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Observations BMJ Confidential

Simon Singh: Challenging pseudoscience

BMJ 2016; 353 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i2776 (Published 25 May 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;353:i2776

Biography

Simon Singh is an author, journalist, and television producer who catapulted to prominence in 2008 when he was sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association—a case he eventually won, which helped prepare the ground for reform of libel laws in England and Wales. His books include the bestseller Fermat’s Last Theorem and Trick or Treatment, a book about alternative medicine co-written with Edzard Ernst. Brought up in Somerset by Punjabi parents who came to the UK in 1950, Singh was educated at Imperial College London and Cambridge, and he began his career at the BBC.

What was your earliest ambition?

I have a memory of standing next to the family record player, aged 8, telling my big sister that I was going to be a nuclear physicist. My PhD was in particle (sub-nuclear) physics, but then I morphed into a journalist.

Who has been your biggest inspiration?

James “The Amazing” Randi, …

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