The Secret Genius of Modern Life

It's quite common to consider that the BBC has dumbed down - certainly in science documentaries they are nowhere near as taxing as vintage Horizon programmes on subatomic physics. However, in The Secret Genius of Modern Life they have a brilliant mix of information and entertainment. Professor Hannah Fry is an absolute gem with her sense of humour, almost flirting with the camera and breaking the Fourth Wall by involving the production team, whilst covering subjects at a good pace with information that I found well researched and scripted, presented and novel. I hope that there's another series. In some ways this series reminded me of a mixture of the programmes done by James May and many years ago by James Burke.

A TV show about technology, physics, chemistry, mecahnics or whatever the scientific subject may be is automatically a good thing. But "The secret genius of modern life" is too dumbed down to really work for anyone with a three figure IQ and/or over the age of 12.

But the big annoyance here is Professor Fry. Anyone who introduces themselves as "professor so and so" needs to be taken down a peg or two (that also applies to her colleauge Alice Roberts, by the way).

She obviously loves the sound of her own voice and to have the camera pointing at her constantly. Her "jokes" are as unfunny as they get, and she seems to be totally immersed in the "cloud of smug" of South Park fame.

This show seems to have been created solely as a vehicle to boost Ms Fry's celebrity status and earnings. Give us a proper presenter who takes the subject seriously and treats the viewers like intelligent human beings, please.

I have followed Professor Fry for years, through her brilliant podcast Curious Cases (we mourn it's end) and now her new show Uncharted, and all her programs. Though an American, I was lucky enough to spend recent days in England and catch up on the shows not yet available elsewhere, including this second season of Secret Genius. The one genius which Prof. Fry does not mention is hers. I can't speak for her genius in maths, though I have no doubt about it (I don't even know what Advanced Center for Spacial Analysis does). But one of her talents shines through everything she does: her amazing ability to explain what are often extremely complicated workings simply enough for a common person to understand. She does this without talking down to listeners, and just as important, without devaluing or distorting the original science content. That's a trick I wish more people had. That she does all this smart stuff in her posh, sultry voice (I'm not the first to say this) is only a bonus. Her sense of humor is topnotch, and her mastery of her content cannot be challenged. I hope she runs this show for many seasons. I think my family are better people for watching it.

A fantastic series of programmes which delves into the creation and history of a variety of objects and technologies, some common like the vacuum cleaner or trainer, others not so common like biometrics in a passport.

The programme is hosted by the wonderful Hannah Fry - Professor Hannah Fry! She earned the title so, unlike another reviewer, I think she is entitled to use it. (Same goes for Alice Roberts!).

Hannah's ability to make sometimes complicated inventions and technologies easy to understand make this programme accessible to most veiwers (again, I disagree with same reviewer on this. What is the point of making a programme that people don't understand? It's entertainment!).

Thoroughly enjoyable and informative and highly recommended. 10/10.