked on the special effects for the movies Lost in Space
, The Avengers and Van Helsing
.
Jem designs, builds and invents for a living. He has a degree in aeronautics from Bristol University and a tremendous general understanding of scientific principles. He’s also a qualified welder and has the skills in his hands to build many of the ideas in his head.
Before settling to a life in science his ‘can do’/’make do’ attitude led him to surf tubes and reefs on cheap hire boards, have fleeting success as a stand up comic, teach children in a rural Czech school and ‘enjoy’ life as a shepherd in outback Australia. But for the past decade it’s been mainly science and engineering projects; creating special effects for movies such as Lost in Space, The Avengers and Van Helsing, producing prominent installations and interactive exhibits for worldwide museums, and working on a ludicrous range of machines and gadgets for companies that need that kind of thing.
Over the past six years he has applied his skills to the world of television. In 2001 he was an on-screen ballistics expert for the television show Scrapheap Challenge and went on to become a permanent part of the engineering team for subsequent series. He used to invent kids’ dream gadgets on ITV’s Home On Their Own with Ulrika Jonsson and he was the on screen man behind the machines and experiments on BBC2’s Science Shack. For Channel 4’s series Zero to Hero he was on screen engineer.
In 2006 Jem presented two series for Channel 4. In Men in White (an irreverent Sunday evening science show) he answered cries for help from members of the public. Combining his skill, knowledge and a few important experiments, he invented the machines which solved their problems.
Wild Thing I Love You was a groundbreaking Sunday evening nature conservation show for the channel. Jem worked with wildlife experts to examine situations where mankind exerts too much pressure on nature and where, with a little cunning design and engineering, he was able to build something to redress the balance. His first series for National Geographic, Planet Mechanics aired in 2008 and he also made guest presenter appearances on another new series for the channel, What Would Happen If…?
Scrapheap Challenge
Scrapheap Challenge is an engineering game show produced by RDF Media and broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK. In the show, teams of contestants have 10 hours in which to build a working machine that can do a specific task, using materials available in a scrapheap. The format was exported to the...
(Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
), Science Shack
Science Shack
Science Shack was a BBC television series screened in 2001 and 2002. It was presented by Adam Hart-Davis and produced by Leeds UK-based Screenhouse Productions. The series set out to answer science questions by performing experiments...
(BBC Two), Home On Their Own (ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
), Zero to Hero (Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
), Men in White
Men in White (TV series)
Men in White is a TV show starring Adam Rutherford, Basil Singer, and Jem Stansfield. The show revolves around the three scientists who try to solve average, everyday problems....
(Channel 4), Bang Goes the Theory
Bang Goes the Theory
Bang Goes the Theory is a British television science magazine series, co-produced by the BBC and the Open University, that began on 27 July 2009 on BBC One. Presented by Liz Bonnin, Jem Stansfield, Dallas Campbell and Dr...
(BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
), Wild Thing I Love You (Channel 4), and Planet Mechanics
Planet Mechanics
Planet Mechanics is a British TV program shown on the National Geographic Channel. The programme was broadcast on Sunday at 7:00 pm. The show has ended after the first series.-Background:...
(National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel (UK)
The National Geographic Channel is a television channel that features documentaries produced by the National Geographic Society. It features some programming similar to that on the Discovery Channel such as nature and science documentaries. The channel was launched in Europe in September 1997 and...
). He presented a documentary Explosions: How We Shook the World (BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
) in October 2010.http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00v9kb3
For the past decade, Jem has been creating special effects for movies like Lost in Space and Van Helsing, and producing jaw-dropping exhibits for the Science Museum and Royal Observatory. He's worked with kindred spirits Wallace and Gromit.
When companies want mad machines and quirky gadgets, they turn to Jem. That's hardly surprising. This is the man who invented the world's first air-powered motorbike, and won a New Scientist prize for boots that walk on water.
Before Bang, this hands-on approach to science and technology found a small-screen outlet on Scrapheap Challenge, Men in White (both Channel 4), Science Shack (BBC Two) and Home on their Own (ITV1).
Jem has also turned his hand to herding sheep, labouring, and, stand-up comedy.
He has a degree in aeronautics
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
from Bristol University, and, before his television career, worked in a Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
school and as a shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
in the Australian outback. Among his inventions is a compressed-air powered motorcycle
Compressed-air vehicle
A compressed-air vehicle is powered by an air engine, using compressed air, which is stored in a tank. Instead of mixing fuel with air and burning it in the engine to drive pistons with hot expanding gases, compressed-air vehicles use the expansion of compressed air to drive their pistons...
. He has worked on the special effects for the movies Lost in Space
Lost in Space (film)
Lost in Space is a 1998 American science fiction film starring Gary Oldman and William Hurt. The film was shot in London and Shepperton, and produced by New Line Cinema. The plot is adapted from the 1965–1968 CBS television series Lost In Space...
, The Avengers and Van Helsing
Van Helsing (film)
Van Helsing is a 2004 American action horror film directed by Stephen Sommers. It stars Hugh Jackman as vigilante monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing, and Kate Beckinsale...
.
Jem designs, builds and invents for a living. He has a degree in aeronautics from Bristol University and a tremendous general understanding of scientific principles. He’s also a qualified welder and has the skills in his hands to build many of the ideas in his head.
Before settling to a life in science his ‘can do’/’make do’ attitude led him to surf tubes and reefs on cheap hire boards, have fleeting success as a stand up comic, teach children in a rural Czech school and ‘enjoy’ life as a shepherd in outback Australia. But for the past decade it’s been mainly science and engineering projects; creating special effects for movies such as Lost in Space, The Avengers and Van Helsing, producing prominent installations and interactive exhibits for worldwide museums, and working on a ludicrous range of machines and gadgets for companies that need that kind of thing.
Over the past six years he has applied his skills to the world of television. In 2001 he was an on-screen ballistics expert for the television show Scrapheap Challenge and went on to become a permanent part of the engineering team for subsequent series. He used to invent kids’ dream gadgets on ITV’s Home On Their Own with Ulrika Jonsson and he was the on screen man behind the machines and experiments on BBC2’s Science Shack. For Channel 4’s series Zero to Hero he was on screen engineer.
In 2006 Jem presented two series for Channel 4. In Men in White (an irreverent Sunday evening science show) he answered cries for help from members of the public. Combining his skill, knowledge and a few important experiments, he invented the machines which solved their problems.
Wild Thing I Love You was a groundbreaking Sunday evening nature conservation show for the channel. Jem worked with wildlife experts to examine situations where mankind exerts too much pressure on nature and where, with a little cunning design and engineering, he was able to build something to redress the balance. His first series for National Geographic, Planet Mechanics aired in 2008 and he also made guest presenter appearances on another new series for the channel, What Would Happen If…?