Five of My Favourite: Male Nerds and Geeks from TV

Well, here's my extra post, I'm doing a review this weekend. I thought I'd continue with another fun post, and since I've done the my top five female geeks and nerds, I thought I'd do my five of my favourite guys too. 

Please note as usual, that the list is in no particular order.

1] Sheldon Cooper - The Big Bang Theory

A theoretical physicist, a science-fiction geek and a gamer to boot, Sheldon is probably one of the most famous nerds on television at the moment. 

I have heard that some people in the nerd/geek community do not like the Big Bang Theory because it essential mocks nerds, and though I love the show, I can see what they mean sometimes. The other male characters can seem a little embarrassed about nerdiness, especially with their girlfriends, except for Sheldon. He doesn't apologise for being nerd - or anything really, but that's beside the point. In fact he is often surprised, and pitiful, that more people don't know or care about sci-fi and science - and I personally think that's one of the things that makes him so cool. 


2] Kowalski - The Penguins of Madagascar

You've probably all seen or heard of the four penguins from the Madagascar films who act like they're a special forces unit. Well the characters were so popular they got their own spin-off series - and it is fantastic. 

Kowalski is the genius inventor, scientist and general Q of the team - and probably my favourite character. Known for inventing incredible contraptions, he has a touch of the mad scientist about him. It should also be noted that despite understanding physics and once owning a Higgs Boson - he can't actually read. However, he is a penguin and unlike some other television scientists he can fight and is always involved in missions. 

3] Pete Lattimer - Warehouse 13

Pete Latimer is the goofy, often childish partner of Myka at the Warehouse. He is also a comic-book geek and has collected almost every issue of The Iron Shadow, who his favourite superhero - we even see him wear a Iron Shadow T-shirt. 

4] Dr Rodney McKay - Stargate Atlantis

A physicist and  engineer who has worked with stargates, he is the Head Scientist on Atlantis. He's also the guy who normally ends up solving the team's big problem, whether that's fixing a machine or finding a way to escape a volcano in a spaceship. Hints throughout the series suggest he is also Star Trek and Batman fan. 

5] The Doctor - Doctor Who

I have to admit I was unsure about putting the Doctor on this list, unlike the others who are sort of just ordinary but very intelligent or passionate people, he is an alien. His people are more science based and inherently smarter than us. Then again this list includes a penguin so, I say no criteria applies. 

The Doctor of course has a vast knowledge of science, from astrology to engineering to physics and a myriad of other subjects. I guess he also seems to embody other traits I associate with geeks and nerds - passion for technical stuff, the fact his superpower is his intelligence, the fact he can often be goofy or speak in a load jargon. The Doctor is almost all knowing but also all round brilliant.

Five of My Favourite: Female Nerds and Geeks from TV

Okay, so last weekend I only managed two reviews after promising three - I can be excused for watching Game of Thrones? - so I'll be writing an extra post sometime over the next week. In the meantime, I thought I'd have a change of pace and a little fun since its the holidays, and do a list this week.

So, today's list is the my top five female nerds and geeks, in no particular order.

Note - on definitions of nerd and geek. I personally consider these positive terms, with nerd applying to people with interests and expertise in scientific areas, and geek to anyone who is very passionate about a particular subject. However, these are just my personal definitions - you may find others online or in a dictionary.

1] Myka Bering - Warehouse 13

Myka is not only super smart, with a great eye for details, but definitely a book nerd. She grew up reading H G Wells and many other classics in the bookshop run by her parents, and her ability to quote Shakespeare has even saved lives. 


[2] Col./Doctor Sam Carter - Stargate SG1

Though she's already turned up on one of my previous top five lists, I couldn't help but include her here. An astrophysicist and engineer, with an obvious passion for science, she is an expert in alien technology and the cleverest member of SG1. 


3] Claudia Donovan - Warehouse 13

A cool technical nerd, Claudia has amazing computer skills, allowing to hack into a system and find anything she wants. Something of an inventor too, she has been known to create several useful gadgets for use in the Warehouse, including an holographic projector and a periscope for Artie. She also gets pretty cranky when she ends up stuck in the forest with no good Internet signal whilst on assignment. 

4] Lisa Simpson - The Simspons

Perhaps one of the most famous nerds/geeks on television, Lisa is years ahead of her classmates. A member of MENSA, she has been interested in astronomy, helped Doctor Nick give her father a heart bypass and in one episode pretended to be a boy so she could learn maths in a more traditional way, after her school was serparated into girls and boys.

5] Doctor Amy Farrah Fowler - The Big Bang Theory

Again another one from my female scientists list. Amy, though not into science-fiction or comics like Sheldon Cooper, is a neurologist with a passion for medieval literature and playing the harp. Probably the smartest out of the Big Bang Theory girls, she seems to have a good knowledge of physics as well as biology.

Scene 31: Five Fictional Women Scientists from TV

Yesterday was Ada Lovelace Day, is an annual event to raise awareness of women in the sciences. This includes engineers, technologists, scientists and mathematicians. 

To celebrate I have done a short list of some fictional female scientists from TV, that have hopefully been an inspiration to girls and guys who've watched the shows.

The list is in no particular order, and covers a range of genres, though generally I have ended up picking characters I am familiar with and that are in science fiction. I have also decided to stick to characters where it has been made clear that they are scientists or have degrees within the shows - for example, I have not included T'Pol from Enterprise even though she was the Science Officer, as it is unclear which science she works in.  

I have also included links other articles on the web, mostly Wiki entries, about the listed characters professions, and the different sciences. 

1] Colonel Sam Carter - Stargate series

Sam Carter was a theoretical astrophysicist, pilot and engineer, and one of the most intelligent female characters across the whole Stargate series. She was part of the original team along with Dr Jackson, Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c. 

2]  Dr Liz Shaw - Doctor Who

Liz Shaw was a scientist from Cambridge University who was recruited by UNIT. An expert on meteorites  with degrees in medicine and physics, she assisted the Third Doctor whilst he was at UNIT until she resigned to continue her own research. 

3] Abby Sciuto - NCIS

Abby is a Forensic Specialist working at NCIS. A kind, cheerful Goth, she is an expert in DNA analysis, ballistics and digital forensics.

4] Zoe Heriot - Doctor Who

Zoe was a scientist on board Space Station W3 when she met the Second Doctor. She is an astrophysicist, and a first class astrometricist with a degree in pure mathematics and a photographic memory. 

5] Dr Amy Farrah Fowler - The Big Bang Theory

Amy is a neuroscientist, who does research into addiction. She was introduced to show as a dating website match found by Raj and Leonard for Sheldon, who she is very similar too. The actress who plays her, Mayim Bialik, actually has a real Ph.D in neuroscience.


For more inspiration check out this video of some young female scientists and engineers showing off their projects in America. 

Scene 13: A Big Audio Finish

I have noticed recently that, so far, I have been concentrating on the film industry on this blog. So, I'm going to try and include some more variety. After all this blog is meant to include film, television and audio. 


Out of those three I think radio gets most overlooked, especially radio drama. Which is why I am going to mention the excellent production company Big Finish,  who produce CDs, downloads and books, and who's new website went live a few days ago - check it out here: Big Finish


I came across them through my interest in the BBC drama/sci-fi series Doctor Who, which is included in their range. Their audio dramas are new epsidoes, or plays, and spin-offs of sci-fi series, most of which went off air some time ago, using original actors from the shows. 


Their range includes Doctor Who and its spin-offs, Blake's 7, their own version of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Highlander, Sapphire and Steel, Stargate, the recent BBC series of Robin Hood and a range of audio books. 

Their range also includes an old series that might become big again soon - the supernatural soap-opera Dark Shadows. They have been doing audio books and full cast dramas set in the Dark Shadows world a while, and now a new Dark Shadows film by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp is coming out. 

This is what I like about Big Finish, they have given several series new life and new scope, so fans have had the opportunity to listen to new adventures of finished series, with the original actors playing their original parts. They also come across as fans of the programmes themselves, and you feel that the shows are in good hands.  If you like sci-fi then I recommend you check them out!