Robert Winston
Encyclopedia
Robert Maurice Lipson Winston, Baron Winston (born 15 July 1940) is a British
professor
, medical doctor, scientist
, television presenter and politician
.
to Laurence Winston and Ruth Winston-Fox and raised as an Orthodox Jew
. His mother was Mayor of the former Borough of Southgate
. Winston's polymath
father died as a result of medical negligence when Winston was nine years old, which was partly the inspiration for his eventual career choice. Robert has two younger siblings: a sister, Willow, and a brother, Anthony.
Winston attended St Paul's School (London), later graduating from The London Hospital Medical College
, University of London
, in 1964 with a degree in medicine and surgery and achieved prominence as an expert in human fertility
. For a brief time he gave up clinical medicine and worked as a theatre director, winning the National Directors' Award at the Edinburgh Festival
in 1969. On returning to academic medicine, he developed tubal microsurgery and various techniques in reproductive surgery, including sterilization reversal.
and a member of the Athenaeum Club
in London.
Winston gives 20–30 public lectures a year on scientific subjects and has helped to promote science literacy and education by founding the Reach Out Laboratory in Imperial College. In 2009, he delivered a talk at Chosen Hill School
in Cheltenham
after the school sponsored the Cheltenham Science Festival
. He owns a classic 1930s Bentley.
in 1970 as a Wellcome Research Fellow. He became an Associate Professor at the Catholic University of Leuven
(Belgium) in 1975. He was a scientific advisor to the World Health Organisation's programme in human reproduction from 1975 to 1977. He joined The Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London as consultant and Reader in 1977.
After conducting research as Professor of Gynaecology at the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1980, he returned to the UK setting up the IVF service at Hammersmith Hospital which pioneered various improvements in this technology, and became Dean of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in London until its merger with Imperial College in 1997. As Professor of Fertility Studies at Hammersmith, Winston led the IVF team that pioneered preimplantation genetic diagnosis, which identifies defects in human embryos.
He was the president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
from 2004 to 2005. Together with Carol Readhead of the California Institute of Technology
, Winston is researching male germ cell stem cells and methods for their genetic modification at the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London
. He has published over 300 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. He was appointed as a new chair at Imperial College, Professor of Science and Society. He is Chairman of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Trust and chairs the Women-for-Women Appeal charity.
Winston is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci), an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
(HonFREng) and Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRCOG), and of the Royal College of Physicians of London (FRCP), and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS Edin), Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (FRCPS Glasg), and the Institute of Biology (FIBiol). He holds honorary doctorates from sixteen universities. He is a member of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council where he chairs the Societal Issues Panel, and patron of The Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Winston holds strong views about the commercialisation of fertility treatment. He believes that ineffective treatments are sometimes used so that the patients will return and pay for repeat treatments. He is also skeptical about the effectiveness of screening for conditions such as cancer
and heart disease
.
television series, including Superhuman, The Secret Life of Twins, Child of Our Time
, Human Instinct, and the BAFTA
award-winner The Human Body
. As traditional Jew with an orthodox
background, he also presented The Story of God
, exploring the development of religious beliefs and the status of faith in a scientific age. He presented the BBC documentary "Walking with Cavemen
", a major BBC series that presented some controversial views about early man but was endorsed by leading anthropologists and scientists. One theory was that Homo sapiens have a uniquely developed imagination that helped them to survive. Winston's documentary Threads of Life won the international science film prize in Paris in 2005. His BBC series Child Against All Odds explored ethical questions raised by IVF treatment. In 2008, he presented Super Doctors, about decisions made every day in frontier medicine.
In 2007, Winston appeared in the TV series Play It Again
, in which he attempted to learn to play the saxophone
, despite not having played a musical instrument since the age of 11, when he learned the recorder
.
Among many BBC Radio 4
programmes, he has appeared on The Archers
radio soap as a fertility consultant. He appeared on The Wright Stuff as a panelist in February 2011. Winston is featured in the Symphony of Science
episode Ode to the Brain. He also took part in 2011 TV series Jamie's Dream School
.
in 1995 as Baron Winston, of Hammersmith
in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
. He sits on the Labour Party
benches in the House of Lords
and takes the Labour whip
. He speaks frequently in the House of Lords on education, science, medicine and the arts. He was Chairman of the House of Lords
Select Committee
on Science and Technology and a board member and Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
, medical doctor, scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
, television presenter and politician
Politics of the United Kingdom
The politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government...
.
Early life and education
Robert Winston was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Laurence Winston and Ruth Winston-Fox and raised as an Orthodox Jew
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
. His mother was Mayor of the former Borough of Southgate
Southgate, London
Southgate is an area of north London, England, primarily within the London Borough of Enfield, although parts of its western fringes lie within the London Borough of Barnet. It is located around north of Charing Cross. The name is derived from being the south gate to Enfield Chase...
. Winston's polymath
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
father died as a result of medical negligence when Winston was nine years old, which was partly the inspiration for his eventual career choice. Robert has two younger siblings: a sister, Willow, and a brother, Anthony.
Winston attended St Paul's School (London), later graduating from The London Hospital Medical College
Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry
Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry is the medical school of Queen Mary, University of London. The school was formed in 1995 by the merger of the London Hospital Medical College , the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital Barts and The London School of Medicine and...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, in 1964 with a degree in medicine and surgery and achieved prominence as an expert in human fertility
Fertility
Fertility is the natural capability of producing offsprings. As a measure, "fertility rate" is the number of children born per couple, person or population. Fertility differs from fecundity, which is defined as the potential for reproduction...
. For a brief time he gave up clinical medicine and worked as a theatre director, winning the National Directors' Award at the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
in 1969. On returning to academic medicine, he developed tubal microsurgery and various techniques in reproductive surgery, including sterilization reversal.
Personal life
In 1973, Winston married Lira Helen Feigenbaum (now The Lady Winston). They have three children. He is a fan of Arsenal Football Club. He is a council member of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, a Fellow of the Royal Society of ArtsRoyal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
and a member of the Athenaeum Club
Athenaeum Club, London
The Athenaeum Club, usually just referred to as the Athenaeum, is a notable London club with its Clubhouse located at 107 Pall Mall, London, England, at the corner of Waterloo Place....
in London.
Winston gives 20–30 public lectures a year on scientific subjects and has helped to promote science literacy and education by founding the Reach Out Laboratory in Imperial College. In 2009, he delivered a talk at Chosen Hill School
Chosen Hill School
Chosen Hill School is a large co-educational academy state school in the village of Churchdown in Gloucestershire, England, between Cheltenham and Gloucester. It is a dual specialist Technology College and Language College, and a Beacon School. The school was recently mentioned in The Daily...
in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
after the school sponsored the Cheltenham Science Festival
Cheltenham Science Festival
The Cheltenham Science Festival is one of the UK's leading science festivals, and is part of Cheltenham Festivals: also responsible for the Jazz, Music and Literature Festivals that run every year.-Introduction and History:...
. He owns a classic 1930s Bentley.
Medical career
Winston joined Hammersmith Hospital as a registrarSpecialist registrar
A Specialist Registrar or SpR is a doctor in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland who is receiving advanced training in a specialist field of medicine in order eventually to become a consultant...
in 1970 as a Wellcome Research Fellow. He became an Associate Professor at the Catholic University of Leuven
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...
(Belgium) in 1975. He was a scientific advisor to the World Health Organisation's programme in human reproduction from 1975 to 1977. He joined The Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London as consultant and Reader in 1977.
After conducting research as Professor of Gynaecology at the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1980, he returned to the UK setting up the IVF service at Hammersmith Hospital which pioneered various improvements in this technology, and became Dean of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in London until its merger with Imperial College in 1997. As Professor of Fertility Studies at Hammersmith, Winston led the IVF team that pioneered preimplantation genetic diagnosis, which identifies defects in human embryos.
He was the president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
British Association for the Advancement of Science
frame|right|"The BA" logoThe British Association for the Advancement of Science or the British Science Association, formerly known as the BA, is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating interaction between...
from 2004 to 2005. Together with Carol Readhead of the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, Winston is researching male germ cell stem cells and methods for their genetic modification at the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
. He has published over 300 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. He was appointed as a new chair at Imperial College, Professor of Science and Society. He is Chairman of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Trust and chairs the Women-for-Women Appeal charity.
Winston is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci), an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Royal Academy of Engineering
-Overview: is the UK’s national academy of engineering. The Academy brings together the most successful and talented engineers from across the engineering sectors for a shared purpose: to advance and promote excellence in engineering....
(HonFREng) and Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRCOG), and of the Royal College of Physicians of London (FRCP), and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS Edin), Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (FRCPS Glasg), and the Institute of Biology (FIBiol). He holds honorary doctorates from sixteen universities. He is a member of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council where he chairs the Societal Issues Panel, and patron of The Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Winston holds strong views about the commercialisation of fertility treatment. He believes that ineffective treatments are sometimes used so that the patients will return and pay for repeat treatments. He is also skeptical about the effectiveness of screening for conditions such as cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
.
Media career
Winston was the presenter of many BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series, including Superhuman, The Secret Life of Twins, Child of Our Time
Child of Our Time
Child of Our Time is a documentary commissioned by the BBC co-produced with The Open University and presented by Professor The Lord Winston which follows up on the lives of 25 babies who were born around the turn of the year 2000 as they grow from infancy, through childhood and on to becoming young...
, Human Instinct, and the BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
award-winner The Human Body
The Human Body (TV series)
The Human Body is a seven part documentary series, first shown on 20 May 1998 on BBC One and presented by medical scientist Robert Winston. A co-production between the BBC and The Learning Channel, the series looks at the mechanics and emotions of the human body from birth to death.The series was...
. As traditional Jew with an orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
background, he also presented The Story of God
The Story of God
The Story of God is a three-part video series produced by Dangerous Films featuring the physician Professor Lord Winston. It first aired on 4, 11 and 18 December 2005 on BBC One. It was rebroadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in May and June 2006 and by the Australian Broadcasting...
, exploring the development of religious beliefs and the status of faith in a scientific age. He presented the BBC documentary "Walking with Cavemen
Walking with Cavemen
Walking with Cavemen is a four-part television documentary series about human evolution produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom. It was originally released in April 2003. It was subsequently presented in the United States as a two-part series by the Discovery Channel and its affiliates...
", a major BBC series that presented some controversial views about early man but was endorsed by leading anthropologists and scientists. One theory was that Homo sapiens have a uniquely developed imagination that helped them to survive. Winston's documentary Threads of Life won the international science film prize in Paris in 2005. His BBC series Child Against All Odds explored ethical questions raised by IVF treatment. In 2008, he presented Super Doctors, about decisions made every day in frontier medicine.
In 2007, Winston appeared in the TV series Play It Again
Play It Again
Play It Again is a documentary series on BBC One, featuring celebrities trying to learn to play musical instruments. The series is produced Diverse Production and started on 25 March 2007 and is narrated by Tamsin Greig.-1: Jo Brand, playing the organ.:...
, in which he attempted to learn to play the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, despite not having played a musical instrument since the age of 11, when he learned the recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
.
Among many BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programmes, he has appeared on The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
radio soap as a fertility consultant. He appeared on The Wright Stuff as a panelist in February 2011. Winston is featured in the Symphony of Science
Symphony of Science
The Symphony of Science is a music project created by Washington-based electronic musician John Boswell. The project seeks to "spread scientific knowledge and philosophy through musical remixes." Boswell uses pitch-corrected audio and video samples from television programs featuring popular...
episode Ode to the Brain. He also took part in 2011 TV series Jamie's Dream School
Jamie's Dream School
Jamie's Dream School is a seven-part British television documentary series made by Fresh One Productions, first aired on Channel 4. In it, Jamie Oliver enrols a group of teenagers with fewer than five GCSEs into his "Dream School" - a school in which lessons are taught by celebrities who are...
.
Political career
Winston was made a life peerLife peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
in 1995 as Baron Winston, of Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London, and forms part of Inner London. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road and the A40 Westway, many international corporations have offices in the borough....
. He sits on the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
benches in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
and takes the Labour whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
. He speaks frequently in the House of Lords on education, science, medicine and the arts. He was Chairman of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
Select Committee
Select Committee
A select committee is a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues originating in the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
on Science and Technology and a board member and Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, is the Parliament of the United Kingdom's in-house source of independent, balanced and accessible analysis of public policy issues related to science and technology...
.
Current posts
- Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College LondonImperial College LondonImperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
- Chancellor, Sheffield Hallam UniversitySheffield Hallam UniversitySheffield Hallam University is a higher education institution in South Yorkshire, England, based on two sites in Sheffield. City Campus is located in the city centre, close to Sheffield railway station, and Collegiate Crescent Campus is about two miles away, adjacent to Ecclesall Road in...
(since 2001) - Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies, Imperial College LondonImperial College LondonImperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
- Past Director of NHS Research and Development, Hammersmith Hospitals Trust
- Chairman of the Council, Royal College of MusicRoyal College of MusicThe Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
- Council Member University of SurreyUniversity of SurreyThe University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
Honors and awards
- Cedric Carter Medal, Clinical Genetics Society, 1993
- Victor Bonney Medal for contributions to surgery, Royal College of Surgeons, 1993
- Gold Medallist, Royal Society of Health, 1998
- Fellow of the Academy of Medical SciencesAcademy of Medical SciencesThe Academy of Medical Sciences is the United Kingdom's national academy of medical sciences. It was established in 1998 on the recommendation of a group that was chaired by Michael Atiyah. Its president is John Irving Bell....
(FMedSci), 1998 - British Medical AssociationBritish Medical AssociationThe British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
Gold Award for Medicine in the Media, 1999 - Michael Faraday PrizeMichael Faraday PrizeThe Michael Faraday Prize is awarded by the Royal Society of London for "excellence in communicating science to UK audiences". Named after Michael Faraday, the medal itself is made of silver gilt, and is accompanied by a purse of £2500...
, Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, 1999 - Edwin Stevens Medal (the Royal Society of Medicine) 2003
- Aventis Prize, Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
2004 - Al-Hammadi Medal, Royal College of Surgeons of EdinburghRoyal College of Surgeons of EdinburghThe Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an organisation dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and advancement in surgical practice, through its interest in education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical workforce...
2005 - Sixteen honorary doctorates
- Robert Winston won the VLV Award for the most outstanding personal contribution to British television in 2004
- Robert Winston was honoured by the City of WestminsterCity of WestminsterThe City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
at a Marylebone tree planting ceremony in July 2011
Television documentaries
- Your Life in their HandsYour Life in Their HandsYour Life in Their Hands is a long-running BBC TV documentary series on the subject of surgery, examining surgical practice from the point of view of both surgeons and patients. Its first run lasted from 1958 to 1964 and was presented by Dr. Charles Fletcher...
, BBC 1979–1987 - Making Babies, BBC 1995
- The Human BodyThe Human Body (TV series)The Human Body is a seven part documentary series, first shown on 20 May 1998 on BBC One and presented by medical scientist Robert Winston. A co-production between the BBC and The Learning Channel, the series looks at the mechanics and emotions of the human body from birth to death.The series was...
, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, which went by the name, Intimate Universe: The Human Body in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, BBC 1998. The series won three BAFTA Awards. - The Secret Life of Twins, BBC 1999
- Child of Our TimeChild of Our TimeChild of Our Time is a documentary commissioned by the BBC co-produced with The Open University and presented by Professor The Lord Winston which follows up on the lives of 25 babies who were born around the turn of the year 2000 as they grow from infancy, through childhood and on to becoming young...
, following the lives of a group of children, all born in 2000, as they grow to the age of 20; BBC 2000–present - Superhuman, BBC 2001 (won the Wellcome TrustWellcome TrustThe Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
Award for Medicine and Biology) - Walking with CavemenWalking with CavemenWalking with Cavemen is a four-part television documentary series about human evolution produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom. It was originally released in April 2003. It was subsequently presented in the United States as a two-part series by the Discovery Channel and its affiliates...
, BBC 2003 - Human Instinct, BBC 2002 Emmy nomination
- The Human Mind, BBC 2003
- Threads of Life, about DNADNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, BBC 2003 (won the international Science Prize in Paris) - How to sleep better
- The Story of GodThe Story of GodThe Story of God is a three-part video series produced by Dangerous Films featuring the physician Professor Lord Winston. It first aired on 4, 11 and 18 December 2005 on BBC One. It was rebroadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in May and June 2006 and by the Australian Broadcasting...
, BBC 2005 - How to Improve Your Memory, BBC 2006
- A Child Against All Odds, BBC 2006
- Super Doctors, BBC 2008
- How Science Changed Our WorldHow Science Changed Our WorldHow Science Changed Our World is a 2010 BBC television documentary presented by Robert Winston . It focusses on ten scientific advances, which according to the producers, had the biggest impact on out lives...
, BBC 2010
Published work
- "Reversibility of Female Sterilization" (1978)
- Co-author "Tubal Infertility" (1981)
- "Infertility - a sympathetic approach" (1985)
- "Getting Pregnant" (1989)
- "Making Babies" (1996)
- "The IVF Revolution" (1999)
- "Superhuman" (2000)
- "Human Instinct" (2003)
- "The Human Mind" (2004). Nominated for Royal Society Aventis Prize
- "What Makes Me Me" (2005) Royal Society Aventis Prize
- "Human" (2005) BMA Award for best popular medicine book
- "The Story of GodThe Story of GodThe Story of God is a three-part video series produced by Dangerous Films featuring the physician Professor Lord Winston. It first aired on 4, 11 and 18 December 2005 on BBC One. It was rebroadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in May and June 2006 and by the Australian Broadcasting...
" (2005) ISBN 0593054938 - "Body" (2005)
- "A Child Against All Odds" (2006)
- "Play It AgainPlay It AgainPlay It Again is a documentary series on BBC One, featuring celebrities trying to learn to play musical instruments. The series is produced Diverse Production and started on 25 March 2007 and is narrated by Tamsin Greig.-1: Jo Brand, playing the organ.:...
" (2007) - "It's Elementary" (2007)
- "Bad Ideas?" An Arresting History of Our Inventions: How Our Finest Inventions Nearly Finished Us Off (2010)
- When science meets God, Robert Winston, BBC News, Friday, 2 December 2005.
- Why do we believe in God?, Robert Winston, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Thursday, 13 October 2005