The Bionic Man • 2016 • episode "5/6" • The Age of Robots

58:32

Ada Lovelace was a most unlikely computer pioneer. In this film, Dr Hannah Fry tells the story of Ada's remarkable life. Born in the early 19th century Ada was a countess of the realm, a scandalous socialite and an 'enchantress of numbers'. The film is an enthralling tale of how a life infused with brilliance, but blighted by illness and gambling addiction, helped give rise to the modern era of computing. Hannah traces Ada's unlikely union with the father of computers, Charles Babbage. Babbage designed the world's first steam-powered computers - most famously the analytical engine - but it was Ada who realised the full potential of these new machines. During her own lifetime Ada was most famous for being the daughter of romantic poet Lord Byron ('mad, bad and dangerous to know'). It was only with the advent of modern computing that Ada's understanding of their flexibility and power (that they could be far more than mere number crunchers) was recognised as truly visionary. Hannah explores how Ada's unique inheritance - poetic imagination and rational logic - made her the ideal prophet of the digital age. This moving, intelligent and beautiful film makes you realise we nearly had a Victorian computer revolution.

2015 • Technology

54:31

Miami is beloved for its beaches and waterfront homes and businesses. See how engineers and planners are trying to protect Miami from rising seas and ever-more-frequent and violent storm surges that could destroy the city’s tourist and business economy.

4/4 • Sinking Cities • 2018 • Technology

55:01

See firsthand why London's Thames Barrier is no longer enough to keep the city safe from rising tides. The system has worked for decades, but due to increased environmental challenges, its location on a flood plain and heavy urbanization, London must now explore both low-tech fixes and some of the most advanced engineering solutions in the world.

3/4 • Sinking Cities • 2018 • Technology

89:00

Tomorrow's World is back for one night only in a special live 90-minute edition of the iconic science and technology programme. Led by much-loved presenters Maggie Philbin and Howard Stableford, alongside Dr Hannah Fry, the programme takes a nostalgic look back at highlights from the archive, discovers the latest in British invention, tests cutting-edge technologies live in the studio, and looks forward to the science and technology that will shape our future.

2018 • Technology

55:41

Only in the last 200 years have humans learned how to make things cold. Steven Johnson explains how ice entrepreneur Frederic Tudor made ice delivery one of the biggest export business in the U.S. and describes the place where Clarence Birdseye, the father of the frozen food industry, experienced his eureka moment. He also travels to Dubai to see how mastery of cold has led to penguins in the desert. From IVF to food, politics and Hollywood to human migration, the unsung heroes of cold have led the way.

5/6 • How We Got to Now • 2014 • Technology

59:04

Our ability to see and record live events from right across the world has shrunk the globe, making virtual neighbours of us all. It is a defining characteristic of our modern world. The final episode in the series reveals the fascinating stories that made such everyday miracles possible. It tells the story of the handful of extraordinary inventions and their inventors who tackled the complexities of chemistry and electronics and discovered how to capture and reproduce still and moving images. Michael Mosley and academics Prof Mark Miodownik and Dr Cassie Newland tell the amazing story of three of the greatest and most transformative inventions of all time - photography, moving pictures and television.

Part 4 • The Genius of Invention • 2013 • Technology