JUST watching a lot of BBC4 does not make you a qualified astrophysicist, it has been claimed.
Astrophysicists raised the issue in response to people confidently using terms like ‘event horizon’ and ‘Hawking radiation’ in the pub.
Dr Julian Cook said: “You might think you sound clever going on about string theory, but your ideas are just a loose summation of things read out by Morgan Freeman on the telly.
“This impressed everyone at your table because none of them has the Science Channel at home. Possibly they even bought you a drink or a bag of peanuts.
“But you never completed a PhD in Theoretical Physics because, basically, your brain is just not big enough.
“While gaining a C in A Level Maths is admittedly commendable, it was never going to be enough to admit you to an undergraduate physics degree at least not at any university of note.
“For your information, people have to get one of these degrees before they can go on to study at postgraduate level.
“But do keep up the good work vis-a-vis telly. Professor Hawking will surely take your critical comments about his latest project with Go Compare on board.”
