''Tomorrow's World'' is a British television series about contemporary developments in science and technology. First broadcast on 7 July 1965 on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003. The ''Tomorrow's World'' title was revived in 2017 as an umbrella brand for BBC science programming.

Content

''Tomorrow's World'' was created by Glyn Jones to fill a half-hour slot in the 1965 BBC summer schedule. Jones and his wife conceived the show's name the night before the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'' went to press. In its early days the show was edited by

Max Morgan-Witts Max Morgan-Witts (born 27 September 1931) is a British producer, director and author of Canadian origin. Biography Morgan-Witts was a Director/Producer at Granada TV which he joined on 9 January 1956. He directed television shows for Granada, ...

and hosted by veteran broadcaster and former

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

pilot Raymond Baxter. For some years it had an instrumental

theme tune Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

composed and performed by

John Dankworth Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he ...

. During the 1970s the programme attracted 10 million viewers per week. The programme was usually broadcast live, and as a result saw the occasional failure of its technology demonstrations. For example, during a demonstration of a new kind of car jack that required much less effort to operate, the jack disintegrated. Pressing on in the face of such adversity became a rite of passage, both for new presenters on the show and for the young assistant producers whose job it was to find the stories and make sure this kind of setback did not happen. Sometimes, however, the liveness gave an added dimension of immediacy to the technology, such as inventors personally demonstrating flame-proof clothing and bullet-proof vests while the presenters looked on. Sometimes it was the presenter who acted as test dummy. ''Tomorrow's World'' also frequently ran exhibitions, called ''Tomorrow's World Live'', often based in

Earls Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...

, London. These offered the general public the chance to see at first hand a variety of brand new, pioneering inventions, as well as a selection from that year's show. The presenters, by this time

Peter Snow Peter John Snow (born 20 April 1938) is a British radio and television presenter and historian. Between 1969 and 2005, he was an analyst of general election results, first on ITV and later for the BBC. He presented ''Newsnight'' from its lau ...

and

Philippa Forrester Philippa Clare Ryan Forrester (born 20 September 1968) is a British television and radio presenter, producer and author. Forrester has presented shows including CBBC, ''Tomorrow's World'', Crufts, ''The Heaven and Earth Show'' and ''Robot Wars'' ...

, also ran an hour-long interactive presentation within. The show was also occasionally parodied, for example by ''

Not the Nine O'Clock News ''Not the Nine O'Clock News'' is a British television sketch comedy show that was broadcast on BBC2 from 16 October 1979 to 8 March 1982. Originally shown as a comedy alternative to the '' Nine O'Clock News'' on BBC1, the show features satirical ...

'', which featured demonstrations of such inventions as a telephone ring notification device for the deaf – powered by a

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor (computing), processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, a ...

looking like a " Shreddie", and later by the second series of ''

Look Around You ''Look Around You'' is a comedic parody of British science television shows, devised and written by Robert Popper and Peter Serafinowicz, and narrated in the first series by Nigel Lambert. The first series of eight 10-minute shorts was shown ...

''.

Presenters

Raymond Baxter, the show's first presenter, was noted for pointing out features of the new inventions with military precision using his

Parker Parker may refer to: People * Parker (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Parker (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname Arts and entertainment * ''Parke ...

pen ("as you will see: here, here and here"). He left the show in 1977 after a difference of opinion with new young editor

Michael Blakstad Michael Björn Blakstad, FRSA (18 April 1940 – 21 November 2023) was a British television producer who was Editor of '' Tomorrow's World'' on the BBC. Early life Michael Björn Blakstad was born in Penang in Malaya on 18 April 1940. He was init ...

, who allegedly referred to him in a press interview as "the last of the dinosaurs". Other presenters included: * James Burke (1965–1971) *

Michael Rodd Michael Rodd (born 29 November 1943 in North Shields, Northumberland, United Kingdom) is an English television presenter and businessman. Education Rodd was educated at the independent school Trinity College, Glenalmond (now Glenalmond Coll ...

(1972–1982) * Anthony Smith *

Lyall Watson Lyall Watson (12 April 1939 – 25 June 2008) was a South African botany, botanist, zoology, zoologist, biologist, anthropologist, ethology, ethologist, and author of many books, among the most popular of which is the best seller ''Supernature'' ...

William Woollard William Woollard (born 23 August 1939) is a British historian and retired television producer and presenter. Biography Woollard went to a state grammar school in London and Oxford University. He trained to be a fighter pilot with the Royal Ai ...

(1974–1978) *

Judith Hann Judith Hann (born 8 September 1942) is a broadcaster and writer specialising in science, food and the environment. Education Hann attended the University of Durham, where she edited Palatinate, the university newspaper, for two terms in 196 ...

(1974–1994—the longest-serving presenter) *

Anna Ford Anna Ford (born 2 October 1943) is an English retired journalist, television presenter and newsreader. She first worked as a researcher, news reporter and later newsreader for Granada Television, ITN, and the BBC. Ford helped launch the British ...

(1976–1978) *

Kieran Prendiville Kieran Prendiville (born 25 December 1947) is an English-Irish television writer, producer, and presenter. Early life Prendiville was born on 25 December 1947 in Rochdale, Lancashire, the son of an Irish father from Killorglin, County Kerry, ...

(1979–1983) *Su Ingle (1980–1984) *

Peter Macann Peter Macann is a British former actor, reporter, and television presenter who is most notable for co-hosting the BBC science show ''Tomorrow's World ''Tomorrow's World'' is a British television series about contemporary developments in ...

(1983–1991) *

Maggie Philbin Margaret Elizabeth Philbin Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 23 June 1955) is an English radio and television presenter whose credits include ''Tomorrow's World'', ''Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'' and latterly ''Bang Goes the Th ...

(1983–1994) * Anna Walker * Howard Stableford (1985–1997) *

Kate Bellingham Katherine Bellingham, (born 1963)Royal Society of Chemistry
� ...

(1990–1994) * John Diamond (1991) *Carmen Pryce (1991–1994) *

Monty Don Montagu Denis Wyatt Don (born George Montagu Don; 8 July 1955) is an English horticulturist, broadcaster, and writer who is best known as the lead presenter of the BBC gardening television series '' Gardeners' World''. Born in Germany and rai ...

(1994–1995) *

Carol Vorderman Carol Jean Vorderman (born 24 December 1960) is a Welsh broadcaster, media personality, and writer. Her media career began when she joined the Channel 4 game show ''Countdown'', appearing with Richard Whiteley from 1982 until his death in 2005, ...

(1994–1995) *

Vivienne Parry Vivienne Mary Hunt Parry (born Vivienne Mary Hunt Mills on 4 June 1956 in Portsmouth) is a British science journalist and author, currently employed as head of engagement at Genomics England. She is most well known for presenting BBC Television ...

(1994–1996) * Rebecca Stephens (1994–1996) *Shahnaz Pakravan (1994–1997) *

Richard Mabey Richard Thomas Mabey (born 20 February 1941) is a writer and broadcaster, chiefly on the relations between nature and culture. Education Mabey was educated at three independent schools, all in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. The first was at Roth ...

(1995) *

Craig Doyle Craig Doyle (born 17 December 1970) is an Irish television and radio presenter. To British viewers he is recognisable as working for the BBC and ITV and more recently TNT Sports; Irish viewers also know him as the host of RTÉ One chat show ...

(1996–1999) *

(1996–2000) *

Jez Nelson Jeremy Nelson MBE (born 1 April 1964) is a jazz broadcaster and television producer. He is the founder and CEO of media production company Somethin' Else, which in 2021 became part of Sony Music Entertainment. Education Nelson was educated at ...

(1996–2000) *

(1997–2000) *Anya Sitaram (1998–2000) * Nick Baker (1999–2000) *Lindsey Fallow (1999–2000) *

Sophie Raworth Sophie Jane Raworth (; born 15 May 1968) is an English journalist, newsreader and broadcaster working for the BBC. She is a senior newsreader and is one of the main presenters of BBC News (mainly ''BBC News at Six'' and '' BBC News at Ten''). S ...

(1999–2000) *Katie Knapman (2002) * David Bull (2002–2003) *

Adam Hart-Davis Adam John Hart-Davis (born 4 July 1943) is an English scientist, author, photographer, historian and broadcaster. He presented the BBC television series '' Local Heroes'' and '' What the Romans Did for Us'', the latter spawning several spin-off ...

(2002–2003) *

Roger Black Roger Anthony Black MBE (born 31 March 1966) is an English former athlete who competed internationally for Great Britain and England. During his athletics career, he won individual silver medals in the 400 metres sprint at both the Olympic Ga ...

(2003) *

Kate Humble Katherine Mary Humble (born 12 December 1968) is an English television presenter and narrator, mainly working for the BBC, specialising in wildlife and science programmes. Humble served as president of the Royal Society for the Protection of Bir ...

(2003) The idiosyncratic

Bob Symes Robert Alexander SchutzmannBreathalyser A breathalyzer or breathalyser (a portmanteau of ''breath'' and ''analyzer/analyser''), also called an alcohol meter, is a device for measuring breath alcohol content (BrAC). It is commonly utilized by law enforcement officers whenever they in ...

(1967) *

Home computer Home computers were a class of microcomputers that entered the market in 1977 and became common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a s ...

(1967) *

Light pen A light pen is a computer input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with a computer's cathode-ray tube (CRT) display. It allows the user to point to displayed objects or draw on the screen in a similar way to a to ...

s and

touchscreen A touchscreen (or touch screen) is a type of electronic visual display, display that can detect touch input from a user. It consists of both an input device (a touch panel) and an output device (a visual display). The touch panel is typically l ...

s (1967) *

Artificial grass Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...

(1968) *

Synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

(1969) * ATM and

chip and pin EMV is a payment method based on a technical standard for smart payment cards and for payment terminals and automated teller machines which can accept them. EMV stands for " Europay, Mastercard, and Visa", the three companies that created th ...

(1969) *

Pocket calculator An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics. The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-siz ...

(1971) *

Digital watch A watch is a timepiece carried or worn by a person. It is designed to maintain a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or another type of ...

(1972) *

Teletext Teletext, or broadcast teletext, is a standard for displaying text and rudimentary graphics on suitably equipped television sets. Teletext sends data in the broadcast signal, hidden in the invisible vertical blanking interval area at the to ...

(

Ceefax Ceefax () was the world's first teletext information service and a forerunner to the current BBC Red Button service. Ceefax was started by the BBC in 1974 and ended, after 38 years of broadcasting, at 23:32:19 BST (11:32 PM BST) on 23 October ...

) (1974) *

Mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

(1979) *

Personal stereo A personal stereo, or personal cassette player, is a portable audio player for cassette tapes. This allows the user to listen to music through headphones while walking, jogging or relaxing. Personal stereos typically have a belt clip or a should ...

(1980) *

Compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...

and player (1981) *

Camcorder A camcorder is a self-contained portable electronic device with video and recording as its primary function. It is typically equipped with an articulating screen mounted on the left side, a belt to facilitate holding on the right side, hot-sw ...

(1981) *

Barcode A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, Machine-readable data, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly ref ...

reader (1983) *

Wind-up radio Human power is the rate of work or energy that is produced from the human body. It can also refer to the power (rate of work per time) of a human. Power comes primarily from muscles, but body heat is also used to do work like warming shelters, foo ...

(1993) *

Starlite Starlite is an intumescent material that is claimed to be able to withstand and thermal insulation, insulate from extreme heat. It was invented by British hairdresser and amateur chemist Maurice Ward (1933–2011) during the 1970s and 1980s, a ...

insulation (1993) * Robotic

vacuum cleaner A vacuum cleaner, also known simply as a vacuum, is a device that uses suction, and often agitation, in order to remove dirt and other debris from carpets, hard floors, and other surfaces. The dirt is collected into a dust bag or a plastic bin. ...

, pioneered on

Electrolux Trilobite The Electrolux Trilobite is a robotic vacuum cleaner manufactured by the Swedish corporation Electrolux. It takes its name from the extinct arthropod, which scoured the ocean's floor. History The prototype cleaner was first seen on the BBC te ...

prototype (1996) *

Targeted intra-operative radiotherapy Targeted intra-operative radiotherapy, also known as targeted IORT, is a technique of giving radiotherapy to the tissues surrounding a cancer after its surgical removal, a form of intraoperative radiation therapy. The technique was designed in ...

for breast cancer (2000) Perhaps the best-remembered item in the programme's history was the introduction of the

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...

in 1981, when presenter

demonstrated the disc's supposed indestructibility by scratching the surface of a

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

CD with a stone. The show also gave the first British TV exposure to the group

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

, who performed their then-forthcoming single "

Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...

" as part of an item about the use of technology in musicmaking. Another programme concerning new technology for television and stage lighting featured

The Tremeloes The Tremeloes (formerly Brian Poole and The Tremeloes) are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, England. They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with ...

and the

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, guitarist and songwriter who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Until his departure in 1968, he was Pink Floyd's frontman and primary songwriter, ...

-led

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Offbeat aspects

Featured inventions that did not change lives included a fold-up car that fitted into a suitcase, numerous gadgets such as a miracle chopping board for the kitchen, and collapsible knives and forks. Members of the public frequently sent in their ideas.

Final years

By the late 1990s, the live studio demonstrations had been dropped in favour of purely pre-recorded items. The final series, presented by

and

, attempted to revert to the original live format of the show, even using a remix of one of the theme tunes used during its more successful years. However, ratings continued to fall and with only three million viewers the BBC decided to axe the show. At the time they said that they would produce a number of science special editions under the ''Tomorrow's World'' brand from time to time. The "Tomorrow's World Roadshow" appeared in 2004, with Gareth Jones (co-host of

CITV CITV is a British children's morning programming block on ITV2 and formerly a free-to-air channel owned by ITV plc. CITV, then Children's ITV, launched on 3 January 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the ITV network for children aged ...

's ''

How 2 ''How 2'' is an informative educational programme produced by TVS between 1990 and 1991, and STV Studios ( Scottish Television) from 1992 to 2006. The original show ('' How)'' was produced by Southern Television from 1966 up until 1981, when ...

'') and Katie Knapman taking the helm as the last presenters of a show bearing the ''Tomorrow's World'' name, before a partial return to television in 2007. For the 1000th episode, a commemorative CD was produced by Nimbus Records. It contained audio tracks of the four theme tunes that were used from 1965 to the early 1990s. 1,000 copies were made and given away in a competition. The CD was notable as being the first holographic audio compact disc ever made. On 14 September 2009, the BBC made some clips and episodes available online. In the United States, episodes of the series aired on the

cable channel Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...

TechTV TechTV was an American cable television channel with a focus on technology. It was launched as ZDTV on May 11, 1998, by computer magazine publisher Ziff Davis, Ziff-Davis following two short-lived technology-based programs by the company. Init ...

between 2001 and 2003.

The Prince of Wales Award for Industrial Innovation and Production

At the end of each series, the Prince of Wales gave an award or awards for superlative inventions.

Revival of the brand

At the start of 2007, the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

announced that the ''Tomorrow's World'' brand would be used on science and technology news reports across the BBC's TV, radio and internet services, including a blog. The ''Tomorrow's World'' name returned to television screens on 8 January 2007 as part of the BBC's news coverage on

BBC Breakfast ''BBC Breakfast'' is a British television breakfast news programme, produced by BBC News and broadcast on BBC One every morning from 6:00am. It is also broadcast on the UK feed of BBC News channel on weekends. The simulcast is presented live, ...

, hosted by

and as a blog on the BBC News website. In August 2007, it was reported that

Michael Mosley Michael Hugh Mosley (22 March 1957 – 5 June 2024) was a British television and radio journalist, producer, presenter and writer who worked for the BBC from 1985 until his death. He presented television programmes on biology and medicine and ...

, director of development at the BBC's science wing, had pitched the concept of resurrecting the format to BBC commissioners. In May 2017, the BBC announced it was launching a year of science and technology under the ''Tomorrow's World'' banner. Its purpose is to "seek to address how science is changing peoples' lives, reshaping the world, and rewriting the future of healthcare".

BBC 4 live edition

''Tomorrow's World'' returned for a one-off live special, with

Hannah Fry Hannah Fry (born 21 February 1984) is a British mathematician, author and broadcaster. She is Professor of the Public awareness of science, Public Understanding of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a fellow of Queens' College, Cambrid ...

and four presenters from the show's original run: Maggie Philbin, Howard Stableford, Judith Hann, and Peter Snow. The 90-minute interactive show was broadcast at 9pm on BBC 4 on 22 November 2018.

Science Channel reboot

In May 2018,

Science Channel Science Channel (often simply branded as Science; abbreviated to SCI) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel features programming focusing on science related to wilderness survival, engineering, manu ...

premiered a new version of the show called ''

Tomorrow's World Today ''Tomorrow's World Today'' is an innovation-based television series about companies from around the world on the cutting edge of tomorrow's technology. It is hosted by George Davison and features field reporters Tamara Krinsky, Darieth Chisolm, Gr ...

''. The show explores sustainability, technology, new ideas and worldwide concepts around innovation. Julian Taylor serves as executive producer and the program features executive producer George Davison as host and field reporters Tamara Krinsky and Jackie Long.

References

External links

BBC archive material with clips and old episodes

TV Cream on Tomorrow's World

A view on the demise of ''Tomorrow's World''
by

Simon Singh Simon Lehna Singh, (born 19 September 1964) is a British popular science author and theoretical and particle physicist. His written works include ''Fermat's Last Theorem'' (in the United States titled ''Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve ...

* * {{IMDb title, 0162829 1965 British television series debuts 2003 British television series endings 1960s British documentary television series 1970s British documentary television series 1980s British documentary television series 1990s British documentary television series 2000s British documentary television series BBC One original programming BBC television documentaries about science Science and technology in the United Kingdom TechTV original programming British English-language television shows