Universe

Not sure why this is getting alot of negative reviews. People saying its "dumbed down" I think Brian himself would tell you these shows are not for people who already have advanced knowledge in planetary science or astrophysics. These programs are designed to entice the younger generation or to inspire adults who don't have a huge understanding of the universe. Everybody has to start from somwhere.

The CGI is beautifully done and the music fits very well. I for one have alot to thank Brian and the BBC for in terms of my knowledge of the universe. These programs have grown my knowledge and interest of the universe exponentially.

Brian Cox is the BEST!

I suppose you can't please everyone. There's always going to be people who whinge and complain about things. I was very surprised though to read the reviews of Professor Brian Cox's new BBC series Universe. They were either moaning about the music, or criticising the presentation style. I would like to completely disagree with all the moaners and say I absolutely loved this series. It was stunning to look at, beautifully scored and superbly presented. I understood about 1% of it, but that's ok. It fired my curiosity to hit up Wikipedia and find out more. I take my hat off to all the brave and intrepid scientists and explorers who have boldly gone where I absolutely never will.

Well done again BBC for another fantastic documentary series.

I'm on episode 3, and I find Universe is gorgeous to watch and fascinating to listen to. It's been accused of "dumbing down", but I don't agree. There's plenty of science and the BBC continue with their great 10 minute "how we did it" explanatory section at the end of the programme. This allows those who want a more human and detailed perspective to find out more about the new discoveries.

The CGI is awesome, music works perfectly. Brian Cox delivers in his usual absorbing style. There is definitely a more philosophical slant to the content, which I really liked.

I for one thoroughly enjoyed every episode. For me, you can't go wrong with Brian Cox. He makes it a lot more accessible for the average person (me) to understand about space/the universe and an array of other topics. The explanations Brian provides alongside some really cool animations, left me wanting to watch more and find out more. Would love another series in a couple of years time after the James Webb telescope is launched. Interesting, thought provoking and maybe a touch scary at times.

I would agree that this isn't Brian Cox's best show. That would probably be 'The Planets' and 'Wonders of Life', both fantastic works of art and science communcation. However, I disagree with the notion that these sort of shows are dumbing down. Of course there are inaccuracies and oversimplifications (all worthy to note of course). But these shows were never meant to substitute physics textbooks. Rather they're meant to inspire, and boy do they inspire! And the poetic (almost religious) licence used to illustrate the universe is guiding people to learn more in doing so. For some it may even steer them towards a career in astrophysics, as Brian himself was by Carl Sagan. In due course, they may therefore amplify our curiosity and knowledge - smarting us up, as it were.