Statistician and Observer columnist Sir David Spiegelhalter has admitted he was “overly optimistic” at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The 68-year-old Cambridge University scientist has confessed he “didn’t take it seriously enough”.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs on Sunday, Spiegelhalter says: “I think it’s very important that we have to acknowledge that we can never take an objective view about evidence. We always bring our, I think, personalities into it, and mine is unfortunately very optimistic and that’s why I’m very glad I’m not a government adviser. I don’t think I’d be very good at it because I do tend to hope for the best and sort of expect the best as well.”
