Program Description

“Utterly splendid” —The Observer (U.K.)
“Brilliant” —The Times (U.K.)
“Full of fascinating detail” —The Independent (U.K.)
“Intelligent but accessible” —The Guardian (U.K.)

Charismatic men of action and reclusive eccentrics. Eureka moments and serendipitous strokes of luck. Discoveries born of crisis and insatiable curiosity. The history of scientific progress in Britain offers an astonishing breadth of personalities and has had an awe-inspiring effect on civilization.

Each episode in this five-part series brings an era of scientific thought to vivid life, with modern-day geniuses examining the legacies of their heroes. Stephen Hawking takes on Isaac Newton, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins discusses Alfred Russel Wallace, acclaimed naturalist David Attenborough profiles Joseph Banks, and many more. Also in the mix: industrial designer James Dyson, Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Paul Nurse, and others.

Along the way, learn intriguing facts about famous scientists and discover unheralded people whose revelations have changed the way we live today, paving the path for everything from the steam engine to current thinking about the atom and evolution.

BONUS FEATURES

• Bonus disc, Stephen Hawking and the Theory of Everything (90) min., about the search for an explanation of the universe
• 12-page viewer’s guide with articles on myths and science, lesser-known geniuses, the Royal Society, the steady state theory, and a gallery of evolutionary specimens
• Biographies of the presenters