Olivier Renault Another must-see BBC science documentary. Easy to grasp, far reaching in nature. A nice bite-size expose of a fundamental part of nature. Jim Al Khalili is fast becoming my favorite Scientific Talking-Head.1 point notched down for, at part, excessive editing (although subdued compared some other BBC broadcasts).For your consideration, also : The Secret Life Of The Cell. Infinity And Beyond. Order And Disorder. Shock And Awe : The Story of Electricity. Horizon : Who's Afraid of a Big Black Hole?

Sean Lamberger Theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili takes us through a crash course on string theory, the important role of chaos in the natural world and fresh theories on the origins of life, the universe and everything. Along the way, he slips in a few quick-hit biographies on the men behind some major steps forward in these novel ways of thinking. Though the concepts are often quite nebulous and difficult to pin down, Khalili and his talking-head cohorts are able to cover a lot of ground in a way that doesn't seem too intellectual or technical for the uninitiated. Good visual examples are a key component of their lesson, and with the limitless stock library of the BBC at their disposal, they come up with a few inventive, dazzling exercises. There's only so much you can do with just an hour on such a boundless, wide-ranging subject, but as a thorough introduction it performs admirably. I'd watch a follow-up.

matthewapbraim As an arts graduate, I love science docs, as i feel that there is a big gap in my knowledge.This is the finest science documentary i have ever seen. The 19th century anarchist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon asserted that 'Anarchy is Order,' and then took the rest of his life attempting to explain that concept. By the end of this programme, Prof Al Khalili explains how Chaos Theory actually contains all the rules and systems to explain the existence and behaviour of everything. He goes from first principals to the most complex of ideas, but never once gets ahead of his audience, and by the end, I guarantee, that, like me, the way you view the world, existence and even how the universe came about, will be changed forever. A masterpiece.