Genius of Britain: The Scientists Who Changed the World (2010)

Charismatic men of action and reclusive eccentrics. Eureka moments and serendipitous strokes of luck. Discoveries born of crisis and insatiable curiosity. The history of scientific progress in Britain offers an astonishing breadth of personalties and has had an awe-inspiring effect on world progress. Each episode in this five-part series brings an era of scientific thought to vivid life, with modern-day geniuses examining the legacies of their heroes. Stephen Hawking takes on Isaac Newton, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins discusses Alan Turing, acclaimed naturalist David Attenborough profiles Joseph Banks, and many more. Also in the mix: industrial designer James Dyson, Nobel-prize winning geneticist Paul Nurse, and others. Along the way, learn intriguing facts about famous scientists and discover unheralded people whose revelations have changed the way we live today, paving the path for everything from the steam engine to current thinking about the atom and evolution.