SPELLBINDING is the word used to describe a TV series destined to live long in the memory.
If you’ve yet to catch up with Wonders Of The Solar System, now is the time to put that right.
It’s presented by a former long-haired keyboard player in DARE and D:Ream.
The latter of Labour election anthem Things Can Only Get Better fame.
By the time Tony Blair was walking into No 10 for the first time as prime minister, Oldham-born Brian was already Dr Brian.
With a first class honours degree in physics from the University of Manchester.
Plus a PhD in High Energy Particle Physics at the DESY lab in Hamburg.
Among many other things, he now works back at Manchester University.
Having also emerged as one of the brightest new stars in the television firmament.
Brian’s latest TV project is the magnificent Wonders Of The Solar System.
The five-part BBC2 series started last Sunday and told me things about the Sun I never knew before.
Bringing the universe into my front room, with sometimes complex ideas explained in an entertaining and highly accessible hour of telly.
If you missed it, and are in the UK, you can still catch it via the BBC iPlayer.
With episode two at 9pm this Sunday including a fascinating explanation of those rings around Saturn.
I could write much more.
But if you’re not already watching, it’s probably best if you discover “Wonders” for yourself via the trailers and links below.
As Brian explains: “You might think space exploration is just an inhuman, technological thing, but the natural world extends far beyond our atmosphere.
“This is a series about where we live and I hope it resonates emotionally.
“We’ve chosen places that are interesting in their own right to tell much bigger stories about our evolution and the value of life.
“Which is why the last wonder we’ve chosen is our own civilisation – if you were an alien entering our solar system, the thing that would most catch your eye would be the glowing cities of the third planet.”
Not to mention Brian’s appearance on Top of the Pops.
Another wonder of the solar system which – thanks to YouTube – is playing out across that universe here.
Episode One Preview:
Episode Two Preview:
Links:
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