It's Only A Theory
Host
Andy Hamilton and Reginald D. Hunter
Broadcast
Hat Trick Productions for BBC Four, 6 October to 24 November 2009 (8 episodes in 1 series)
Synopsis
Brainboxes put forward their theories on Life, the Universe, and Everything. The panel - Andy Hamilton, Reginald D. Hunter, and a guest - ask the guests to defend their proposition under questionning. If the panel is convinced the guests' ideas are accurate, or their proposition would benefit society, they vote to approve the idea; other ideas are rejected.
As befits a BBC Four programme, the subject matter was highbrow and often deliberately controversial: the proposition "it's a bad idea that humans can live forever" went straight to the philosophy of mortality, and "the welfare of bees is more important than global warming" touched on anthropmorphism and human causation. But the show was accessible, working well on an more simple entertainment level. "Here's a boffin saying something a bit bonkers, can he defend it, and will he convince the panel?"