Rewind TV: Wonders of Life; Jonathan Meades: The Joy of Essex; Derek – review

Brian Cox was an engaging guide to the origins of life, but the science could be an uphill struggleWonders of Life (BBC1) | iPlayerJonathan Meades: The Joy of Essex (BBC4) | iPlayerDerek (C4) | 4ODAlready one senses the knives are out for Brian Cox, perhaps especially among those who were the first to herald his youthful, mesmerising genius but now don't like the way he has turned into a media darling with his gentle gaze and ubiquity, his poetic explanations of difficult phenomena and annoyingly full head of hair. "Next!" they cry, as if presenters who look like indie rock stars but think like Einstein are queuing round the block to appear on TV. Was it the last straw seeing him on Graham Norton and Doctor Who last year? Of course there are those who view any attempt to popularise science by dressing like a student and talking like Donovan as an unforgivable betrayal of Copernicus and Galileo – as if anything short of a willingness to be burnt at the stake for one's ideas about the cosmos is a victory for the forces of darkness and frankly typical of the modern-day BBC.All points to consider, though in common with most normal people who think of science as something that goes in one ear and out of the other I am a big fan (as indeed is David Attenborough, who last week anointed Cox as his natural successor). It didn't bother me that Cox's new series, Wonders of Life, started with one of the cliches of primetime documentaries – ie, some amazing photography. Who wouldn't w...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Culture Television & radio Art and design Brian Cox Reviews The Observer Ricky Gervais Architecture amp; radio Source Type: news