Horizon is an ongoing and long-running British documentary television series on BBC Two that covers science and philosophy.

History

The programme was first broadcast on 2 May 1964 with "The World of Buckminster Fuller" which explored the theories and structures of inventor Richard Buckminster Fuller and included the Horizon mission statement: "The aim of Horizon is to provide a platform from which some of the world's greatest scientists and philosophers can communicate their curiosity, observations and reflections, and infuse into our common knowledge their changing views of the universe". Horizon continues to be broadcast on BBC Two, and in 2009 added a series of films based on the rich Horizon archive called Horizon Guides on BBC Four.

In December 2016, it was announced that Horizon will no longer be made exclusively by the BBC's in-house production division, BBC Studios, and the BBC invited independent production companies to pitch to make episodes of the strand.

Episodes

There have been 57 series and over 1,200 episodes produced.

Broad coverage of science topics

Horizon has investigated an eclectic mix of subjects and controversial topics, it opened the awareness of consumers to the use of whale meat in pet food in 1972 ("Whales, Dolphins, and Men"); and produced award-winning documentary-dramas such as Life Story in 1987 which dramatised the discovery of the structure of DNA. A 1978 programme about the silicon chip documented the decline of the Swiss watch industry. In 1993, an Emmy-winning episode about decreasing male fertility ("Assault on the Male") was given a special screening at the White House.

Format

The format of the series has varied over the years.

1960s–1980s

The first ever Horizon was "The World of Buckminster Fuller", produced and directed by Ramsay Short, was shown on 5 February 1964. It set the style; running time 50 minutes, no in-vision presenter, interviewees speaking off camera (in practice, almost always to the producer/director whose questions were usually edited out).