TV is a hungry beast and devours much more than it spits out on the screen. You may have to spend an hour or longer with a reporter and camera crew, and then  find they’ve only used 10 seconds of your interview. Or worse still, they might drop you altogether if a bigger story breaks.

TV is also probably the scariest medium to face for the first time, but it’s simpler than you think as long as you keep your cool, look tidy, know what you’re talking about and can explain it simply.

The opportunity to talk about your work, or to add to a current scientific debate on national television, is just that, a tremendous opportunity,  and one to make the most of.