Name: The Secret Genius of Modern Life
Released: 2022-11-10T00:00:00.000Z
Cast: Hannah Fry

TV Show · Documentary

Just 20 years ago, the lives we lead today would have seemed like science fiction. Each episode takes one simple everyday item, from bank cards to trainers, and reveals the hidden histories, extraordinary coincidences and remarkable science that dwells within them. You’ll never look at the world around you in the same way again.

2022 · 51m

Starring Hannah Fry

EPISODE 1

Bank Card

Hannah Fry takes a look at the bank card. This humble piece of plastic is the digital key to accessing cash and is packed full of extraordinary technological innovations.

50 min
EPISODE 2

Food Delivery App

Hannah Fry tucks into the tech behind food delivery apps like Deliveroo and Just Eat, which have a user base of 24 million people in the UK. Hannah meets the R&D team behind food delivery titan Deliveroo.

49 min
EPISODE 3

Virtual Assistant

Hannah Fry delves into the inner workings of virtual assistants, such as Google Assistant and Siri, which are found in almost half of all UK homes. She goes behind the scenes with Alexa's chief scientist.

49 min
EPISODE 4

Electric Car

Hannah Fry discovers why innovations in meat packing almost derailed the electric car revolution; how a breakthrough in camcorder batteries led to Elon Musk's empire; demonstrating how not to drive a multimillion-dollar prototype car.

45 min
EPISODE 5

Fitness Tracker

Hannah Fry finds out how 1970s car crashes helped us to count our steps; why WWII dog-fights led to a crucial health monitor; how fitness trackers are even being used to catch killers.

49 min
EPISODE 6

Trainer

Hannah Fry discovers how a family feud created two of the world's biggest trainer brands and how American breakfast waffles transformed trainer soles.

50 min