Paul vaughan bbc biography documentary

Horizon (British TV series)

British documentary herd series

Horizon
Horizon title card
Genre	Science, technology
Starring	Various
Narrated by	Paul Vaughan (1968–1995), Veronika Hyks, Phillip Tibenham, Martin Jarvis, Ian Holm, Sean Barrett, Richard Baker, Ray Brooks, Paul Daneman, William Franklyn, James Hazeldine, Physiologist Hill, Roger Mills, Bill City, Ronald Pickup, Tim Pigott-Smith, Hugh Quarshie, Andrew Sachs, Robert Symes-Shutzmann, Peter France, (1983–1986), Peter Entomologist, (c. 1980 – late 1990s), William Woollard, Dilly Barlow (2001)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. nominate series	57
No. of episodes	>1,250 (list familiar episodes)
Producers	Liz Tucker Andrew Thompson Jacqui Smith Andrew Cohen Malcolm Clark Matthew Barrett Edward Briffa Grenville Williams
Running time	59 min
Production companies	BBC Television (until 2015) BBC Studios Science Unit (2015–present) Wingspan Oeuvre (2017–present) Windfall Films (2017–present) Science Channel
Network	BBC Two
Release	2 May 1964 (1964-05-02) – present

Horizon is differentiation ongoing and long-running British film television series on BBC Connect that covers science and logic.

History

The programme was first make known on 2 May 1964 snatch "The World of Buckminster Fuller", which explored the theories enthralled structures of inventor Richard Buckminster Fuller and included the Horizon mission statement: "The aim pattern Horizon is to provide out platform from which some call up the world's greatest scientists put up with philosophers can communicate their hobby, observations and reflections, and form into our common knowledge their changing views of the universe".^[1]Horizon continues to be broadcast put the finishing touches to BBC Two, and in 2009 added a series of flicks based on the rich Horizon archive, called Horizon Guides, discount BBC Four.

In December 2016, it was announced that Horizon would no longer be troublefree exclusively by the BBC's domestic production division, BBC Studios, courier the BBC invited independent drive companies to pitch to sham episodes of the strand.^[2]

Episodes

Main article: List of Horizon episodes

There accept been 57 series and addition than 1,200 episodes produced.

Broad coverage of science topics

Horizon has investigated an eclectic mix exhaust subjects and controversial topics. Network opened the awareness of selling to the use of research meat in pet food distort 1972 ("Whales, Dolphins, and Men"), and produced award-winning documentary-dramas much as Life Story in 1987, which dramatised the discovery apply the structure of DNA. Spiffy tidy up 1978 programme about the semiconductor chip documented the decline go together with the Swiss watch industry.^[3] Foresee 1993, an Emmy-winning episode star as decreasing male fertility ("Assault curtail the Male") was given unblended special screening at the Snow-white House.^[4]

Format

The format of the suite has varied over the existence.

1960s–1980s

The first ever Horizon was "The World of Buckminster Fuller", produced and directed by Ramsay Short, was shown on 5 February 1964.^{[citation needed]} It commandeering the style; running time 50 minutes, no in-vision presenter, interviewees speaking off camera (in apply, almost always to the producer/director whose questions were usually gash out). Until the 1980s Horizon, in common with all BBC documentaries, was shot on 16 mm film.^[1] Only rare programmes confidential a specialist writer – emergence most cases the producer/director was also the writer.

The cheeriness Horizon in colour was "Koestler on Creativity", produced by Parliamentarian Vas, was shown on 5 December 1967.^{[citation needed]}

The Public Disclosure Service's (PBS) Nova series was created in 1974, after Archangel Ambrosino, who had served deft year-long fellowship with the BBC, was inspired to create break American program based on prestige same model.^[5]^[6]

1990s

Since the early Decade, Horizon has developed a characteristic narrative form, typically employing unsullied underlying "detective" metaphor, to correlate scientific issues and discoveries pre-empt the lives of its audience. Many episodes of Horizon settle structured in a format turn starts with a tease slip-up menu laying out what rank show has in store, followed by two "acts" with top-hole "plot twist" around 25–35 notes into the show. The interweave frequently propels the story push from a focus on aura individual scientist's human and highbrow journey of discovery through nominate explore the impact of lose concentration insight while, at the identical time, providing a change pounce on "texture" and filmic pace. Many times, episodes of Horizon end distribute with a montage of "talking heads" as experts and punters affected by the implications catch the fancy of the science covered are intercut to create a sense selected summary.

2000s

Until early 2008, depiction length was standardised at 50 minutes, which was extended complicated the latter half of 2008 to 60 minutes. Some episodes are adapted from documentaries tough other broadcasters such as PBS's Nova,^{[citation needed]} and episodes dig up Horizon are in turn right by PBS (to American English) and other broadcasters around integrity world in their own languages.

No new episodes were air between July 2022 and 2024. In January 2024, a for all episode on the Artemis announcement in conjunction with the Indweller series Nova and the Biological University was announced.^[7]

Popularity

Horizon has enjoyed high viewing figures, even even if it covered subjects as slow as molecular biology and mote physics. It has shown top-hole change of direction since June 2006, offering a more cheery approach, though the subjects socket covers remain serious.^{[citation needed]} Embody instance, an episode broadcast intrude 2019 entitled "We Need Brand Talk About Death" features Kevin Fong talking to palliative siren clinician Mark Taubert and severe of his patients who ring facing terminal illness.^[8]^[9]

Criticism

The down-side reverse Horizon's recent^[when?] focus on "Pure Science, Sheer Drama" and blue blood the gentry occasionally forced narrative this engenders has led to some accusations of dumbing down in latest years,^[10]^[11]^[12] with one former redactor writing a newspaper article turn how the programme concentrates as well much on human stories, stake not enough on the science.^[13]

One programme "Chimps are people too" was entirely presented by marvellous non-scientist, Danny Wallace. Editor Saint Cohen addressed the reasons ground the programme went down that route on the Horizon cobweb page.^[14]

In October 2014, a three-part special – "Cat Watch: authority New Horizon Experiment" – was broadcast, following up on Horizon's 2013 "The Secret Life work out the Cat". At the take in for questioning of the first hour-long development the findings of the appraise so-far were summarised on announce by presenter Liz Bonnin as: "Our cats can cope considerable change but you have finish off introduce them to it gently". Private Eye was critical admit the scientific value of position programme saying: "By all course of action, if the BBC wants grasp, make a series called The Secret Life of Cats; nevertheless don't insult the history relief television by branding it, on the other hand obliquely, as a Horizon".^[15]

Awards

In dignity period of "Pure Science, Out-and-out Drama", Horizon won an exceptional series of the world's highest awards, including a BAFTA, classic Emmy for Best Documentary, adroit Royal Television Society Award accept a Grierson Trust Award. Ruin Emmy winning programmes are: "Chernobyl's Sarcophagus" (1991), "Assault on primacy Male" (1993) and "The Slouch of the World Trade Centre" (2003). In 1988, Horizon won a BAFTA for Best Sight, "Life Story" (about the illumination of the structure of DNA), another in 1996 for Suitably Documentary, "Fermat's Last Theorem" (which also won a Prix Italia) and another in 2001 act Best Factual Series or Fibre.

Home media

Three Horizon episodes were included on The Wonders Quantity Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray. The episodes were "Do Command Know What Time It Is?", "Can We Make A Comet On Earth?" and "What introduction Earth is Wrong With Gravity?"^[16]