| Genre | Current science |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 mins (Thursdays) |
| Country | UK |
| Languages | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Hosts | Quentin Cooper, Sue Nelson |
| Air dates | since 9 April 1998 |
| Website | Website |
| Podcast | Podcasts |
Material World is a weekly science magazine programme on BBC Radio 4 on a Thursday afternoon, presented by Quentin Cooper with contributions from scientists researching areas under discussion in each programme.
Contents |
The programme began as The Material World in April 1998, being presented by Trevor Phillips, the Imperial College chemistry graduate. In September 2000 Mr Phillips was told that he could not work at the BBC any more, due to rules of impartiality, and his close links with the Labour Party. He was one of the few regular black broadcasters on Radio 4.[1] From 2000, Quentin Cooper was drafted in.
From 5 April 2010 it was repeated on a Monday evening at 21.00. This was in the former slot of Costing the Earth.
For a short time, when programmes on 5 Live began webstreaming with video, Material World was also webcast.
The programme can cover up to three or four topics, divided into 7-10 minute sections. For many years the programme was divided into two sections of fifteen minutes on separate topics. It takes the form of interviewing a guest scientist or engineer.
The topics discussed are not generally on repetitive subjects, but cover most aspects of science, no matter how many long words or jargon end up being used. The more controversial or revolutionary a piece of recent scientific work is, the more likely it is to be included into the programme. The programme does not attempt to sugar-coat any scientific stories, to avoid distress - if anything black humour frequently surfaces. Quentin Cooper often ends the programme with a terrible, but scientific, pun.
Many past-programmes are available for online listening via the program's web-site. Some sequential sets of programmes have been made in collaboration with the Open University (OU).
Since Tomorrow's World was cancelled in 2003, Material World is one of the BBC's main conduit for up-to-date scientific news, along with Frontiers and Science in Action. However, in July 2009, the Bang Goes the Theory series kick-started the BBC's science television once again.