Science is now cool, thanks to our Brian

CHANNEL HOPPING:

THE BBC is clearly on a mission — to drag science away from the nerd-laden laboratory of yesteryear and into a dynamic dimension of must-see TV.

Where “The Sky at Night” clung steadfastly to its hitched-up trousers and monocle, the modern-day TV boffins are finally squaring up, and even taking a small step for man into the realms of coolness – just ask Oldham’s very own shooting star, Prof Brian Cox.

The “Wonders of the Solar System” frontman made an explosive journey of his own on Friday — all the way to the Jonathan Ross show. He was over the moon. Brian’s own gem of a programme on BBC2, hidden away like some mysterious little-known planet, is light years away from Sir Patrick Moore.

No perplexing diagrams or colour-coded graphs — the like of which made double physics a cataclysmic nightmare back in the day. This is done the right way, with stellar, yet down-to-earth explanations — and bags of enthusiasm. Science like what me and thee can understand. Who’d have thunk it?


EVEN petrol-head Richard Hammond has seen the light.

“Invisible Worlds” saw the “Top Gear” presenter examine the complex matter of a life beyond the spectrum of the human eye. Using the latest camera technology he revealed how invisible forces play a much bigger part in the world we live than simply what meets the eye. Out of this world stuff.

ALL parameters for the “Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford” experiment pointed to 1980s time travel. And “Ashes to Ashes” isn’t until this Friday.

Bang went that theory. Aside from a couple of Jo Brand’s oldest jokes, the tried and tested cabaret format of laughs, chat and tunes — not forgetting the obligatory ventriloquist — saw this one-off show inject some much-needed joy into an otherwise dreary Friday night on ITV. More, please.


Soap roar: “Like Jodrell Bank in a cardigan.” Rita’s take on Corrie’s resident snoop Norris Cole.

Soap bore: Enders crossed over to the dark side once more with the Max-Stace two-hander . . . and just when it was getting good again. The previous episode saw AWOL Stacey’s condition upgraded from dead to alive when “Slater clan in morgue cliff-hanger” was surely the way to go. Becca was the only one who knew the truth. So why spoil the suspense?