My stepfather, Frank Burnet, who has died aged 77, was a pioneering science communicator — part academic, part showman — and was instrumental in building up the field of science communication in its early days, founded the institutions to support it and inspired thousands of scientists to make complex science intelligible, engaging and fun.
Frank grew up with a love of science – his sister fondly recalled him as a child “chasing me round the garden with a needle, trying to get some of my blood to mix with pond water for his new microscope”. That mischief and curiosity was a hallmark of Frank throughout his life.
Born in Edinburgh, Frank was the eldest of the three children of Bunty (Margaret, nee Jardine) and Bobbie (Robert) Burnet, who were both teachers. After leaving Glenalmond college, he studied biochemistry at the University of St Andrews, graduating with a first, then spent a formative year in Sudan, acting for an English‑language television channel.
