Brainiac: Science Abuse
Encyclopedia
Brainiac: Science Abuse (often shortened to simply Brainiac) is a British
entertainment TV show with a science motif. Numerous experiments are carried out in each show, often to verify whether common conceptions are true (such as whether it is possible to run over a pool of custard
) or simply to create impressive explosions. The show centres on the three core branches of science for the key stages in British
education: chemistry, physics and to a lesser extent, biology. The experimenters on the show are referred to as "Brainiacs", and each episode usually finishes with the destruction of a caravan
.
The show is produced by ITV umbrella studios Granada Productions
(collaboration between London Weekend Television
and Granada Television
in Manchester
) and is broadcast in the United Kingdom
and the Republic of Ireland
on Sky Digital
.
The original presenters were Richard Hammond
and Jon Tickle
, then joined in the second series by Charlotte Hudson
. Hammond left after the fourth, and was replaced by Vic Reeves
and Hudson left after the fifth, and was replaced by Thaila Zucchi
. The show's fifth series first aired on 8 May 2007 and the sixth, on 13 January 2008.
In July 2008, after the sixth series had finished, Sky announced they had cancelled the show due to the sixth series' low ratings.
, presented by Charlotte Hudson, began airing on Sky1 on 1 June 2005, and a live version, Brainiac's Test Tube Baby
, was broadcast in 2006 alongside the fourth series.
In the U.S., it first began airing on G4
on 29 August 2005 as part of the Midnight Spank
programming block; and is also shown on VIVA in Germany, JIMtv in Belgium, Veronica in the Netherlands, Skai TV
in Greece, Channel 8
in Israel, True Visions in Thailand, Network Ten
and The Comedy Channel
in Australia, TV2 in New Zealand, Cuatro in Spain (only parts of it because they did their own Brainiac programme), Nelonen
in Finland, in Singapore
on MediaCorp TV's okto
and in the Philippines
on Jack TV
. It has also been broadcast on Discovery Channel
or one of its sister channels (such as The Science Channel
) in a number of other countries. Furthermore, MBC Action
started airing it on 13 October 2008 and in the Middle East.
, C & C Music Factory, and Elton John
. Some are themes of various recurring segments such as "There's No One Quite like Grandma" sung by the St Winifred's School Choir
for the Granny Brainiac segments in Series 3. The "I Like Hard Things" segment normally features heavy rock music such as Linkin Park
or Limp Bizkit
. The segment "I Can Do Science, Me" uses the track "I Am A Scientist
" by the Dandy Warhols
.
The Title music and many of the incidental
tracks used in the show were composed by Grant Buckerfield.
Much of the non-original music was changed for the DVD releases for copyright reasons.
on 29 August 2005. It saw the start of "Brainiac Snooker
", in which World Snooker professional Quinten Hann
would pot the last six balls on a table into pockets connected to fuses which, upon potting a ball causing a caravan rigged with a different explosive to explode.
The second series also introduced Charlotte Hudson
as a third, but minor, host, and saw the introduction of what then became long term character "Professor Myang-Li", played by Rachel Grant
.
, darts player), "Things the instruction manuals don't warn you about", 47 Second Science, Diana Ross and her Chain Reaction, and testing which things break and which things bounce after a ten foot drop.
Dr. John P. Kilcoyne, Associate Dean of the University of Sunderland
had a regular slot where he mixed various chemicals to see whether they "fizz" or "bang".
, during which Bobby George
threw a perfect set, always finishing on the Double Top which triggered the explosion of a caravan, and a new "I Can Do Science Me" which is set around auditions. There is also a feature called "Things What My Body Does", in which a member of the public is filmed doing something extraordinary with their bodies. It also featured "Movie Stars Destroying Cars" and Dr. John P. Kilcoyne with "Glow or Blow".
It also introduced a new feature called "Brainiac for a Day", where contestants could bring an item of their choice to blow up. It was set out as a game show with the hosts Dolly Girl (Lisa Marie Bourke) (previously "Jane" in the "Lad v. Lass" segment) and Dolly Boy (Stefan D'Bart).
in HD on Sky1 HD. The series retained "Brainiac For A Day", "Things What My Body Does", and contains new segments like "Brainiac V Beast", Dr Kilcoyne with "Fizzle or Flash" and Prof. Myang Li (Rachel Grant
) with steel balls, attempting to "shatter or shunt" various objects. In addition, Vic Reeves appeared as the Russian scientist Uri Abusikov,along with his object of affection his assistant the hideously ugly Ursula, attempting to destroy things with liquid nitrogen.
In this series, Vic Reeves
took over as host from Richard Hammond
, who had quit the show. Hammond's growing commitments to Top Gear
and his contract with the BBC meant that he was finding it increasingly difficult to fulfil his role as presenter of Brainiac. Hammond was also reportedly losing interest in doing Brainiac. Vic Reeves
was brought in as replacement host shortly after the end of the fourth series and before Richard Hammond's near fatal crash. The original production team left the programme at the same time as Hammond.
With Vic now presenting, he introduced the "alternative humour" brand that Vic was famous for in the 1990s with his comedy partner, Bob Mortimer
.
as host and Jon Tickle
as co-host. Thaila Zucchi
replaced Hudson as the third co-host and made her debut on the series in two items: "How Hard is Your Thing?" in which she tests the hardness of different objects using thermite
and a tonne of bricks dropped from a crane, and "Shocking Acts" in which she finds out whether variety acts can still perform while receiving electric shocks. Other new segments included "Gas Bang Wallop" featuring a character called Barry Bernard who destroys things with gas, "Chemistry Deathmatch" in which regular characters Dr Bunhead and Professor John Kilcoyne go head-to-head to produce the best experiments, "Custard Dreams" which follows the adventures of a Brainiac who discovers he can walk on custard, and "Stars in Their Caravans" which sees a variety of UK celebrities trapped in caravans, in a mock game show which results in large explosions
Competitors
Since 2010, Brainiac Live has also been touring as a show around the UK, visiting holiday camps, such as Butlins
, has performed in the UAE and has been a headlining show for the UK's Big Bang Event
One experiment conducted by Brainiac aimed to illustrate periodic trends
in the alkali metal
series. It showed the violent reactions of metallic sodium
and potassium
with water, in which the hydrogen produced subsequent explosions, and intended to demonstrate the even greater reactivity of rubidium
and caesium
by dropping them into a water-filled bathtub. However, the reaction was not particularly spectacular, and the crew substituted explosives for the alkali metals. This is clearly visible in the footage, in which an "explosives" sign can be seen on the premises, and an exploding cloud of hydrogen gas, which one would expect in an alkali metal reaction with water, was not visible.
The Brainiac staff have admitted that the explosions had been faked. According to Tom Pringle, Brainiac's "Dr Bunhead", very little occurred in the real reaction of caesium and water, as the large volume of water over it drowned out the thermal shock wave
that should have shattered the bathtub. The crew decided to set up a bomb in the tub and use that footage to generate the explosion.
Similar experiments with caesium or rubidium have been repeated; these include Popular Science
columnist Theodore Gray
's experiments, the "Viewer Special Threequel" episode of MythBusters
, and an attempt made as part of the Periodic Table of Videos series created by several faculty members at the University of Nottingham
. In no case were the rubidium and caesium reactions nearly as violent or explosive as depicted on Brainiac.
However, a much earlier and more successful attempt was shown on British TV in the 1970s as part of the Open University programmes. Here, rubidium splatters around as soon as it hits the water's surface (with some parts sinking and creating more violent bangs). Caesium, on the other hand, does create an explosion and destroys the apparatus, mainly due to the fact that the metal sinks well into the water and creates a large "cone" of hydrogen gas before it ignites and explodes. This video is available online at The Open University.
Australian Releases
1 The Christmas special from series 2 is not included in the complete Series 1 + 2 box set due to legal reasons.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
entertainment TV show with a science motif. Numerous experiments are carried out in each show, often to verify whether common conceptions are true (such as whether it is possible to run over a pool of custard
Custard
Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on a cooked mixture of milk or cream and egg yolk. Depending on how much egg or thickener is used, custard may vary in consistency from a thin pouring sauce , to a thick pastry cream used to fill éclairs. The most common custards are used as...
) or simply to create impressive explosions. The show centres on the three core branches of science for the key stages in British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
education: chemistry, physics and to a lesser extent, biology. The experimenters on the show are referred to as "Brainiacs", and each episode usually finishes with the destruction of a caravan
Travel trailer
A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
.
The show is produced by ITV umbrella studios Granada Productions
Granada Productions
Granada Productions was a British commercial television production and distribution company. The company took its name from the successful ITV franchise, Granada Television....
(collaboration between London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
and Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
) and is broadcast in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
on Sky Digital
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
.
The original presenters were Richard Hammond
Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
and Jon Tickle
Jon Tickle
Jonathan "Jon" Tickle is a television presenter in the UK, who initially rose to fame as a contestant on the fourth series of the British Big Brother. He appeared before this, however, as a contestant on the gameshow Blockbusters in 1991. He is also a co-presenter on the Sky Digital television...
, then joined in the second series by Charlotte Hudson
Charlotte Hudson
Charlotte Hudson is a British television presenter. She presents the Sky One television series Brainiac: History Abuse, a spin-off from the award-winning Brainiac: Science Abuse...
. Hammond left after the fourth, and was replaced by Vic Reeves
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir , better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
and Hudson left after the fifth, and was replaced by Thaila Zucchi
Thaila Zucchi
Thaila Lucia Zucchi is a British singer and actress, trained at The Arts Educational School, London. She began her career as a member of the British band allSTARS* before transitioning into acting, appearing in Big Brother 8 in the UK, where she played the part of fake Australian housemate...
. The show's fifth series first aired on 8 May 2007 and the sixth, on 13 January 2008.
In July 2008, after the sixth series had finished, Sky announced they had cancelled the show due to the sixth series' low ratings.
Show ratings
The programme was a huge ratings success for Sky and became one of the channel's flagship programmes. Ratings fell and it was eventually cancelled due to the poor demographics. A sister programme, Brainiac: History AbuseBrainiac: History Abuse
Brainiac: History Abuse was an eight part British TV programme co-produced by London Weekend Television and Granada Television for broadcast on Sky1. It was a spin-off of the show Brainiac: Science Abuse concentrating on historical subjects...
, presented by Charlotte Hudson, began airing on Sky1 on 1 June 2005, and a live version, Brainiac's Test Tube Baby
Brainiac's Test Tube Baby
Brainiac's Test Tube Baby was a live British parody popular science entertainment TV show hosted by Dominic Wood. It was a spin off of the highly successful Sky1 show Brainiac: Science Abuse and first aired on Thursday, August 3, 2006...
, was broadcast in 2006 alongside the fourth series.
International broadcasts
Brainiac: Science Abuse has been broadcast in a number of channels outside the UK.In the U.S., it first began airing on G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
on 29 August 2005 as part of the Midnight Spank
Midnight Spank
Midnight Spank was the former name of a late-night block shown on G4. This block was originally based on G4's recent venture to Williams Street Studios, pioneers of the Adult Swim block on Cartoon Network. G4 Late Nights was made originally to offer the similar content like that of Adult Swim...
programming block; and is also shown on VIVA in Germany, JIMtv in Belgium, Veronica in the Netherlands, Skai TV
Skai TV
Skai TV is a Greek TV station, based in Pireus, Athens. It is part of the Skai Group one of the largest media groups in Greece. It was relaunched in its present form on April 1, 2006 in Athens and gradually managed to spread its coverage nationwide. Besides analog over-the-air transmission, it is...
in Greece, Channel 8
Channel 8
Channel 8, as a television channel, may refer to*MediaCorp Channel 8, Singapore*TVB8*Channel 8 Australia, a now defunct erotic TV channel*Canal 8 de Tucumán, a television station in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina...
in Israel, True Visions in Thailand, Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
and The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel is an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.-History:...
in Australia, TV2 in New Zealand, Cuatro in Spain (only parts of it because they did their own Brainiac programme), Nelonen
Nelonen
Nelonen is a Finnish commercial TV channel. It started out as Helsinki's local television channel PTV in 1989 on the HTV cable network, which name was changed first to PTV4 and then to Nelonen. It started on June 1, 1997. Nelonen, in Finnish, means the glyph of the number four. The channel is...
in Finland, in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
on MediaCorp TV's okto
Okto
MediaCorp okto is a television channel in Bestway Building, Singapore, managed by MediaCorp TV12, which was officially launched on 20 October 2008 hence replacing the SPH MediaWorks Channel i, Kids Central and Arts Central brands as oktoDAY and oktoNITE respectively...
and in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
on Jack TV
Jack TV
Jack TV is a Philippine cable TV network owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, test launched on May 2005, officially debuting on July 12, 2005. It offers Western comedy, animation, sports entertainment, drama series and reality shows, such as Cartoon Network, USA Network, The CW, MyNetworkTV,...
. It has also been broadcast on Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
or one of its sister channels (such as The Science Channel
The Science Channel
Science is a United States cable, satellite and IPTV Television Network produced by Discovery Communications. Science features programming in the fields of space, technology, prehistory and animals.-History:...
) in a number of other countries. Furthermore, MBC Action
MBC Action
MBC Action is a free-to-air satellite TV channel that screens films and television programs from the action genre. Programs are subtitled in Standard Arabic. It is available in the Arab World by satellites BADR4 and Nilesat 102. It launched on March 5, 2007 at 6:00 P.M...
started airing it on 13 October 2008 and in the Middle East.
Music
Brainiac: Science Abuse plays music in every episode, including hits by Britney SpearsBritney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, C & C Music Factory, and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. Some are themes of various recurring segments such as "There's No One Quite like Grandma" sung by the St Winifred's School Choir
St Winifred's School Choir
St Winifred's School Choir, from St Winifred's Roman Catholic Primary School in Stockport, United Kingdom, was a choir of children whose single in 1980 became the British Christmas number one single of that year. The song was entitled "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma", and it spent two weeks at...
for the Granny Brainiac segments in Series 3. The "I Like Hard Things" segment normally features heavy rock music such as Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
or Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
. The segment "I Can Do Science, Me" uses the track "I Am A Scientist
I Am a Scientist
I Am a Scientist is the title of a 1994 EP released by Guided by Voices. The title track originally appeared in a stripped down, four track version on the band's celebrated 1994 LP Bee Thousand; a music video was also made...
" by the Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994. The band was founded by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström, with keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford later joining. Hedford left in 1998 and was replaced by...
.
The Title music and many of the incidental
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
tracks used in the show were composed by Grant Buckerfield.
Much of the non-original music was changed for the DVD releases for copyright reasons.
First series (2003)
The first series of Brainiac: Science Abuse aired in 2003 and featured a wide variety of experiments including testing to see whether a mobile phone would ignite petrol vapours, walking on custard and testing the effects of electric shocks on various Brainiacs.Second series (2004)
The second series premiered on Sky1 in 2004 and G4G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
on 29 August 2005. It saw the start of "Brainiac Snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
", in which World Snooker professional Quinten Hann
Quinten Hann
Quinten Hann is an Australian former professional snooker player who now plays professional pool. He was the 1999 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion and 1994 world under 21 champion. His highest break is 143...
would pot the last six balls on a table into pockets connected to fuses which, upon potting a ball causing a caravan rigged with a different explosive to explode.
The second series also introduced Charlotte Hudson
Charlotte Hudson
Charlotte Hudson is a British television presenter. She presents the Sky One television series Brainiac: History Abuse, a spin-off from the award-winning Brainiac: Science Abuse...
as a third, but minor, host, and saw the introduction of what then became long term character "Professor Myang-Li", played by Rachel Grant
Rachel Grant
Rachel Louise Grant de Longueuil, more commonly known as Rachel Grant, is an actress and model. Besides her acting career, she is a martial arts instructor, specializing in the Filipino martial arts Kali...
.
Third series (2005)
The third series premiered on Sky1 on 25 August 2005 and on G4 in Spring 2006. It featured Brainiac Golf (similar to Brainiac Snooker, but exploding caravans filled with different substances that exploded with coloured flames depending on the chemicals used), Lad v. Lass, Thermite, "Does being electrocuted affect your ability at work?" (human statue, flair bartendingFlair bartending
Flair bartending is the practice of bartenders entertaining guests, clientele or audiences with the manipulation of bar tools and liquor bottles in tricky, dazzling ways. Used occasionally in cocktail bars, the action requires skills commonly associated with jugglers...
, darts player), "Things the instruction manuals don't warn you about", 47 Second Science, Diana Ross and her Chain Reaction, and testing which things break and which things bounce after a ten foot drop.
Dr. John P. Kilcoyne, Associate Dean of the University of Sunderland
University of Sunderland
The University of Sunderland is located in Sunderland, north east England. The university has more than 17,500 students, including 7,000-plus international students from some 70 countries....
had a regular slot where he mixed various chemicals to see whether they "fizz" or "bang".
Fourth series (2006)
The fourth series premiered on Sky1 on 16 July 2006, and on G4 in Spring of 2007. It introduced Brainiac DartsDarts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
, during which Bobby George
Bobby George
Robert Francis George is an English darts player and presenter. He is widely recognised as one of the game's biggest personalities, known for his flamboyant entrances in which the "King of Darts" makes his way to the stage bedecked in jewellery, wearing a crown and cloak and holding a candelabra...
threw a perfect set, always finishing on the Double Top which triggered the explosion of a caravan, and a new "I Can Do Science Me" which is set around auditions. There is also a feature called "Things What My Body Does", in which a member of the public is filmed doing something extraordinary with their bodies. It also featured "Movie Stars Destroying Cars" and Dr. John P. Kilcoyne with "Glow or Blow".
It also introduced a new feature called "Brainiac for a Day", where contestants could bring an item of their choice to blow up. It was set out as a game show with the hosts Dolly Girl (Lisa Marie Bourke) (previously "Jane" in the "Lad v. Lass" segment) and Dolly Boy (Stefan D'Bart).
Fifth series (2007)
It premiered on 8 May 2007 on Sky1 and was simulcastSimulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
in HD on Sky1 HD. The series retained "Brainiac For A Day", "Things What My Body Does", and contains new segments like "Brainiac V Beast", Dr Kilcoyne with "Fizzle or Flash" and Prof. Myang Li (Rachel Grant
Rachel Grant
Rachel Louise Grant de Longueuil, more commonly known as Rachel Grant, is an actress and model. Besides her acting career, she is a martial arts instructor, specializing in the Filipino martial arts Kali...
) with steel balls, attempting to "shatter or shunt" various objects. In addition, Vic Reeves appeared as the Russian scientist Uri Abusikov,along with his object of affection his assistant the hideously ugly Ursula, attempting to destroy things with liquid nitrogen.
In this series, Vic Reeves
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir , better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
took over as host from Richard Hammond
Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
, who had quit the show. Hammond's growing commitments to Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
and his contract with the BBC meant that he was finding it increasingly difficult to fulfil his role as presenter of Brainiac. Hammond was also reportedly losing interest in doing Brainiac. Vic Reeves
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir , better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
was brought in as replacement host shortly after the end of the fourth series and before Richard Hammond's near fatal crash. The original production team left the programme at the same time as Hammond.
With Vic now presenting, he introduced the "alternative humour" brand that Vic was famous for in the 1990s with his comedy partner, Bob Mortimer
Bob Mortimer
Robert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer is an English comedian and actor, who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves...
.
Sixth series (2008)
Premiering on 13 January 2008 on Sky1, this series saw the return of Vic ReevesVic Reeves
James Roderick Moir , better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
as host and Jon Tickle
Jon Tickle
Jonathan "Jon" Tickle is a television presenter in the UK, who initially rose to fame as a contestant on the fourth series of the British Big Brother. He appeared before this, however, as a contestant on the gameshow Blockbusters in 1991. He is also a co-presenter on the Sky Digital television...
as co-host. Thaila Zucchi
Thaila Zucchi
Thaila Lucia Zucchi is a British singer and actress, trained at The Arts Educational School, London. She began her career as a member of the British band allSTARS* before transitioning into acting, appearing in Big Brother 8 in the UK, where she played the part of fake Australian housemate...
replaced Hudson as the third co-host and made her debut on the series in two items: "How Hard is Your Thing?" in which she tests the hardness of different objects using thermite
Thermite
Thermite is a pyrotechnic composition of a metal powder and a metal oxide that produces an exothermic oxidation-reduction reaction known as a thermite reaction. If aluminium is the reducing agent it is called an aluminothermic reaction...
and a tonne of bricks dropped from a crane, and "Shocking Acts" in which she finds out whether variety acts can still perform while receiving electric shocks. Other new segments included "Gas Bang Wallop" featuring a character called Barry Bernard who destroys things with gas, "Chemistry Deathmatch" in which regular characters Dr Bunhead and Professor John Kilcoyne go head-to-head to produce the best experiments, "Custard Dreams" which follows the adventures of a Brainiac who discovers he can walk on custard, and "Stars in Their Caravans" which sees a variety of UK celebrities trapped in caravans, in a mock game show which results in large explosions
Competitors
- Gail Porter
- Frank Bruno
- Paul Daniels
- Debbie McGee
- Jayne Middlemiss
- Wozza Thompson (Antony Worall Thompson)
- Tony Blackburn
- WAGs
- Danielle Lloyd
- Abi Titmuss
- Keely Hazell
- Yuri Abusikov, who changed his chemical from liquid nitrogen to liquid oxygen, but otherwise remained the same
Brainiac Live!
Brainiac Live! is the name of the live stage tour of Brainiac, touring nationally from March 2008. The official description of the show is "Brainiac Joe escapes from Brainiac HQ and with your help delves fearlessly into the mysteries of science. It's a breathless ride through the wild world of the weird and wonderful. So book your tickets now and do all of those things on stage that you're too scared to do at home!"Since 2010, Brainiac Live has also been touring as a show around the UK, visiting holiday camps, such as Butlins
Butlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
, has performed in the UAE and has been a headlining show for the UK's Big Bang Event
Experiments
The presenters perform unusual experiments or demonstration procedures "so you don't have to". The destruction of caravans is a recurring theme in many of the episodes. These experiments are often non-scientific and are undertaken in the interests of entertainment (many involving large explosions) rather than any science. The show does however do a reasonable job of demonstrating some simple concepts of experimental design.- Liquid NitrogenLiquid nitrogenLiquid nitrogen is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. Liquid nitrogen is a colourless clear liquid with density of 0.807 g/mL at its boiling point and a dielectric constant of 1.4...
/Liquid OxygenLiquid oxygenLiquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...
Time: Vic Reeves does an impression of a soviet scientist named Uri Abusikov, along with his wife Ursula—who is seven feet tall and covered in hair—inserting an object into liquid nitrogen or oxygen to see what happens to it. The character is made as a remarkably similar look-alike to the former leader of USSR Leonid BrezhnevLeonid BrezhnevLeonid Ilyich Brezhnev – 10 November 1982) was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982. His eighteen-year term as General Secretary was second only to that of Joseph Stalin in...
. - Attempting to destroy a black boxFlight data recorderA flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
/Safe-crackingSafe-crackingSafe-cracking is the process of opening a safe without either the combination or key. It may also refer to a computer hacker's attempts to break into a secured computer system, in which case it may be shortened to "cracking" or black hat hacking....
, a flight data recorder or safe is subjected to various abuses attempting to destroy it, such as having a group of American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
re-enactors open fire with rifles and cannons, dunking it in a vat of acid, and spraying it with napalmNapalmNapalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
and finally succumbing to a rubbish tip compacter used to crush cars. - Pub Science – performing experiments in a pub with ordinary items. Invariably this results in the experimenter (Dr Bunhead) being thrown out by security staff and subsequently banned.
- At Home with Dr Bunhead – household mayhem usually involving some explosive chemical reaction.
- You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll – a boomboxBoomboxBoombox is a colloquial expression for a portable cassette or CD player. Other terms known are ghetto blaster, jambox, or radio-cassette. It is a device capable of receiving radio stations and playing recorded music , usually at relatively high volume...
is subjected to various forms of violence (such as having a caravan dropped on it, smashed up with various sports bats, shooting it with a dual-pellet shotgun, thrown with a hammer thrower and being burned with a flamethrower) until it ceases to play a tape of the Twisted SisterTwisted SisterTwisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
song of the same name. Not a single note of You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll was ever actually played in versions outside of the UK, and only the vocal hook of "You can't stop rock 'n' roll!" is repeated in the in-UK editions of the episode. The tape never survives. - Dear Jon: A segment in which members of the public write to Jon Tickle about questions they want answered. e.g. Is dog food healthier than fast food?
- Things, but really slowly: A segment in which simple things are displayed in super slow-motion such as the popping of a water balloon and the ignition of a disposable lighter.
- How Hard is your thing: A segment in which Thaila Zucchi tests the hardness of various objects. She uses three different methods to test the hardness of each; Impact(Ton of Bricks), Abrasion(Angle Grinder) and Heat Resistance(Thermite)
- Celebs in their Caravans: Several celebrities lie in their caravans while a Brainiac spins a wheel and then puts it on the one he would like; then the chosen celebs would answer a science question, if it was right, they would light a long fuse, giving the celebrities a chance to rescue a precious belonging inside, if the answer was wrong, the short fuse was lit and the caravan and possession would be annihilated. The Brainiacs always fix the possession to the wall though and so the caravan and possession explodes anyway
- Chemistry Death match: Dr Bunhead and Prof. Kilcoyne square off in various contests to see who can create the best type of chemical reaction
- Cooking with Microwaves: Brainiacs cook up a recipe for disaster by placing miscellaneous items (especially flammable ones) into microwaves, which then explode.
- Brainiac for a day – a usual person blowing up an object in a randomly selected way.
- Victorian Brainiac.
- Movie Stars Destroying Cars.
- Appliance Abuse.
- Striping Celebs On The Work Bench
- Things you can run through – Involves a Brainiac running at full speed against a frame containing materials varying every week, to see if he can break through or if he'll bounce off.
- Things what my body does – A video of someone doing something extraordinary with their body.
- Stuff NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
never tried – Vic Reeves shows the efficiency (or not) of the usage of rockets in every task of life. - I Can Do Science, Me – Charlotte Hudson invites a common person who sent a letter to answer their burning questions.
- Things That People Do For Money.
- Dr. Bunhead on the Pull – The science's biggest loser goes out to a pub, on the hope that his science can get him a girlfriend.
- 101 Uses for a Wee (urine).
- Undercover Brainiac.
- What Weird Things People Do To Attract The Other Sex
- Things Jon Tickle's body can/can't do.
- "Tickle's Teasers", supposedly unanswerable questions e.g. Can you cry underwater?
- Things you can't do while being electrocuted.
- Things you can do with ThermiteThermiteThermite is a pyrotechnic composition of a metal powder and a metal oxide that produces an exothermic oxidation-reduction reaction known as a thermite reaction. If aluminium is the reducing agent it is called an aluminothermic reaction...
. - 47 second science: Tackling life's big questions in bite sized chunks
- Granny Brainiac: Home spun cures from an old woman that Brainiac calls "the nation's favourite old dear".
- Celebs on Helium – celebrities are invited to take a balloon of helium and say "Hi, I'm [whoever] and you're watching Brainiac!"
- Custard Dreams:Walking across (and standing in) a swimming-pool full of custardCustardCustard is a variety of culinary preparations based on a cooked mixture of milk or cream and egg yolk. Depending on how much egg or thickener is used, custard may vary in consistency from a thin pouring sauce , to a thick pastry cream used to fill éclairs. The most common custards are used as...
to demonstrate the properties of a non-Newtonian fluidNon-Newtonian fluidA non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid whose flow properties differ in any way from those of Newtonian fluids. Most commonly the viscosity of non-Newtonian fluids is not independent of shear rate or shear rate history...
. - Comparing the effects of what would happen (advantages and disadvantages) in certain situations involving two sorts of people, including:
- Fat v Thin (series 1)
- Tall v Short (series 2)
- Lad v Lass (series 3)
- Brainiac v Beast (series 5-6)
- Brainiac v Toddler (series 5)
- Tired v Wired (series 1)
- Ugly V Beauty (series 4)
- Left Hander V Right Hander (series 4)
- Brainiac V Chemicals (series 5)
- Starving V Stuffed (series 5)
- Ad Break Buffers
- Will it break or will it bounce? Dropping things from a height and seeing if they will break or bounce.
- What's this? A sample from an object has been magnified 25–450 times under a microscope and you have to guess what the object is.
- Will it Fizz or will it Bang
- Will it Glow or will it Blow
- Will it Shunt or will it Shatter
- Will it Fizzle or will it Flash
- Will it Float or will it Sink (fruit)
- Will it Float or will it Flush
- GasBangWallop.com: A website created by Barry Bernard (played by Reeves) a middle-aged man who lives in a caravan with the cameraman Clive and his t-shirt on the back says "gasbangwallop.com". The website shows videos created by Bernard which shows random stuff (mostly Clive's relative's) exploded by a big balloon.
Forged results
At least one faked result has surfaced (the alkali metal experiments).One experiment conducted by Brainiac aimed to illustrate periodic trends
Periodic trends
In Chemistry, periodic trends are the tendencies of certain elemental characteristics to increase or decrease as one progresses along a row or column of the periodic table of elements.-Atomic radius:...
in the alkali metal
Alkali metal
The alkali metals are a series of chemical elements in the periodic table. In the modern IUPAC nomenclature, the alkali metals comprise the group 1 elements, along with hydrogen. The alkali metals are lithium , sodium , potassium , rubidium , caesium , and francium...
series. It showed the violent reactions of metallic sodium
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
and potassium
Potassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
with water, in which the hydrogen produced subsequent explosions, and intended to demonstrate the even greater reactivity of rubidium
Rubidium
Rubidium is a chemical element with the symbol Rb and atomic number 37. Rubidium is a soft, silvery-white metallic element of the alkali metal group. Its atomic mass is 85.4678. Elemental rubidium is highly reactive, with properties similar to those of other elements in group 1, such as very rapid...
and caesium
Caesium
Caesium or cesium is the chemical element with the symbol Cs and atomic number 55. It is a soft, silvery-gold alkali metal with a melting point of 28 °C , which makes it one of only five elemental metals that are liquid at room temperature...
by dropping them into a water-filled bathtub. However, the reaction was not particularly spectacular, and the crew substituted explosives for the alkali metals. This is clearly visible in the footage, in which an "explosives" sign can be seen on the premises, and an exploding cloud of hydrogen gas, which one would expect in an alkali metal reaction with water, was not visible.
The Brainiac staff have admitted that the explosions had been faked. According to Tom Pringle, Brainiac's "Dr Bunhead", very little occurred in the real reaction of caesium and water, as the large volume of water over it drowned out the thermal shock wave
Shock wave
A shock wave is a type of propagating disturbance. Like an ordinary wave, it carries energy and can propagate through a medium or in some cases in the absence of a material medium, through a field such as the electromagnetic field...
that should have shattered the bathtub. The crew decided to set up a bomb in the tub and use that footage to generate the explosion.
Similar experiments with caesium or rubidium have been repeated; these include Popular Science
Popular Science
Popular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
columnist Theodore Gray
Theodore Gray
Theodore W. Gray is one of the founders of Wolfram Research and is currently Wolfram's Director of User Interface Technology.He is a prominent element collector and created a wooden periodic table with compartments for samples of each of the elements...
's experiments, the "Viewer Special Threequel" episode of MythBusters
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
, and an attempt made as part of the Periodic Table of Videos series created by several faculty members at the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
. In no case were the rubidium and caesium reactions nearly as violent or explosive as depicted on Brainiac.
However, a much earlier and more successful attempt was shown on British TV in the 1970s as part of the Open University programmes. Here, rubidium splatters around as soon as it hits the water's surface (with some parts sinking and creating more violent bangs). Caesium, on the other hand, does create an explosion and destroys the apparatus, mainly due to the fact that the metal sinks well into the water and creates a large "cone" of hydrogen gas before it ignites and explodes. This video is available online at The Open University.
DVD releases
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Brainiac Science Abuse – Complete Series 1 |
| 2005 | Brainiac – The Best Of Series 1 |
Australian Releases
| Season | Date Released | # Of Episodes | # Of Discs | Special Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 + 2 | 10 February 2010 | 191 | 4 | None |
| Series 3 + 4 | 12 May 2010 | 18 | 4 | None |
| Series 5 + 6 | 11 August 2010 | 22 | 4 | None |
1 The Christmas special from series 2 is not included in the complete Series 1 + 2 box set due to legal reasons.