Q.E.D. (British TV series)

Q.E.D.
Title card
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Production
Executive producers	Mick Rhodes (1982–84), David Filkin (1985–91), Simon Campbell-Jones (1992), Susan Spindler (1993–94), Tim Haines (1994), Lorraine Heggessey (1995–97), Michael Mosley (1998–99)
Producers	Alec Nisbett Liz Tucker Emma Walker John Hayes-Fisher Andrew Thompson
Running time	30 min
Production company	BBC Television
Original release
Network	BBC1
Release	1982 (1982) – 1999 (1999)

Q.E.D. (quod erat demonstrandum, Latin for "that which was to be demonstrated") was the name of a series of BBC popular science documentary films which aired in the United Kingdom from 1982 to 1999. ^[1]

Format

Running in a half-hour peak-time slot on the BBC's primary mass-audience channel BBC1, the series had a more populist and general interest agenda than the long-running Horizon series which aired on the more specialist channel BBC2.

Horizon could often be difficult for a scientific novice, requiring a modicum of background knowledge beyond the reaches of many viewers, so Q.E.D. was a more approachable way of introducing scientific stories.

Some notable films

• A Guide to Armageddon (1982) – the effects of a one megaton nuclear bomb being exploded over London. ^{[2] [3]} Director Mick Jackson went on to direct the 1984 docu-drama Threads , an account of a nuclear holocaust and its effect on the working class city of Sheffield, England, and the eventual long-term effects of nuclear war on civilization. ^[4]
• Simon's War (1983) – the life of Simon Weston, who suffered serious burns in the Falklands War.
• Big Brother's Little Test (1983) – how reliable is polygraphy, the use of lie-detectors? Can the innocent be unjustly condemned? Can the guilty beat them?
• In at the Deep End (1984) – an experiment in which divers spent nine days at simulated depths of up to 1000 feet, breathing a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen.
• Round Britain Whizz (1986) – a sped-up flight around the coastline of Britain, with guest appearances of Patrick Moore, David Bellamy and Clay Jones.
• The Foolish Wise Ones (1987) – a look at the talents and worlds of Autistic Savants, such as Stephen Wiltshire.
• With a Goal in Mind (1988) – a sport psychologist works with First Division Queen's Park Rangers for a period of six weeks.
• The Magic of Memory (1988) – fronted by the TV magician Paul Daniels, who among other things uses the Linkword system to master enough Spanish to present the second part of the programme in the language.
• Glimpses of Death (1988) – Prof. Peter Fenwick takes a look (at that time still very pioneering) at the phenomenon of near-death experiences.
• John's Not Mad (1989) – follows a 15-year-old boy with severe Tourette syndrome.
• My Best Friend's a Computer (1990) – explores the effects of computers on the emotional development of children.
• Sunshine and Scattered Showers (1996) – explores Piers Corbyn's controversial long-range weather forecasting method, which claims to predict future weather by analyzing the sun's activity. Narrated by Peter Sallis. ^[5]
• How to be Happy (1996) – about the science and psychology of happiness, presented by Robert Holden.
• Nerve Transplant (1997) – explores the work of a unique nerve transplant surgeon, bringing back movement to the limbs of previously paralysed patients.
• Superspecs (1997) – follows the travels of a British inventor around Ghana with a pair of glasses made for just a dollar, that he is convinced could save the sight of millions.
• The Burning Question (1998) – on spontaneous human combustion.
• Breathless (1998) – investigates the Buteyko method for treating asthma.

See also

• Equinox – Channel 4 popular science series, last aired in 2001
• Horizon – comparable BBC2 strand, on air since 1964
• Nova – documentary series on PBS in the United States, which often bought in and re-voiced Equinox and Horizon films

References

1. BBC ditches QED branding, Broadcast , 24 September 1999.
2. Q.E.D.: A Guide to Armageddon (TV Episode 1982) at IMDb
3. QED: A Guide to Armageddon. Nuclear war facts from the 1980s on YouTube
4. Threads at IMDb
5. "QED: Sunshine and Scattered Showers". BBC Genome Project. 4 July 1996. Retrieved 23 December 2025.

External links

• Q.E.D., British Film Institute. List of films, with dates.
• Q.E.D. at IMDb