Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20110131 | 20110201 (R4) | By Hugh Aldersey-Williams Everything is made from them: the elements are the universal and fundamental ingredients of all matter. But beyond the laboratory, released from the periodic table in which Dmitiri Mendeleev organised them according to the number of protons in their atoms, they reveal other meanings and tell other stories. Hugh Aldersey-Williams explores 'the curious lives of the elements' through history, literature, science and art. Mankind has always sought to venerate the rare and the precious, as well as being drawn magpie-like to that which is bright and shiny. First it was gold and then it was platinum. Reader : Michael Maloney Hugh Aldersey-Williams explores 'the curious lives of the elements' through history. |
| 02 | 20110201 | 20110202 (R4) | Hugh Aldersey-Williams explores 'the curious lives of the elements' through history, literature, science and art. Some elements heal and some harm: chlorine has saved lives, fluorine, bromine and iodine have all played medicinal roles with varying degrees of effectiveness; but it was to another element that Agatha Christie turned when needing a fictional instrument of murder. Reader : Michael Maloney Hugh Aldersey-Williams explores the curious lives of the elements through history. |
| 03 | 20110202 | 20110203 (R4) | Hugh Aldersey-Williams explores 'the curious lives of the elements' through history, literature, science and art. Elements have brought colour and drama to our lives - from the bold pigments of art to the dramatic explosions of fireworks. Reader : Michael Maloney Hugh Aldersey-Williams explores 'the curious lives of the elements' through history. |
| 04 | 20110203 | 20110204 (R4) | Further adventures amongst the building blocks of the universe. |
| 05 LAST | 20110204 | 20110205 (R4) | Hugh Aldersey-Williams' final examination of what lies beyond the periodic table. |