I thought I had control over what I think, which it turns out, I – as in, the person I think I am – probably doesn’t. My brain does, both the conscious and unconscious bits of it… and that’s creepy.

So I suppose the question I was left with after watching Professor Marcus du Sautoy test and retest his own brain, is, “Is my brain ‘me’, or am I my brain?”

Confused? Well you should be. Horizon is of course historically one of those shows that tries to simplify complicated stuff so plebeians like me can make head or tails of it, and usually it works, but I’m still not entirely sure what the outcome of this film was… Read more & comment »

Michael Portillo investigates what makes ordinary people commit extreme acts of violence, in the final Horizon of the series, and explores the fine line between control and aggression.

Michael looks at the environmental and psychological factors that can cause an individual to snap and to lose their self-control. He explores a much darker side of people’s nature and asks if anyone can be driven to deliberately kill. In a thought-provoking and sometimes uncomfortable journey, Michael discovers that each of us could be inherently more violent than we think.

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In a bid to explain the power and wonder of mathematics to a non-mathematician, Professor Marcus du Sautoy is taking one of Britain’s best-loved comics, Alan Davies, on a mathematical road trip.

Mathematics is the one of the most powerful disciplines in history. It has not only helped to build the modern world, but it also continuously offers an insight into how the universe works. Why then, do so many people hate it?

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In last night’s edition of Horizon, David Baddiel, comedian, presenter and father of two, set out to answer one of the – arguably – biggest questions a parent can ask; how best to educate your child… so I’m not sure why they didn’t title the programme along those lines rather than “Who Do You Want Your Child To Be?” which would’ve suggested to me – had I not read the ‘blurb’ – that the programme was probably something to do with genetic selection and fiddling about at embryonic stage, however, I digress…

Taking in the latest scientific research, David uncovered some unconventional approaches to this issue; from the parent ‘hot-hosing’ his child to record-breaking feats of maths, to a school that pays cash for good grades.

David witnessed a “ground-breaking experiment” that suggested a child’s destiny can be predicted at the age of four, and we heard how three little words “can ruin a child’s chance of success for good” and those words are, “You’re so clever”. Read more & comment »

Last night’s edition of Horizon – How To Survive A Disaster – was Horizon at its best; scientific data delivered in an interesting and ‘easy’ way and this particular one made us viewers stare in the face the fact that all those things we just assume will never happen to us actually just might. And what’s more, it gave us a few clues on how to survive if and when it does.

From plane crashes, boats sinking and car crashes to which surfaces are more likely to cause you to fall to your death, the broad spectrum of grim ways to die – many of which are quite possibly avoidable – were covered with advice from experts on what to do if any of these things should happen to us…. Read more & comment »

Welcome to our Primetime Picks of what we reckon is worth tuning into this coming week!

Monday

A brand new series of the fabulous Monkey Life starts at 6:30pm on Five. The series follows the residents – both human and primate – of Dorset’s Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre. In this episode, 88 capuchin monkeys rescued from a research laboratory in Chile wake up to their first morning at Monkey World.

Over in the Chimp nursery, Rodders has a run-in with a sticky melon and the park’s naughtiest resident, Seamus the chimp, comes face to face with alpha male Butch in the bachelor pad… Read more & comment »

Horizon's nudity volunteers

Ok, so just what is wrong with nudity and why are people embarrassed about their bodies? And how and why did we get that way?

Well, the ever intrepid Horizon team wanted to find out, so they took a group of volunteers – Rosie, Alex, Kath, helen, Iain, Phil, Lucy and Foyez – and subjected them to a series of “psychological and physical tests” designed to challenge attitudes to nakedness.

Human beings, we were told, are the only creatures that are ‘naked’ in the sense that we don’t have fur or feathers or something, but why, how and when did people lose their ‘fur’? Read more & comment »

Welcome to our Primetime Picks of what’s on our tellyboxes next week, and it looks like being a good ‘un this week!

Monday

The Real Pink Panther: Lord Victor Hervey, 8:00pm, Channel 4

The final film in Channel 4’s Toffs and Crims series, which explores the affinity between the upper echelons of society and the criminal underclass.

Victor Hervey, the sixth Marquis of Bristol, masterminded a gang of career criminals and then found himself at the Old Bailey on two counts of jewel theft.

It has long been believed that, when he was convicted in 1939 and sentenced to three years penal servitude, this was the end of Victor’s criminal ways. However, recently declassified police documents reveal that after he was released Victor may still have been involved in crime… Read more & comment »

It is estimated that there are now more people on the planet at risk from obesity-related diseases than there are suffering from starvation. Western society in the 21st century is eating itself into an early grave but, while the ranks of the overweight and obese are swelling, there is a significant proportion of the population who are apparently immune to this phenomenon.

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Horizon – the BBC’s flagship science strand – continues its exploration into the fine line between mental illness and sanity, in the concluding episode of this two-part special.

There are 10 volunteers, half have psychiatric disorders, the other half doesn’t – but who is who?

In the first programme, three leading experts in mental health successfully identified volunteer Dan as having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). But they mistakenly chose Yasmin as the person they thought was least likely to have a psychiatric disorder. The process of observation turns out to be far harder than any of them expected.

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Horizon takes viewers on a journey into the human memory – how it emerges in childhood, develops through the teenage years into adulthood, and begins to fade in middle age.

Throughout childhood, the ability to recall the past improves, but this isn’t the case for John Forbes. The “hardware” for his memory was damaged at birth and he is unable to do simple tasks such as catch a bus or cook a meal because he constantly forgets what he is doing.

John’s memory deficit brings another, more surprising, problem – he cannot plan for the future. In most children, this ability develops around the age of five. MRI scanning has shown that some areas of the brain used to process memories also produce our ideas about the future. So, without a past, John is also unable to imagine his own future. Read more & comment »

How much is your body worth? Rather a lot, it turns out. Horizon explores the revolutions in medicine that have fuelled the demand for human tissue and have caused the potential value of a human cadaver to rise to as much as
$250,000 over the past 20 years.

Society undoubtedly benefits from the medical advances made through the use of human tissue, but in some parts of the world – notably the United States – it has led to a grisly black-market trade in body parts.

In 2004, veteran broadcaster Alistair Cooke died in his New York apartment. Eighteen months later, it emerged that his bones had been sold for $11,000. A body-brokering ring led by former dentist Michael Mastromarino had stolen body parts from over 1,000 bodies at funeral homes, making nearly £5m. When the crime was uncovered, it lifted the lid on the illegal trade in human tissue. Read more & comment »

Last year, Professor Lesley Regan caused waves across the beauty industry with her BBC Horizon exposé. Now she returns to scour supermarket shelves and reveal the truths behind the labels.

Can “superfoods” prevent cancer? What does pro-biotic mean? Is organic really healthier? Every year, millions of pounds are spent by consumers because impressive claims appear to be backed-up by science. But which products have the evidence to back up their claims?

From pro-biotics and organic food to anti-bacterial sprays, washing powders and superfoods, Horizon cuts through the complex science and the confusing marketing speak to answer one simple question: “Should I buy this, or not?” Read more & comment »

Forget the Atkins Diet, or the latest Hollywood fad, this week Horizon travels to the far corners of the globe to find out the real secret to a long and healthy life.

During the course of the show we will meet 92 year old Ellen Wareham who is performing open heart surgery, and Marge Jetton is celebrating her 103rd birthday with a six-mile bike ride. It makes you wonder what we are doing wrong.

In Okinawa, Japan, over 900 centenarians enjoy healthy lifestyles with daily doses of fruit, vegetables and exercise. But Dr Bradley Wilcox has also found evidence that Okinawans share a hormonal pattern, which means they age slower than almost anyone else. If they could bottle these hormones they would make a fortune. Who amongst us wouldn’t be lining up top buy it? Read more & comment »

Humans are bad at making decisions. According to some scientists, most decisions are based on oversimplification, laziness and prejudice.

Horizon presents a guide to better decision-making, revealing how choices can be confounded by temperature, warped by post-rationalisation and even manipulated by the future.

Mathematician Garth Sundem is convinced that conclusions can best be reached using simple maths and a pencil. So, he experiments with a group of single computer enthusiasts to see if maths can help them find love. Read more & comment »