I am still a keen mountain walker and an enthusiastic glider pilot.

This time at Birmingham turned me into a general biologist, and ever since then I have always tried to take a biological approach to any research project that I have undertaken.

I was by far the youngest of the family, and at times it was like being an only child.

I met my wife Anne who was a sociology student, and her influence together with activities associated with the student movement of the time opened up my interests amongst other things into the theatre, art, music, politics and philosophy.

I was never very good at exams, having a poor memory and finding the examination process rather artificial, and there never seemed to be enough time to follow up things that really interested me.

At age 11 in 1960, I moved to an academic state secondary school, Harrow County Grammar School for Boys.

During the winter my attention was attracted to the changes in the stars and planets in the sky.