Genius of Britain: The Scientists Who Changed the World
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 personalties and has had an awe-inspiring effect on world progress. 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 Alan Turing, 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.
- 2010-2010
- 1 season
- Documentary
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 personalties and has had an awe-inspiring effect on world progress. 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 Alan Turing, 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.
Season 1 Episode Guide
5 Episodes 2010
Episode 1
The First Five
48 mins
A superstar array of modern-day scientists share the history of five polymaths--experts in a wide variety of subjects and fields--who put Britain's brilliance firmly on the map, united by a passion to understand a comet in the sky.
Episode 2
A Roomful of Brilliant Minds
48 mins
A second generation of British scientists includes the son of a boat builder, a charismatic risk-taker, an unsung botanist pioneer, and the visionary who kick-started the Industrial Revolution by perfecting the steam engine.
Episode 3
The Lights Come On
48 mins
Science came of age by the early 19th century, propelling Britain to the future with communications delivered at the tap of a finger, electrical power and light conjured from trial and error, focused experiments, and just-discovered equations.
Episode 4
Out of the Darkness
48 mins
In the face of war, courage can manifest itself in myriad ways. From the invention of radar to fend of Luftwaffe attacks to the sheer genius that drove wartime codebreaking, the British scientific community rose to the occasion, creating technologies that still impact our lives today.
Episode 5
Asking Big Questions
46 mins
Recent advances probing the secrets of DNA, human nature, and nanotechnology are explored, and Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins have a thought-provoking exchange about the future that faces us all.