Rating :   75/100

This is a must see for anyone interested in science and technology. A three part series of one hour long episodes, its premise is to explore how scientists around the world today are using technology to try and mimic many of the amazing things that nature has perfected over millennia. As one example, they focus on the ability of the morpho butterfly (see above pic) to protect itself from having any droplets of water touch its delicate wings, by examining said wings at a molecular level. Learning from this, they create a man made atomic layer to apply to any surface that acts as a series of ridges preventing water droplets from touching the surface of application. Using this creation, all of the circuitry in a mobile phone is coated to make it 100% water proof, and it’s unceremoniously dunked into a toilet bowl on camera to prove it. Similarly, fabrics are coated with it and then liquids which would normally stain them, are shown to run straight off.

The only detraction from the quality of the show is actually the presenter Richard Hammond, who is a little annoying at times, and indeed some of the presentation which has a good deal of unnecessary padding. Nevertheless, lots of interesting things in there and indeed it’s an area of science The Red Dragon has on occasion looked into himself. Well worth absorbing for any budding inventors out there.