0:00:03 > 0:00:07'Sometimes, in my job, you get the chance to meet a boyhood hero.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11'Now, for some, this could be a football legend or a rock star.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13'For me, it's someone quite different -
0:00:13 > 0:00:16'and someone I've been waiting 25 years to meet.'
0:00:17 > 0:00:19This might be hard to imagine,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21but I was once a floppy-haired 16-year-old,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23hiding behind his fringe
0:00:23 > 0:00:26and dreaming of unlocking the secrets of the universe.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28And I nagged my parents one particular Christmas
0:00:28 > 0:00:30to get me the big science book that year.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33This is it - the actual Christmas present from 1988 -
0:00:33 > 0:00:36a copy of Brief History Of Time, by Professor Stephen Hawking.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Since that book was published,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Hawking has become not just the world's most famous scientist,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45but a full-on pop culture icon.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Don't like it.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Far beyond the world of physics, people know his name
0:00:51 > 0:00:54and possibly even more famously, his voice.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57What is a black hole?
0:00:58 > 0:01:01In 1963, doctors told him his motor neurone disease
0:01:01 > 0:01:03would give him two years to live.
0:01:03 > 0:01:08More than 50 years later, he continues to defy that diagnosis.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10He communicates using a voice synthesiser
0:01:10 > 0:01:12and the muscles in his face.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15His is the ultimate story of the triumph of the human spirit.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19So, of course I want to meet Stephen Hawking, but I also want
0:01:19 > 0:01:23to spend time with the man behind the bright lights and the equations.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26I want to meet the team of people that look after Stephen -
0:01:26 > 0:01:29his friends, his colleagues,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32and maybe even the actor Eddie Redmayne,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34who won an Oscar for portraying him.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38His face is perhaps the most charismatic face I've ever seen.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40I'll also be meeting his children,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43who rarely talk publicly about their father.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45I think there's a bit of the old razzmatazz about him.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48I think he actually secretly loves show business.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Who is this man - the genius, the husband, the father?
0:01:54 > 0:01:58With a story so incredible that even Hollywood wanted to tell it.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03He is, in many ways, the most unusual hero and star
0:02:03 > 0:02:06this country has ever produced.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09We're going to meet Professor Stephen Hawking.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27'I'm meeting Stephen in a central London hotel today,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29'a very special day.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31'It's the premiere of the film about his life -
0:02:31 > 0:02:32'The Theory Of Everything.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37'As I arrive at Stephen's hotel suite, I'm a little nervous -
0:02:37 > 0:02:40'not least because I'm not sure how easy it is
0:02:40 > 0:02:42'to have a conversation with him.'
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Hello. Hi, how are you? Hi, nice to meet you. A pleasure to meet you as well.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Hi, how are you?Hi.Professor Hawking, it's a pleasure to see you.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53How are you?
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Lovely to see you, by the way.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06'I've only just opened my mouth and, already, I've misjudged this.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08'Stephen speaks by spelling out his responses
0:03:08 > 0:03:11'at an average of one word per minute.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14'So I could be left here on one knee for some time.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19'Sensing my awkwardness, Stephen's housekeeper Pat
0:03:19 > 0:03:21'generously provides me with a chair.'
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Ah, thank you very much. You're very kind.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38'And while Stephen composes his answer, it's hard not to babble.'
0:03:38 > 0:03:42It's very difficult not talk like an idiot in front of you.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Because you're going, "Oh, I must fill this gap, I must...
0:03:44 > 0:03:47"I don't know how to be patient here. I must keep talking".
0:03:47 > 0:03:51And you realise the limits of your own small talk very quickly.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54I have no small talk.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Talking is such an effort.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58That's a fair point.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03'Quickly, though, you learn the gear change from small talk to patience
0:04:03 > 0:04:05'and the conversation can start.'
0:04:05 > 0:04:08By the way, how should I address you? Professor Hawking, or...?
0:04:09 > 0:04:11How formal would you like me to be?
0:04:12 > 0:04:16The tea lady calls me "Stephen".
0:04:16 > 0:04:17That's good enough.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20So, Stephen it is.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Do you want to ask your questions?
0:04:22 > 0:04:23Yes, if I could.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26I suppose the first question would obviously be,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29how does it feel to have a film made of your life?
0:04:29 > 0:04:32I was rather surprised that a major film company
0:04:32 > 0:04:35should want to make a film about me.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39At first, I was worried,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43because it was based on a book by my ex-wife, Jane.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46But I was reassured when I read the script,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49and even more when I saw a first cut of the film.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54It was surprisingly honest about our marriage
0:04:54 > 0:04:57and my fight with ALS, or motor neurone disease.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04The one regret I have is that it doesn't contain more physics,
0:05:04 > 0:05:09but I suppose that was inevitable in a film for a general audience.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Were you happy to see Eddie Redmayne's version of you on screen?
0:05:14 > 0:05:17I thought Eddie Redmayne portrayed me very well.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23He spent time with ALS sufferers so he could be authentic.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26At times, I thought he was me.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33It is perhaps the closest I will come to time travel.
0:05:33 > 0:05:34It would be a privilege for us
0:05:34 > 0:05:37to spend some time with you this evening,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39as you're getting ready for this event.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41It will be a pleasure.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Good afternoon. Hello. I'm Patricia. How do you do?
0:05:44 > 0:05:46How are you? Nice to meet you both.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49'And now, here's something I wasn't expecting -
0:05:49 > 0:05:51'Stephen has a stylist to help him get ready
0:05:51 > 0:05:53'for tonight's big occasion.'
0:05:53 > 0:05:55So, you're the...? I'm William Gilchrist, stylist.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Stylist, fantastic.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00'William and Stephen's personal assistant, Jeanna Lee York,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02'have brought his red carpet outfit.'
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Stephen, if you remember, we had the double-breasted cardigan.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08'William might be a professional stylist,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11'but here, he's working to Stephen's brief.'
0:06:11 > 0:06:14And then, scarf-wise, you had mentioned about a solid colour.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16So, we have the polka dot...
0:06:21 > 0:06:23The cashmere...
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Keeping it elegant and keeping it simple.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27The second scarf.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30I like plain.OK.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Fabulous, you're all set. Good stuff.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41'All the preparations made, the team head out to the movie premiere.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44'An entourage of five people
0:06:44 > 0:06:46'will be looking after Stephen for the big night tonight.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52'And while he's been getting ready, so has Leicester Square.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05'The stars of the film and assorted special quests
0:07:05 > 0:07:09'have gathered for the fans and for the paparazzi cameras alike.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11'It's the big opportunity for the film stars
0:07:11 > 0:07:14'Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones to promote the film.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18'Although frankly, anyone turning up with a vaguely famous face
0:07:18 > 0:07:20'gets a camera stuck up their nose, including me.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26'But the real star of the premiere is just arriving.'
0:07:26 > 0:07:27Ladies and gentlemen,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30the man whose life The Theory Of Everything is based on.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35Please welcome to Leicester Square, Professor Stephen Hawking!
0:07:35 > 0:07:37CHEERING
0:07:44 > 0:07:48And so, this is the glitz and glamour of a Leicester Square movie premiere.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Light bulbs going off, music loudly playing...
0:07:51 > 0:07:54This is about the life story of a theoretical physicist.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57People don't make movies about theoretical physicists!
0:07:57 > 0:08:00To solve that riddle, we should probably get out of here.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03We should maybe go to Cambridge, meet Stephen Hawking
0:08:03 > 0:08:04and his family where they live,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07see where he works and find out who he really is.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13MUSIC: Gloria In D Major, RV 589 by Antonio Vivaldi
0:08:23 > 0:08:27'Cambridge is where Stephen has spent most of his life.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29'Although he began his studies at Oxford,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31'he came here to do his graduate work.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36'It's where he made a name for himself in the academic world.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39'It's also where he wrote his book, A Brief History Of Time,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42'and where he raised his family.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45'It's where he still lives with his support team.'
0:08:45 > 0:08:50He's the longest living man ever with ALS, or motor neurone disease,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53and that requires a large team around him
0:08:53 > 0:08:55to help him survive, essentially.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57It's an unusual lifestyle on many, many levels,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59but there's a normal man at the heart of it
0:08:59 > 0:09:02and that's the man we're going to see again, here in his home.
0:09:04 > 0:09:05DOORBELL RINGS
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Hey, how are you, pet? Good to see you.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Hello, welcome. Nice to see you. Good to be here.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Hello.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21'Before my visit today, I sent Stephen my questions in advance.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23'He needs the time to prepare his answers,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26'because he has to spell out each word, letter by letter,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28'using just the muscles in his face.'
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Stephen, thank you very much for inviting us into your home.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35I have a number of questions
0:09:35 > 0:09:38that you've been very kind enough to answer for me.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40My first question for you.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43You were diagnosed with motor neurone disease
0:09:43 > 0:09:46more than 50 years ago and you were said, at the time...
0:09:46 > 0:09:49The diagnosis said that you had two years to live.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Essentially, the question is, how are you still here?
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Obviously, I am not a typical case,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00or I would have died half a century ago.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04I think my survival against the odds
0:10:04 > 0:10:07must have something to do with my commitment to science.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11I am damned if I am going to die
0:10:11 > 0:10:15before I have unravelled more about the universe.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18I would have that printed on badges and T-shirts -
0:10:18 > 0:10:20"I'm damned if I'm going to die
0:10:20 > 0:10:22"before I know how the universe works."
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Another question about the condition you have
0:10:25 > 0:10:26and how it's affected your life.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Are you in pain?
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Motor neurone disease doesn't cause pain,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36but sometimes I get uncomfortable, because I can't adjust my position.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42Of the things that this condition has taken from you,
0:10:42 > 0:10:44what do you miss the most?
0:10:46 > 0:10:49I would like to be able to swim again.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52To swim again? That's an interesting one to miss.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55When my children were young,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58I missed not being able to play with them physically.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02'Stephen gives impressively honest answers,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05'even to the most direct questions.'
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Stephen, you have said that you support assisted suicide
0:11:09 > 0:11:12for people with terminal illnesses and that their family members
0:11:12 > 0:11:15should be able to assist without fear of prosecution.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19What condition would you have to be in for you to consider this option?
0:11:20 > 0:11:25To keep someone alive against their wishes is the ultimate indignity.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31I would consider assisted suicide only if I were in great pain,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34or felt I had nothing more to contribute,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37but was just a burden to those around me.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41And, I suppose, maybe a more existential question than that -
0:11:41 > 0:11:43are you lonely?
0:11:43 > 0:11:46At times, I get very lonely,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48because people are afraid to talk to me
0:11:48 > 0:11:51or don't wait for me to write a response.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I am shy and tongue-tied at times.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02I find it difficult to talk to people I don't know.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07'Of course, not all of the great questions in life are about physics.'
0:12:08 > 0:12:11We talk about the extraordinary life that you've had,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14but there is something very normal about your life as well.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17And by normal, I mean... messy, like anyone else's life.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21I mean, two marriages, three children...
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Are there any hopes of discovering the laws that govern love?
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Or would that take the fun out of life?
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Women are a mystery to me.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35That is the fun.
0:12:35 > 0:12:36DARA LAUGHS
0:12:39 > 0:12:41As they are to me and all other geeks, as well.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47'That normal, messy human life of Stephen's
0:12:47 > 0:12:51'has been compelling enough to be turned into a Hollywood blockbuster,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53'and Eddie Redmayne would go on to win an Oscar
0:12:53 > 0:12:55'for his portrayal of Stephen.'
0:12:56 > 0:12:58When stars are born
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and when they die,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03they emit UV radiation.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06So, if we could see the night sky in the ultraviolet light,
0:13:06 > 0:13:10then almost all the stars would disappear
0:13:10 > 0:13:15and all that we would see are these spectacular births and deaths.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19'The second that I was cast, I started researching him'
0:13:19 > 0:13:21and what I find extraordinary is,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24his face is perhaps the most charismatic face I've ever seen.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27It's like all of the facilities that we have of, of gesture,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30of tone of voice, of... All of those energies are channelled
0:13:30 > 0:13:33into those few muscles that he's able to use.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Blink to choose the colour
0:13:35 > 0:13:37of the group of the letter you want, Stephen.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Green...
0:13:44 > 0:13:45..blue...
0:13:47 > 0:13:48..pink...
0:13:49 > 0:13:51..red.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59'A huge influence on Eddie's portrayal
0:13:59 > 0:14:03'was advice he had from two of Stephen's children.'
0:14:03 > 0:14:07The great inroad to that was meeting Lucy and Tim,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and I spent a long time going to a motor neurone disease clinic
0:14:10 > 0:14:12and really trying to educate myself on the disease
0:14:12 > 0:14:14and many people who are suffering from it
0:14:14 > 0:14:16and wanted to be absolutely authentic to the disease,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19but I was being quite respectful and then Tim said,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22"Yeah, but we did used to get into Dad's wheelchair and use it as a go-kart."
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Or, "We did used to put swear words into the voice machine and press 'play'," you know?
0:14:26 > 0:14:29That was just such a revelation for me, because that was like...
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Of course, it's just a normal family!
0:14:31 > 0:14:34And, you know, dealing with pretty extreme circumstances,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36but with humour and with fun and...
0:14:36 > 0:14:37Exactly, wind back the clock.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Wind back the clock.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40Is that what you're doing?
0:14:40 > 0:14:44'Stephen's first wife Jane is played in the film by Felicity Jones.'
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Keep winding!
0:14:46 > 0:14:50'She was touched by just how unusual their life together was.'
0:14:50 > 0:14:51Keep winding...
0:14:51 > 0:14:53I started to see...
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Jane was someone who, when she met Stephen,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59she never patronised him and I...
0:14:59 > 0:15:04In some ways, I subconsciously absorbed that and then every time...
0:15:04 > 0:15:06In the preparation of the film,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10I'd find new things and contradictions in this couple,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13who both lived extraordinary lives.
0:15:19 > 0:15:20There.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24That's better, isn't it?
0:15:25 > 0:15:26Yes.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Did Stephen flirt with you?
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Oh... I mean, he loves the ladies.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37So, he was watching a scene we were doing and then he wrote
0:15:37 > 0:15:41and asked if I would give him a kiss after we'd finished shooting
0:15:41 > 0:15:44and I was like, "Of course, you're an icon," cos, you know... He's...
0:15:44 > 0:15:46I don't think even an icon
0:15:46 > 0:15:48is allowed to just write and demand a kiss!
0:15:48 > 0:15:51I know! Only Stephen Hawking could get away with that.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01But how accurate are these Hollywood biopics, anyway?
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Only those who lived through it - Stephen's family -
0:16:04 > 0:16:05can really tell you.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Stephen and his first wife, Jane, had three children.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15The eldest, Robert, here on the left,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17lives in Washington state, in America.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20But Lucy, with her son, and Tim, live here in Britain.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26So I'm heading to a school in London to meet Lucy.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28She's a writer now
0:16:28 > 0:16:30and some of her dad's passions must have rubbed off on her,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33because she and he have co-authored together
0:16:33 > 0:16:35a series of children's science novels.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42STEPHEN HAWKING: 'So many things are possible, but you have to imagine them first.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47'Can you imagine a future that no-one else has known of?'
0:16:47 > 0:16:50'Today, Lucy is trying to get these primary school kids
0:16:50 > 0:16:52'excited about the mysteries of the cosmos.'
0:16:52 > 0:16:57And so, we have a mystery spaceship, in orbit around the earth.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Sometimes, this spaceship is invisible
0:17:00 > 0:17:02and no-one knows who it belongs to.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06I am about to complete my fifth book, written with him,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09which actually makes me his most prolific co-author.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11No-one else has written five books with him.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14So, that's my little record-holding title myself.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Is he a helpful co-author?
0:17:17 > 0:17:20We're aiming for a kind of scientific accuracy
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and authenticity, and that really...
0:17:23 > 0:17:25He plays a very important role in ensuring that -
0:17:25 > 0:17:28that I'm not allowed to break the laws of physics
0:17:28 > 0:17:30by going off on some crazy plot twist, and, yeah...
0:17:30 > 0:17:32So, that's annoying.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Annoyingly persistent in his editing comments...
0:17:36 > 0:17:40How has being Stephen Hawking's daughter affected your life?
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Most people don't find their childhoods featuring
0:17:43 > 0:17:45in Oscar-winning Hollywood films.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47It just sort of underlines the point
0:17:47 > 0:17:50that, really, there was nothing normal about that.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52So, it's hard to sum it up.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55I did read something that an astronaut said about,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57"What's it like to be in space?"
0:17:57 > 0:18:00And I felt a lot of resonance with his quote. He said,
0:18:00 > 0:18:04"Being in space is a strange mixture of the really prosaic,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08"like the everyday, and the deeply extraordinary."
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Being in space, that's kind of how I feel.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12That's what our lives with Dad are like.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15They're that strange mix of incredibly ordinary
0:18:15 > 0:18:17but deeply extraordinary at the same time.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21How strange is it, watching the film of all of your lives?
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Er... The first time, I saw it with my brother.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26It was just the two of us when we watched it
0:18:26 > 0:18:30and we saw it in a private room at the film production company
0:18:30 > 0:18:32and I just bawled my heart out.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35It was so astonishing to me,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38to go back in time in the way that it did
0:18:38 > 0:18:40and to see things that were just...
0:18:40 > 0:18:42I mean, I saw my grandparents,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45who have all died and there they are on screen.
0:18:45 > 0:18:46I saw the house we used to live in.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49I saw our whole story playing out in front of my eyes and I was...
0:18:49 > 0:18:51I walked out, just stunned.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54But the bit that really gets me is actually a bit that, funnily enough,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57other people don't seem to like.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59At the end of the film, my father,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01played by Eddie Redmayne, is giving a lecture
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and he goes into a sort of reverie at one point
0:19:04 > 0:19:07and he gets up and walks and picks up a pen off the floor
0:19:07 > 0:19:09and returns it to the young woman.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Oh, I can't even... I'm going to cry now.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15That bit slays me, because I've never seen my father walk
0:19:15 > 0:19:18and I have this sort of dream in which I see him walking
0:19:18 > 0:19:20and when I watch that, I just...
0:19:20 > 0:19:22I wanted it to go on for ever.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25I wanted that bit to last for around 44 and a half years,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28cos it was like seeing our father as he would have been,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30without motor neurone disease.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32So that was the bit that really broke my heart.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Actually, I asked, "Of the things that your condition
0:19:35 > 0:19:37"has taken from you, what do you miss the most?"
0:19:37 > 0:19:39And he did say, "When my children were young,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42"I missed not being able to play with them physically."
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Mmm... That's sad. That's really sad.Yeah. Did you miss that?
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Yeah, I did. And, of course, I have a lot of friends now
0:19:48 > 0:19:53who have small children, and especially with my male friends...
0:19:54 > 0:19:57You know, I see them pick up a small child and it kind of really
0:19:57 > 0:20:01reminds me that that was something my father couldn't do.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03And that I found quite poignant and quite painful,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05cos that would have been really nice.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12'Stephen's children rarely give interviews,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15'but I particularly wanted to speak to Tim.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18'At 36, he's Stephen's youngest child
0:20:18 > 0:20:22'and grew up at a different stage of his father's illness.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25'Nonetheless, it must still have been unsettling
0:20:25 > 0:20:27'to watch their story in a film.'
0:20:29 > 0:20:32How weird is it, by the way, seeing your family life on screen?
0:20:32 > 0:20:34It was a very, you know, very emotional...
0:20:34 > 0:20:38A lot more emotional for me than I perhaps thought,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42and I think particularly because, you know, not ever knowing my dad
0:20:42 > 0:20:46as an able-bodied person, to actually see him as a young man...
0:20:46 > 0:20:48I think, for me, that was perhaps
0:20:48 > 0:20:52sort of one of the really lovely things about the film.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Actually, you grew up with him when he had already lost his voice.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56Am I right in saying that?
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Well, the thing for me was that,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02for, like, about the first four or five years of my life,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06my dad was able to...was able to speak with his natural voice.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10If you are a long way off...
0:21:11 > 0:21:14..you have ways of saying things.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17But it was very, very difficult to understand what he was saying
0:21:17 > 0:21:19and, obviously, for me, as a sort of three-year-old,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22I had no understanding of what he was saying
0:21:22 > 0:21:25and so, I didn't really actually have any communication with him
0:21:25 > 0:21:27for about the first five years of my life.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31And then, it was only when he got the speech synthesiser
0:21:31 > 0:21:34that I was actually able to start having a conversation with him.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37So it was kind of ironic, in a way,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41that him losing his voice was actually the start of him and I
0:21:41 > 0:21:45being able to form a relationship, really.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48He did say that one thing which had an effect
0:21:48 > 0:21:51is he didn't get the chance to physically play with his children.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55He said that was a regret. Did you feel that lack, or...?
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I think he helped wherever he could, you know?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01We played board games, and he wasn't the easiest opponent,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04particularly chess. Surely he let you win?
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Well, no, there's no compassion there at all.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09He was hugely...There's a point in parenting where...
0:22:09 > 0:22:11..hugely competitive.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12Ay-yay-yay...
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Is there any one lesson you took from your father?
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Well, I think... I remember as a 12-year-old sort of asking him
0:22:20 > 0:22:23a question which I think, at the time, I thought was a bit silly.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27"Are there lots of other tiny little universes, dotted around?"
0:22:27 > 0:22:31And then he gave me the answer and then he said,
0:22:31 > 0:22:36"Don't ever be afraid to come with an idea or a hypothesis,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39"no matter how daft it may seem.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41"Just have the confidence to follow it through."
0:22:41 > 0:22:43And I think that's been a great lesson for me.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51'Another way in which Stephen Hawking inspires
0:22:51 > 0:22:55'is in his sheer work ethic, even at 73.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58'Even after 50 years of motor neurone disease.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00'If he's not working on new science,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03'or attending a conference, or writing another book,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07'he's got a full schedule of work and social events to go to.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15'Today, Stephen is at the Science Museum,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18'where he's hosting a tour for a competition winner.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28'This constant flurry of activity couldn't happen
0:23:28 > 0:23:31without the help of his technical assistant, Jonathan Wood.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35'He's at Stephen's side to make sure things run smoothly.'
0:23:36 > 0:23:42You are led down the stairs, down the ramp, to meet Adaeze...
0:23:42 > 0:23:47'I handle all of Stephen's technical things - like, I prepare his slides,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50'I look after his computer,'
0:23:50 > 0:23:52I book his holidays.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54LAUGHTER
0:23:54 > 0:23:55I look after his car, I...
0:23:55 > 0:23:58You know, anything that, obviously, Stephen can't do,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01because he's in a wheelchair, I help him to do.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03It's very obvious... You can tell that there is communication
0:24:03 > 0:24:06that he can make with you that I don't see.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Yeah, I mean, to people sort of closest to Stephen,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12he's very expressive with his facial gestures.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Just if he looks at me, I'll know whether he wants me to stay away
0:24:15 > 0:24:17or if he wants some attention...
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Cos the chair he's in is, to a certain extent, a life support machine.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Right, he's got a respirator on the back of his chair
0:24:22 > 0:24:24that regulates his breathing
0:24:24 > 0:24:28and a humidifier that helps humidify the air going to him.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31And has his computer ever broken, or has the battery gone flat?
0:24:31 > 0:24:33HE LAUGHS
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Well, yeah. I mean, we run out of... forget the battery,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37or it hasn't been charged up overnight
0:24:37 > 0:24:40and we sort of get somewhere... The problem is that
0:24:40 > 0:24:42the battery powers not just Stephen's chair,
0:24:42 > 0:24:43but his computer and his speech.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46So we end up being somewhere and suddenly Stephen'll kind of go,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49"Bzzew," and it's all turned off.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51And you can just run out of power? Yeah, and run out of power.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53It has happened and we just have to
0:24:53 > 0:24:56push him back to the nearest power supply.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Rarely - but on occasions.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01And it's a great honour for me to welcome
0:25:01 > 0:25:05London's official guest of honour to the Science Museum,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08the home of human ingenuity.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13'Adaeze Uyanwah is a very lucky American school teacher.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18'She won a prize to get the greatest VIP tour of London.'
0:25:18 > 0:25:24This is Apollo 10, which launched in May 1969
0:25:24 > 0:25:28as a dress rehearsal for the Apollo 11 moon landing.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34'Getting a personal tour of the Science Museum from Stephen Hawking
0:25:34 > 0:25:37'might have been a bit overwhelming for Adaeze,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39'but it's just one of the talks and personal appearances
0:25:39 > 0:25:42'that Stephen does every year around the world.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47'But how do you take Stephen Hawking round the world?
0:25:47 > 0:25:49'One woman who's done just that
0:25:49 > 0:25:52'was his personal assistant for ten years, Judith Croasdell.'
0:25:52 > 0:25:56Judith, how are you? Hello. Nice to meet you.A pleasure.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00'She retired in 2014, but still lives in Cambridge
0:26:00 > 0:26:03'with her parrot and the mementos of her travels.'
0:26:04 > 0:26:09I have travelled with him abroad to some very interesting places.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10I've been to China with him.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14I've been to Hong Kong, Israel and Chile.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18Perhaps the most extraordinary place to travel with Stephen
0:26:18 > 0:26:20was Easter Island.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Easter Island, I don't think
0:26:22 > 0:26:24it had ever had a disabled person visit it,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28because, you know, it's all gravel around the moai and all the sites.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33But relentlessly, Stephen went out and saw all the moai
0:26:33 > 0:26:37and it was wonderful, travelling somewhere like that with him.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39You know, there wasn't anywhere that he couldn't go,
0:26:39 > 0:26:43and I stopped thinking about him as being disabled as well,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45because you think, "God, he's a lucky fellow!
0:26:45 > 0:26:48"Look at all the amazing places he's seen."
0:26:48 > 0:26:49And Stephen met Nelson Mandela.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54I remember asking Stephen about this afterwards.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56"So, what was it like, Stephen?"
0:26:56 > 0:26:58So he said, "Well, at first I thought he was gaga.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00"He was just staring at me."
0:27:00 > 0:27:02And I said, "Well, it didn't occur to you that he may have thought,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05"'What on earth is this? How am I supposed to talk to this man?'"
0:27:05 > 0:27:09So I said I'm sure it was... They probably both looked at each other
0:27:09 > 0:27:12as if they were from another planet!
0:27:12 > 0:27:16And then, there was a lot of bleeping and squeaking and stuff
0:27:16 > 0:27:19and then suddenly this voice booms out,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23how nice it was to meet the great Nelson Mandela and...
0:27:24 > 0:27:26I imagine, you know, "Oh, he does speak!"
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Myself and Stephen share one achievement in common -
0:27:30 > 0:27:32we've both done the Zero G Flight.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Oh, you've done it? I did it as well, actually, yes.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38When Stephen went up, he did eight fantastic parabolas
0:27:38 > 0:27:40and he adored it.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42It was the most wonderful thing.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46I mean, just being up in the air, free of his wheelchair -
0:27:46 > 0:27:48he'll never get over it.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51'It was amazing. I could have gone on and on.'
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Does he take on too much?
0:27:56 > 0:27:57Yes.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01He does on occasions - and when that happens,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04usually, his body gives up, not him.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06He's ferociously...
0:28:06 > 0:28:09But then, when he gets an infection or something,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11that's it - he has to stop.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Dragged into hospital, bored to death,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17and I always remember his colleagues -
0:28:17 > 0:28:19grey-haired, venerable professors,
0:28:19 > 0:28:23saying things like, "Well, he'll cheer up if we go and see him.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28"We'll just burble science over him and he'll just breathe that in
0:28:28 > 0:28:31"and that's how he'll get better," and they were quite right, actually.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33They knew him very well.Oh, right?
0:28:33 > 0:28:36And that's exactly what Stephen enjoyed most of all, I think.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41'So, it's science that keeps Stephen chipper,
0:28:41 > 0:28:44'and like Einstein before him, he uses pure mathematics and
0:28:44 > 0:28:48'theoretical physics to come up with his theories about the universe.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52'As a student, I studied both of these subjects,
0:28:52 > 0:28:56'so I'm very excited, because he's invited me over to talk about them.'
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Now, I'm not going to turn down the opportunity to talk science
0:29:02 > 0:29:04with one of the greatest minds of our generation,
0:29:04 > 0:29:07so I've come to Stephen's office here in Cambridge University.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10Not the Cambridge University you're probably used to seeing
0:29:10 > 0:29:12from all the films, or, indeed, The Theory of Everything -
0:29:12 > 0:29:14not the one with all the stone cloisters.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17This is the ultra-modern Centre for Mathematical Sciences.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19Of course, they haven't ditched their history entirely.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23One of the buildings is named after an old boy from here, Isaac Newton.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28MUSIC: Closing by Philip Glass
0:29:35 > 0:29:38'Stephen has worked in this office for 15 years,
0:29:38 > 0:29:42'and decorating the walls are pictures and mementoes of his heroes
0:29:42 > 0:29:44'and the people he's met,
0:29:44 > 0:29:47'like Barack Obama, Steven Spielberg,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49'the theoretical physicist Richard Feynman,
0:29:49 > 0:29:51'and, of course, Albert Einstein.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57'But what I'm excited by is what's on Stephen's blackboard.'
0:30:00 > 0:30:02This is, in a nutshell,
0:30:02 > 0:30:06one shot of why it's such a pleasure to spend time with Stephen Hawking.
0:30:06 > 0:30:11On the one hand, you have stills of his appearances in The Simpsons...
0:30:13 > 0:30:16..and you have, just below it,
0:30:16 > 0:30:19Hawking radiation, which he discovered.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21'Stephen's revolutionary breakthrough was discovering
0:30:21 > 0:30:23'that despite their massive gravity,
0:30:23 > 0:30:27'black holes send out radiation until there's nothing left.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31'One person with an insight into how Stephen's unique mind
0:30:31 > 0:30:35'comes up with these ideas is his friend and colleague, Kip Thorne.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39'Kip has worked with Stephen since the early '70s.'
0:30:39 > 0:30:43Although he could no longer draw diagrams on the blackboard,
0:30:43 > 0:30:47he learned to create shapes,
0:30:47 > 0:30:52geometries, typologies in his head.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Some of his greatest breakthroughs in science -
0:30:55 > 0:30:58his discovery of Hawking radiation, for example -
0:30:58 > 0:31:01that black holes can only grow, they can't shrink.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04They came from manipulating shapes in his head
0:31:04 > 0:31:08in ways that I can't do and nobody else can do.
0:31:08 > 0:31:13He has shown to his colleagues and to the world
0:31:13 > 0:31:17that physical impairment does not have to prevent one
0:31:17 > 0:31:20from living life to the full
0:31:20 > 0:31:24and having a huge intellectual impact on the world.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27He is an inspiration to his colleagues.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31He is an inspiration to the general public, for what he has achieved.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35He's an inspiration to me, particularly, for his stubbornness.
0:31:35 > 0:31:40He's the most stubborn man I've ever met, by a very large margin.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43And that's a large part of what makes him succeed,
0:31:43 > 0:31:45and I try to emulate him.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48You simply don't give up - and if you don't give up
0:31:48 > 0:31:50and you work hard enough,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53you have a good chance of having some real big impact.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00'And there's no sign of him giving up.
0:32:00 > 0:32:05'Even at 73, Stephen is still working on new theories of physics.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08'He's collaborating today with one of his former students,
0:32:08 > 0:32:10'fellow physicist Professor Thomas Hertog,
0:32:10 > 0:32:14'who has flown over from Belgium especially to work with him.'
0:32:16 > 0:32:18He can think, right? He can think very hard.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20He can think very well.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22He has a very clear scientific vision.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26So he feels cosmology is a mission he can fulfil,
0:32:26 > 0:32:29despite his disability, and therefore,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32that's what makes life worthwhile.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36It is usually thought the exi surface is very irregular,
0:32:36 > 0:32:38but we think the amplitude...
0:32:38 > 0:32:40What makes him remarkable as a scientist
0:32:40 > 0:32:42is the clarity of his vision.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46He has an ability to see through all the clutter
0:32:46 > 0:32:50and to focus on the core problems
0:32:50 > 0:32:53and also, to abandon old ideas
0:32:53 > 0:32:55which stand in the way of further progress.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03'And even in the rarefied atmosphere of the Cambridge maths department,
0:33:03 > 0:33:05'most of the best work is done in the canteen.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11'And now, I'm excited, because when I studied theoretical physics,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14'neither I nor any of my professors
0:33:14 > 0:33:16'ever thought I'd be sitting down and talking physics
0:33:16 > 0:33:19'with one of the greatest scientific minds on the planet.'
0:33:20 > 0:33:24In physics at the moment, there are these two huge theories.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26We have Einstein's theory of relativity,
0:33:26 > 0:33:29which talks about the very big planets and galaxies
0:33:29 > 0:33:31and gravity and how gravity affects them,
0:33:31 > 0:33:33and then we've got quantum mechanics,
0:33:33 > 0:33:36which deals with the very small and the tiny subatomic particles
0:33:36 > 0:33:38and the forces that work for them.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41The Holy Grail for some time has been,
0:33:41 > 0:33:43"How can we draw these two together?"
0:33:43 > 0:33:46It's what people refer to as "the theory of everything".
0:33:46 > 0:33:48Do you think we'll ever achieve that?
0:33:48 > 0:33:52I think we will eventually discover a unified theory,
0:33:52 > 0:33:56though it may well take longer than the 20 years I predicted,
0:33:56 > 0:33:5845 years ago.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Your work is at the very edge of what is theoretical
0:34:02 > 0:34:04and what we're imagining.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Does it disappoint you that we might not have
0:34:06 > 0:34:09an experimental proof of your work in your lifetime?
0:34:09 > 0:34:13I am resigned to the fact that I won't see
0:34:13 > 0:34:16proof of Hawking radiation directly.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20I am now studying whether one might detect Hawking radiation
0:34:20 > 0:34:23in primordial gravitational waves.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28So I might get a Nobel prize, after all.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32That's... That's great. That is a direct pitch to win a Nobel prize.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35I like the chutzpah of it. I like the nerve.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37One final question.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39In 1992, you postulated the -
0:34:39 > 0:34:41let me get the name of this correct -
0:34:41 > 0:34:44the chronology protection conjecture,
0:34:44 > 0:34:48which basically states that we can't travel backwards in time.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51Thus, destroying the Terminator movies.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53So, thanks for that.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56But, even allowing you that...
0:34:58 > 0:35:00..do you think there's any - and if you'll excuse the pun -
0:35:00 > 0:35:02future for time travel?
0:35:02 > 0:35:06Will we be able to use black holes, for example, to travel through time?
0:35:06 > 0:35:10If you jump in a black hole, you will meet an unpleasant fate.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14It will be little consolation
0:35:14 > 0:35:19that your mass energy will be recycled as Hawking radiation.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21That's tough news for a lot of dreamers, that one,
0:35:21 > 0:35:23but they have to hear it.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26This is something I had to bring along today, Stephen.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29This is my copy of A Brief History of Time,
0:35:29 > 0:35:34which was a Christmas present I got, cos I requested it when I was 16.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38This is an enormously important item in my life,
0:35:38 > 0:35:42cos it's managed to go through every house move I've made
0:35:42 > 0:35:45to the age of 43, this book.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Is it possible to get you to sign this?
0:35:48 > 0:35:49Yes.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55'Stephen signs books by leaving a thumb print on them,
0:35:55 > 0:35:58'which means that I am now a very proud little science nerd.'
0:36:02 > 0:36:05What I'd love to do, obviously, is show it to 16-year-old Dara.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07I think it would actually mean a lot to him,
0:36:07 > 0:36:11to see this book signed by one of his heroes.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13But unfortunately, I can't, because thanks to him,
0:36:13 > 0:36:15I can't go back in time.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17That's one of your great theories. So, I'm stuck here.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19He'll never know. He'll never know, 16-year-old Dara,
0:36:19 > 0:36:22that this happened, thanks to your chronology conjecture.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Lovely. Thanks. Thanks, Stephen. Thanks.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29'This science icon, one of the most unlikely of celebrities,
0:36:29 > 0:36:31'is in demand all over the world
0:36:31 > 0:36:33'and he relishes the attention.'
0:36:35 > 0:36:38Please give an astronomical welcome to Felicity Jones
0:36:38 > 0:36:40and Professor Stephen Hawking!
0:36:40 > 0:36:43CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:36:44 > 0:36:46He enjoys a round of applause,
0:36:46 > 0:36:48particularly if it's directed at him,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51and the opportunity to express his sense of humour.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55I am particularly pleased to be presenting this award
0:36:55 > 0:36:58with the only person on the planet
0:36:58 > 0:37:00more intelligent than Stephen Fry.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02LAUGHTER
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Yes - and better looking.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08LAUGHTER
0:37:08 > 0:37:10APPLAUSE
0:37:11 > 0:37:15And that mischievous sense of humour is about to be put to use again -
0:37:15 > 0:37:16and all for a good cause.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28We're here in Cambridge again, but not for academic purposes.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30He knows his own iconography,
0:37:30 > 0:37:33but he's very happy to have that used for comic effect.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35In the last year, he's done Monty Python,
0:37:35 > 0:37:37he's done The Simpsons previously.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40We're here today where they're filming for Comic Relief,
0:37:40 > 0:37:43for a sketch that appeared on the last Red Nose Day.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46Cos he knows there's something inherently funny about this,
0:37:46 > 0:37:48and his impish sense of humour comes through.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56'David Walliams is resurrecting his character Andy from Little Britain
0:37:56 > 0:37:59'and Catherine Tate is playing an Irish nun.'
0:38:01 > 0:38:07Astounding, to think the Lord created all this in just seven days.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09Incorrect.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11It took 13.8 billion years.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Well, let's not get bogged down in all that again.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17The universe was created by a big bang.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19I don't think so!
0:38:19 > 0:38:22And after an initial expansion, the universe cooled.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24He can go on like this all day.
0:38:24 > 0:38:25DIRECTOR: Cut, thank you.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28'Stephen has the starring role
0:38:28 > 0:38:31'in one of this year's headline sketches for Comic Relief.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36'It's such a big deal, in fact, that even the co-founder of Comic Relief,
0:38:36 > 0:38:38'Richard Curtis, has come along.'
0:38:40 > 0:38:42We hope that we're making a hilarious, very funny,
0:38:42 > 0:38:46brilliant sketch, but I think what it will mean is
0:38:46 > 0:38:50that if two million extra people watch the show, well, that really
0:38:50 > 0:38:55will mean that something like four million extra pounds will get made.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57And if you're very good, Stevie,
0:38:57 > 0:39:00you can watch Peppa Pig.
0:39:00 > 0:39:01Don't like it.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03I thought you loved Peppa Pig.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05You always said it was
0:39:05 > 0:39:10an astute critique of contemporary family life in porcine form.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14Yeah, I know.Well, then we'll watch Peppa Pig, then.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Hiss off.
0:39:17 > 0:39:18What do you mean, "Hiss off"?
0:39:18 > 0:39:20Ducking autocorrect.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Any more bad language like that, Stevie,
0:39:23 > 0:39:27and I'll wash your computer out with soap and water.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29Thank you. Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32For both of you, the first time you've worked with Professor Stephen Hawking?
0:39:32 > 0:39:34Certainly is.Yeah. How have you found it?
0:39:34 > 0:39:37He's very warm, he's been really funny,
0:39:37 > 0:39:40and very engaged with it all and very happy to be here.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42Yeah. And he's got an amazing presence
0:39:42 > 0:39:45and a very beautiful quality. It's a very special thing...
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Yeah, he's got a real twinkle, actually.Yeah, he has, yeah.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Plus, you can now join the list which, er...
0:39:49 > 0:39:51The Simpsons, Monty Python, John Oliver.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53He does a lot of comedy. He does lots of comedy.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Yeah. Well, I think he genuinely loves it.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59I think this is the one he was waiting to tick off the list, wasn't it, to be fair?
0:39:59 > 0:40:03Yeah, I mean, you start with The Simpsons, you build up... Until you get asked.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05LAUGHTER
0:40:07 > 0:40:10After two hours of filming in bitterly cold winter weather,
0:40:10 > 0:40:13Stephen's scenes are complete.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Hey... Thank you so much, Professor.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18It's just been magical working with you.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24As Stephen ages, though, his motor neurone disease
0:40:24 > 0:40:27continues to take more muscle movement from him.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31His greatest fear is that he loses the ability to control his computer.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34If that happens, he won't be able to speak and then
0:40:34 > 0:40:37he wouldn't be able to do the things that are so important to him.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43So, his technical assistant Jonathan and computer specialists
0:40:43 > 0:40:45are trying to come up with
0:40:45 > 0:40:48even more ingenious ways of keeping him communicating.
0:40:48 > 0:40:53Right now, the blink sensor is only able to detect this one movement.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56So what we're trying to do here is use a camera to detect
0:40:56 > 0:41:00the different gestures that he makes with his face.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02We know he can make three different gestures,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05so what we're really hoping to do with this
0:41:05 > 0:41:08is be able to reliably detect these three gestures and then
0:41:08 > 0:41:12we're able to really improve his interface and make it much faster.
0:41:15 > 0:41:16'If all goes to plan,
0:41:16 > 0:41:19'we'll continue to hear Stephen's voice for many years to come.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26'The end of my time with Stephen is drawing near.
0:41:26 > 0:41:27'After all the rushing about,
0:41:27 > 0:41:30'it's quite nice just to relax in his kitchen,
0:41:30 > 0:41:32'reading the newspapers with him.'
0:41:32 > 0:41:36You have, as far as I believe, done submarines, Zero G...
0:41:37 > 0:41:40'Stephen has dedicated his life to science
0:41:40 > 0:41:42'and he's very proud of his achievements.
0:41:42 > 0:41:47'Before I leave Cambridge, he wants to show off about one of them.'
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Over here is my Fundamental Physics prize,
0:41:50 > 0:41:53which I won in 2013.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56More valuable than the Nobel prize.
0:41:56 > 0:41:57DARA LAUGHS
0:41:58 > 0:42:00'Yes, the Fundamental Physics prize
0:42:00 > 0:42:02'is one of the biggest awards in science,
0:42:02 > 0:42:06'bringing Stephen yet more acclaim for his life's work -
0:42:06 > 0:42:09'and the small matter of $3,000,000 of prize money.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14'But there's no end to his ambition.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16'Now, he wants to conquer my world.'
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Dara, I have a joke for you.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22A photon checks into a hotel.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27The receptionist asks, "Can I help with your luggage?"
0:42:29 > 0:42:34The photon replies, "No, it's OK, I am travelling light."
0:42:34 > 0:42:36DARA CHEERS
0:42:36 > 0:42:38That's a top-quality nerd joke!
0:42:38 > 0:42:41Thank you very, very much. That is... That's excellent.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43Thank you very much.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46What is a black hole?
0:42:46 > 0:42:48I don't know. What is a black hole?
0:42:48 > 0:42:51Something you get in a black sock.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53LAUGHTER
0:42:55 > 0:42:59Is that patented? Can I take that, you know? OK. 20/80 split.
0:42:59 > 0:43:0220/80 split for that joke.
0:43:02 > 0:43:0580/20...done.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33I got A Brief History Of Time as a Christmas present when I was 16,
0:43:33 > 0:43:38and when you're 16, you choose your heroes based on triumph or disaster
0:43:38 > 0:43:41and you don't want to meet them, in case their humanity diminishes it.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44Then you get a little older and you do meet your heroes
0:43:44 > 0:43:47and you realise that what makes them great is that humanity.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51It's meeting Stephen Hawking and seeing him as impish and geeky
0:43:51 > 0:43:55and flirty or curious, or stubborn or warm.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57Just an ordinary dad and grandad
0:43:57 > 0:44:00who happens to have triumph and disaster in his life
0:44:00 > 0:44:02and to have risen above it.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05And the greatest achievement he has is his humanity and his normality,
0:44:05 > 0:44:07and that makes him even more of a hero.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11That is a wrap.