Professor Brian Cox fronted this five-part BBC Two series from 7 October to 4 November 2014, touring observatories, rocket sites and archaeological digs to examine human origins, loneliness and possible futures. Executive producer Andrew Cohen and producer Gideon Bradshaw sent Cox to the Rift Valley’s fossil beds, Kazakhstan’s Baikonur cosmodrome and the Arecibo radio telescope, while cinematographer Paul O’Callaghan shot in 4K to give the cosmos the same glossy treatment Cox previously gave the Solar System. Composer Philip Sheppard threaded elegiac strings beneath images of the Vostok capsule and the Very Large Array, turning what could have been lecture theatre material into Sunday-night spectacle.
International buyers tweaked the packaging: Australia’s ABC kept Cox but shortened the title to Human Universe with Brian Cox, while the Flemish broadcaster VRT subbed in local presenters and the U.S. Science Channel retitled it Hacking the Universe. The shift in branding made little difference to the content, which remained Cox’s trademark blend of gee-whist physics and gentle philosophical wonder. A companion book by Cox and Cohen hit shelves on 9 October 2014, the day after episode two aired, and the DVD followed on 10 November, three days before transmission ended, giving the series a second life under many living-room Christmas trees that year.
Production Details
BBC Two / 1 Season / 5 Episodes / 2014
Created by: Professor Brian Cox
Producer(s): Gideon Bradshaw
Main Cast
Professor Brian Cox as Self - Presenter
