Sir Roger Penrose is a true giant of math and physics.

Anyone who works in relativity, cosmology and black holes will surely know his name.

Dozens of important discoveries and principles bear the name Penrose.

Some of the more beautiful and beguiling

areas of mathematics are also his doing, such as Penrose Tiling. His breadth of work and

interesting life would be impossible to fit in a book, yet alone this brief podcast.

We're young. this brief podcast. Were you a prodigy?

Would someone have seen you in school and thought,

this boy's destined for greatness?

No.

Well, you see, I was often compared with my older brother when I was very young.

Well, I should explain I was in England

up to the age of seven. I had my eighth birthday in Canada. This was when the Second World War

broke out and my parents decided to stay in Canada. They went off, war was looming rather at that

stage. I have some memories of when I was in England. They went off, well, was looming rather at that stage. I have some memories of when

I was in England. I sometimes tell people this story. I don't know what you make of that.

You see, I didn't ever like to eat spinach. This is something has changed when I got older. I love

spinach now. But in those days, I just couldn't stand it. And you see, we had a well-off family, and there was a nurse or somebody, I think, I don't know, the cook.

We had various people to look after us because my father was very well off.

The nurse or whoever it was had decided that I ought to eat my spinach, which was a sort of circular spot on the plate.

And so she said, no, no, I don't want me to spin it.

So she said, well, all right, eat half of it.

...