Horizon at 60 - David Dugan

David Dugan joined Horizon in 1976 as a researcher, having only contributed science articles to the national press before. He heard about his appointment to the programme by what today would be considered antiquated means – telegram! David didn’t own a telephone, not so uncommon in 1976, and there were no emails or internet.

Once in London David started working with some of Horizon’s most established film makers, and soon learnt how important storytelling was to a successful Horizon, not just immersing people in facts and figures.

David was always keen to dispel myths, and in one such programme, The Mould, The Myth, and The Microbe, he was keen to establish the truth behind the origins of the penicillin discovery, at a time when there was much debate about the decreasing effectiveness of antibiotics.

For David, Horizon is a way of thinking about the world, which still remains with him today. The title of the strand is significant too, says David, literally providing an open, uncluttered view of things to come. As a viewer, you might not fully understand all the jargon of a highly specialised subject, but you would come away with a sense of going on a journey through the subject itself, and onto a higher level of comprehension.