View source for Magnus Pyke

{{short description|English nutritional scientist}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = Magnus Pyke
| honorific_suffix  = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE|FRSE|FRIC}}
| image             = Magnus Pyke DMarshall1987.jpg
| caption           = Pyke at home in 1987
| birth_name        = Magnus Alfred Pyke
| birth_date        = {{birth date|df=yes|1908|12|29}}
| birth_place       = [[Paddington]], [[London]], England
| death_date        = {{death date and age|df=yes|1992|10|19|1908|12|29}}
| death_place       = [[Wandsworth]], London, England
| residence         = 
| citizenship       = 
| ethnicity         = 
| field             = [[Nutritionist]]
| work_institutions = 
| alma_mater        = [[McGill University|McGill University, Montreal]] <br /> [[University College London]]
| doctoral_adviser  = 
| doctoral_students = 
| influences        = 
| influenced        = 
| prizes            = 
| footnotes         = 
| signature         = 
| spouse            = {{marriage|Dorothea Vaughan | 1937|1986|end=her death}}
| children          = 2
}}
'''Magnus Alfred Pyke''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE|FRSE|FRIC}} (29 December 1908 – 19 October 1992) was an English [[nutritionist|nutritional scientist]], [[Government scientist|governmental scientific adviser]], writer and [[Television presenter|presenter]]. He worked for the UK [[Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom)#World War II|Ministry of Food]], the post-war [[Allied Commission#Austria|Allied Commission for Austria]], and different food manufacturers. He wrote prolifically and became famous as a TV and radio personality, and was featured on [[Thomas Dolby]]'s 1982 [[synth-pop]] hit, "[[She Blinded Me with Science]]".

== Early life and scientific career ==
Pyke was born at [[Gloucester Terrace]], [[Paddington]], London, the son of Clara Hannah Lewis and Robert Bond Pyke, manager of a wholesale confectionery business. He went to [[St Paul's School, London|St. Paul's School]], Barnes, London, where he found he had a "certain bounciness combined with a lack of self-consciousness."<ref name="The Six Lives of Pyke">{{cite book|last1=Pyke|first1=Magnus|title=The Six Lives of Pyke|date=1981|publisher=Dent|location=London}}</ref>

He worked briefly for an insurance company before moving to Canada to attend [[Macdonald Campus|Macdonald College]], [[McGill University]], Montreal, studying [[agriculture]], gaining a [[Bachelor of Science|BSc]] in 1933. During summers there, he worked as a farm labourer. He remained in Canada for seven years.<ref name="The Independent">{{cite web|last1=The Independent|title=Obituary: Magnus Pyke|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-magnus-pyke-1558840.html/|website=www.independent.co.uk|accessdate=27 September 2017}}</ref>

He returned to the UK and in 1934 became chief [[chemist]] at Vitamins Ltd., [[Hammersmith]], London. He worked with [[Jack Drummond|Professor J.C.Drummond]] of [[University College London|University College]], London on [[vitamin]] research. He gained a [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] in [[biochemistry]] in 1936.<ref name="Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Magnus Pyke">{{cite web|last1=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|title=Magnus Pyke|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/51288/|website=www.oxforddnb.com|accessdate=27 September 2017}}</ref>

On 23 August 1937 he married Dorothea Mina Vaughan (1907–86), an [[accountant]]. They had a daughter and a son.<ref name="The Independent"/>

== Wartime scientific career ==
In 1941 Pyke joined Professor Drummond at the [[Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom)#World War II|Ministry of Food]] where Drummond was scientific adviser. They studied the nutritional effects of food restrictions due to wartime shortages. He lectured on practical nutrition for those working in institutions that provided food: these lectures were published by [[Office of Public Sector Information|H.M. Stationery Office]] under the title ''The Manual of Nutrition'' (1945) [the revised 12th edition is still in print, published by the [[Food Standards Agency]]]. He supported the idea of using [[rose hip]] syrup to replace imported orange juice. He was a scientific adviser to the [[Allied Commission#Austria|Allied Commission for Austria]] in 1945–6, after which he worked as Principal Scientific officer at the Ministry of Food (1946–48), continuing to work on institutional diets and nutritional education.<ref name="The Independent"/><ref name="Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Magnus Pyke"/>

== Later scientific career ==
Pyke joined [[The Distillers Company]] in 1949 as the deputy manager of the yeast research division at Glenochil Research Station, [[Clackmannanshire]]. In 1955 he became manager, retiring in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|last1=The National Archives|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/050d7cde-b3cd-45b8-a45d-c4311d94d6b0|title=Pyke, M.|accessdate=27 September 2017}}</ref><ref name="Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Magnus Pyke"/>

== Promotion of science ==
Pyke became chairman of the Nutrition Society (Scotland) (1954–55), a Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Edinburgh]] (1956), council member of the [[Institute of Biology]] (1959–62), council member of the [[Society of Chemical Industry]] (1967–69) and president of the [[Institute of Food Science & Technology]] (1969–77).

He became a council member of the [[British Science Association|British Association for the Advancement of Science]] in 1968, then secretary, and finally chairman in 1973, a position he held until 1977.
He claimed that food manufacturers provided a social service and defended them against accusations of providing unhealthy products.<ref>{{cite web|last1=The Herald|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12584485.Dr_Magnus_Pyke/|title=Dr Magnus Pyke|work=The Herald |accessdate=27 September 2017}}</ref><ref name="Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Magnus Pyke"/>

== Publications ==
Pyke wrote dozens of scientific papers and publications on food and nutrition, and their links to technology and social change. A list of his published books is below.
{{div col}}
* ''Manual of Nutrition'' (1947)
* ''Townsman's Food'' (1952)
* ''Automation: Its Purpose and Future'' (1957) 
* ''Nothing Like Science'' (1957)
* ''About Chemistry'' (1959)
* ''Slaves Unaware?: A mid-century View of Applied Science'' (1959)
* ''Nutrition (Teach Yourself Books)'' (1961)
* ''The Science Myth'' (1962)
* ''The Boundaries of Science'' (1963)
* ''The Science Century'' (1967)
* ''Food & Society'' (1968)
* ''The Human Predicament: An anthology with questions by Cedric Blackman'' (1968)
* ''Man and Food'' (1970) World University Library
* ''Food Science and Technology'' (1970)
* ''Synthetic Food'' (1970) John Murray
* ''Technological Eating: Or, Where does the fish-finger point?'' (1972)
* ''Catering Science and Technology'' (1974)
* ''Success in Nutrition'' (1975)
* ''Butter Side Up!: The Delights of Science'' (1976)
* ''There and Back'' (1978)
* ''Long life: Expectations for Old Age'' (1980) 
* ''Our Future: Dr Magnus Pyke Predicts'' (1980)
* ''Everyman's Scientific Facts and Feats'' (with [[Patrick Moore]]) (1981)
* ''Food for All the Family'' (1981)
* ''The Six Lives of Pyke'' [autobiography] (1981)
* ''Red Rag to a Bull!'' (1983)
* ''Curiouser and Curiouser: Dr. Magnus Pyke's Amazing A-Z of Scientific Facts'' (1983)
* ''Weird & Wonderful Science Facts'' (1985)
* ''Dr.Magnus Pyke's 101 Inventions'' (1986)
{{div col end}}

== Broadcasting career ==
Pyke's early broadcasts were from April 1953 in talks about science and technology on the BBC's [[BBC Home Service|Home Service]], [[BBC Third Programme|Third Programme]] (later Radio 3), [[BBC Light Programme|Light Programme]] and the educational programming of [[BBC Third Programme|Network Three]]; later he also broadcast on [[BBC Radio 2|Radio 2]] and [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]].<ref name="Listings">{{cite web|last1=BBC Genome|url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?adv=1&q=magnus+pyke&media=all&yf=1923&yt=2009&mf=1&mt=12&tf=00%3A00&tt=00%3A00#searchTitle=Listings|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929045742/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?adv=1&q=magnus+pyke&media=all&yf=1923&yt=2009&mf=1&mt=12&tf=00%3A00&tt=00%3A00#searchTitle=Listings|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 September 2017|website=genome.ch.bbc.co.uk|title=Listings|accessdate=27 September 2017}}</ref>
In 1974, he appeared on [[ITV Yorkshire|Yorkshire Television]]'s [[Don't Ask Me (TV programme)|''Don't Ask Me'']] and then ''Don't Just Sit There'' (until 1980), in which he and other experts such as [[David Bellamy]], [[Rob Buckman]] and [[Miriam Stoppard]] fielded popular science questions. His exuberant delivery, with very animated and passionate speech and gesticulation, made him famous. He was a panellist on radio programmes such as ''[[Any Questions?]]'' and ''[[Just a Minute]]'' and a guest on ''[[Desert Island Discs]]''. He called this period his "sixth life".<ref name="The Six Lives of Pyke"/>

In September 1975, the popular science magazine ''[[New Scientist]]'' asked its readers to name the best-known and most characteristic scientist. Pyke came third after [[Isaac Newton]] and [[Albert Einstein]].<ref name="The Independent"/> On 10 December 1975, Pyke was celebrated on [[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|''This Is Your Life'']], a [[Thames Television]] production for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} He won the [[Pye Ltd.|Pye]] Colour Television Award for most promising male newcomer to television (1975) and the ''[[Multi-Coloured Swap Shop]]'' Star Award for expert of the year (1977–78).<ref name="Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Magnus Pyke"/>

=== TV appearances ===
(all as himself unless otherwise indicated)<ref>{{cite web|last1=The Internet Movie Database|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0701475/|title=Magnus Pyke|website=[[IMDb]] |accessdate=27 September 2017}}</ref><ref name="Listings"/>
{{div col}}
*''The Fifty-One Society'' (1960)
*''A Suspicion of Poison'' (1962)
*''Can Man Be Modified?'' (1965)
*''[[Eamonn Andrews|The Eamonn Andrews Show]]'' (1966)
*''[[Parkinson (TV series)|Parkinson]]'' (1971)
*''[[Don't Ask Me (TV programme)|Don't Ask Me]]'' (1974–75)
*''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This is Your Life]]'' (1975)
*''[[Whodunnit? (UK TV series)|Whodunnit?]]'' (1975–1978)
*''[[Celebrity Squares]]'' (1976)
*''[[The Big Time (TV series)|The Big Time]]'' (1976)
*''For Schools, Colleges: Biology: The Energy Chain'' (1976)
*''It's Patently Obvious'' (1976–1989)
*''The Bob Braun Show'' (1977)
*''M'Lords...Ladies and Gentlemen'' (1978)
*''[[The Generation Game|Larry Grayson's Generation Game]]'', untransmitted pilot (1978)
*''[[3-2-1]]'' (1978–1980)
*''[[The Lennie and Jerry Show|Lenny and Jerry's Holiday Special]]'' (1978)
*''[[Jim'll Fix It]]'' (1978)
*''[[Multi-Coloured Swap Shop]]'' (1978)
*''[[It's a Knockout|It's a Celebrity Knockout]]'' (1978–1980)
*''For Schools, Colleges: Design by Five'' 1: "A Kitchen for Magnus Pyke, designed by John Wealleans" (1979)
*''Lenny and Jerry'' (1979)
*''The Lenny and Jerry Show'' (1979)
*''[[Basil Brush|The Basil Brush Show]]'' (1979)
*''Star Games'' (1979)
* ''Don't Just Sit There '' (1979-1980)
*''Watch this Space'' (as "Skwirt") (1980)
*''[[Does the Team Think?]]'' (1982)
*''[[Q.E.D. (British TV series)|Q.E.D.]]'' (1982)
*''16 Up: How Do I Look?'' (1982)
*''[[On Safari (TVS TV series)|On Safari]]'' (1982)
*"[[She Blinded Me with Science]]" (1982) (as The Doctor, at "The Home for Deranged Scientists", in the popular music video and song by [[Thomas Dolby]]) 
*''[[Windmill (TV series)|Windmill]]'' (1985–86)
*''[[Through the Keyhole]]'' (1987)
*''Scoff'' (1988)
{{div col end}}

== Awards ==
He received honorary doctoral degrees from the [[University of Stirling]] (1974),<ref>{{cite web|last1=University of Stirling|url=https://www.stir.ac.uk/events/graduation/honorary-graduates/archive/68-77/|title=Honorary Graduates Archive (1968-77)|accessdate=27 September 2017}}</ref> [[Lancaster University]] (1976),<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lancaster University|url=https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/about-us/ourpeople/honorary-degrees/#seventies/|title=Honorary Graduates|accessdate=27 September 2017}}</ref>
and his [[alma mater]], [[McGill University]] (1981).<ref name="Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Magnus Pyke"/>

In 1978 he was appointed an [[1978 New Year Honours#Officer of the Order of the British Empire .28OBE.29|Officer of the Order of the British Empire]].<ref name="Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Magnus Pyke"/>

== Retirement ==
Pyke retired from regular broadcasting in 1980, save for occasional TV appearances. He nursed his wife at home in Hammersmith until her death in 1986. He survived a brutal robbery at his home in 1988 that left him badly injured.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bufvc.ac.uk/tvandradio/lbc/index.php/segment/0000500336018|title=Magnus Pyke recovers after attack|accessdate=27 September 2017}}</ref>
He died on 19 October 1992 at Elmsbank Nursing Home, Carlton Drive, [[Wandsworth]], London.<ref name="The Independent"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19880116&id=WDpAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UlkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1520,3100999&hl=en |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |title=Magnus Pyke hurt in burglary at home |date=16 January 1988 |accessdate=30 April 2015}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Great Britain}}
* [[Geoffrey Pyke]] (first cousin)

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0701475|name=Magnus Pyke}}
*{{YouTube|V83JR2IoI8k|Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyke, Magnus}}
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1992 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of University College London]]
[[Category:British science communicators]]
[[Category:English emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:English scientists]]
[[Category:English television presenters]]
[[Category:McGill University Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences alumni]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People educated at St Paul's School, London]]