Gareth Collett on a career in bomb disposal

The Life Scientific

BBC

Technology, Personal Journals, Society & Culture, Science

4.6 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Movies might have us believe that bomb disposal comes down to cutting the right wire. In fact, explosive devices are complex and varied - and learning how to dispose of them safely involves intense training, as well as the ability to stay calm under pressure.

This was the world of Dr Gareth Collett, a retired British Army Brigadier General and engineer, specialising in bomb disposal; whose 32-year military career took him around the world, including heading up major ordnance clearance projects in Iraq and Afghanistan. After retiring from the army, Gareth became a university lecturer – but following his diagnosis with bladder cancer, started researching a possible link between bomb disposal veterans and higher rates of urological cancers.

In conversation with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Gareth discusses this ongoing research, dealing with PTSD - and why he just can't watch Oscar-winning movie The Hurt Locker...

Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Lucy Taylor for BBC Studios

Transcript

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0:55.6	Hello, today we have a story worthy of some kind of military thriller, one that's taken my
1:01.1	guest around the globe via engineering, explosives, royal protection, war zones, military
1:07.6	intelligence and academia. Dr. Gareth Collett is a retired British Army
1:12.6	Brigadier General and engineer, specialising in bomb disposal. His 32-year military career
1:18.7	involved tours around the world, notably in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Gareth headed
1:23.8	up massive operations to stop the spread of improvised explosive devices, IEDs,
	...

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