Adam Hart-Davis continues his bicycle tour of Britain with a visit to England's south coast, where he celebrates the construction of Brighton's West Pier, the work of biologist Thomas Huxley , and the invention of both the shutter telegraph system and the hovercraft.
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Factual: Local Heroes 8.00pm BBC2
Adam Hart-Davis keeps his cycling helmet firmly planted on his head as if he has only just leapt off his bike and could at any moment leap right back on. His idiosyncratic programmes offer a delightful combination of science, history and practical demonstrations. This week he pedals along the south coast of England to tell the stories of five innovators, featuring topics from evolution to the hovercraft. Having demonstrated Christopher Cockerell's air cushion using a vacuum cleaner and two tin cans, Adam Hart-Davis comes up with his own low-tech version. But can you do any better? He is soliciting ideas for a hovercraft that can travel for just one metre under its own power. Find out more at [web address removed]. (GE)
