The Entire Universe in One Hour

[Slarti]

Did anybody else watch this strange confection?

Journalists complain about scientists not engaging with the public, but this, with and amazing cast, song, dance and science was about as engaging as it could get.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b086kfbj/the-entire-universe

Slarti

PS Warwick Davis makes a spookily realistic Barry Gibb

[Clitheroekid]

Did anybody else watch this strange confection?

I watched it for about 15 minutes, then abandoned it. It just seemed very laboured to me and I thought Eric Idle came over as being well past it.

Whilst I'm all for science being presented in a way that's accessible there's a tendency to assume too little intelligence on the part of the viewer so that it ends up being presented in what seems to me a patronising way, treating the audience like excitable children - The Infinite Monkey Cage on R4 typifies this approach.

But it's horses for courses, and it'd be a dull world if we all liked the same things.

[Slarti]

Did anybody else watch this strange confection?

I watched it for about 15 minutes, then abandoned it. It just seemed very laboured to me and I thought Eric Idle came over as being well past it.

Whilst I'm all for science being presented in a way that's accessible there's a tendency to assume too little intelligence on the part of the viewer so that it ends up being presented in what seems to me a patronising way, treating the audience like excitable children - The Infinite Monkey Cage on R4 typifies this approach.

But it's horses for courses, and it'd be a dull world if we all liked the same things.

I'd agree about Eric, without hesitation.

Unfortunately you bailed out about where it started to get good. Or at least not bad.

It gave me a couple of giggles and taught me some science new to me, so overall a good show.

Slarti

[bungeejumper]

Fraid I'm with CK here. The wife and I were really looking forward to it, but Eric Idle was just so squirm-making that we didn't last ten minutes.

That was an odd thing, because we were already prepared for the ironic glitzy twenty-thousand-sequins showstopper thing, which Mr Idle used to excel at. But somehow it seemed as though the irony wasn't quite there in the required quantity, and that made it a bit dodgy. I imagine it's still on iPlayer? Will give it a second go now that Christmas is over.

Brian Cox does seem to get himself into some peculiar programmes these days.

BJ