Horizon (TV series)
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| Horizon | |
|---|---|
| Image:Horizon logo.jpg Horizon title card </small> | |
| Genre | Science, History, Educational |
| Picture format | PAL |
| Running time | 50 min |
| Starring | Various |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original channel | BBC |
| Original run | 1965–Present |
| Official website | |
Horizon is a long-running BBC popular science and history documentary programme, notable for coining the term supervolcano. The format of the series varied in the early years following its launch in 1965 but is now standardised at 50 minutes. Some episodes are adapted from documentaries by other broadcasters such as PBS's NOVA<ref name="stephenneal">Neal, Stephen, "Re: BBC Alert! 'Horizon' 7th March", Usenet. Comment written 2002-03-08, retrieved 2006-11-04</ref>, and episodes of Horizon are in turn adapted by other broadcasters around the world.
Since the early 1990s, Horizon has developed a distinctive narrative form, typically employing an underlying "detective" metaphor, to relate scientific issues and discoveries to the lives of its viewers. Many episodes of Horizon are structured in a format that starts with a tease or menu laying out what the show has in store, followed by two 'acts' with a 'plot twist' around 25-35 minutes into the show. The twist frequently propels the story line from a focus on an individual scientist's human and intellectual journey of discovery through to explore the impact of that insight while, at the same time, providing a change of 'texture' and filmic pace. Stereotypically, episodes of Horizon end up with a montage of "talking heads" as experts and people affected by the implications of the science covered are intercut to create a sense of summary.
The down-side to Horizon's focus on 'Pure Science, Sheer Drama' and the occasionally forced narrative this engenders has led to some accusations of dumbing down in recent years<ref>Orlowski, Andrew, "BBC abandons science", The Register. Article dated 2006-10-27, retrieved 2006-11-04.</ref><ref>Various, "BBC Horizon letters", The Register. Published 2006-11-04, retrieved 2006-11-04.</ref>, with one former editor writing a newspaper article about how the programme concentrates too much on human stories, and not enough on the science.<ref>Goodchild, Peter, "Clouds on the Horizon", guardian.co.uk. Article written 2004-10-07.</ref>
Whether or not such accusations are justified must inevitably remain a matter of opinion but perhaps a factor weighing in the series' favour is the challenge that presenting often highly abstract, technically complex issues and ideas to the public creates for any documentary maker tackling science. In the period of "Pure Science, Sheer Drama" "Horizon" won an unprecedented series of the world's top awards, including a BAFTA, an Emmy for Best Documentary, a Royal Television Society Award and a Grierson Trust Award. It also enjoyed extremely high viewing figures, even though it covered subjects as complex as molecular biology and particle physics. It has shown a change of direction since June 2006, offering a more light-hearted approach, though the subjects it covers remain serious.
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