Dara O’Briain’s Science Club returned recently with it’s second series and for science lovers it’s rolled gold. If you’re a soap fan this probably won’t be one for you, but for anyone with a passing interest and upwards in science it’s must watch TV, providing a good insight in overarching themes for each episode, while also going into the detail of the latest studies from the field.
There are six 1 hour long episodes in the series, which started airing on BBC2 on the 25th July 2013 with the enigmatically titled opening episode, Mindbending. The final episode is due to air on the 29th August 2013 and promises to be another Science Club slice of genius with an episode called Invisible Worlds looking at the little things all around us that shape our lives despite being too small for the naked eye to see.
The second series included a deep dive into the realms of chronology in episode 2, Adventures in Time (1st August 2013), which had a massive range of time related topics ranging from the aerodynamics of a bob sleigh to shave off milliseconds to increase its team’s times, and an amazing feature on a research team that has managed to use stem cell technology to create a beating human heart that could one day help us live even longer.
We also had the comedically titled 5th episode, Size Matters (22nd August 2013), which showcased the discovery that copper surfaces help to reduce the presence of hospital super bugs, as well as showing us a very cool online tool to travel through the entire breadth of reality from the smallest of the smallest quarks up through other minuscule particles, waves, atoms, cells, humans and a significant array of celestial bodies to eventually top out at the edges of the visible universe. Visit https://htwins.net/scale2/ to see it for yourself.
Throughout the series Dara goes from strength to strength as the presenter. He’s got a very balanced way of looking at science topics with a lot of interest and enthusiasm, but equally he knows when to drop in a witty comment or two. He’s also managed to tame his wilder facial and physical expressions when he’s presenting, which gives the show a bit more gravitas in the later episodes.
As well as Dara’s less than expert, though keen, interest the BBC2 boffins have also managed to find some genuinely engaging science reporters in Helen Czerski and Alok Jha. They’re added to by some great guests, like Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies and astrophysicist Dr Jo Dunkley in the Size Matters episode. There’s also a pretty active studio audience, which adds to the entertainment value when they’re asked to get involved in the show.
Science Club’s trusty experimentalist expert, Mark Miodownik, brings the science of the show to life with sensational experiments that do a lot to ignite interest in the chosen top. This has ranged from flour explosions to dropping ballistic jelly and punching a bowl of corn starch water to demonstrate the concept of viscosity in liquids.
It’s a real treat to find a science show that isn’t pretentious, doesn’t dumb things down, is entertaining and funny while also managing to bring a new excitement to the many fields of science. It contributes brilliantly to what is starting to be a scientific resurgence on TV and radio with the likes of The Infinite Monkey Cage and Wonders of the Universe.
If you missed any episodes from series 2 you should still be able to catch up on these with the BBC iPlayer. However, they won’t be there forever, so you’ll need to get watching.
Dara O’Briain’s Science Club series 2 review: 5/5
