:00:00. > :00:10.Welcome to one of the most amazing locations in the country.
:00:11. > :00:12.These are the Science Museum stores, eight giant hangars packed full
:00:13. > :00:14.of our nation's most cherished inventions, from Roman
:00:15. > :00:24.Objects both big and small that have defined this great
:00:25. > :00:28.The tens of thousands of objects here are normally
:00:29. > :00:30.locked away from view, but we have exclusive permission
:00:31. > :00:32.to go behind these doors for a special purpose.
:00:33. > :00:35.To reveal the marvellous items hidden inside and ask you to decide
:00:36. > :00:36.from this collection, what is Britain's
:00:37. > :01:16.Before we start, our thoughts are with the victims, the families and
:01:17. > :01:22.all of those who have been affected by the London Fire. We want to
:01:23. > :01:27.welcome you inside the science Museum stores. It is filled with
:01:28. > :01:34.ground-breaking and priceless inventions. Out of almost 40,000
:01:35. > :01:37.objects, the curators have hand-picked the seven they feel have
:01:38. > :01:43.had the biggest impact on our lives today. It is these seven that will
:01:44. > :01:46.be championed by seven celebrities, with the winner being honoured in
:01:47. > :01:51.the Science Museum. This is the first time we have celebrated these
:01:52. > :01:53.everyday objects, and it is up to you to help us decide which is
:01:54. > :01:59.Britain's greatest. Sir Trevor McDonald will be
:02:00. > :02:01.exploring the vast power of a key British invention
:02:02. > :02:06.to control our minds. I hope it does not complicate my
:02:07. > :02:10.watching television! Nick Knowles will be getting up
:02:11. > :02:13.close and personal with a British reinvention that has
:02:14. > :02:15.built our modern world. David Harewood will be witnessing
:02:16. > :02:17.first-hand the power of a home-grown Angela Scanlon will be exploring how
:02:18. > :02:21.we've all become addicts Giles Coren will see how
:02:22. > :02:28.a Brit invented a device that changed everything,
:02:29. > :02:30.from how tall we are Angela Rippon will reveal
:02:31. > :02:35.the invention that has probably And Len Goodman will be going full
:02:36. > :02:59.speed ahead on an antique invention Tonight is a celebration of
:03:00. > :03:03.invention, a rare chance to see these items up close and personal,
:03:04. > :03:11.and we want everybody watching to get involved, by logging onto the
:03:12. > :03:16.website. You can sign in and register to vote for free. Voting
:03:17. > :03:21.opens later in the show. We also want you to tweet along with us.
:03:22. > :03:23.Now to the first of these great inventions being championed
:03:24. > :03:26.A broadcasting legend who thinks he can convince
:03:27. > :03:45.you to give it your vote, please welcome Trevor McDonald.
:03:46. > :03:51.Standing at the heart of our living rooms is the most powerful invention
:03:52. > :03:56.ever created. It is one that we might be inclined to take the
:03:57. > :04:01.granted, but it has transformed the world, changed our preoccupations
:04:02. > :04:04.and our perceptions as people. We will spend a decade of our lives
:04:05. > :04:11.watching it, whether from the comfort of our sofa or increasingly
:04:12. > :04:19.on demand -- on the move. Right now, you are under its spell. It is, of
:04:20. > :04:22.course, television. When I talk about television, I am of course
:04:23. > :04:30.talking about its content, which would not exist without this magic
:04:31. > :04:33.little box. The unique power of television and its ability to bring
:04:34. > :04:38.the world to us, I remember watching Neil Armstrong take his first steps
:04:39. > :04:42.on the moon. What was amazing was not only the fact we had gone to
:04:43. > :04:45.another part of the universe, but that I was able to sit in my home in
:04:46. > :04:52.Trinidad and watch those pictures live. Etched in our collective
:04:53. > :04:57.memories, a bank of iconic television moments that have shaped
:04:58. > :04:59.the world and our view of it. Yet perhaps the most world changing
:05:00. > :05:08.image of all remains largely unknown. This is the first TV
:05:09. > :05:12.picture ever seen by the public in 1926, thanks to an unlikely
:05:13. > :05:17.inventor, John Logie Baird. He was not an orthodox pioneer of crafting
:05:18. > :05:21.his first television out of a biscuit tin, darning needles and
:05:22. > :05:28.other bits of scrap. After several more years he created a mechanical
:05:29. > :05:33.television that scanned an image and transmitted them to a receiver which
:05:34. > :05:39.we played them. Success, but rival British company Marconi were hot on
:05:40. > :05:46.his tail, and soon after produced a faster electronic model. Both wanted
:05:47. > :05:49.to be chosen by the BBC for the world's first television service
:05:50. > :05:55.from Alexandra Palace. John Logie Baird's grandson is showing me where
:05:56. > :06:04.the competition took place. This is where the television service began,
:06:05. > :06:09.in November second 1936. That evening, John Logie Baird and yet my
:06:10. > :06:14.transmitted their pictures in succession, from neighbouring
:06:15. > :06:19.studios. His mechanical system may have been the world's first to
:06:20. > :06:23.broadcast, but EMI's electronic system was more efficient, therefore
:06:24. > :06:28.victorious. Is your grandfather heartbroken of these
:06:29. > :06:34.disappointments? He was at the Opening Ceremony for the Alexandra
:06:35. > :06:39.Palace, but he was not invited to go onto the stage, it was important
:06:40. > :06:45.Government people and executives, and he sat in the rank-and-file. He
:06:46. > :06:52.was angry and disgusted, and he thought his work was not recognised.
:06:53. > :06:55.He must have been sought. He was sad, but the reality was he knew he
:06:56. > :07:00.had put television on the map, and it is true of a lot of inventions,
:07:01. > :07:03.the person who does it first does not necessarily reap the rewards of.
:07:04. > :07:08.He might have missed his crowning moment but his legacy remains a
:07:09. > :07:13.global hit. Today, one channel has exploded into many more, and there
:07:14. > :07:18.are over 1000 in the UK alone. You could not watch most of them without
:07:19. > :07:28.this sky-high landmark, London's BT Tower. 95% of Britain's TV passes
:07:29. > :07:33.through here, as it is distributed from the broadcaster to your home.
:07:34. > :07:38.Looking at these screens, what strikes you is the sheer volume of
:07:39. > :07:44.television, the good, the bad and the downright indifferent. Every one
:07:45. > :07:48.bunch -- everyone of us watches three and a half hours every day,
:07:49. > :07:49.which must affect us all, so it begs the question, what is all this TV
:07:50. > :08:02.doing to us? I have come to the University of
:08:03. > :08:05.London to meet Professor Barry Smith, a sensory scientist who can
:08:06. > :08:13.measure the emotional impact of television's content on its viewer.
:08:14. > :08:20.Welcome. You are going to tell me or I don't know! I will tell you about
:08:21. > :08:25.your reaction to it. Once I am wired up, he will show meets who evocative
:08:26. > :08:33.clips. I hope this does not complicate my watching television!
:08:34. > :08:37.We are now coming to the last moments of Apollo 13, the best thing
:08:38. > :08:47.we can do now is just to listen and hope. There they are! All three
:08:48. > :08:51.shoot out. That is wonderful. It is interesting that the memory does not
:08:52. > :08:58.stop you having an emotional response. When we were looking at
:08:59. > :09:00.your muscle that controls your smile, it is beautiful, spontaneous
:09:01. > :09:06.smiles that happen throughout that clip. It is so wonderful to watch
:09:07. > :09:12.something that eventually comes out well in the end. In Ethiopia, 7
:09:13. > :09:15.million people are threatened by starvation.
:09:16. > :09:23.This place is the closest thing to hell on earth. Death is all around.
:09:24. > :09:28.A child and adult dies every 20 minutes. Relief agencies do what
:09:29. > :09:34.they can, Save The Children are caring for more than 7000 babies.
:09:35. > :09:43.Tremendously affecting scenes. It is an example of, it seems to me, how
:09:44. > :09:48.television can make people act. And it made them act. This is what
:09:49. > :09:54.mattered. It is one of the most powerful ways in which television
:09:55. > :09:59.has been a force for good. Yes. Surely television is the most
:10:00. > :10:01.magical creation of all, what other invention gets so under your skin
:10:02. > :10:08.that it can affect social change, with millions shared experiences and
:10:09. > :10:15.be a force for good? From 24 hour news to box sets, exporting events
:10:16. > :10:17.to natural disasters, television has given us more memories, emotions,
:10:18. > :10:23.opinions and decisions than anything else. Television is undoubtedly the
:10:24. > :10:24.greatest invention of all, because other inventions can change the
:10:25. > :10:46.world. Television can change you. That is really powerful stuff. This
:10:47. > :10:50.is a real celebration of petition ingenuity, how important is it that
:10:51. > :10:58.the people at home engage with it? This country has always had a great
:10:59. > :11:02.tradition of adventure's inventions. It will pass to the coming
:11:03. > :11:05.generations, they must be aware of it, of the tradition, and that is
:11:06. > :11:10.why they should get involved with what is happening tonight. You have
:11:11. > :11:13.been on the television for many decades, I have grown up watching
:11:14. > :11:18.you. What standout moment has there been? One of the most standout
:11:19. > :11:26.moments for the release of Nelson Mandela after 27 years. The world
:11:27. > :11:30.saw him and those pictures everywhere, they had not seen him
:11:31. > :11:35.before. I have the chance to talk to him about the own promising
:11:36. > :11:41.political situation in South Africa at the time. I thought it could not
:11:42. > :11:44.work, nothing could work, and he said what I thought Foster is
:11:45. > :11:50.brutally important, and is a lesson for all politicians, he said, once
:11:51. > :11:55.you are prepared to talk seriously, and to compromise, everything is
:11:56. > :11:59.possible. All solutions are possible. I think it is a great
:12:00. > :12:02.message for the world. It is a fantastic message.
:12:03. > :12:05.If you want to vote for television, all the numbers
:12:06. > :12:10.Calls will cost 15p plus any network access charge.
:12:11. > :12:14.You can vote for your favourite invention when voting
:12:15. > :12:21.You can also sign in and register to vote online for free
:12:22. > :12:26.Please do not call until then, as your vote won't count.
:12:27. > :12:30.Now, I believe that Hannah has been discovering an unexpected effect
:12:31. > :12:49.They are a complete treasure trove of amazing objects, you have some
:12:50. > :12:54.horse drawn carriages, you have a car, and this is a hydrofoil that
:12:55. > :12:59.was built by a chap called Brian. You have satellite, autopsy tables
:13:00. > :13:05.and enormous objects like this one. Hiding behind the corner, we have
:13:06. > :13:11.Jessica, who works with the collection. What is this? This
:13:12. > :13:14.printing press was used in London to print millions of editions of the
:13:15. > :13:19.Daily Mail and the London Evening Standard. It is one example of the
:13:20. > :13:24.Science Museum's Strawberry collection. These are not just
:13:25. > :13:29.objects, they are our shared history, they were made and used and
:13:30. > :13:33.they changed our lives. This place is a Time Capsule of ingenuity, full
:13:34. > :13:38.of things we are preserving for generations. I am going to be behind
:13:39. > :13:42.the scenes this evening, trying to have a look at as many objects as we
:13:43. > :13:47.feasibly can, and uncovering the secrets of the collection.
:13:48. > :13:49.Now, stick with us, because still to come,
:13:50. > :13:51.we have Angela Rippon pitching for a great invention
:13:52. > :13:53.that has kept you alive, and David Harewood becoming
:13:54. > :13:55.a real-life superhero to convince you to vote
:13:56. > :13:59.But first, who better to tell the story of an invention
:14:00. > :14:14.that combines power, grace and speed than Len Goodman?
:14:15. > :14:23.This invention catapulted Britain into the modern world. If you're the
:14:24. > :14:29.industrial rather and today it powers your entire life. 80% of the
:14:30. > :14:32.world's electricity is generated by it, and without it, we would all
:14:33. > :14:46.still be living in the dark ages. You don't have to be a genius to
:14:47. > :14:51.know that my invention is the steam engine. And I am not just talking
:14:52. > :15:03.about fabulous old locomotives like this. There are so many things,
:15:04. > :15:09.ships went faster, mining went deeper, tens of thousands of
:15:10. > :15:11.factories worked on steam, and steam puts the great in Great Britain, I
:15:12. > :15:23.love it. For the last 300 years world has
:15:24. > :15:28.been powered by steam engines of all shapes and sizes, all of them
:15:29. > :15:35.British to the core. The first man to crack it was, Sudbury in 1698. He
:15:36. > :15:40.created an invention that would harness steam to power a machine,
:15:41. > :15:47.the steam engine was born. His invention was a revelation, using
:15:48. > :15:52.steam to power pumping engines, taking industry from being animal
:15:53. > :15:56.driven to new heights of power. Over the next 200 years a string of
:15:57. > :16:00.British engineers improved upon his original design. One of these
:16:01. > :16:06.evolutions affected us profoundly as a nation.
:16:07. > :16:14.Built in 1904, these waterworks and used the steam engine to pump 16
:16:15. > :16:20.million litres of water a day out of the ground and up to the purifier.
:16:21. > :16:26.So it -- so effective, it continued pumping until the 1960s. Welcome to
:16:27. > :16:34.the steamed giants. This is a giant, it is a massive thing. They left the
:16:35. > :16:38.water from two Wells, about 270 feet deep. The engines do two things,
:16:39. > :16:47.pick the water up from deep underground and offer treatment.
:16:48. > :16:52.There is a set of pumps under the floor, pushed out into the pipe and
:16:53. > :16:56.sent 500 feet into the air to the reservoir which is about six miles
:16:57. > :17:02.away. Really? So clean water was available for everybody and soap
:17:03. > :17:08.with things like cholera and typhoid and hepatitis, caused by dirty
:17:09. > :17:13.water, that would clear it. What has the advent of this machinery done
:17:14. > :17:16.for us as a nation? Clean water supply has been the number one human
:17:17. > :17:20.endeavour for thousands of years and this is the thing that Britain
:17:21. > :17:24.exported all over the world, this technology cures disease. And it
:17:25. > :17:29.increases the life expectancy and it grows the population so it gives us
:17:30. > :17:36.an economy and trading power as a nation. And this is the magic word,
:17:37. > :17:40.this is powered by steam. It is indeed. What is it that is so lovely
:17:41. > :17:46.about it? It whispers like a heartbeat and it has got a nice
:17:47. > :17:51.little pumping sound. It is so great. Yes! I love it! You could
:17:52. > :18:03.dance to it, it has got a rhythm to it. I'd f coming in! It is just
:18:04. > :18:07.great. -- I feel a f coming in. As well as killing disease and powering
:18:08. > :18:11.us as a nation, the steam engine impact does not end there. I know
:18:12. > :18:18.what you are thinking, oh, yes, steam trains and all that, 150 years
:18:19. > :18:23.old, it is a relic. I tell you what, it is not. Everything around us is
:18:24. > :18:34.reliant on steam. Yes! The television. The iPhone. The internet
:18:35. > :18:40.is powered by steam. 80% of the world's electricity is generated by
:18:41. > :18:45.the ultimate form of steam engine, the steam turbine. Developed in 1884
:18:46. > :18:52.by Charles Parsons, this turns steam power into rotational energy rather
:18:53. > :18:57.than piston power. Today, they are used in almost every fuel power
:18:58. > :19:00.station in the world, big, small, nuclear, coal, they rely on the
:19:01. > :19:08.descendant of the humble steam engine to create electricity. This
:19:09. > :19:13.is a biomass facility, one Britain's newest power stations, where they
:19:14. > :19:19.generate steam wood. Plant manager Patrick is showing B round. Can I do
:19:20. > :19:24.anything mechanically? Can I touch things? Press a button? Please do
:19:25. > :19:30.not! I will not touch anything, hold my arm and we will do it, come in!
:19:31. > :19:35.180 lorries of waste arrived here each week before being burnt in a
:19:36. > :19:40.giant incinerator. This heats up water to produce enough steam to
:19:41. > :19:49.power 50,000 homes across Britain. Shot up!
:19:50. > :19:54.This is great! Can I hold that? This is fantastic! You can feel it even
:19:55. > :19:58.true here. Once the steam reaches 460 degrees,
:19:59. > :20:03.it is sense to a turbine. This is the turbine.
:20:04. > :20:08.This is where the steam comes in. Within this casing, the superheated
:20:09. > :20:13.steam continuously turns a set of blades which spin a dynamo to create
:20:14. > :20:16.a lecturer city. Without steam and without this, you
:20:17. > :20:22.would not have an electric light bulb. You could have a light bulb,
:20:23. > :20:26.but it would not be shining! It will not be working. Without the
:20:27. > :20:30.steam engine, the world would be a darker place. The descendants of
:20:31. > :20:37.this amazing British invention are as important today as when it was
:20:38. > :20:43.first invented centuries ago. We have so much to thank the
:20:44. > :20:48.extraordinary multitalented steam engine for. It illuminates our
:20:49. > :20:57.cities, it gives us clean water. The thing is, this has to be our
:20:58. > :21:02.greatest invention. It is not just the power behind a load of
:21:03. > :21:12.machinery. It is the power behind our entire civilisation itself.
:21:13. > :21:19.APPLAUSE. I love it! There is a real romance
:21:20. > :21:26.about steam. Their risk, there is this romance, I know it is a
:21:27. > :21:32.throwback to the bygone times. This has got bottoms and things. What is
:21:33. > :21:39.it all about? It has got the romance of the past. And when you think
:21:40. > :21:44.about power stations, they are 80% driven by steam and we would not
:21:45. > :21:47.have the electric light bulb, you would not be able to put anything in
:21:48. > :21:52.because there would be no electricity. You have all that
:21:53. > :21:57.glorious joy of the past and also, you have got the wonders of the
:21:58. > :22:01.future. Steam, I am telling cute... I love all these inventions, they
:22:02. > :22:08.are all great. But this is the daddy! You have got to say, steam,
:22:09. > :22:12.it is British, we feel great! I'm going to stand to attention and
:22:13. > :22:16.salute steam. A kind of get the impression Len likes steam!
:22:17. > :22:18.If the steam engine is your favourite, then
:22:19. > :22:21.all the information you need to vote is on the screen now.
:22:22. > :22:23.Voting will open once all our inventions have been showcased.
:22:24. > :22:26.Please don't call until then, as your vote won't count.
:22:27. > :22:28.But for now, please give it up for Len Goodman!
:22:29. > :22:44.Britain has always been a nation of inventors and 66 years ago, there
:22:45. > :22:48.was a huge event called the Festival of Britain which celebrated our
:22:49. > :22:54.inventing past and our inventing future. Festival was held in
:22:55. > :22:57.London's South Bank and two main areas, the Dome of discovery
:22:58. > :23:01.celebrating science and engineering within the largest aluminium
:23:02. > :23:05.structure in the world, and the pleasure garden, argue lead the
:23:06. > :23:09.world's first theme park which showed how invention could bring joy
:23:10. > :23:14.and happiness. Oliver is a curator at the Science Museum and you can
:23:15. > :23:19.tell us more about the festival. In 1951, the Festival of Britain was
:23:20. > :23:23.held celebrating British science technology, architecture, design and
:23:24. > :23:27.the Arts. After six long years of post-war austerity, this was a
:23:28. > :23:30.chance for Britain to let its head down and celebrate what we do best,
:23:31. > :23:36.creativity, ingenuity and inventiveness. As part of tonight's
:23:37. > :23:40.show, the BBC is teaming up with the Science Museum to track down objects
:23:41. > :23:44.from this event and we want you help. So what kind of things you
:23:45. > :23:47.looking for? It is really important to preserve a record of this
:23:48. > :23:52.fantastic event. We looking for objects may be that were in the
:23:53. > :23:59.Festival science exhibition. And also, memories photographs even. So
:24:00. > :24:03.rummage through your attic and your garden shed and dust in your
:24:04. > :24:06.photograph album and e-mail this address. With your memories and
:24:07. > :24:12.objects and we will share them later.
:24:13. > :24:17.It is a great cause. Come on, guys, let's get some answers. There will
:24:18. > :24:18.be something in the loft. Our next invention which is so integral to
:24:19. > :24:23.our lives today. It's that time for our next
:24:24. > :24:26.invention, and one that is so key I know I rely on it,
:24:27. > :24:29.that nomophobia. Yes, that's a genuine word,
:24:30. > :24:32.it is the fear of being without it. Here to explain more,
:24:33. > :24:48.it's Angela Scanlon. APPLAUSE. My invention can create
:24:49. > :24:53.governments and topple them. It can remake entire industries. Conjuring
:24:54. > :25:01.a $60 billion company like Gruber from nothing. And it has in changed
:25:02. > :25:07.how our species communicates. This is the mobile phone. And invention
:25:08. > :25:12.so successful, it outnumbers humans on planet Earth. Put simply, the
:25:13. > :25:15.mobile phone is the most desired invention of our lifetime and
:25:16. > :25:22.without it, we would be completely lost. I am of course talking about
:25:23. > :25:26.the mobile in its latest and greatest incarnation. The
:25:27. > :25:31.smartphone. A miraculous device now deeply embedded in our lives. Owners
:25:32. > :25:36.swipe and pinch them hundreds of times a day and use them to replace
:25:37. > :25:43.an astonishing range of real devices. Landlines of course and
:25:44. > :25:47.also cameras and clocks, maps, torches, the radio, money and not to
:25:48. > :25:52.mention the computer. Because mobiles now outsell computers by 4-1
:25:53. > :25:58.and Drive the majority of global internet traffic. I know what you're
:25:59. > :26:03.thinking, the mobile phone is not just a British invention, and it is
:26:04. > :26:06.not just American or Japanese. In fact, its existence is due to the
:26:07. > :26:11.great minds from a host of countries. But the most brilliant
:26:12. > :26:20.and most decisive contribution came from writ issued inventors. --
:26:21. > :26:29.British. What with the amazing minds that came together to create this
:26:30. > :26:34.mobile miracle? The modern mobile is built on the principles of three
:26:35. > :26:36.Great British inventions, the telephone invented by Scotsman
:26:37. > :26:42.Alexander Graham Bell, the computer device big Graham Babbage and the
:26:43. > :26:53.web created by Tim Berners-Lee. The final ingredient is less well known.
:26:54. > :26:56.Designed in 1985 by Cambridge's Acorn Computers, the tiny AM
:26:57. > :27:01.processor. It's ultra low power consumption made this perfect for
:27:02. > :27:08.portable battery-powered phones. Today, it its offspring are in 98%
:27:09. > :27:14.of mobile devices, putting the world at our fingertips. What other nugget
:27:15. > :27:18.of joy can possess so much information and make life so easy?
:27:19. > :27:21.Thank you! By being a pocket sized, the mobile
:27:22. > :27:27.is the first truly personal computer. With us whenever we need
:27:28. > :27:32.it. This one little device is thousands
:27:33. > :27:35.of times more powerful than all of the computers used to send man to
:27:36. > :27:39.the moon in the 1960s. Get your head around that! Is having
:27:40. > :27:44.the power of the supercomputer in our hands a good thing? Helping me
:27:45. > :27:48.find out is Doctor Elizabeth Britain from the Science Museum, an expert
:27:49. > :27:52.in the mobile phone's impact on society.
:27:53. > :27:57.We always have it on us and we take for granted the possibilities. There
:27:58. > :28:00.is a real power in that device to do good and not just spend time
:28:01. > :28:04.chatting. Yes, we see a teenager down the street and assume they are
:28:05. > :28:08.chatting to their brand about something shallow but actually, they
:28:09. > :28:12.could be doing all sorts of interesting things. Encouraging
:28:13. > :28:16.people to go and vote, they could be involved in local activism and
:28:17. > :28:19.engaging with the news around them. The mobile phone is a tool for good
:28:20. > :28:23.and bad in equal measure and it is how we choose to use it.
:28:24. > :28:30.Millions use it to try and change the world. It was central to the
:28:31. > :28:32.Arab Spring of 2011, allowing campaigners to organise and
:28:33. > :28:36.publicise demonstrations that brought down governments. It enabled
:28:37. > :28:42.a reality TV star to talk directly to his bands and become the most
:28:43. > :28:46.powerful man on Earth. How has it changed the way we associate with
:28:47. > :28:49.previously untouchable people in the public eye? Previously, we might
:28:50. > :28:53.have seen interviews with politicians or celebrities in
:28:54. > :28:57.magazines and newspapers and now there is a more immediate
:28:58. > :29:02.relationship. We can tweet them and followed them in social media, there
:29:03. > :29:05.is more accountability and a flattened hierarchy. It feels like
:29:06. > :29:10.the mobile phone has almost made the world shrink. For better and for
:29:11. > :29:13.worse we have a much more intimate and closer and more immediate sense
:29:14. > :29:18.of communication with our friends and loved ones and it can sometimes
:29:19. > :29:23.feel inescapable. I am sure you know about Irish mothers!
:29:24. > :29:27.For all the mobile's world changing power, this is the bestselling
:29:28. > :29:30.gadget of all time because it makes our everyday lives easier.
:29:31. > :29:33.Performing challenges that a couple of years ago would have sounded like
:29:34. > :29:38.science fiction. One of the most mind blowing things
:29:39. > :29:45.about this technology is it is making everybody multilingual. At
:29:46. > :29:57.least, that is the idea. OK, so, apparently, this place
:29:58. > :30:00.serves scraps. Thanks to the mobile, I can choose with confidence from
:30:01. > :30:07.any menu in the world. But could the mobile also satisfied -- satisfy a
:30:08. > :30:09.deeper anger? Neuroscientist Colin Blakemore things this improves our
:30:10. > :30:22.personal relationships. Think of middle-aged people or young
:30:23. > :30:25.people, they will get old, so think of the potential they will have to
:30:26. > :30:30.stay in touch, tell people when they have a problem. What about the
:30:31. > :30:37.intimacy of relationships? The word itself means being physical, very
:30:38. > :30:42.close, but what matters about that in the past boss that it was easy to
:30:43. > :30:46.communicate with someone, exchange ideas quickly and easily. The phone
:30:47. > :30:51.gets bad press, but it feels unfounded. Lots of new technology
:30:52. > :30:57.has got bad press in the early days, look at the way people reacted to
:30:58. > :31:01.books. A lot of people were very suspicious about the danger of
:31:02. > :31:04.people having access to knowledge, and the concern we would lose our
:31:05. > :31:08.memories if we did not have to remember chunks of material by
:31:09. > :31:12.Vogue. These concerns were expressed in the early days of printing, but
:31:13. > :31:18.where would the world be without books? By putting the power of a
:31:19. > :31:24.supercomputer in our pocket, the mobile phone has changed our world"
:31:25. > :31:30.time. The change will keep coming, from holographic displays to health
:31:31. > :31:35.apps, augmented reality to educating our kids. There is even talk of
:31:36. > :31:40.phones using artificial intelligence to become mobile friends. This has
:31:41. > :31:44.got to be the greatest invention, because this tiny device is changing
:31:45. > :31:54.us faster and more profoundly than anything in human history.
:31:55. > :32:03.They all have one! How many people go on a steam train or a jet engine?
:32:04. > :32:08.Everybody has a mobile phone, it is ingenious and accessible. But is it
:32:09. > :32:14.really British? It is not strictly British, but the components within
:32:15. > :32:18.it that have tended from this delicious brick into the
:32:19. > :32:23.supercomputer that we carry with us, absolutely British. What did we do
:32:24. > :32:29.before the phone? The mobile phone and the smartphone has
:32:30. > :32:34.revolutionised the way we work, we communicate, we live. It has
:32:35. > :32:39.completely changed everything, we are more productive, more connected,
:32:40. > :32:47.we can book a train on the toilet if we so choose. We can do whatever we
:32:48. > :32:50.want in the shortest time possible, and it has made us appreciate each
:32:51. > :32:55.other more, because we feel completely connected. She gives a
:32:56. > :33:00.good argument for the mobile phone, and if it is your favourite, the
:33:01. > :33:10.number is on your screen, but voting will not open until later in the
:33:11. > :33:13.show. Do not call yet. Straight on to our next supersonic invention.
:33:14. > :33:39.Please welcome David Harewood. I want to tell you about the
:33:40. > :33:45.greatest British invention of all. An incredible piece of engineering,
:33:46. > :33:49.synergy of power, metal and physics that has had the astonishing effect
:33:50. > :33:54.of shrinking the world. It has opened the door to adventure and
:33:55. > :34:29.incredible memories, and now it is keeping up to a million people up in
:34:30. > :34:29.the air. Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts, it is the
:34:30. > :34:40.jet engine. The scale and consequences of this invention of
:34:41. > :34:40.revolutionary. Britain led the world into the jet age, powering the
:34:41. > :34:40.nation to new heights, sending the Royal Air Force supersonic and
:34:41. > :34:41.transforming journey times across oceans from weak spicy two hours by
:34:42. > :34:58.air. Frank Whittle wanted to find a way
:34:59. > :35:03.to fly faster than the preceding plane, whose speed was
:35:04. > :35:11.He created the machine that used a turbine to create jet in and to push
:35:12. > :35:16.planes faster than ever before. Permanently altering the way we
:35:17. > :35:21.journey around the planet. Today, there is one British company that
:35:22. > :35:31.has pushed this invention to new boundaries. before, this place is
:35:32. > :35:33.the beating heart of jet development, and it is the perfect
:35:34. > :35:45.setting to show off this fantastic invention. Look at this. Rolls-Royce
:35:46. > :35:48.are not just known for cars, they were pioneers in creating the jet
:35:49. > :35:53.engine, and to this day lead the way. The head engineer Simon Byrne
:35:54. > :36:01.is introducing me to their latest creation. Look at the size of that!
:36:02. > :36:09.That is enormous. This engine is the Trent X WB engine. It strands -- it
:36:10. > :36:13.stands for extra wide body, it goes on this aircraft which seat 370
:36:14. > :36:19.passengers of. It can keep the aircraft in the F or 19 hours.
:36:20. > :36:26.Straight hours? Yes. It will fly for 25 years of. Give me the basic
:36:27. > :36:32.principles of what happens to get this thing up in the air. The pilot
:36:33. > :36:38.moves forward the throttle, the fan will accelerate and go faster, draw
:36:39. > :36:43.and in, huge amounts of air, and it gets squeezed and compressed. We
:36:44. > :36:49.sprayed the jewel in, ignite it, the fuel burns at a high temperature and
:36:50. > :36:56.exits. It is the effect of the fuel, the energy you are putting in, it
:36:57. > :37:02.accelerates the fan, and it provides a huge amount of thrust. Each one of
:37:03. > :37:06.those blades, 90 tonnes of falls on each one. Engineers have been
:37:07. > :37:12.working on this for years. Tested to within an inch of its life. During
:37:13. > :37:18.development, we tested it for four years, it went through nearly 15,000
:37:19. > :37:23.team elected flights to make sure it was secure and reliable. Within the
:37:24. > :37:28.rigorous testing period, these British made engines are pushed to
:37:29. > :37:34.their limits in specially designed locations. Tests include firing up
:37:35. > :37:38.the engine in -40 degrees, putting 38,000 bars through severe
:37:39. > :37:44.crosswinds and spring 30,000 gallons of water straight into the engine.
:37:45. > :37:50.All to make sure this method of travel remains the safest on earth.
:37:51. > :37:55.The vast power of the jet engine has driven everything from land speed
:37:56. > :37:58.cars to military aircraft. But the world truly changed when multiple
:37:59. > :38:03.engines were combined in one aircraft to allow us all to take
:38:04. > :38:07.flight. Us Brits are an inventive bunch, not only did we create the
:38:08. > :38:13.jet engine, we also created the jetliner. It put together multiple
:38:14. > :38:18.jet engines into one craft, able to take larger numbers of passengers
:38:19. > :38:27.and dizzying heights and speeds. The power of the jet engine was now open
:38:28. > :38:31.to us all. Good to see you. Tell me a bit about the first experience,
:38:32. > :38:35.what it would have been like on the first jet airliner. It would have
:38:36. > :38:38.been completely different from what anybody had encountered before.
:38:39. > :38:44.Let's look at what people were used to. Everything was basically
:38:45. > :38:50.resulting from a World War II bomber or a transport aircraft or something
:38:51. > :38:54.like that. This was completely different, jet engines, it could fly
:38:55. > :38:59.higher than anything else, faster, it was smooth, quiet, no vibration,
:39:00. > :39:04.it was absolute luxury. People have never seen the like before, it was
:39:05. > :39:08.completely revolutionary. As well as transforming the way we travelled,
:39:09. > :39:15.it also increased our appetite for foreign climes. Everybody wanted to
:39:16. > :39:19.fly jets, it was not long before it became accessible, with the rise of
:39:20. > :39:25.the package holiday industry, people were flying on jet aircraft. Today
:39:26. > :39:28.it is something like 3.8 billion passenger journeys every year. It is
:39:29. > :39:34.not just people that are transported. 35% of the world's
:39:35. > :39:41.trade by value is thrown -- flown on a jet aircraft. A phenomenal figure
:39:42. > :39:50.for world trade, all carried by jet aircraft. Since its birth, the jet
:39:51. > :40:01.engine has propelled many more British innovations, the spectacular
:40:02. > :40:05.Airbus, the supersonic Concorde. Britain has ruled this guys for
:40:06. > :40:09.decades. Today, the jet flies that a 7 billion kilometres each year, the
:40:10. > :40:14.equivalent of 120 trips to Mars. It has transformed our taste buds, open
:40:15. > :40:17.our eyes to countless cultures and made explorers of millions of us. It
:40:18. > :40:29.has quite literally brought humankind closer together.
:40:30. > :40:36.It makes you think, what did we do before the jet engine? When my
:40:37. > :40:39.father came to England from Barbados, it took him six weeks, but
:40:40. > :40:46.we can do it now in six, seven hours. What is the future? Perhaps
:40:47. > :40:51.the future of jet proportion would be personal jet travel, jet cars. It
:40:52. > :40:58.is funny you say that, because we spent some time outside with Jet
:40:59. > :41:05.Man. Would you be Jet Man? I would fly home in that tonight. This guy
:41:06. > :41:12.was outside this evening. Crazy. Would you do that? I would go home
:41:13. > :41:17.in it tonight. Imagine the commute to work, it would be awesome. The
:41:18. > :41:24.noise was staggering, it was fantastic to see. It is exciting.
:41:25. > :41:28.What is great is we still innovating, the jet engine is a
:41:29. > :41:32.British design, a British man who has taken it to another level, so we
:41:33. > :41:38.are still innovating and leading the pack. It is exciting. The jet
:41:39. > :41:42.engine, if it is your favourite, the number is on the screen, voting will
:41:43. > :41:49.not open until the last invention is shown. From jets to propellers.
:41:50. > :41:54.You will find another first everywhere you look.
:41:55. > :41:56.This wonderful creation behind me is the only
:41:57. > :42:03.What makes this extra special is that it was the Rolling Stones'
:42:04. > :42:06.Just imagine the stories that happened in there.
:42:07. > :42:10.And round here is a balloon gondola designed and used by a crazy chap
:42:11. > :42:12.called Auguste Piccard in 1932 to study the upper
:42:13. > :42:28.The scientists noticed a leak on the way up and had to plug it with
:42:29. > :42:29.Vaseline and bits of cotton. They don't make scientists like that any
:42:30. > :43:11.more. Next, somebody who believes to be a
:43:12. > :43:12.Julie great invention, you have got to stay cool. Welcome journalist
:43:13. > :43:13.Giles Coren. There is one invention and of us
:43:14. > :43:13.could live without, or most all of you have one. It is the unsung hero
:43:14. > :43:14.of the modern world, and globally we have 100 million a year. As ever
:43:15. > :43:15.strong critic, I think the key to comfort, happiness and pleasure lies
:43:16. > :43:24.in food and drink. In the things we take for granted. Of all these
:43:25. > :43:27.things, we have one extraordinary invention to thank, a lump of
:43:28. > :43:31.technology that lurks in the corner of pretty much every house, bar,
:43:32. > :43:35.restaurant and pub in the country. Without it, there would have noble
:43:36. > :43:42.and honours, no flowers on Mother's Day. It is the fridge. In my 1970s
:43:43. > :43:47.home, the fridge was basically king of the house, everything went in
:43:48. > :43:52.there, including bread, potatoes, my mum kept her fags in there. You
:43:53. > :43:55.opened your fridge around 20 times a day, and it has impacted your life
:43:56. > :44:01.immeasurably. Where did it come from? It was not until very recently
:44:02. > :44:06.that I learned that the history of the fridge begins with the printing
:44:07. > :44:10.press, and possibly the only truly useful thing a journalist has ever
:44:11. > :44:15.done. The hack was a Glaswegian called James Harrison, and one
:44:16. > :44:22.evening he was watching the press being leaned with sulphuric ether.
:44:23. > :44:26.He noticed an extraordinary thing. When the ether evaporated, the metal
:44:27. > :44:29.became freezing cold, and he realised in that moment that if he
:44:30. > :44:35.could replicate the process time after time, he would have a machine
:44:36. > :44:41.that could keep anything cold. With the discovery that evaporation calls
:44:42. > :44:44.by absorbing energy and extracting heat, the patented an airtight
:44:45. > :44:50.system which replicated this and the fridge was born. Following huge
:44:51. > :44:57.industrial uptake, the Manufacturing of domestic fridges was in full
:44:58. > :45:01.swing by the 1930s. Three decades on, the fridge's continued
:45:02. > :45:05.popularity had a surprising impact. The 1960s were a time of radical
:45:06. > :45:10.change, thanks in no small part to the fridge. At the end of the decade
:45:11. > :45:15.the majority of British households had one, and this revolution brought
:45:16. > :45:18.with it an unexpected result. The liberation of women. I am eating a
:45:19. > :45:25.world leading authority on feminist history. Can you give me a picture
:45:26. > :45:34.of what a woman's life was like before the advent of the
:45:35. > :45:37.refrigerator? You would return home and prepare food and you would have
:45:38. > :45:41.to do that every day because you cannot store leftovers safely for
:45:42. > :45:46.long periods of time before you get the fridge. The fridge was marketed
:45:47. > :45:51.as a revolutionary time-saving apply and miraculous preserver of food. No
:45:52. > :45:58.one could foresee its unexpected social effect. The fridge does not
:45:59. > :46:02.strike me as a very likely image of liberation, how does it work? The
:46:03. > :46:07.way they reconfigure women's time, to allow women to do other things
:46:08. > :46:13.with their time including going out to work. Women are making parts for
:46:14. > :46:17.fridges as well. They were involved in the production? Yes, the
:46:18. > :46:22.production of Hoovers, fridges and other sorts of new technologies
:46:23. > :46:26.coming into the home. She looks over the moon! She looks thrilled, I
:46:27. > :46:31.think I would be thrilled if I had a fridge like that! From that moment,
:46:32. > :46:33.women's employment rovers -- rose 5% every decade thanks in part humble
:46:34. > :46:40.invention. As well as this unexpectedly
:46:41. > :46:44.liberating side-effect, the power of refrigeration has had a profound
:46:45. > :46:49.impact on the way we eat. Its capacity to preserve means it is
:46:50. > :46:54.crucial in the global food industry. And it keeps the supermarket
:46:55. > :46:58.distribution centre alive. This 8.5 acre fridge in Peterboro transports
:46:59. > :47:07.2 million cases of food to 200 stores every week. I'm wondering if
:47:08. > :47:11.the fridge has even transformed us as a species. Sarah, I would like to
:47:12. > :47:15.make a case in my championing of refrigeration and fridges to say the
:47:16. > :47:21.fresh food it has given us enabled us to fulfil our potential as
:47:22. > :47:24.humans, is that possible? Yes, nutrition has changed dramatically
:47:25. > :47:29.and the fridge is a big part of that. By 1900, Britain gets half of
:47:30. > :47:32.food from overseas and a large proportion is meat and Derry produce
:47:33. > :47:40.and it is the increase in meat and Derry that has affected stature. 160
:47:41. > :47:52.centimetres shorter on average. So if I go back to the height I am now,
:47:53. > :47:59.if I go back in time, I will be ten centimetres greater than the
:48:00. > :48:05.average. It improves cognitive production. So there you have it, it
:48:06. > :48:09.gave us better nutrition and we are taller, smarter and stronger. The
:48:10. > :48:12.magic of the fridge does not end there, it is essential for the
:48:13. > :48:16.transportation of life-saving vaccines, it makes sperm banks
:48:17. > :48:20.possible extending human fertility. The large hadron Collider is used to
:48:21. > :48:26.uncover the secrets of the origins of the universe and by keeping seed
:48:27. > :48:30.banks and freezers, we may be safeguarding the food supply of the
:48:31. > :48:37.human race itself. That is some invention!
:48:38. > :48:43.APPLAUSE. Straightaway, I think it is one of those inventions that goes
:48:44. > :48:48.under the radar. It does not like it does not have a whistle you can poll
:48:49. > :48:54.and get excited, you cannot take a selfie and you cannot watch liberty
:48:55. > :48:59.Love Island. Who does not have one? Everybody! It has changed our lives
:49:00. > :49:04.in the way that other inventions could not imagine. The poor people
:49:05. > :49:08.like you and me, we lived in rubbish before this, rotten food,
:49:09. > :49:14.compromised food. In the winter, it was dried food and tinned food, only
:49:15. > :49:18.the rich could have fresh fruit and vegetables and meat and Derry, it is
:49:19. > :49:22.democratised as and made it possible for people like you and me at the
:49:23. > :49:26.bottom of the food chain to grow up healthy, it has changed everything.
:49:27. > :49:27.That is a compelling argument for the fridge.
:49:28. > :49:32.then all the information you need to vote is on the screen now.
:49:33. > :49:34.Voting will open once all our inventions have been shown.
:49:35. > :49:37.Please don't call until then, as your vote won't count.
:49:38. > :49:40.For now, please say thanks to Giles Coren.
:49:41. > :49:46.Now from something called to the Cold War. For every nice and crazy
:49:47. > :49:50.invention they have here, they also have other much more sinister
:49:51. > :49:56.objects. Like this guy here. It is called blue steel and it is
:49:57. > :50:01.effectively a nuclear bomb. Until 1970, this nuclear missile is how
:50:02. > :50:06.Britain would still live its nuclear devices, until it was replaced by
:50:07. > :50:11.this guy here which some of you may recognise as an image of the Cold
:50:12. > :50:18.War. This is the Polaris missile. These sections would break of as it
:50:19. > :50:22.entered into space. But, that is a big driver of innovation because if
:50:23. > :50:25.it was not for the navigation system that was designed for this missile,
:50:26. > :50:41.you would not have GPS today. Without our next invention, some
:50:42. > :50:42.people would not be alive today. But includes our next gas, please
:50:43. > :51:04.welcome Angela Rippon! This invention is a magic bullet. It
:51:05. > :51:16.has made childbirth 35 times safer. It has saved 200 million lives.
:51:17. > :51:29.Without it, you would probably be dead. It is antibiotics. I am
:51:30. > :51:35.advocating antibiotics because of the immense impact they have had on
:51:36. > :51:39.everybody. You, me, and in my case, I developed tubercle is as when I
:51:40. > :51:47.was six. Without antibiotics, I would not be here now -- tubercle
:51:48. > :51:51.says. Antibiotics are quite simply bacteria killers. Launching up the
:51:52. > :51:59.microbes that cause deadly infectious diseases like cholera,
:52:00. > :52:02.typhoid and TB. You may think this wonder drug more discovery than
:52:03. > :52:08.invention but let me convince you otherwise. The story begins in 1928
:52:09. > :52:13.when scientist Alexander Fleming forgot to clean up a petri dish full
:52:14. > :52:17.of bacteria. A week later, he noticed some Mold had grown up
:52:18. > :52:22.killing the bacteria. Fleming had accidentally discovered penicillin
:52:23. > :52:27.but he had little clue what to do with his freak fined or how to
:52:28. > :52:33.reproduce it. The real piece of inventive genius took place ten
:52:34. > :52:40.years later, here in Oxford. Behind this dork is the original laboratory
:52:41. > :52:45.of the pioneering Oxford scientist Howard Florey and it was in here
:52:46. > :52:51.that a team of brilliant minds turned microbes -- three's
:52:52. > :52:57.unexpected discovery into a miracle cure. This is the room where
:52:58. > :53:02.antibiotics were truly invented, at the dawn of the Second World War.
:53:03. > :53:06.The team invented a way to purify the mold juice by combining it with
:53:07. > :53:11.ether and alkalines that drew away the harmful elements, creating an
:53:12. > :53:16.antibiotic pure enough for humans to take. Scientist and historian Doctor
:53:17. > :53:21.Eric Sidebottom was a pupil of the men involved.
:53:22. > :53:24.Clearly if it was going to do any good to the masses, it had to be
:53:25. > :53:30.mass-produced. Were they able to develop penicillin here in Great
:53:31. > :53:35.Britain? Yes, to some extent. Florey was always worried he could not
:53:36. > :53:39.persuade the British pharmaceutical industry to get involved. They were
:53:40. > :53:43.already committed to the war effort. So Florey made this difficult
:53:44. > :53:48.decision to take the problem to America. And the Americans did help.
:53:49. > :53:55.They increased production very considerably and they found a better
:53:56. > :54:01.strain penicillin in a local melon in the market. They also managed to
:54:02. > :54:08.get it growing in a huge suspension tank, in a big tank. And in Oxford,
:54:09. > :54:13.we had grown it in bed pans. Penicillin soon arrived on the
:54:14. > :54:17.battlefront and in 1943, it proved itself as a wonder drug, saving
:54:18. > :54:23.soldiers from the worst war wounds, as well as treating other ailments.
:54:24. > :54:28.Also, there is a funny offshoot of that story. Some army doctor
:54:29. > :54:36.discovered that penicillin was also extremely good and effective at
:54:37. > :54:39.treating gonorrhoea. That posed a moral dilemma because they did not
:54:40. > :54:45.have enough penicillin to treat everyone. Do you treat the badly
:54:46. > :54:51.injured, the honourable soldiers, or the rather naughty boys who have got
:54:52. > :54:56.self-inflicted clap? The rumour is the decision went to Churchill and
:54:57. > :55:00.Churchill said this most valuable new substance must be used for the
:55:01. > :55:04.best war interests, which meant treating the guys with clap because
:55:05. > :55:10.they could be back on the front line within days.
:55:11. > :55:15.Since the discovery of penicillin, more than 100 new antibiotics have
:55:16. > :55:19.been created. Each capable of fighting a host of bacterial
:55:20. > :55:24.infections. In Britain, 34 million are prescribed each year. But there
:55:25. > :55:29.is a problem. The trouble is, the more antibiotics
:55:30. > :55:33.we take, the more the bacteria are becoming resistant to them. It is
:55:34. > :55:38.why we are told we could be on the verge of a superbug endemic. And
:55:39. > :55:45.there would be nothing our wonder drug could do to stop it.
:55:46. > :55:49.Antibiotics are under threat. But salvation may again lie with a team
:55:50. > :55:56.of British scientists, working to invent a brand-new antibiotic using
:55:57. > :56:00.South American ants. They live in underground nests. For food, they
:56:01. > :56:05.grow a fungus garden made from rotting leaves and flowers. To keep
:56:06. > :56:10.their food clean, they use an antibiotic to kill any germs.
:56:11. > :56:14.Sometimes you get a contaminant and the ants need to get rid of that or
:56:15. > :56:18.it will destroy their food source. So what is it you have discovered
:56:19. > :56:22.about what they are doing that is so exciting? What has been found is
:56:23. > :56:29.that the worker ants have a bacteria they grow on their backs and this
:56:30. > :56:33.bacteria has very powerful antimicrobial properties. When the
:56:34. > :56:40.ants discover a contaminant in their fungus garden, they can smear some
:56:41. > :56:44.of this bacteria onto the unwanted bacteria and kill it off. So by
:56:45. > :56:48.isolating that bacteria in their backs, this has the potential to
:56:49. > :56:54.control all sorts of problems we now face. For instance? It can control
:56:55. > :56:58.MRSA. Are we looking at something that could give us the first new
:56:59. > :57:04.antibiotic in the best part of 40 years? Quite possibly. And it opens
:57:05. > :57:12.up a lot of new avenues for research.
:57:13. > :57:15.Antibiotics are one of the greatest medical advancements in human
:57:16. > :57:21.history. They have saved bacteria ravaged populations and they have
:57:22. > :57:26.enabled our world leading NHS to perform life-saving miracles. This
:57:27. > :57:30.wonder drug may be under threat, but thanks to ground-breaking research,
:57:31. > :57:39.this British invention will hopefully continue to save lives for
:57:40. > :57:45.generations to come. APPLAUSE. Power. . It makes you wonder, what
:57:46. > :57:49.with -- what did we do before antibiotics? Before penicillin, all
:57:50. > :57:54.the diseases and illnesses could kill you, but so could pricking your
:57:55. > :57:58.finger in a Rose Thorn and having a small paper cut, anything that
:57:59. > :58:02.enabled the skin to open so bacteria could get inside meant you could get
:58:03. > :58:06.sepsis, blood poisoning, which would kill you because your body had no
:58:07. > :58:09.defence against it. As we head in the film, women were still suffering
:58:10. > :58:14.and dying in childbirth in the 1940s. Then penicillin came along
:58:15. > :58:17.and did a wonderful things on the battlefields of Europe and we
:58:18. > :58:22.suddenly have a wonder drug. It is very easy to say I think this is the
:58:23. > :58:27.greatest invention because it is lovely to travel the world in a jet
:58:28. > :58:30.engine and to watch the TV and have a Mobile Telephone Service to keep
:58:31. > :58:36.your food clean and healthy in the fridge, but you cannot enjoy those
:58:37. > :58:39.things if you are dead! And antibiotics have been keeping the
:58:40. > :58:43.world alive and they will go on keeping everybody a life which means
:58:44. > :58:48.we can go on enjoying not just these inventions, but also, the invention
:58:49. > :58:52.is yet to come from the generations that will live in the future.
:58:53. > :58:57.Antibiotics is the saviour of the human race, it is the greatest! You
:58:58. > :59:02.cannot argue with that! Where do we go? If antibiotics is your greatest
:59:03. > :59:08.invention, the information it you need is on the screen now. But do
:59:09. > :59:12.not call yet because your vote will not count. Our last invention now
:59:13. > :59:14.and probably one you have not even thought about even though it is all
:59:15. > :59:17.around us. Please welcome television presenter
:59:18. > :59:37.Nick Knowles. My invention is an unsung hero.
:59:38. > :59:42.Ubiquitous, but overlooked. And loved, but steadfast in its service
:59:43. > :59:48.to everybody. Many would argue man's best friend is the dog, and would
:59:49. > :59:53.give humanity's best friend is all around us. It is strong, dependable
:59:54. > :59:58.and always there to supporters, welcome to the wonderful world of
:59:59. > :00:03.concrete. Concrete is the building block of our civilisation. This
:00:04. > :00:07.stuff built our schools and our hospitals and all of our major
:00:08. > :00:12.infrastructure. Tunnels and railways, bridges and flood
:00:13. > :00:17.defences, docks and airports, power stations and even sewers. Some 70%
:00:18. > :00:24.of the world live in concrete homes and most of the rest of us have
:00:25. > :00:29.concrete foundations. Is the most used man-made material on earth.
:00:30. > :00:33.Where did it all start? Some of you might think it is the Romans, but
:00:34. > :00:39.that is only half of the story. Concrete as we know it, the stuff
:00:40. > :00:47.that build our world, is a British invention. To unravel it, I am
:00:48. > :00:53.eating a leading expert. This civil engineer. I recognise it, I have
:00:54. > :01:00.used bags of it in my time building, it is made all over the world, so
:01:01. > :01:04.what makes concrete British? A key component is this material that we
:01:05. > :01:11.see here. It is a composite material, it is made combining
:01:12. > :01:16.cement, a key ingredient, with water, sand and gravel. When you mix
:01:17. > :01:21.them together, the water engages with the cement as a binder of hand
:01:22. > :01:24.the sand and gravel, and that is what gives concrete its structure
:01:25. > :01:30.and integrity. Cement is the magic ingredient, and cement is at the
:01:31. > :01:40.centre of the British story. Very much so. This all-important concrete
:01:41. > :01:44.clue, cement, is what makes modern concrete a British invention. Before
:01:45. > :01:49.the Brits got involved, the Romans had used a form of ancient concrete,
:01:50. > :01:58.gravel bound together with volcanic ash useful come only if you have a
:01:59. > :02:07.volcano next door. Fast forward to the 19th century, Leeds, home to a
:02:08. > :02:12.builder called Joseph Aspdin, who wanted to mass concrete, but he
:02:13. > :02:18.would need a new concrete clue. The Romans had volcanic ash, we do not
:02:19. > :02:24.have volcanoes, but we do have clay and we do have limestone, and what
:02:25. > :02:30.Joseph Aspdin did in 1824 was to develop a process in which the
:02:31. > :02:36.limestone, which you see here, was ground into a very fine powder, and
:02:37. > :02:39.mixed with clay, which was also very finely ground, and he heated them up
:02:40. > :02:46.to a high temperature. The end result is cement. Joseph Aspdin
:02:47. > :02:48.patented his miracle binding agent, calling it portland cement because
:02:49. > :02:57.it looked like fashionable portland stone. This was the moment when
:02:58. > :03:03.concrete as we know it was born. Almost immediately concrete use took
:03:04. > :03:07.off, enabling construction on a previously unimaginable scale. From
:03:08. > :03:12.building the London Underground to lining the Panama Canal, today
:03:13. > :03:18.concrete is still made with portland cement and is used more than ever.
:03:19. > :03:26.Here comes your delivery. It is just turning up. That will be doing two
:03:27. > :03:30.of the piles. To show what makes it so special, I have come to west
:03:31. > :03:35.London. This building site is part of an extraordinary ?4.2 billion
:03:36. > :03:40.project, the construction of a super sewer beneath the capital. Running
:03:41. > :03:46.this site is this man. How big is the tunnel when you stand in it?
:03:47. > :03:53.Three double-decker is, 7.2m diameter. 40 kilometres long.
:03:54. > :03:56.Difficult to imagine using any other kind of material. This is all to
:03:57. > :04:04.keep raw sewage out of the Thames? Yes. Every year overflow sewers dump
:04:05. > :04:10.up to 40 million tonnes of untreated sewage into the Thames. This super
:04:11. > :04:14.sewer will intercept these overflows and send them for treatment in east
:04:15. > :04:19.London. All bills with 1.8 million tonnes of concrete, moulded, sprayed
:04:20. > :04:26.and poured into every shape imaginable. It is the fact it is so
:04:27. > :04:30.fluid that makes it such a miracle. It is so adaptable as well, one
:04:31. > :04:34.minute it is liquid, then it is a strong building block. It will take
:04:35. > :04:42.the shape of whatever you want it to be. This one project is a massive
:04:43. > :04:47.example of how important concrete is in modern civilisation. It is part
:04:48. > :04:52.of the tunnels, it is part of the shafts, it is part of the support
:04:53. > :04:57.for the gas and electric. It is going to be diverted sewage away
:04:58. > :05:00.from the rivers, it is making a healthier environment, where we can
:05:01. > :05:05.all live happily and longer. Without it, we would not have the society in
:05:06. > :05:09.which we live. It would not exist. It was Britain that made modern
:05:10. > :05:14.concrete, and concrete that has made modern Britain. It has transformed
:05:15. > :05:19.our cities and what the building block of the welfare state, used in
:05:20. > :05:25.just about every hospital and school built since 1945. It is the basic
:05:26. > :05:30.material for all of our major infrastructure, power stations,
:05:31. > :05:33.roads, railways, airports, the lot. This grey liquid magic has also
:05:34. > :05:38.improved life for billions around the globe. Concrete form any means
:05:39. > :05:43.wealth, latrines and safe, clean housing. We know it has made a
:05:44. > :05:46.difference to the world, but it could also make difference to just
:05:47. > :05:51.one person. I was in Nairobi, building a shack for a chap who
:05:52. > :05:57.lived his whole 70 years on dirt floors in the slums. All he wanted
:05:58. > :06:00.was a concrete floor, so me and a couple of colleagues mixed up
:06:01. > :06:04.concrete and laid one for him. You would have thought we had given him
:06:05. > :06:09.Buckingham Palace, because he knew he would be free from disease,
:06:10. > :06:14.healthy, and safe. That is what concrete can do for people.
:06:15. > :06:18.If you want to vote for concrete, the number is on the screen, but
:06:19. > :06:26.don't vote just yet, voting opens shortly. If you people said that it
:06:27. > :06:29.is a bit boring. On the face of it, it is, the romantic choice will be
:06:30. > :06:36.steam or the jet engine, the junk people will be the phone, but it is
:06:37. > :06:41.critical. It is great to have a jet plane, but where would you landed if
:06:42. > :06:44.you do not have a concrete runway? Trains are lovely, but you can only
:06:45. > :06:49.make tunnels and bridges with concrete. Angela gave a great
:06:50. > :06:52.performance on antibiotics, but because we take our sewers
:06:53. > :06:57.underground, we take the disease away. Before we had the sewers,
:06:58. > :07:01.people were dying, the sewers would be running down the middle of the
:07:02. > :07:10.street. You can take any of these inventions, even the electric ones,
:07:11. > :07:13.where -- how did you make hydroelectric dams? Concrete. Take
:07:14. > :07:20.all of the materials used and put them in one pile, and the concrete
:07:21. > :07:25.pile will force it massively. He has a good point about concrete. You
:07:26. > :07:30.have heard all seven inventions, it is over to you, Hannah.
:07:31. > :07:32.Here's all the details you need to vote for your favourite.
:07:33. > :07:34.Calls will cost 15p plus your network access charge,
:07:35. > :07:41.or you can go online to register for free at bbc.co.uk/invention.
:07:42. > :07:48.Please do not vote if you are watching on demand.
:07:49. > :07:54.I hope this does not complicate my watching television! I think it is
:07:55. > :07:55.one of the most powerful ways in which television has been a force
:07:56. > :08:02.for good. You do not have to be a genius to
:08:03. > :08:09.know that my invention is the steam engine. It has got a rhythm to it. I
:08:10. > :08:23.feel a Foxtrot coming on! What other nugget of joy can possess
:08:24. > :08:29.so much information and make life so easy? This tiny device is changing
:08:30. > :08:34.is faster than anything in human history.
:08:35. > :08:39.I want to tell you about the greatest British invention of all.
:08:40. > :08:47.The jet has radically changed my life, without it my world would be
:08:48. > :08:50.completely different. We have one extraordinary invention
:08:51. > :08:55.to thank that lurks in the corner of every house in the country. It is
:08:56. > :08:59.essential for the safe transportation of life-saving
:09:00. > :09:03.vaccines, it makes sperm banks possible, extending human fertility.
:09:04. > :09:12.That is some invention. This intervention is a piece of
:09:13. > :09:14.incredible medical magic. I am advocating antibiotics because of
:09:15. > :09:23.the immense impact they have had on all of us, you, me.
:09:24. > :09:30.This one project is a massive example of how important concrete is
:09:31. > :09:33.in modern civilisation. Without this material, we would not have the
:09:34. > :10:21.society in which we live, it just would not exist.
:10:22. > :10:29.Earlier, we ask you to come forward with your memories, your photographs
:10:30. > :10:33.and your object from the Festival of Britain. A nationwide event that
:10:34. > :10:38.celebrated British innovation 66 years ago. We have had a fantastic
:10:39. > :10:43.response. Roger from London has sent in this photo of his late mother
:10:44. > :10:47.standing in front of the skyline, this was the most iconic image of
:10:48. > :10:52.the festival, and a clever piece of engineering which was up without any
:10:53. > :10:56.visible means of support. We also have this wonderful piece of footage
:10:57. > :11:01.from Dave in Scotland, which shows the miniature railway which took 3.5
:11:02. > :11:07.million people around the Festival. The man who created it, Roland
:11:08. > :11:12.Emmerich, went on to design a car I loved in my childhood, Chitty Chitty
:11:13. > :11:17.Bang Bang. We also have Clive, who sent in this photo of his dad
:11:18. > :11:25.operating a Marconi camera at the Festival. Here on stage, I am joined
:11:26. > :11:31.by this expert and enthusiasts of the Festival, Tim. What have you
:11:32. > :11:37.brought? This is a badge made to give to every single visitor of the
:11:38. > :11:44.Festival, almost 8.5 million were made. There should be a queue of
:11:45. > :11:52.those kicking about? In some drawers and attics and around, absolutely.
:11:53. > :11:59.What is this? This is a wonderful lithograph of the inside the den of
:12:00. > :12:03.discovery, adjacent to the Skylon. It was there to showcase all of the
:12:04. > :12:07.great wonders the British inventors and scientists and engineers had
:12:08. > :12:14.created. And a colour picture here, is that a map of the site? Yes, the
:12:15. > :12:17.Festival Gardens at Battersea, which was a more whimsical site, rather
:12:18. > :12:23.than it being technology and invention. A brilliant place for
:12:24. > :12:28.all. I reckon a lot of people will have visited and remembered it, but
:12:29. > :12:36.I heard a rumour that Walt Disney also went to the Festival. That is
:12:37. > :12:40.what the tale says there is a claim, but it seems later Disneyland looks
:12:41. > :12:44.rather similar in certain ways. I think that means we can claim credit
:12:45. > :12:49.for Disneyland. I am pretty sure that is how it works! This
:12:50. > :12:56.demonstrates the vastness of the games logo. This was the Festival
:12:57. > :13:02.star you saw on almost every piece of memorabilia, it was everywhere,
:13:03. > :13:09.and everyone got in on the act, sherry decanters, shot glasses, door
:13:10. > :13:58.knockers. Now, a reminder of who to vote for.
:13:59. > :14:05.This incredible Time Capsule is fuelled by donations, and amongst
:14:06. > :14:11.all of the objects, there is something that would my eye. It is
:14:12. > :14:19.this incredible prosthetic arm. We know it was made from a pianist,
:14:20. > :14:26.because they are designed to span an octave, and the fingers are padded,
:14:27. > :14:30.they did not make a sound. When the subject was donated, it came with a
:14:31. > :14:34.note that said the pianist played in the Royal Albert Hall in 1906, but
:14:35. > :14:40.we do not know anything else about its owner or how it was used. The
:14:41. > :14:44.question is, do you know about the story behind this object? The
:14:45. > :14:48.science Museum are desperate to find out who it belonged to. Do get in
:14:49. > :14:58.touch. To bring a unique perspective, and on the future of
:14:59. > :15:03.British innovation, I am joined by a lady with a British invented bionic
:15:04. > :15:09.arm. Quite a strong handshake! How are you moving it? It is operated by
:15:10. > :15:14.two sensors in the socket, one on the right-hand which does open, and
:15:15. > :15:18.one on the left which does close. I am pressing it with the muscles in
:15:19. > :15:24.my arm. It is really easy to take off. It is handy, because I was
:15:25. > :15:28.charging it earlier. You charge it up at night time? Yes, mobile phone
:15:29. > :15:39.and prosthetic hand. What does this allow you to do that
:15:40. > :15:43.you were not able to do before? Really simple things in my
:15:44. > :15:47.day-to-day life like if I am peeling a banana, I can hold the banana in
:15:48. > :15:51.my hand and I can peel it with my left hand so I don't have to cut
:15:52. > :15:55.chip to my body which ends up in a bit of a mess! Not ideal. You were
:15:56. > :16:03.the first person in Britain to get this and it is a British invention.
:16:04. > :16:08.Yes, it was made in Leeds. A chance encounter, I was approached in the
:16:09. > :16:12.street by the inventor. Amazing. Donations are the lifeblood of this
:16:13. > :16:15.place and people are driven to donate all manner of objects
:16:16. > :16:21.including this wonderful prosthetic and that means given the donations
:16:22. > :16:26.here, I think I know where and is. To be fair, I cannot help but be
:16:27. > :16:30.drawn to this huge wall of bikes and these stunning cars because I am a
:16:31. > :16:34.petrol head. This is my corner and this was the world's first rival is,
:16:35. > :16:40.in 1960 although that only applied on the M4 because buried beneath
:16:41. > :16:46.nine miles of tarmac was a cable to guide it up to 80 mph like a
:16:47. > :16:50.real-life Scalextric. And the rumour has it that cable is still there.
:16:51. > :16:58.And there is this beautiful machine here which is an electric vehicle
:16:59. > :17:02.from 1897. 70 exist roads in London acting as taxis, and they were known
:17:03. > :17:07.as the hummingbird. And they had charging points all over London. As
:17:08. > :17:11.with a lot of the items here, they will also gifted to the museum. And
:17:12. > :17:15.tonight, we are able to see a very special gift revealed to the public
:17:16. > :17:22.for the very first time. What have you got in this box? This has been
:17:23. > :17:26.to Everest and back. This is the first time it will be on public
:17:27. > :17:31.show. They do not look like much, but these are really important to
:17:32. > :17:37.the vital effort of going up and down. They are used in experiments
:17:38. > :17:41.of expired air. So climbers know how the altitude is affecting their
:17:42. > :17:45.bodies. This belonged to somebody who donated materials to us today.
:17:46. > :17:49.This stuff has been at the summit of Everest? Yes, and back again. How
:17:50. > :17:57.has this affected future climbers of Everest? Work was done in the field,
:17:58. > :18:00.so they trusted his data and his experience so they could conquer
:18:01. > :18:05.more and more peaks over time. Straight to the shoes. These really,
:18:06. > :18:11.really smell. I can smell them from here! It is the robber. You can
:18:12. > :18:15.smell the robber. They are a lot lighter than the previous shoes
:18:16. > :18:20.maimed of leather and reindeer skin and they have been to Everest and
:18:21. > :18:23.back so they will smell. Where have these things been? We were really
:18:24. > :18:27.fortunate to have the family contact buzz and say what we like to take
:18:28. > :18:31.these into the collection? We suggest straightaway, it is a
:18:32. > :18:37.fantastic story to tell. Is it important people donate this stuff?
:18:38. > :18:42.Yes, Pugh is an unknown story in the conquering of Everest and without
:18:43. > :18:45.this stuff, we could not tell the story for future generations. It is
:18:46. > :18:54.fantastic and this stuff is amazing, thank you very much. We will keep
:18:55. > :18:59.talking about trousers. How cold does Everest get? It is absolutely
:19:00. > :19:03.freezing. More than the human body can tolerate. They are padded with
:19:04. > :19:10.nylon and they are waterproof. I love the sip you can see. It is
:19:11. > :19:14.absolutely cold so Griffith Pugh was interested in how the cold climate
:19:15. > :19:17.affected the body and he went on many expeditions to look at
:19:18. > :19:22.Antarctica as well. I have been in cold environments and I went to -40
:19:23. > :19:27.last year in Mongolia, so I know what modern-day clothing looks like
:19:28. > :19:31.and it is not dissimilar. It looks like a duvet stitch together. That
:19:32. > :19:34.is probably what they started as. What sort of experience would it
:19:35. > :19:38.have been for the guys back in the day using this equipment? A really
:19:39. > :19:43.challenging experience, but filled with adventure and that strive to be
:19:44. > :19:48.the first to conquer Everest. It is amazing. How does it feel as a
:19:49. > :19:51.British person that we do it in Britain? Amazing, to be in the
:19:52. > :19:54.presence of these objects and to know I am part of a massive team
:19:55. > :19:58.that helps to look after them and tell that story, it is a privilege I
:19:59. > :20:04.could never have imagined. How does the museum rely on these donations?
:20:05. > :20:07.When we get things donated either public, we think about the stories
:20:08. > :20:10.they tell. And sometimes we actively go out and we ask for things we
:20:11. > :20:14.think will be important in the future. It has been absolutely
:20:15. > :20:22.fantastic and a real privilege to see the stuff here. That is it, over
:20:23. > :20:28.to you, Hannah. Well, in about five seconds, the
:20:29. > :20:31.voting lines are now closed so please do not call because your vote
:20:32. > :20:35.will not be counted and you may still be charged. This is a reminder
:20:36. > :22:44.of the seven inventions in the running.
:22:45. > :22:57.APPLAUSE. Fantastic evening! Trevor, straight
:22:58. > :23:02.to you. Without your intervention, none of this would have happened.
:23:03. > :23:07.That is exactly the point. I think it has a broader significance. It
:23:08. > :23:10.has brought us as a world closer together. We do live in the
:23:11. > :23:15.globalised vision, the globalised world now, and that is because of
:23:16. > :23:18.television. Angela, is it really important we celebrate British
:23:19. > :23:23.invention? Absolutely essential because I think throughout history
:23:24. > :23:27.in Britain, we have produced some of the greatest scientists and greatest
:23:28. > :23:33.minds, and greatest inventions. But we are also a very self-deprecating
:23:34. > :23:38.nation and do not always get out and say, look how great we are and what
:23:39. > :23:44.we did! You did tonight! You did! Some underhand cards played tonight.
:23:45. > :23:51.He pulled out the Nelson Mandela vote. And he has pulled out of the
:23:52. > :23:55.women's right vote! We are a brilliant nation of inventors and we
:23:56. > :23:58.should celebrate that. Well you are sparring off, would any of you
:23:59. > :24:03.change your invention? Yes, I wanted the corkscrew! There would not let
:24:04. > :24:11.me have it. APPLAUSE. OK. So the corkscrew gets
:24:12. > :24:17.the vote. Would you change your inventions? I am really glad I got
:24:18. > :24:21.to the jet because I think it is the only one that Britain is still at
:24:22. > :24:26.the cutting edge, still leading the world. In innovating. You cannot
:24:27. > :24:33.campaign while they are still voting. I'm just saying! The vote is
:24:34. > :24:39.over, guys. May I just say they are all fantastic inventions! Yes, every
:24:40. > :24:42.one of them. It was one of the most competitive green rooms I have ever
:24:43. > :24:48.been in! Everybody undermining everybody else, it was ridiculous.
:24:49. > :24:52.You said the mean stuff about the jet engine and they were throwing
:24:53. > :24:57.objects. We can travel the world in it, which we do. It is a compelling
:24:58. > :25:04.argument, but not of these matter if they are dead! Argument that! During
:25:05. > :25:12.the films, I asked each of you, who'd you think would win. None of
:25:13. > :25:16.you when stock it is a split vote. Very top. Obviously, concrete would
:25:17. > :25:22.win... I am pulling the trump card, if it does not win, it is obviously,
:25:23. > :25:27.if it does not win, it is obviously Mac if I comes second, I am the
:25:28. > :25:32.winner. That is popular at the moment. It is clear you guys have
:25:33. > :25:37.taken seriously and you have backed your inventions. What you think this
:25:38. > :25:44.facility? Fantastic! That deserves a round of APPLAUSE.
:25:45. > :25:50.APPLAUSE. I am told is now, Hannah, this is the moment we were waiting
:25:51. > :25:53.for, this is the boat. -- this is the boat. In this concrete facility!
:25:54. > :26:14.Antibiotics. APPLAUSE.
:26:15. > :26:24.What is that about? Unbelievable! Well done! Well done.
:26:25. > :26:30.Angela, before I go to you, Nick, what swung it for antibiotics? Being
:26:31. > :26:35.dead and not being able to enjoy anything. The most underhand
:26:36. > :26:38.pitching I have ever seen on a television programme. Sorry, bad
:26:39. > :26:44.losers. Is that seriously, antibiotics keep the world alight.
:26:45. > :26:50.Since they were tested out on the battlefields in the Second World War
:26:51. > :26:55.in 1943, 200 million people's lives have been saved. Think what that
:26:56. > :27:04.means. Without that, there would be no Australia, Norway, France,
:27:05. > :27:07.Britain. Seriously! It is absolutely revolutionising the health of the
:27:08. > :27:12.world. And the things we are able to do as a result. Look at the amazing
:27:13. > :27:16.things we can do now as we sit -- as we said in the film, the NHS, those
:27:17. > :27:21.wonderful things and we are all alive and able to enjoy these other
:27:22. > :27:25.wonderful inventions. What it shows is how inventive the British have
:27:26. > :27:31.been, we have invented the best sport and engineering, were just a
:27:32. > :27:36.very creative nation. If you are going to lose to something, lose to
:27:37. > :27:44.the best. Our stunning celebrities, guys!
:27:45. > :27:49.APPLAUSE. But it does not end here. The
:27:50. > :27:54.Science Museum are hosting a very special evening later this summer
:27:55. > :27:58.and an exhibition on antibiotics later in November. And you can see
:27:59. > :28:00.all of these inventions and our winner antibiotics will be
:28:01. > :28:05.celebrated in pride of place. Thousands of people will be there
:28:06. > :28:09.and you can be there too, just go to the website. To find out more. And
:28:10. > :28:12.to learn more about the inventions, followed the link is to the Open
:28:13. > :28:16.University. It has been a real privilege to
:28:17. > :28:20.spend time inside these stores and wonderful to discover so much about
:28:21. > :28:23.the objects that have changed our lives, sometimes without even
:28:24. > :28:31.knowing it. Thank you to our celebrities and to
:28:32. > :28:33.this studio audience. From this hangar at Daisy Elizabeth Gandy,
:28:34. > :28:38.good night. Good night.