Q.E.D. (quod erat demonstrandum, Latin for "that which was to be demonstrated") was the name of a series of BBC popular science documentary films which aired in the United Kingdom from 1982 to 1999. Running in a half-hour peak-time slot on the BBC's primary mass-audience channel BBC1, the series had a more populist and general interest agenda than the long-running Horizon series which aired on the more specialist channel BBC2. Horizon could often be difficult for a scientific novice, requiring a modicum of background knowledge beyond the reaches of many viewers, so Q.E.D. was a more approachable way of introducing scientific stories.
How to Pick Up Girls, Win Arguments and Influence People
Apr 6, 1982
How to Pick Up Girls, Win Arguments and Influence People with Arnold has one wish: he wants to be successful.- At everything. In. tonight's film all his wishes are granted. Among those offering to help are Dale Carnegie , Machiavelli, Bob Sharpe and Michael Korda Will Arnold find his dream girl? Will he rule the world? Will true happiness be his?
Light Creatures of the Night
Apr 13, 1982
In the jungles of South-East Asia entire bushes light up like Christmas trees, and in the Caribbean the seas glow with a luminous light. It's called bioluminescence - a term used to describe the many extraordinary creatures that turn themselves on in the dark. Watch fireflies in their hundreds' pulsing messages in the dark scuba dive in search of fish that-blink and flash, and swim among clouds of luminous plankton: And discover why the US Navy so very interested.
The Proof of the Pudding
Apr 20, 1982
Judith Hann cordially invites you to join her at dinner with Professor Nicholas Kuru , the world's premier gastrophysicist, and friends, including Michel Roux , Master Chef. On the menu will be some familiar dishes cooked in a most unfamiliar way; and, never before seen on TV the reverse baked alaska, with the hot bit inside.
Spy in the Sky
Apr 27, 1982
Every hour of every day dozens of spy-in-the-sky satellites are peering down at us from space. What are they looking for and what can they see? Apart from the weather satellites, other spacecraft are busy sending back spectacular pictures of the earth's surface, particularly for oil and mining companies. But the real super spies are the military satellites used by Russia and the USA. What they can see of each other from space is top secret, but there's enough evidence to show they can see an awful lot more than you think.
Beyond the Six Second Mile
May 4, 1982
Unique, designer-built, jet-powered car. Code name Project Thrust. All metal wheels, £8,000 each, low mileage, fuel consumption 50 gallons a minute, 0-300 mph in 12 seconds, estimated top speed 650 mph. Brainchild of driver Richard Noble. Highly suitable for attempt to win back for Britain the world land speed record.
Music, Music, Music
May 11, 1982
'If music be the food of love, play on '. But what kind of music should one play for which girl? And does it change from country to country? In the West there is almost total agreement over what romantic music should sound like. Indeed there is music to go with every kind of mood and occasion, from weddings to cowboy films. we hear it and we simply know its right for a particular emotion. By why should music convey emotions? Are musical notes themselves actually sad or happy? And if so, why then do Indian love songs sound completely different from our own?
Riding on Air
May 18, 1982
Why is a Tornado like a gannet? The first is an RAF combat aircraft, while a gannet is a bird that dives vertically for.fish. The answer? Well, both are designed to kill-and both use variable-geometry wings. Birds and aeroplanes ride the air by the same rules, but how far do the similarities go? Aircraft sometimes stall dangerously - but do birds? Why do some birds fly in ' V' formations? And how have birds' wings made flying safer for everybody?
A Guide to Armageddon
Jul 26, 1982
A Guide to Armageddon is a 30 minute documentary about a nuclear missile detonating in London, and the effects it would have on things like buildings, cars and people. Directed by Mick Jackson, and narrated by Ludovic Kennedy.
The Underground Test
Jul 30, 1982
As part of Wednesday's Q.E.D. documentary, A Guide to Armageddon, two London couples each volunteered to carry out a ten-day 'consumer test' - underground in a nuclear shelter. Joy and Erik sealed themselves in a £10,000 buried steel bunker, six feet underground. Ken and Liz followed Home Office recommendations and dug their own 36-inch-wide emergency trench in the back garden. They, too, stayed down for ten days. This programme is a record of how the two couples coped underground during last winter's severe cold spell with only a fixed camera to observe them, completely out of touch with the outside world.
