Bobby Seagull, a globally recognized teacher, author and broadcaster, has been honored with the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s New Year’s Honors List.
Who is Bobby Seagull?
Seagull was born in London’s Newham to parents originally from Kerala, India.
He has often shared the story behind his name; while his family surname is Jose, his father adopted ‘Seagull’ after the inspirational novel Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach in the 1970s.
Maths teacher Jay Bobby Seagull, 41, has received recognition for his dedicated work supporting public libraries.
Seagull first rose to fame during his outstanding run in 2017 on the BBC’s University Challenge, where he captained Emmanuel College, Cambridge, to the semi-finals.
His infectious enthusiasm made him a viral sensation. He used his newfound fame to promote mathematics and motivate students.
Appearing live on BBC Breakfast, Bobby Seagull shared his excitement at the MBE while revealing he had kept the news a secret from his family. “I was wondering if I should send a message to my family on WhatsApp? But I thought this deserves more than a thumbs-up emoji.”
He added that I would tell each person in turn… I have a little niece called Emma and I told her I have an MBE and she says: ‘Uncle Bob, MBE. Uncle, Bob, MBE.'”
The viral moment
A viral math question Seagull posted on Threads by a British primary school math teacher and TV personality, Bobby Seagull, hit the internet in mid-August this year, and suddenly everyone needed a protractor.
Students, teachers and social media were confused by a difficult math question that was shared
Bobby Seagull posted the viral math puzzle his friend’s 7-year-old was given at school.
Following his University Challenge appearance, Seagull has maintained a prolific public career, his work has included co-authoring a 2017 quiz book with Eric Monkman entitled The monk and the seagull quiz book and served as an ambassador for National Numeracy, advocating for greater mathematical confidence.
