Bang Goes the Theory
| Bang Goes the Theory | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Factual, science and technology |
| Presented by | Liz Bonnin Jem Stansfield Dallas Campbell Dr. Yan Wong |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Production location | Bedfordshire |
| Editor | Dermot Caulfield |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | BBC Open University |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One BBC HD |
| Release | 27 July 2009 |
| Related | |
| Tomorrow's World | |
Bang Goes the Theory is a British television science magazine series, co-produced by the BBC and the Open University, that began on 27 July 2009 on BBC One. Presented by Liz Bonnin, Jem Stansfield, Dallas Campbell and Dr. Yan Wong, the show employs a hands-on approach to test scientific theory and demonstrate how science shapes our world.
Production
Creation
The co-production between the BBC and the Open University was announced in June 2009 and was commissioned by Jay Hunt, controller of BBC One, for ten 30 minute episodes. It promises to "put scientific theory to the test" and examine "how science shapes the world around us".[1] During the announcement, Hunt stated that the series "brings popular science back to the very heart of BBC One",[1] referring to the long-running BBC series Tomorrow's World, which ran from 1965 to 2003 and was cancelled following falling ratings.[2] Comparing Bang Goes the Theory to Tomorrow's World, series editor Dermot Caulfield said,
Rather than simply be a reporting vehicle on what’s new in the world of science, we want to roll up our sleeves, stick our hands in the dirty gubbins of the engine and find out why, what, or where science is happening.[3]
Dr. Stephen Serjeant (Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics for the OU), and Dr Ian Johnston (Lecturer in Engineering for the OU) are the two academic team leaders for the production, covering disciplines including geology, astrophysics, neuropsychology and zoology.[1] The series is based in a building that housed the supersonic wind tunnel at RAE Bedford in Bedfordshire and was also the testing facility for the first prototype Harrier Jump Jet V/STOL aircraft.[4]
To "inspire the audience to get hands on with science", the series is being supported by a number of free events across the country organised by BBC Learning.[1][5]
Presenters
Bang Goes the Theory is presented by Dallas Campbell (The Gadget Show); Liz Bonnin (Science Friction, RI:SE, Top of the Pops), a masters in wild animal conservation; Jem Stansfield (Men in White, Scrapheap Challenge), an experienced welder and designer of museum exhibits, and Dr. Yan Wong (co-author of The Ancestor's Tale), an Oxford-educated evolutionary biologist.[1]
Live trailer
Ahead of the start of the series, BBC One aired a live three minute trailer on 14 July 2009 before EastEnders. Described as a television first and emulating the Honda television advert Cog, it featured a continuing chain of scientific experiments, with one triggering the next and so on. The sequence included Bonnin using a bicycle to power a Van de Graaff generator and Stansfield then using the 250,000 volts generated to, amongst other things,
- light a Bunsen burner,
- inflate a large inflatable bunny,
- trigger a thermal switch,
- repel Wong away from Campbell along a track (using electromagnets attached to both presenters), and
- power a robotic hand
The sequence did not quite complete as expected: the bunny did not fully inflate and manual intervention was required to break an infrared beam to allow the experiment to continue - the rest of the experiment was executed without problems. Prior to the broadcast, over 10,000 people voted online for Wong to be propelled using magnetic forces. The trailer was directed by Grant Gee.[6][7]
Episodes
Series one
The first series consisted of ten episodes. At the end of the last episode, it was announced that the programme would return in March 2010.[8]
| Episode | Topics | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gait recognition, vortex rings, genetic engineering and an uncooked egg.[9] | 27 July 2009 |
| 2 | Bugs as food, planet discovery, water powered jet pack | 3 August 2009 |
| 3 | Submarine rescue, plastics, vacuum gloves | 10 August 2009 |
| 4 | Magnetic cows, psychological priming, underwater fireworks, space race | 17 August 2009 |
| 5 | Thrills, non-lethal weapons, snakes and perception, squeaky voices | 24 August 2009 |
| 6 | Helicopters, Brain-Training, Space Entrepreneurs, Melting Glass in a Microwave | 7 September 2009 |
| 7 | Braking Systems, Origins of Speech, British Summers, Optical Illusions | 14 September 2009 |
| 8 | Microwaves, Nature v Nurture, Gyroscopes, Infrared | 21 September 2009 |
| 9 | Multitasking, Hot Ice, Spider Silk, Magic | 28 September 2009 |
| 10 | Toffee powered rocket, sense of smell, electricity and magnetism, fusion | 5 October 2009 |
| SP1 | Human Power Station Note: This was a special hour long episode, also shown in HD. | 3 December 2009 |
Series two
The second series consisted of eight episodes, plus another hour long special, starting on 15 March 2010. It was also broadcast on BBC HD.
| Episode | Topics | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fire extinguisher go cart, global crude oil supply and exploration, and solving crimes with Forensic science. | 15 March 2010 |
| 2 | Human g-force tolerance, Sport Relief, the atom, and snorkel length. | 22 March 2010 |
| 3 | Darwin's dilema, Human powered hydrofoil, Lie detectors | 29 March 2010 |
| 4 | Steel making, Eternal life, Dolphin flipper on a human swimmer | 12 April 2010 |
| SP2 | Can You Train Your Brain? An hour long special | 14 April 2010 |
| 5 | Volcanic ash, Power stations, Skiing | 19 April 2010 |
| 6 | Happiness, Burying carbon dioxide, Avalanches | 26 April 2010 |
| 7 | Horsepower, Free diving, Anti-matter | 3 May 2010 |
| 8 | Smell, Coffee fueled car, Origins of life | 10 May 2010 |
References
- ^ a b c d e "New series, Bang Goes The Theory, puts popular science at the heart of the BBC One summer schedule". BBC Press Office. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
- ^ Michael Rosser (3 June 2009). "BBC1 revives spirit of Tomorrow's World". Broadcast. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
- ^ Bambury, Adam (24 June 2009). "Meet Dermot Caulfied". open2.net. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
- ^ BGTT: Janet Sumner gives a brief intro to the show. The Open University on Youtube. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
- ^ "Roadshow and hands-on events". BBC. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
- ^ Video accessible at "Bang Goes the Theory". BBC. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
- ^ Wardrop, Murray (14 July 2009). "Bang Goes The Theory: BBC braves potential disaster with live scientific experiments". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
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