Wonders of the Universe

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Wonders of the Universe
GenreDocumentary series
Directed by
  • Chris Holt
  • Stephen Cooter
  • Michael Lachmann
Presented byProfessor Brian Cox
Theme music composerSheridan Tongue
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
  • Jonathan Renouf
  • Wyatt Channell
Running time60 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
BBC HD
Release6 March (2011-03-06) –
27 March 2011 (2011-03-27)
Related

Wonders of the Universe is a 2011 television series produced by the BBC, Discovery Channel, and Science Channel, hosted by physicist Professor Brian Cox. Wonders of the Universe was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two from 6 March 2011. The series comprises four episodes, each of which focuses on an aspect of the universe and features a 'wonder' relevant to the theme. It follows on from Cox's 2010 series for the BBC, Wonders of the Solar System. An accompanying book with the same title was also published.

Episodes

Why are we here? Where do we come from? These are the most enduring of questions. And it's an essential part of human nature to want to find the answers.

We can trace our ancestry back hundreds of thousands of years to the dawn of humankind. But in reality, our story extends far, further back in time. Our story starts with the beginning of the universe. It began 13.7 billion years ago, and today, it's filled with over a hundred billion galaxies, each containing hundreds of billions of stars.

In this series, I want to tell that story, because ultimately, we are part of the universe, so its story is our story.

— Professor Brian Cox's opening narration

1. "Destiny"

In the first episode, Cox considers the fundamental nature of time while pondering the ruins at

Namib Desert, using the wreck of the Eduard Bohlen to illustrate the inevitable heat death of the universe
.

2. "Stardust"

Cox travels to

92 known elements found on Earth, which are mirrored in the spectrum observed through stellar classification. In northern Chile at El Tatio he compares the three states of water to the states found in the universe. He further explains how these basic elements are combined to form complexity through nuclear fusion. However, heavier elements than the first 26 only form when stars die and eject material during a supernova. In an abandoned prison in Rio de Janeiro Cox describes the dying stages of fusion, and in the 16-to-1 Mine he describes how the rarest and heaviest elements are made. In the Atacama Desert he concludes with the recycling of matter in the Universe and the possibility that the Earth was seeded with life from space
.

3. "Falling"

This episode documents how

black holes
.

4. "Messengers"

The final episode shows how the unique properties of visible

light-years distant, and a rainbow over the Victoria Falls in Zambia reveals a red-blue spectrum. The stretched "Invisible light" of the Big Bang is also discussed as part of the Cosmic microwave background as seen in the WMAP image. At Burgess Shale in Yoho National Park he concludes the series with the evolution of the eye and pikaia
.

Rebroadcast

The US broadcast was originally aired weekly from on 27 July to 17 August 2011, with the episodes re-titled as "Cosmos Made Conscious", "Children of the Stars", "The Known", and "On Beams of Light". The four episodes were repeated as part of the BBC Learning Zone (intended for use in Secondary Schools) in an early morning slot (5.00 - 6.00 am) on Wednesdays from the end of September 2011 on BBC Two. Each one-hour programme carried a subtitle ("Learning Shorts") and was segmented into 3 continuous short films (of approximately 20 minutes' duration) with separate titles, making 12 in total. The original episode titles were not used.

Reception

The initial episode gained viewing figures of 6 million people when it was first shown on the BBC, and it was the first BBC factual show to top the

Daily Telegraph said "Cox is different. Scientists who can capture the popular imagination come along extremely rarely ... These days, science programmes regularly provide some of the most striking images ever seen on the small screen",[3] and Tom Sutcliffe of The Independent commented "it's big on cosmic dazzlement and mind-boggling perspectives and full of epic orchestration and screen-saver graphics."[4] Sam Wollaston of The Guardian chose to focus on Cox's presenting style rather than the scientific content of the programme.[5]

Following complaints from viewers that the background music was loud enough to make Cox's narration difficult to hear, the BBC agreed to remix the sound for all the episodes.[6] Cox thought this was a mistake, as he believed the series should be a "cinematic experience".[7] The DVD and Blu-ray versions are released with the original sound mix as opposed to the broadcast versions.

Merchandise

The accompanying hardcover book was released on 3 March 2011: Cox, Brian (2011).

ISBN 978-0-00-739582-8.[8] A soundtrack album of music composed for Wonders of the Universe by Sheridan Tongue (including selected music from Wonders of the Solar System) was released to coincide with the first airing of the show on BBC Two. The Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray discs were released on 30 August 2011.[9] The Region 2 DVD and Blu-ray discs were released on 4 April 2011.[10][11] The Region 4 DVD and Blu-ray discs were released on 1 September 2011.[12][13]

International broadcast

  • Australia - aired by
    ABC1 each Tuesday at 8:30pm from 19 July 2011.[14]
  • Denmark - aired by DR2 every night at 7pm from 2–5 January 2012, retitled as, Universets gåder (Mysteries of the Universe).[15]
  • India - aired by BBC Entertainment each Wednesday at 9pm from 7 March 2012.[16]
  • New Zealand - aired by TVNZ 7 each Saturday at 7:05pm from 6 August 2011.[17]
  • United States - aired by
    Science each Wednesday at 9pm E/P from 27 July 2011.[18] The episodes were renamed and were not shown in order, instead broadcasting episode 2, 1, then 3 and 4.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ Seale, Jack (2 April 2012). "New Brian Cox series to be co-produced by Chinese state television". RadioTimes. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  2. ^ Jeffries, Stewart (24 March 2011). "Brian Cox: 'Physics is better than rock'n'roll'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  3. ^ Harvey, Chris (7 March 2011). "Wonders of the Universe, BBC Two, review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  4. ^ Sutcliffe, Tom (7 March 2011). "The Weekend's TV: Wonders of the Universe, Sun, BBC2 Civilization: Is the West History? Sun, Channel 4". The Independent. London. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  5. ^ Wollaston, Sam (6 March 2011). "TV review: Wonders of the Universe, Civilization: Is the West History?, South Riding". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  6. ^ Singh, Anita (14 March 2011). "BBC turns down the volume on Professor Brian Cox programme after viewer complaints". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  7. ^ "Brian Cox says BBC is wrong over show music". BBC News. BBC. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  8. ^ "BBC Shop: Wonders of the Universe Book". BBC Shop Online. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  9. ^ Lambert, David (20 April 2011). "Wonders of the Universe - The New 4-Part Documentary from BBC/Discovery is Coming to DVD and Blu-ray". TVshowsonDVD.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  10. ^ "BBC Shop: Wonders of the Universe DVD". BBC Shop Online. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  11. ^ "BBC Shop: Wonders of the Universe Blu-ray". BBC Shop Online. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  12. ^ "ABC Shop: Wonders of the Universe DVD". ABC Shop Online. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  13. ^ "ABC Shop: Wonders of the Universe Blu-ray". ABC Shop Online. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  14. ^ "ABC1 Programming Airdate: Wonders of the Universe (episode one)". ABC Television Publicity. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  15. Danmarks Radio
    . Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  16. ^ "BBC Entertainment India: TV Schedule 2012/07/03". BBC Entertainment India. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  17. ^ "Coming up in August on TVNZ 7: Spotlight on Science and Innovation". TVNZ. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  18. ^ "Science Channel Announces WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE - Premieres July 27 at 9:00PM (ET/PT)". RealityTVWebsite.com. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  19. ^ "Science Episode Guide: Wonders of the Universe". Science Online. Retrieved 8 October 2011.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wonders_of_the_Universe&oldid=1204170015"