Friday 15 November 2013

"The Science of Doctor Who" Musings


As a youngster, I used to love the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. Mind you, in my day, it was Michael Faraday - on 405-line telly. I actually saw him singe those notes with that candle, and was one of the first to post the clip on Ye Olde You Tube. The lectures didn't do much for me, academically. I successfully failed both Chemistry and Physics at school.
It was therefore with a certain degree of trepidation that I watched Prof. Foxy Coxy's Who-related science lecture on BBC2 tonight.
A celebrity audience (including Mr Moffat) and name-checking of Einstein, Maxwell, Davy. Frequent interruptions from the Doctor. A Silent gag. That's a gag featuring a Silent - not one without any words.
By the end of it, I can now say I fully understand the science behind time travel, know the probability of life on exo-planets, and know what Charles Dance was getting up to back in the 1960's.
I now also know that I am a time traveller. Usually at a rate of one hour per hour, but capable of travelling at a half hour per hour on Friday afternoons and during most team meetings...
The one thing I didn't understand, however, was why on Earth this was shown at 9 o'clock at night. The closing moments were all about how this sort of thing could inspire youngsters. So I sincerely hope this gets a proper screening for that particular audience.

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