A BBC star has said he wants to use his public platform in order to try and change “negative” attitudes towards mathematics.
Bobby Seagull, 34, initially found fame when his turn on the iconic BBC show University Challenge show went viral in 2016.
An instant hit with audiences, Seagull went on to star in Monkman and Seagull with his fellow University Challenge contestant Eric Monkman. The show chronicled the pair’s adventures as they travelled across the UK, discovering the country’s most extraordinary inventions.
Seagull is now determined to use his public persona to help dispel negative connotations around mathematics and encourage the younger generation to engage with it.
Currently a part-time doctorate student at Cambridge University, he is researching so-called “maths anxiety” and hopes to understand why so many people suffer from it. “A lot of anxiety is to do with attitudes towards maths,” he told Eastern Eye. “People rubbish the subject or put down people who aren’t doing well in it. This puts people off and they start to have a negative view on the subject.”
Seagull believes people automatically associate maths with their school experience and many do not think they will need numeracy skills in later life. In India, he says, his cousins were praised for their maths skills, but not much attention was paid to it. However, if a person is good at maths in the UK, they are automatically seen as gifted and exceptionally smart.
“In this country, we are quick to attribute any success to talent and when you do that, you are putting that person on a pedestal,” he said. “If you put them on a pedestal, you think you can’t obtain [their achievements].”
On his newfound fame, Seagull believes Monkman and Seagull is popular with audiences because people are inspired to learn. All school children should have role models who show that learning is a good thing, Seagull says, as people don’t want to be known as “geeks”.
He describes Monkman and Seagull as a light-hearted show which portrayed academics in a human light.
“We aren’t just cooped up in a room without any sunlight,” Seagull laughed. “We are real people that interact, and it brings some humanity to knowledgeable people.”
Working as a part-time maths teacher, Seagull admits that some of his own students lack enthusiasm for maths. “If you show them algebra, they can’t see the purpose and that is when they struggle,” he said.
The mathematician has recently released a book, The Life-Changing Magic of Numbers, on his experiences growing up with numbers. He hopes to show that maths is fun and how it
links to everything in people’s lives.
“When people think of maths, they think of textbooks and exam,” he said. “But I saw maths in my everyday life – from cooking to dating to my fitness routine, it was always there.”
When Seagull was growing up in east Ham, east London, his first memory of maths was from collecting football stickers. He would collect data from them, including the players’ height and performance statistics, and insert them into a spreadsheet. That confidence to use numbers helped him carve out his own identity.
“No matter what day it is, maths was always the same and that was so comforting for me,” he said.
Growing up, Seagull remembers his secondary school maths teacher Mr Workmaster. He would always create fun questions for Seagull and his classmates, making questions relevant to everyday popular things such as the World Cup, he explains. “He made maths come to life for me,” Seagull said.
Today, he tells his students that if the same maths question was asked to a student in Brazil or Bangladesh, the answer would always be the same. “Everyone has different opinions, but it is really cool that kids from all different backgrounds will always get the same answer to a maths problem,” he said.
Although he admits he is a Love Island fan, he believes the younger generation should not aspire to mirror reality stars.
“Not all of us can be chiselled models,” he joked.
The Life-Changing Magic of Numbers by Bobby Seagull is out now
AN AMERICAN woman wore a niqab as a disguise after being hired to kill a shopkeeper in Birmingham, but the gun jammed during the attack, Birmingham crown court was told.
Aimee Betro, 45, from Wisconsin, is accused of conspiring to murder Sikander Ali on September 7, 2019, in South Yardley. She denies the charge, The Times reported.
Prosecutor Tom Walkling KC said the incident was part of a long-running vendetta involving Aslat Mahamud’s family. Co-accused Mohammed Aslam, 59, and Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, allegedly conspired with Betro in revenge after they were injured during a 2018 incident at Mahamud’s clothing shop.
The court heard Betro bought a Mercedes and waited outside Mahamud’s home. When Ali arrived, CCTV captured her approaching and firing at close range, but the gun jammed. Ali reversed his SUV, damaging the Mercedes door.
Later, Betro allegedly returned by taxi and fired three shots at the house, breaking windows. She also allegedly sent texts to Ali’s father, saying, “Where are you hiding?... Stop playing hide and seek” and “Come and meet me, I’m at Asda.”
Betro flew into the UK on August 22 and returned to the US on September 9 after flying from Manchester. She was arrested in Armenia in June last year. Aslam and Nazir were jailed last November.
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Images shared on social media showed the three offering prayers and seeking blessings at the temple. (Photo: Instagram/neasdentemple)
MUKESH AMBANI, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, visited the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in London on July 13, along with his youngest son Anant Ambani and daughter-in-law radhika merchant.
The visit took place a day after Anant and Radhika celebrated their first wedding anniversary on July 12.
Images shared on social media showed the three offering prayers and seeking blessings at the temple, also known as the Neasden Temple.
The temple posted on Instagram: “It was a pleasure to welcome Shri Mukesh, Shri Anant and Shrimati Radhika Ambani to Neasden Temple. They visited seeking darshan and blessings on the occasion of Anant and Radhika’s first wedding anniversary – a devout moment of faith, family, and gratitude.”
The BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, inaugurated in 1995 by Swami Maharaj, was hand-carved in India using Italian Carrara and Indian Ambaji marble along with Bulgarian limestone before being assembled in London. It is a prominent Hindu place of worship and a noted architectural site in the UK.
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Secretary of state for business and trade Jonathan Reynolds and India's industry minister Piyush Goyal stand together after they signed a free trade agreement at Chequers near Aylesbury, England, Thursday, July 24, 2025. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
Most products between India and the UK will now move duty-free, making them cheaper and more competitive.
Sensitive Indian sectors like dairy products, apples, oats, and edible oils are excluded to protect local farmers.
The pact is seen as the biggest of its kind since Brexit and a model for future UK trade deals
THE free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK was signed on Thursday (24). This historic pact aims to boost trade, create jobs, and support businesses and farmers in both countries. Under the agreement, tariffs on Scotch whisky will drop to 75 per cent from 150 per cent immediately, and then slide to 40 per cent over the next decade, according to the British government. On cars, India will cut duties to 10 per cent from over 100 per cent under a quota system that will be gradually liberalised. In return, Indian manufacturers will gain access to the UK market for electric and hybrid vehicles, also under a quota system.
What Does the Agreement Do?
Eliminates tariffs (import taxes) on about 99 per cent of goods traded between India and the UK – This means most products can now move between the two countries without extra costs
Covers nearly all sectors: agriculture, textiles, engineering, electronics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, plastics, gems & jewellery, and more
The deal is expected to almost double two-way trade to about £96 billion by 2030
Over 95 per cent of Indian agricultural and processed food products (like fruits, vegetables, cereals, spices, ready-to-eat foods) will enter the UK with zero duty.
Duty-free access is set to boost Indian agricultural exports by more than 20 per cent over three years, moving closer to India’s £80bn agri-export target for 2030.
New market access for non-traditional crops like jackfruit, millets, and organic herbs.
No tariff cuts for sensitive items like dairy, apples, oats, and edible oils – these remain protected for Indian farmers.
Special focus on Indian states with major exports: Maharashtra (grapes, onions), Gujarat (groundnut, cotton), Punjab and Haryana (basmati rice), Kerala (spices).
Services and skilled professionals
Easier mobility for Indian professionals in sectors like IT, architecture, engineering, yoga, music, and cuisine
Indian professionals on short-term contracts will no longer pay social security in the UK.
Innovation and digital trade
Prime minister Keir Starmer and prime minister Narendra Modi of India hug during a press conference after signing a free trade agreement at Chequers near Aylesbury, England, Thursday, July 24, 2025. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
First-ever innovation chapter: Joint work on new technologies, digital trade, streamlined processes, and mutual recognition of standards will help businesses adapt quickly.
Economic Impact
Expected to add over £20bn per year in increased trade for both sides
Both countries hope to create thousands of new jobs
UK secures £6bn in new investments linked to this agreement
Marine Products
UK tariffs eliminated on Indian seafood, such as shrimp, tuna, and fishmeal. This is significant as these tariffs previously ranged from 4.2 per cent to 8.5 per cent
It will help fisherfolk in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha earn more through better price realisation.
India currently supplies only about two per cent of UK’s £4.3bn marine import market – the deal opens big room for growth.
Plantation products
Duty-free access for tea, coffee, and spices (e.g. instant coffee) means Indian products can compete better with European exporters such as Germany and Spain.
Boost to value-added exports, like Indian instant coffee.
Textiles and clothing
All 1,143 product categories in this sector now have zero tariffs in the UK
India loses past disadvantages to Bangladesh and Pakistan, who already enjoyed duty-free access.
Sectors set for highest growth: ready-made garments, home textiles, carpets, handicrafts.
India aims to increase its UK market share by at least five per cent within two years.
Engineering and manufacturing
Zero-duty access for a wide range of engineering goods, auto parts, industrial equipment, and construction machinery.
UK is already India’s 6th largest engineering export market.
Tariffs reduced from up to 18 per cent to zero.
Indian exports of engineering goods to UK could nearly double to over £6bn by 2030.
Electronics and IT
Zero-duty for Indian electronic products, such as smartphones and optical fibre cables.
Stronger opportunities for Indian software and IT-enabled services firms, with forecasted 15-20 per cent annual growth from current £25.6bn exports.
Pharmaceuticals and medical devices
UK market, valued at nearly £24bn, opens up with removal of tariffs on Indian generic medicines and medical devices (e.g. surgical instruments, diagnostics)
Increases affordability and competitiveness for Indian exporters.
Chemicals and plastics
India expects a 30-40 per cent boost in chemical exports to UK with removal of tariffs (previously up to eight per cent).
In plastics, duty-free access covers products like films, pipes, packaging, and kitchenware.
Gems, jewellery and leather
Tariffs on leather goods and footwear drop from 16 per cent to zero – good news for MSMEs in Indian hubs such as Agra, Kanpur, and Chennai.
Gems and jewellery exports projected to double in next two to three years
Sports goods, toys, and processed foods also benefit from tariff elimination.
(Agencies)
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Prime minister Keir Starmer welcomes Indian prime minister Narendra Modi at Chequers near Aylesbury, England, Thursday, July 24, 2025. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer hosted his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at Chequers, the official country residence of the British prime minister, on Thursday (24). The two leaders held a private meeting ahead of in-depth discussions.
Modi arrived in London on Wednesday (23) as part of a two-nation visit to the UK and the Maldives. The formalisation of the FTA is a major highlight of his two-day trip.
In May, India and the UK concluded the FTA, which is expected to benefit 99 per cent of Indian exports by removing tariffs and will simplify the export process for British companies dealing in whisky, cars, and other goods. The agreement is set to boost the overall trade relationship significantly.
The FTA is set to provide significant benefits, as the deal will eliminate tariffs on approximately 99 per cent of tariff lines, covering nearly 100 per cent of the trade value, sources said. It will also simplify the export process for British firms dealing in whisky, cars, and other products destined for India, boosting the overall trade relationship.
Agriculture and allied sectors stand out as major beneficiaries, with Indian farmers gaining market access for high-value products such as vegetables, fruits, basmati rice, cereals, animal products, beverages, oilseeds, and dairy, the sources added.
The pact directly supports India’s ambitious target of achieving £80 billion in agricultural exports by 2030.
In key labour-intensive sectors, duties have been reduced to zero from previously high levels of up to 20 per cent on marine products, 12 per cent on textiles and clothing, 8 per cent on chemicals, and 10 per cent on base metals, the sources said.
Notably, in the processed food sector, tariffs on 99.7 per cent of product lines have been slashed from as high as 70 per cent to zero, providing a substantial boost to Indian exporters. The deal is expected to ensure comprehensive market access for Indian goods across all sectors, including agriculture.
The pact offers a transformative opportunity for businesses across key industries such as agriculture, food processing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, engineering goods, electronics, and marine products.
India currently exports approximately £29.3 billion worth of agricultural goods globally, while the UK imports around £30bn in the sector but sources only some £650m from India, illustrating strong potential for growth in high-value agricultural products.
The UK is a premium market for niche Indian agricultural products such as tea, mangoes, grapes, spices, and marine products.
The India-UK FTA will enable Indian farmers to secure premium prices for these products in the UK market, delivering a ‘seismic shift’ by granting Indian agri-products parity with major EU exporters like Germany and the Netherlands, which currently enjoy zero tariffs, the sources concluded.
(with inputs from agencies)
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The deal was formalised during Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s brief visit to the UK, where he held talks with his British counterpart Keir Starmer. (Photo: Getty Images)
INDIA and the United Kingdom signed a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on Thursday during Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s brief visit to the UK. The deal, finalised after three years of negotiations, aims to boost annual bilateral trade by around £25.5 billion.
The agreement was signed by India’s commerce minister Piyush Goyal and the UK’s secretary of state for business and trade Jonathan Reynolds following formal talks between Modi and prime minister Keir Starmer at Chequers, northwest of London.
Modi arrived in London at around 8.30 pm on Wednesday and is scheduled to leave later on Thursday, spending less than 24 hours in the country.
After the signing, Modi was expected to have lunch with Starmer and meet King Charles at Sandringham.
getty images
Deal details and economic impact
The agreement will reduce tariffs on a wide range of goods and services. India will lower tariffs on nearly 90 per cent of UK goods. Scotch whisky tariffs will fall from 150 per cent to 75 per cent immediately and reduce to 40 per cent over the next decade. Tariffs on cars will drop from over 100 per cent to 10 per cent under a quota system. The UK will also cut tariffs on cosmetics, medical devices, salmon, chocolates, biscuits, clothes, footwear, and food products such as frozen prawns.
The UK will offer duty-free access to 99 per cent of Indian goods. Indian exports including textiles, footwear, gems and jewellery, auto components, chemicals, furniture and machinery will benefit. Average tariffs UK firms face in India will fall to 3 per cent from 15 per cent.
According to the UK government, the agreement is expected to increase UK GDP by £4.8 billion annually in the long term. The UK and India are the sixth and fifth largest global economies, respectively, with current bilateral trade worth around £41 billion. The deal is the UK’s most economically significant bilateral trade agreement since leaving the European Union.
Standing alongside Modi, Starmer said, “This is not the extent or the limit of our collaboration with India. We have unique bonds of history, of family and of culture and we want to strengthen our relationship further, so that it is even more ambitious, modern and focused on the long term.”
He described the agreement as a “landmark moment” and said it would bring “huge benefits” for both countries, making trade “cheaper, quicker and easier.”
Modi called the deal a “blueprint for our shared prosperity” and said the visit would “go a long way in advancing the economic partnership between our nations.”
The FTA includes provisions for temporary business visitors, contractual service providers, yoga instructors, chefs, and musicians, though visa arrangements are not covered.
Indian workers and their employers on temporary postings in the UK will be exempt from paying social security contributions, with estimated annual savings of around £342 million.
Modi and Starmer meet children playing cricket at Chequers.
UK businesses will gain access to India’s non-sensitive government procurement market, which includes about 40,000 tenders worth around £38 billion annually.
The agreement also covers services such as insurance and includes provisions for British firms to participate in Indian projects in areas like clean energy.
Modi and Starmer having tea at Chequers.
India did not receive an exemption from the UK’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which will come into effect in 2027. Talks on a separate bilateral investment treaty are still ongoing.