Science Britannica

Released: 2013-09-18

Runtime: 60 minutes

Episode Overview

Professor Cox grapples with science's darker side, asking why, when science has done so much for us, it often gets such a bad press. Starting with the original Frankenstein - the grisly 19th century tale of George Foster's hanging and subsequent 'electrocution', Brian confronts the idea that science can go 'too far'. From the nuclear bomb to genetic modification, British science has always been at the cutting edge of discovery, but are British scientists feckless meddlers, or misunderstood visionaries whose gifts to humanity are corrupted by the unscrupulous?

Series Overview

Professor Brian Cox embarks on a mission to guide viewers through 350 years of British science, laying bare what science really is, who the people are who practise it, and how it connects to the past, present and future of each of us.