Adam Hart-Davis recalls heroes of science and invention in Wales. Amongst others, he reveals the inventions of Harry Grindell Matthews and Richard Trevithick. Show more
Local Heroes
Exploding Heroes
30 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC Two Northern Ireland (Analogue)Latest broadcast: on BBC Two England
In anticipation of Guy Fawkes Night, Adam Hart-Davis goes on a whistlestop tour from Cornwall to Scotland, looking at the inspiration for fireworks night and putting the gunpowder plot to the test. Show more
Adam Hart-Davis's search for pioneers of science and invention takes him to the East of England. He finds out about Benjamin Wiseman Jr, who patented a windmill in 1783. Show more
Adam Hart-Davis heads to London to discover how Isambard Kingdom Brunel tunnelled under the Thames and to find out more about the inventor of the vacuum cleaner and an outbreak of cholera in Soho.
Adam Hart-Davis goes in search of pioneers of science and invention in Scotland. He investigates the achievements of Alexander Bain, Charles Macintosh and James Clerk Maxwell, among others. Show more
In Elgin, Adam Hart-Davis re-creates the moment Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. He also visits the site where James Watt carried out his work on the steam engine.
The series concludes with a visit to Glasgow, where Adam Hart-Davis learns about John Logie Baird, who invented the television, and Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, who invented the cloud chamber. Show more
Local Heroes
Science Special
30 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC Two WalesLatest broadcast: on BBC Two England
In this one-off special Adam Hart-Davis marks significant anniversaries of great British inventors, including Sir Isaac Newton's death. Show more
Adam Hart-Davis's search for Britain's greatest scientific pioneers is in Devon, where he looks at the legacy of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Henry Moule and Mary Anning. Show more
Adam Hart-Davis's search for Britain's greatest scientific pioneers is in North-East England, where he looks at the work of Charles Algernon, Gladstone Adams and Thomas Wright.
Adam Hart-Davis's search for Britain's greatest scientific pioneers is in South-East England, where he looks at the work of Hertha Ayrton, Thomas Young and Samuel Morland.