Poster for The Real Thing

BBC Two 1980 - 1983 1 season 6 eps Ended

The Real Thing

1980 - 1983 1 season 6 eps

7.5

Season 1

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Season 1

30 min

S1 · E1 · Mar 20, 1980

The Private Eye Episode 1

James Burke employs a detective to illustrate how the senses pick up clues from the outside world, how the brain solves the mystery and decides what is out there. Illustrates how easy it is to fool the best detective and asks: 'What is reality?'

30 min

S1 · E2 · Nov 8, 1983

This Way Up Episode 2

James Burke goes to the top of the Blackpool Tower and turns upside down to discover how the ears talk to the eyes and how we know which way is down

30 min

S1 · E3 · Nov 15, 1983

Time Out of Mind Episode 3

In order to answer the question 'When is reality?' James Burke finds himself in a Salvador Dali-like landscape and examines what motivates man, why light can never stand still and why one man's 'now' can be another man's 'then'

30 min

S1 · E4 · Nov 22, 1983

The Memory Lingers On Episode 4

From the stage set of 'The Mousetrap', James Burke examines the memory and asks: does it stay the same, how does it influence everyday actions and is the script for the future already written - from memory?

30 min

S1 · E5 · Nov 29, 1983

The View from Within Episode 5

Looks at the complexity of the brain handling the simplest activity. James Burke's consciousness steps out of his body for a while to demonstrate how it acts as 'Mission Controller' for his own private universe.

30 min

S1 · E6 · Dec 6, 1983

Life Sentence Episode 6

James Burke considers whether language is the way in which reality is shared.

6 episodes in Season 1

Some details come from TheTVDB.

Asking how you tell what's real and what isn't sounds like an obvious question. But in this series of six programmes, James Burke shows that the more you think about it the harder it is to answer. After all, what have you got, apart from your five senses, to prove those senses are giving you the real thing?

Where to watch

Not streaming anywhere

Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.

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Cast

1 person

James Burke

Presenter

Also in

The Day the Universe Changed

Tomorrow's World

James Burke Creator · Mick Jackson Director

Creator Writer

James Burke

Director

Mick Jackson

Total runtime 2h 6m · Episode length 21 min · Country United Kingdom

Show info

Premiered

March 20, 1980

Final episode

December 6, 1983

Status

Ended

Network

BBC Two

Country

United Kingdom

Type

Scripted

Episode length

21 min

Total runtime

2h 6m

Original language

English

Production

B

BBC Studios

Production

United Kingdom

Produced in

Languages

Spoken on screen

English

More from James Burke

Other shows they created, best known first.

Connections

TV · 1978

Connections with James Burke

TV · 2023

Connections 3

TV · 1997

Some details come from TheTVDB.

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