srinivasan-27291 This brilliant documentary made me understand the concept of universe further more from the previous documentaries i have already about the universe. Brian Cox, as most people already said is involved more in this subject, but i quite frankly like it, because he explains concepts, principles and other factors which occurs in the universe with simple details and in ways which are totally understandable easily if you tried to listen well. I totally loved this series. The visuals are so good too. If you have downloaded in the best quality, you would definitely feel amazed in the first episode itself, when Brian cox explains things with grains of sand, in which the sand grains are so detailed and lovely to watch too. I definitely recommend this series to everyone who wants to learn about the universe and it's concepts.

Nickijah Some reviews on here are either woefully stupid or they just don't understand the reason for this program.Now bear with me here: this is a prime time show on mainstream television. Did you understand that? No? Well just to clarify: the program doesn't assume we are all scholars in the fields of cosmology, particle physics, thermodynamics and quantum mechanics. This is a TV show, not a lecture. Although one reviewer seems to think that gravity is not a force (it is), so would have been utterly confounded by a proper lecture.As someone who does know a fair bit about cosmology I watched this show with high hopes, as I very much enjoyed the previous series Solar System. It certainly lived up to my expectations. I watched it with my mother, who previously had little interest in the subjects covered, and she became more and more fascinated as the series progressed. This, I suspect, is the whole reason for the show: to bring science to the masses, rather than keep the knowledge within a group of people who already know it. So to summarise: if you are well versed in physics and want to learn something new then you should probably avoid this show. However if you are merely interested in astronomy, cosmology et al and want a plain, easy to understand welcome to the field then I very much recommend this show.Very well done BBC!

rgcustomer I'm not sure what some people were looking for here. It's not meant to be a university lecture. But it is meant to be a way to communicate to the average person (who may reside in Jesusland instead of an ivory tower) our current knowledge about the universe.Yes, Brian Cox is beautiful. Who do you want to learn from? He's enthusiastic, friendly, nice to look at, and knowledgeable. That's exactly who should be presenting science. Look at who you are competing against, for viewers.While I was expecting something like a visit to various celestial objects, similar to a tour of our solar system (and we do get a bit of stuff like that), this takes a much wider view.We see the sheer size of the universe, in both space and time. We see how a universe like ours is necessary to support life, but that life can only exist for a relative instant. And then we explore two other big concepts on the scale of the universe: gravity and light (although frankly, the first two episodes are sufficient by themselves).This is, without a doubt, the clearest documentary description of humanity's place in the universe that I have seen. And it is presented in a way that properly dramatizes it, and simultaneously shows off the beauty of Earth as well.The two minor drawbacks I see are: the episode order is in roughly decreasing emotional impact and should be adjusted/edited, and there are too many repetitive shots of Brian in the same place (for example, standing on the peak of a mountain).

damyon_brazier looks like the science guru's have decided to write reviews for this and slammed it. personally i have enjoyed the series. Yes it has fantastic vista's and glorious visuals , and probably not enough content for the want-to-be or actual geologists within each episode. It does however bring a visual feast and captures the feel of how i certainly used to look out at the stars at night as a child. Its warm, educational, and puts hair on the back of your neck. Brian Cox has a wonderful way of making you understand everything he is explaining (for us mortals that is)In my opinion i appreciate, to "aficionado's" this is child's play, but for the rest of us bored with reality TV , this is compulsive viewing.