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