World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing has been revealed as the face of the new £50 banknote.

The mathematician, who is widely considered to be the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, was selected from a shortlist of 12 options.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney made the announcement at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester.

Image: Alan Turing's legacy continues to have an impact on both science and society

Mr Carney also revealed imagery depicting Dr Turing and his work that will be used for the reverse of the note.

The banknote is expected to enter circulation by the end of 2021.


Mr Carney said: "Alan Turing was an outstanding mathematician whose work has had an enormous impact on how we live today.

"As the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, as well as war hero, Alan Turing's contributions were far-ranging and path-breaking.

"Turing is a giant on whose shoulders so many now stand."

The £50 note will include a quote from Dr Turing which reads: "This is only a foretaste of what is to come, and only the shadow of what is going to be."

While the mathematician is perhaps best known for his work devising code-breaking machines during the Second World War, he also played a pivotal role in the development of early computers.

He set the foundations for work on artificial intelligence by considering the question of whether machines could think.

Dr Turing was homosexual and was convicted of gross indecency for his relationship with a man. He was posthumously pardoned by the Queen.

His legacy continues to have an impact on both science and society today.

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Dr Turing's nephew Sir Dermot Turing told Sky News: "I think the popular perception of Alan Turing was of somebody who was rather difficult to get on with, and was sort of too nerdy for his own good.

"I've seen two facets of him actually after talking to the people who have worked with him.

"You've got a picture of somebody who is actually quite congenial, who has a wicked sense of humour, and is certainly not somebody's who is too nerdy to know whether he is being invited to lunch or not."

The Banknote Character Advisory Committee announced it would celebrate the field of science with the new £50 note in 2018.

This was followed by a six-week public nomination period.

The Bank of England receive a total of 227,229 nominations covering 989 eligible people.

The committee considered all the nominations before deciding on the shortlist, which included Ada Lovelace, Charles Babbage and Stephen Hawking.

Mr Carney then made the final decision.