Jem Stansfield

{{Short description|British engineer, inventor and television personality (born 1970)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}} {{Use British English|date=April 2018}}

{{Infobox person | name = Jem Stansfield | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1970|12}} | birth_place = | occupation = [[Engineer]]<br> [[Television presenter|Television Presenter]] | alma_mater = [[Bristol University]] }}

'''Jeremy Stansfield''' (born December 1970)<ref>{{cite web |title=Jem STANSFIELD |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/70GxVA1Vv8TcEzcYqCuYr1heBLk/appointments |access-date=1 October 2021 |website=Gov.uk |publisher=Companies House}}</ref> is a British engineer and television presenter who is best known for presenting the [[BBC One]] science show ''[[Bang Goes the Theory]]''.

==Career== Stansfield has a degree in [[aeronautics]] from [[Bristol University]] and, before his television career, worked in a [[Czech Republic|Czech]] school, as a [[shepherd]] in the [[Australian outback]], and briefly in [[stand-up comedy]].<ref name="Grimshaw">{{cite news|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-88451686 |title=Wacky Inventor Jem Stansfield Creates Amazing Gadgets to Make Kids' Dreams Come True in a New TV Series |publisher= |work=[[Daily Mirror]] |date=2002-07-06 |first=Vicki |last=Grimshaw}}{{dl|date=July 2021}}</ref> Stansfield was an on-screen [[ballistics]] expert for the television show [[Scrapheap Challenge]] and went on to become a permanent part of the engineering team for subsequent series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://natgeotv.com/uk/planet-mechanics/planet-mechanic-bios |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513173616/http://natgeotv.com/uk/planet-mechanics/planet-mechanic-bios |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 May 2010 |title=BIOGRAPHIES: Planet Mechanics |publisher=[[National Geographic Channel]] |date= |accessdate=2014-03-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Julie |last=Gould |url=http://speakingofscience.juliegould.net/science-communication/speaking-to-jem-stansfield/ |title=Speaking to... Jem Stansfield |publisher=Speaking of Science |date=November 2013 |accessdate=2014-03-18}}</ref>

Among his inventions are a [[Compressed-air vehicle|compressed-air powered motorcycle]], and boots that walk on water (for which he won a ''[[New Scientist]]'' prize).<ref name="telegraph1">{{cite news|last=Hough |first=Andrew |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7246872/Jem-Stansfield-human-spiderman-scales-30-ft-wall-using-only-vacuum-cleaner-suctions.html |title=Jem Stansfield: 'human spiderman' scales 30 ft wall using only vacuum cleaner suctions |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=2010-02-16 |accessdate=2014-03-18}}</ref>

In 2010, Stansfield used [[vacuum cleaners]] to create "[[Spider-Man]] style" climbing gloves, climbing 30 feet up a brick wall.<ref name="telegraph1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/5322714/british-man-climbs-up-side-of-building-using-diy-vacuum-gloves?op=showcustomobject&postId=5322714&item=0 |title=British Man Climbs Up Side of Building Using DIY Vacuum Gloves |work=[[Gizmodo]] |date=2009-07-25 |first=Dan |last=Nosowitz |accessdate=2014-03-18}}</ref> He also drove a modified 1988 [[Volkswagen Scirocco]] 210 miles from [[London]] to [[Manchester]] using [[Instant coffee|coffee granules]] for fuel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/manchester/hi/things_to_do/newsid_8560000/8560599.stm |title=Bang goes the coffee in drive for science in Manchester |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=2010-03-11 |access-date=2014-03-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2010/03/11/tv-hosts-coffee-car-nears-finish-170100/ |title=TV host's coffee car nears finish |work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |date=2010-03-11 |accessdate=2014-03-18}}</ref>

In 2013, Stansfield sustained injuries during filming of a segment for the series ''[[Bang Goes the Theory]]''. The segment was about the safety of front-facing and rear-facing seats in car crashes. Stansfield was in a cart which crashed, simulating the impact of a car hitting a lamppost and suffered from spine and brain injuries as a result.<ref name="damages"/>

In 2021, Stansfield was awarded £1.6m in damages after a [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] battle.<ref name="damages">{{cite news |title=Jeremy Stansfield: Bang Goes The Theory host wins £1.6m BBC damages |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58762935 |access-date=1 October 2021 |work=BBC News |date=1 October 2021}}</ref> It emerged in court that the [[BBC]] had been warned of the dangers by crash test experts but this information was never passed to Stansfield.<ref name="damages"/>

==Filmography== ===Television=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Credit ! Notes |- |2001–2003 |''[[Science Shack]]'' |Presenter | |- |2002–2003 |''Home On Their Own'' |Inventor / Engineer<ref name="Grimshaw"/> | |- |2004 |''Zero to Hero'' |Engineer | |- |2006 |''[[Scrapheap Challenge]]'' |Staff Engineer |Briefly credited as "Ballistics Expert" |- |2006 |''[[Men in White (TV series)|Men in White]]'' | | |- |2006 |''Wild Thing: I Love You'' |Presenter / Aeronautical Engineer | |- |2008 |''[[Planet Mechanics]]'' |Presenter |''8 episodes'' |- |2009–2014 |''[[Bang Goes the Theory]]'' |Presenter / Head of Engineering |''49 episodes'' |- |2010 |''Explosions: How We Shook the World'' |Presenter |Documentary |- |2010 |''[[Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention]]'' |Science correspondent | |- |2011 |''Big, Bigger, Biggest'' |Presenter / Engineer |''4 episodes'' |- |2012 |''[[Horizon (British TV series)|Horizon]]'' |Presenter |April 2012 episode entitled "Stuff: A Horizon Guide to Materials" |- |2012 |''Stargazing Challenges'' |Presenter | |- |2013 |''[[Newsround]]'' |Judge |for "You Too Could be an Absolute Genius" segment |}

===Film=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Credit ! Notes |- |1998 |''[[Lost in Space (film)|Lost in Space]]''<ref name="Grimshaw"/> |Special effects technician |For ''Magic Camera Company'' |- |1998 |''[[The Avengers (1998 film)|The Avengers]]''<ref name="Grimshaw"/> |Special effects | |- |2004 |''[[Van Helsing (film)|Van Helsing]]'' |Special effects | |}

== References == {{reflist|2}}

== External links == * {{IMDb name|0822698}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stansfield, Jem}} [[Category:British engineers]] [[Category:British television presenters]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1970 births]]