Darwin's Struggle Review from Giantsorbiting

Doubtless many of you will have watched David Attenborough's Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life on BBC1 last Sunday night at 9pm, and if not you can still catch it on the BBC iPlayer here.

However, more fascinating, I found was the rigorous exploration of Darwin's life leading up to his great works as is conveyed through Darwin's Struggle: The Evolution of the Origin of Species.

Jeremy Bristow's production gives us a brutally accurate description of the truly tragic life Charles Darwin lead: His family touched by the tragedies of the deaths of three of his children finally causing him to lose his faith and to damn religion... The influence of his daughter Anne's death on chapter 3 of On the origin of species as he sees the face of nature stricken as her face was with the struggle to survive...
His concern for his wife Emma's fear that he will be damned to hell.

It is easy to forget, amongst visions of his great works and great voyages that Charles Darwin was a man leading a man's life with all the pressures we experience today and more. His personal growth is almost as amazing as the theories it precedes.



Eventually Darwin published his book only highlighting the effects of his theories on species and avoiding the implications of the origins of mankind; but these implications were not lost on many scientists including his close teacher and mentor Adam Sedgewick who brutally denounced his work in a devastating letter to him.
He was subject to widespread ridicule.


Darwin's Struggle: The Evolution of the Origin of Species is a fascinating exploration of the life-long torment which lead to one of the most important theories in science today. One of the most honest portrayals of Darwin to date, I'd recommend anyone interested in his great works to watch Darwin's Struggle and learn about the true evolution of the origin of species.

Read the full review from Giantsorbiting here.

You can watch Darwin's Struggle on the iPlayer until Monday the 9th February and it will also air again tonight (Tuesday 3rd) at 7.30pm on BBC4.

Darwin's Struggle: The Evolution of The Origin of Species

2 February, 9pm BBC Four

In his greatest work, 'On the Origin of Species', Charles Darwin reveals how the wonderful variety of the natural world emerges out of death and the 'struggle of life'. But as he developed his brilliant idea, Darwin went through a personal struggle that mirrored the natural world he observed.

The programme tells this story with the benefit of Darwin's secret notes and correspondence, powerful imagery from the time, and insights from biographers and scientists.

Review: Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life

Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life, BBC One, Sunday 1 February, 9pm


David Attenborough on The Andrew Marr Show 1st Feb 2009

Following review by Sian Meades TV Scoop

Evolution is not a theory; evolution is the truth. A huge statement from David Attenborough in Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life. One that's given him a handful of complaints from creationists. This show was always going to spark controversy, but it was good enough to stand up to it and made a compelling argument.

Of all of the Attenborough shows I've seen, this one was the best by miles. Sir David Attenborough has a natural ease that makes watching him a pleasure. The idea of evolution, put forth by Charles Darwin, isn't always that simple, but Attenborough makes understanding the theory a breeze. He makes science accessible. And that's why his shows are so good.
Celebrating 150 years since Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, Attenborough talked not only about Darwin's life, and where his ideas originated, but also how they affect us, and what this means for the animals we recognise today. It was admirable in its simplicity.

I had no idea that someone else had come up with the same theory as Darwin. He actually had to go 'head to head' with another scientist to decide who came up with the theory of natural selection first. Darwin had 25 years of evidence to back up his claims, but despite him winning the case, at this time, no one cared. This was a time when religion ruled over science and most people didn't believe Darwin's theory. Even Attenborough talked of professors of his time who refused to believe that the continents were once one huge super continent. These are great academics who didn't believe the theory in its entirety. There are still people who don't believe this.

There was no one better to present this show. Watching Attenborough quite humbly talk about Darwin and his theories, and tell the audience stories of his childhood and what he learnt then was magical. He has a sixth edition of On the Origin of Species. Darwin has clearly played a huge part in his life and work. To most of us, David Attenborough is as important to our understanding of the natural world as Darwin is, watching him talk about why Darwin was so important was inspiring. The show was an impressive mix of wildlife and history covering the idea that over millions of years, a breed of animal could evolve into its own species to suit its environment. I didn't take my eyes off the telly for the whole hour.

Some people might not believe in evolution, or indeed, Darwin's theory of natural selection, but Attenborough pulls this together with a modern twist and makes a compelling argument. The end scenes, explaining how birds turned into land based animals seemed a little too easy - computerised and glossy. But the rest of the show had built up to this point - it was believably that simple. What's most amazing, is that Darwin was convinced of this theory over 150 years ago. He was one of the most important minds in science and this fabulous show was a fitting tribute to a remarkable man.
Read more reviews at TV Scoop

What Darwin Didn't Know

Tonight at 9pm on BBC 4
(also being broadcast on the BBC HD Channel)

http://www2.blogger.com/www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00h6sbt
http://www2.blogger.com/www.bbc.co.uk/darwin

Documentary which tells the story of evolution theory since Darwin postulated it in 1859 in 'On the Origin of Species'.

Evolutionary biologist Professor Armand Marie Leroi charts the scientific endeavour that brought about the triumphant renaissance of Darwin's theory. He argues that, with the new science of evolutionary developmental biology (evo devo), it may be possible to take that theory to a new level - to do more than explain what has evolved in the past, and start to predict what might evolve in the future.

Directed & Produced by: Tim Lambert
Executive Producer: Anne Laking

Guardian: "...a suitably celebratory examination of the evolution of evolutionary theory...it's a study made all the more crackly by Leroi's fossil-dry asides. Among the case studies are an Edwardian brainiac who crossbred 53,000 evening primroses. "Well," drawls Leroi, eyebrows hovering like bitchy zeppelins, "he was Dutch..."

Radio Times: "a top-class film."Time Out: "fascinating and occasionally demanding, this doc is exactly the kind of thing BBC4 does best."

Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life

Sunday 1st February, 9pm, BBC One

From the Guardian
The Tree of Life is one of Sir David's most personal programmes. It is the “fabuloso” story of how Darwin changed “the way we see the world and our place in it”. Sir David leads the viewer gently through Darwin's journey to the Galápagos Islands and his observations in his garden at Down House in Kent that formed his theory of natural selection; that all life forms originated from a common simple beginning and evolved through mutations that created new species and led to the extinction of others over hundreds of millions of years.

We are taken on Sir David's own journey, too, as he returns to the rocks where he hunted for fossils as a child in Leicestershire, and shows us his own well-thumbed copy of Darwin's work, which he encountered for the first time at 18. “I didn't read it cover to cover. I read chapters. But it is very readable.” He starts quoting the exquisite conclusion to the book, which describes “an entangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds...”

The book didn't transform his life because he was already aware of evolution. “I rather wish I'd been brought up a creationist who had a Damascene moment: ‘Yes! Now I see it.' But it always seemed clear that we were related to monkeys.”

Darwin wasn't exactly his hero - “hero somehow implies somebody with a sword having a battle” - but “he was the epitome of wisdom. You knew he had the answer to most things.”

Darwin's theory shocked and appalled a Victorian world in which almost everyone believed that God micro-managed the Universe, creating each species. What thrills Attenborough is that Darwin's theory is being bolstered by modern science of which Darwin had no inkling, such as genetics. “DNA happened after I left university!” he exclaims. “I walked past the lab daily but Crick and Watson hadn't done it then. The recent proof of these things is so exciting.” He loves the fact that “there's an awful lot about evolution that we don't understand” and that there are whole university departments churning out new research.

He believes that Darwin changed the world in a way very few others have done. “Copernicus, perhaps. The Sun becoming the centre of the solar system. That's fairly life-changing.” I say that to the layman it is still quite hard to get your head round evolution. “The theory that the first woman was made out of the rib of Adam - now that is quite a difficult one to believe,” he counters.

Of course, Darwin does not theorise on the creation of the Universe, and many Christians have made their peace with him. “The Pope has. The Archbishop of Canterbury has. They all say , ‘Yes, of course, the Book of Genesis is only a myth, a creation myth. Come on, grow up'. That's what civilised religious people say.”

His beef is with those who want to teach creationism or its offshoot “intelligent design”. A recent survey found that a quarter of science teachers in state schools believe that creationism should be taught alongside evolution in science lessons. “That is terrible. That is really terrible,” says Attenborough. Richard Dawkins has said that it is a national disgrace. “I don't know about national; it's a human disgrace that you don't recognise the difference between these things,” says Attenborough.

Read more here

Radio 4's In our Time: Darwin

From GiantsOrbiting
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of 'On the Origin of Species', the BBC is airing a season of landmark TV and radio programmes under the title Darwin: The genius of evolution.

This week Radio 4 presents the series Darwin: In our Time which began today with the first programme On the Origin of Charles Darwin. Melvyn Bragg talks to Darwin biographer Jim Moore, UCL geneticist Steve Jones and Christ's College fellow David Norman, as well as college librarian Colin Higgins; to uncover Darwin's personal evolution from childhood through to Cambridge graduate.

The first in this series leads us through Darwin's troubled upbringing as the fifth child of a large and well-off family, to his escape from Edinburgh University after failing a medical degree, and on to his life at Cambridge training to be a clergyman, where he would be seemingly unimpressive at his studies.

The programme also takes a geographical perspective leading the presenters and listener around the common haunts of Darwin's student life.

The Darwin: In our Time series promises to be a fascinating journey through what was a very difficult time for such revolutionary ideas.

The next in this series will see Darwin journey to South America on the Beagle voyage and will be broadcast on Radio 4 at 9am on Tuesday 6th January.

You can read the full review at GiantsOrbiting.

BBC Darwin Season starts Feb 2009

BBC Press Office Release

12 February 2009 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, and 24 November 2009 is the 150th of the publication of his book On The Origin Of Species, which laid out the theory of evolution by natural selection.

David Attenborough, Andrew Marr and Jimmy Doherty are just some of the well-known names who will be helping the BBC and the nation to mark the life and work of Charles Darwin on the BBC in winter 08/09.

The season sets out to explore evolution, regarded as one of the most far-reaching and influential scientific ideas ever. It is an idea which has robustly stood the test of time.

George Entwistle, Controller Knowledge Commissioning, BBC Vision said: "The key Darwin anniversaries provide an excellent opportunity for the BBC to explore in real depth this revolutionary idea, and the man behind it. "The season will stretch across the BBC landscape and we're delighted to have content from across television, radio and online. "We hope it will connect our audiences to Darwin the man, as well as Darwin the scientific revolutionary. "I hope this season will inspire our audiences and deliver real insight into his ideas and what they mean for contemporary society."

Andrew Caspari, Commissioning Editor, BBC Radio 4, said: "Radio 4 is commissioning a range of documentaries and short features to mark the anniversaries of Charles Darwin. "We will look at his work and his life and assess his significant legacy for science and for society."

John Lynch, Head of Science, BBC Vision, said: "2009 and 2010 are years of great significance for science and will see a major push from the BBC in the public understanding of science. "The BBC has commissioned some of the biggest science landmarks we have ever done, covering some of the most important fundamentals of scientific literacy. "The Darwin Season is a good example of this focus on science."

A range of BBC content from BBC Science, Natural History Unit (NHU), Religion and Ethics and CBBC will deliver across television, radio and online an array of stories and voices about this mould-breaking scientific theory.

BBC Darwin Season highlights

David Attenborough on Evolution BBC One kicks off the season with a one-off special from David Attenborough and the Natural History Unit (NHU) in Bristol. This one off special will explore the origin of Darwin's great idea. David Attenborough makes a powerful case for the importance of the science of evolution.

Andrew Marr On Darwin's Legacy (working title) is a landmark new 3 x 60-minute series for BBC Two. Marr will explore the radical impact of Darwin's theory not only in science, but also society, political movements (capitalist, Marxist and fascist) and religion.

It will also show how that impact continues today, underpinning much of our modern understanding of human life. Co-funded by the Open University (OU).

BBC Four will present two specially commissioned one-off documentaries: What Darwin Didn't Know and Darwin: In His Own Words.

What Darwin Didn't Know is a new 1 x 90-minute film exploring a new field of genetics, "evo devo" – the combined study of evolution and development in the womb – which is allowing us to solve some of Darwin's unanswered questions.

Darwin: In His Own Words will use newly-released documents from Cambridge University to chart Darwin's thoughts during the long period before he made his theory known to the public.

Entomologist and farmer Jimmy Doherty recreates many of Darwin's ground-breaking plant experiments at Down House, the Darwin family home in Kent, in Darwin's Garden (3 x 60-minute) for BBC Two. Co-funded by the OU.

BBC One has also commissioned Life (10 x 60-minute) from the NHU, a natural history spectacular which captures the most extraordinary and awe-inspiring animal survival behaviours ever shown on TV. Four years in the making, Life is filmed in the most extreme environments across the globe. Co-funded by the OU. A co-production with BBC Worldwide and Discovery.

BBC Press Office