Alan Turing is celebrated as part of a new short-film campaign by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, this evening. To mark the competition's launch, PinkPaper.com is showing the Turing entry, directed by award-winning director Lewis Georgeson, online exclusively. See below.
The organisation's campaign, entitled Information Pioneers, consists of five short celebrity films promoting the achievements of often forgotten and unacknowledged technology masterminds.
The five films, directed by multi award winning Director Lewis Georgeson, will feature Ortis Deley, presenter of The Gadget Show, championing Ada Lovelace; actress Miranda Raison promoting Hedy Lamarr; former England cricketer Phil Tufnell waxing lyrical about Sir Clive Sinclair and comedian Dom Joly espousing Tim Berners-Lee.
Kate Russell, BBC Click reporter, presents the Turing film.
The campaign is launching with an exclusive preview of the five films, which will be attended by the celebrity advocates, Director Lewis Georgeson, Producer Sean Coleman, President of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, Elizabeth Sparrow and other BCS members.
BCS are hoping the campaign generates public interest in IT and promotes careers in the industry.
In 1952, Turing was arrested and tried for homosexuality, which at that time was a criminal offence. He died on 7 June 1954 in an apparent suicide.
In 2009 Turing was pardoned by Gordon Brown thanks to the avid campaigning of computer scientist John Graham-Cumming who posted a petition with more than 5,500 signatures on Number 10’s website.
The campaign was also backed by author Ian McEwan, Peter Tatchell and gay-rights campaigner and scientist Richard Dawkins.
Dr Sue Black, Founder of the BCS Women’s Group, said: “Not only did Turing play a key role in the code breaking work carried out at Bletchley Park during World War Two, he also made fundamental and insightful contributions to computer science and elsewhere.
"Last year’s very welcome,government apology highlighted his lasting contribution and acknowledged his persecution and abhorrent treatment as a consequence of being gay, at a time when homosexuality was illegal.
“Honouring Turing as an Information Pioneer gives us a chance to celebrate Turing’s life and legacy and promote him as a role model for information pioneers of the future.”