It's Only a Theory
2009 British TV series or programme
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It's Only a Theory is a British television panel game show, first aired on BBC Four in 2009. It was conceived by and starred Andy Hamilton and featured Reginald D. Hunter as a regular panelist. Announced by the BBC in April 2009, the eight-episode series was produced by Hat Trick Productions.
Ian Lorimer
Reginald D. Hunter
| It's Only a Theory | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Andy Hamilton |
| Directed by | Paul Wheeler Ian Lorimer |
| Starring | Andy Hamilton Reginald D. Hunter |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | Language |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Adam King |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Hat Trick Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Four |
| Release | 6 October – 24 November 2009 |
The panelists discuss theories "about life, the universe and everything" submitted by professionals and experts. The panel debates each theory and decides whether it is worth keeping.[1]
Guests
The two regular panelists were joined by one guest in each of the episodes.
| No. | Guest | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clare Balding | 6 October 2009 |
| 2 | Martha Kearney | 13 October 2009 |
| 3 | Kirsty Wark | 20 October 2009 |
| 4 | Clare Balding | 27 October 2009 |
| 5 | Martha Kearney | 3 November 2009 |
| 6 | Vince Cable | 10 November 2009 |
| 7 | Dermot Murnaghan | 17 November 2009 |
| 8 | Clare Balding | 24 November 2009 |
Reception
The first episode in the series received a number of reviews from critics. Writing for The Times, Andrew Billen gave the programme 3 out of 5, saying it "must be the most intelligent parlour game since QI".[2] Describing the idea for the programme "strange", Sam Wollaston for The Guardian said: "I'm not sure it totally works. But it doesn't really matter, because you get to see cool people like Aubrey de Grey [who submitted a theory], who clearly should get his own show."[3] However, The Independent's Tom Sutcliffe found it "very difficult to work out what it's for or how it's meant to work", going on the say: "It isn't that the machinery doesn't work, it's that they completely forgot to put the machinery in."[4]
