1./ What a loss. Jana Bennett was one of the leading lights of a platoon of brilliant women that took over the Science Department at the BBC in the 1990s. She ushered in a golden era at 'Horizon' when some blockbusters garnered more than 5 million viewers. broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/jana-benne…
2./ Jana combined passion for science with the instinct for a good story. At 'Horizon' she kept a framed copy of the ratings for one stellar week on BBC2 in 1993 when 9 out of the top 10 rating shows were 'Snooker' except for one: Horizon: The Pyramid Builders (5.1M).
3./ Along with Susan Spindler, Lorraine Heggessy Bettina Lerner, Jane Root and Emma Swain, Jana helped transform the BBC. But it was always about more than ratings. As part of a small development team she sent me to cover an archaeological dig in Kent where graves had been found.
4./ In one grave from just after the Roman invasion, the scientists had found ancient surgical implements and healing powder. Beside them a board game with pieces was set out as if in midgame. It was almost as if the healer was acknowledging the importance of luck in medicine.
5./ I remember Jana's face lit up when I told her the story of the grave of this mysterious person, who was later dubbed 'the Druid Healer'. Her untimely death at the age of just 66, from a brain tumour, reminds us medicine too often remains a battle against the odds. RIP
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
