Tomorrow's World
BBC series showcasing emerging science and technology.
For nearly four decades, starting on 7 July 1965, the BBC series Tomorrow's World showcased the latest in science and technology on BBC1 before it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003. The Tomorrow's World title was revived in 2017 as an umbrella brand for BBC science programming.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Factual, Science & Technology
- Creator
- Glyn Jones
- Director
- Stuart McDonald
- Presenter
- Numerous (see Presenters)
- Theme music
- John Dankworth (1965–1979 theme)
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Episodes
- 1,400
Facts from the source article.
Content
The programme was created by Glyn Jones to occupy a half-hour slot in the BBC summer schedule of 1965. The name was devised by Jones and his wife the night before the Radio Times went to press. Initially edited by Max Morgan-Witts and hosted by Raymond Baxter, a veteran broadcaster and former Spitfire pilot, the show featured an instrumental theme tune composed and performed by John Dankworth. During the 1970s it attracted a weekly audience of 10,000,000 viewers. Broadcast live for much of its run, the programme occasionally experienced technology failures during demonstrations; one example involved a new car jack that disintegrated. Such setbacks became a rite of passage for new presenters and assistant producers. The live format also allowed immediacy, as when inventors demonstrated flame-proof clothing and bullet-proof vests, sometimes with the presenter as test dummy. Tomorrow's World frequently held exhibitions called Tomorrow's World Live, often at Earls Court in London, where the public could see pioneering inventions and items from that year's show. The show was parodied by Not the Nine O'Clock News and later by the second series of Look Around You.
Presenters
Raymond Baxter, the first presenter, was known for pointing out features of new inventions with military precision using his Parker pen. He left in 1977 after a disagreement with new editor Michael Blakstad, who reportedly called him 'the last of the dinosaurs' in a press interview. Other presenters included James Burke (1965–1971), Michael Rodd (1972–1982), Anthony Smith, Lyall Watson, William Woollard (1974–1978), Judith Hann (1974–1994, the longest-serving presenter), Anna Ford (1976–1978), Kieran Prendiville (1979–1983), Su Ingle (1980–1984), Peter Macann (1983–1991), Maggie Philbin (1983–1994), Anna Walker, Howard Stableford (1985–1997), Kate Bellingham (1990–1994), John Diamond (1991), Carmen Pryce (1991–1994), Monty Don (1994–1995), Carol Vorderman (1994–1995), Vivienne Parry (1994–1996), Rebecca Stephens (1994–1996), Shahnaz Pakravan (1994–1997), Richard Mabey (1995), Craig Doyle (1996–1999), Philippa Forrester (1996–2000), Jez Nelson (1996–2000), Peter Snow (1997–2000), Anya Sitaram (1998–2000), Nick Baker (1999–2000), Lindsey Fallow (1999–2000), Sophie Raworth (1999–2000), Katie Knapman (2002), David Bull (2002–2003), Adam Hart-Davis (2002–2003), Roger Black (2003), and Kate Humble (2003). The idiosyncratic Bob Symes showcased smaller inventions in dramatised vignettes; his missing fingertips from workshop accidents made close-ups challenging. Another regular feature was Whatever Happened to ..., addressing criticism that many inventions were never heard of again.
Technologies introduced
The show often gave the British public its first look at technologies that later became commonplace, including the breathalyser (1967), home computer (1967), light pens and touchscreens (1967), artificial grass (1968), synthesizer (1969), ATM and chip and pin (1969), pocket calculator (1971), digital watch (1972), teletext (Ceefax) (1974), mobile phone (1979), personal stereo (1980), compact disc and player (1981), camcorder (1981), barcode reader (1983), wind-up radio (1993), Starlite insulation (1993), robotic vacuum cleaner (1996), and targeted intra-operative radiotherapy for breast cancer (2000). The best-remembered item was the compact disc in 1981, when Kieran Prendiville scratched a Bee Gees CD with a stone to demonstrate indestructibility. The show also gave the first British TV exposure to Kraftwerk, who performed 'Autobahn'. Featured inventions that did not change lives included a fold-up car that fitted into a suitcase, a miracle chopping board, and collapsible knives and forks.
Final years
By the late 1990s, live studio demonstrations had been replaced by pre-recorded items. The final series, presented by Adam Hart-Davis, Kate Humble and Roger Black, attempted to revert to the original live format and used a remix of an earlier theme tune, but ratings fell to three million and the BBC axed the show. It said it would produce occasional science specials under the Tomorrow's World brand. The 'Tomorrow's World Roadshow' appeared in 2004 with Gareth Jones and Katie Knapman as the last presenters of a show bearing the name, before a partial return in 2007. For the 1000th episode, Nimbus Records produced a commemorative CD containing audio tracks of the four theme tunes used from 1965 to the early 1990s; one thousand copies were made and given away in a competition, and it was the first holographic audio compact disc ever made. On 14 September 2009, the BBC made some clips and episodes available online. In the United States, episodes aired on TechTV between 2001 and 2003. At the end of each series, the Prince of Wales gave awards for superlative inventions. In 2007, the brand returned to BBC Breakfast and as a blog. In May 2017, the BBC announced a year of science and technology under the Tomorrow's World banner. A one-off live special aired on BBC Four on 22 November 2018, hosted by Hannah Fry with former presenters Maggie Philbin, Howard Stableford, Judith Hann and Peter Snow.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of Tomorrow's World are there?
Tomorrow's World has 1,400 episodes.
When did Tomorrow's World end?
Tomorrow's World last aired on 16 July 2003.
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