Solar System

Visually excellent and top entertainment, certainly not a documentary. Like many BBC so-called documentaries, this has ridiculously pompous sweeping emotive music ( I thought it was silent in space?) which ruins it for me. It purports to show footage from all the probes, but it's nearly all CGI, which is OK up to a point, apart from when we see a probe sweeping across Jupiter filmed by a non-existent companion probe, that just happens to be there with a camera. Please, just indicate what is original footage and what is CGI, with maybe a small symbol in one corner. Is that too much to ask for? And as an academic Cox knows about the importance of, and difference between, first and secondary sources, video included. Nobody seems to care any more. But lots of interesting stuff if you simply lie back, turn off your critical faculties, and give in to the lush experience.

I love this show with Professor Brian Cox. He draws you in with his knowledge and enthusiasm. You are in a beautiful trance listening to his learned voice. But towards the end, all of a sudden, the spell is broken. Another voice emerges, then another, and heads appear, sometimes even saying the first part of a sentence with Brian Cox finishing it. Why are these other people needed after he has been the sole presenter for most of the show. Are they needed? The answer is a resounding No. Do they contribute anything extra to the program? Again a resounding No. Do they detract from the enjoyment of the show? A resounding Yes. Methinks, it has something to do with diversity requirements. Am I right? Brian Cox is perfectly capable of presenting the show all by himself from beginning to end. Let him do that, for pity's sake.

I've seen plenty of Brian Cox science education shows before and they have all bought something new to the table whilst akso explaining things we have alread learnt on previous shows. Solar System is no different and I like that. This show has reinforced of some of the science I already knew whilst simultaneously teaching me something new. It's good that the latest discoveries are explained so soon after being discovered so I thank the BBC. Brian is able to explain how nature works in a way that is understandable by people new to the subject whilst also not patronising people with a more advanced knowledge. The CGI is good but I would have liked to have seen more actual footage as well but that's only a minor niggle.

This is more of a visual picture book for people that have not seen other, better, *real* documentaries about our solar system.

The CGI in this series is quite nice, but you do not get to see any actual useful facts.

Every time that the narrator/host starts rambling (and he is always rambling in a manner that makes him sound extremely pleased with the words he just said), he will be sitting in some bizarre place somewhere on earth and fiddle around with rocks, pebbles, eggs or other objects, meaninglessly gesturing and wiggling them around while trying to explain orbital dynamics or other things. If you don't already know what he tries to talk about, you will be as confused and lost as this british man. He is also extremely fond of saying thermodynamics and gesturing around with his hands in a way that reminds me of business seminars and whiteboards.

It baffles me that no CGI was used to explain the important things and that they sent a film crew with this confused weird man to various places, especially when these sequences make up so much of these 'documentary' episodes, yet contribute staggeringly little value overall.

Watch this only if you're british and like looking at strange old men gesturing around and producing words while playing with stones.

Professor Brian Cox has an unique way to teach us the mysteries of our solar system. He's very enjoyable to listen to, makes very complicated things sound understandable. Don't be fooled though, it remains very complicated if you're not a specialist but at least you learn something new, even though sometimes it's just speculations and not facts. We will probably never know the whole truth as there are just too much mysteries that just can not be explained, but in these five episodes you get an idea how everything works. It's just a fascinating show, with spectacular images, and Brian Cox is the ideal man to give us some insight. If you are a bit interested in science or in the cosmos this show is a must watch.