Season 2

1982 · 7 episodes

Episodes

1Before the MassacreFarlv September 1982. In the Sabra and Chatila district of West Beirut, the civilian population was settling down to rebuilding lives and homes broken by three months of bombing, shelling and shooting. They were doing what they have been doing for the past eight years - trying to make the best of it. At Gaza Hospital, British doctors and nurses were among the foreign volunteers who were trying to cope with the human debris of modern siege and bombardment.
2The Invisible WorldA bullet slices a playing card in two. An orange takes two weeks to rot. Much of the world around us moves too quickly-or too slowly - for us to see. Tiny mushrooms grow on the roots of our own hair; and heat rises invisibly from our heads; too small or too transparent to see. For The Invisible World an impressive array of equipment was gathered to photograph things our eyes cannot see. The result is a fascinating collection of images, some startling, many very beautiful.
3Shroud of Jesus: Fact or Fake?Locked away from sight in Turin Cathedral lies a 14ft long piece of linen. Scorched, patched and yellowed with age, it bears the faint image of a crucified man. Is it the work ot^a 14th-century artist, or is it the miracle of miracles - a true image of Jesus of Nazareth? To help answer that question, the Holy Shroud of Turin has been tested by the most advanced science known to man. Tonight Q.E.D reports on the investigation, and reveals the surprising result of its own unique experiment.
4The Riddle of SleepDo you have trouble getting to sleep at night? Spare a thought for Leslie Gamble. He claims he has not slept for 11 years. On the other hand Joyce Hannon always feels incredibly tired. Many times a day she simply falls asleep whatever she happens to be doing. Joyce has narcolepsy -a quarter of a million Americans have it-but the odds are you won't have heard of it, because the world of sleep is shrouded in ignorance. Yet it's a world in which we spend a third of our lives.
5Why Things Go WrongThere are some days when mechanical things can just drive you crazy - like the car that refuses to start when you're already half-an-hour late or the phone that only gets wrong numbers or the key that sticks in the lock or the tap that won't stop dripping.... What can we do about them? Tim Hunkin , ex-engineer, inventor and Observer cartoonist, has his own ideas. In this programme, with the help of a mechanical barman, a flying sheep, some gunpowder and a DC10, Tim looks at machines and suggests, with his own animated cartoons, ways of making them more reliable.
6The Horse That Doped ItselfOn 17 October 1981 the New-market Champion Stakes was won by the Aga Khan 's Vayrann. Routine tests showed traces of anabolic steroids and horse and trainer faced disqualification for doping. But eventually the horse was declared by the Jockey Club to have produced his own anabolic steroids. How can this happen? And is dope testing accurate? Reporter KIERAN prendiville talks to Dick Francis , Vayrann's trainer Francois Mathet and others as he pieces together what actually happened behind the scenes in a scientific whodunit where the chemical detectives turn out to provide some false clues.
7Big Day at Black RockThe continuing saga of Richard Noble 's quest to become the fastest man In the world. The place: rpriarh Nevada, on the edge of the mack Rock Desert. The date: 4 November, just four weeks ago From the desert comes the crackling roar of a jet engine. A plume of dust streaks across the flat desert floor. Thrust II is challenging for the land speed record of 622 mph. It's the final day of an eight year-long dream. Last year floods stopped him This year he had floods again and then the local environmentalists got the attempt temporarily banned. But at last all seems well and he's ready to go ...