Bang Goes the Theory — Season 2

Aired 15 March 2010 • 30 min

Engineer Jem tries to smash a land speed record with the help of a single fire extinguisher, a go kart and a well oiled spanner. In an experiment that you really shouldn't try at home, Jem builds himself a go-kart attached to a staggeringly powerful fire extinguisher that uses the laws of physics to fire him along a race track and into the record books. With oil prices rising every year, Dallas takes on an issue that concerns all of us. What will we do when the oil runs out? At the moment, across the globe, we use 85 million barrels of crude oil every single day but the fact is that our oil supplies can't last forever. With Richard Branson as one of his guides, Dallas looks at the future of oil explorations, and tells us what this means for our wallets. Liz goes behind the scenes of the real CSI (the Forensic Science Service) to meet the scientists working with the police to solve real crimes. With one crime, three suspects and no DNA evidence, Liz launches her very own forensic investigation to catch the bad guy. Bang Goes the Theory is co-produced with The Open University. For more ways to put science to the test, go to www.bbc.co.uk/bang and follow the links to The Open University.

Aired 22 March 2010 • 30 min

Liz Bonnin, Dallas Campbell and Jem Stansfield take on more scientific challenges. Engineer Jem becomes a crash test dummy to discover how much g-force his body can take, while scientist Liz gets the Olympic treatment for Sport Relief. Dallas enters the weird world of the atom, and roving reporter Dr Yan Wong dives into a shark tank to explain why there are no long snorkels.

Aired 29 March 2010 • 30 min

Dallas takes on the latest lie detection technology, while Liz looks at the dilemma that threatened to undermine her hero Charles Darwin. Jem faces his toughest challenge yet, to build a human-powered hydrofoil, and Dr Yan gets on the 3D bandwagon.

Aired 12 April 2010 • 30 min

Liz Bonnin, Dallas Campbell, Jem Stansfield and Dr Yan Wong take on more experiments and scientific challenges. Jem hits the furnace to make steel and discovers how it built the modern world, while Liz investigates whether science can help humans live forever. Dallas turns into a dolphin with the help of the latest US technology, and Yan challenges museum visitors to make fire out of thin air.

Aired 19 April 2010 • 30 min

Bang goes the Theory puts science to the test once more. The team start by looking at the science behind the recent volcanic ash crisis that has grounded Europe's planes. In the rest of the programme, Jem Stansfield visits a power station to explain why steam is still powering the country, while Dallas hits the slopes to discover the science behind skiing.

Aired 26 April 2010 • 30 min

Dallas hits the streets to discover what makes us happy, while Liz travels to Norway to investigate the latest technology to combat climate change. Jem puts himself in harm's way in avalanche country, and Dr Yan sets an optical illusion challenge to a WI meeting.

Aired 3 May 2010 • 30 min

Jem straps a race horse to his car to explain what horsepower is, Liz sets Dallas a free diving challenge that leaves him gasping for air, Dr Yan shows shoppers how to burn steel, and Dallas goes to CERN to see how a cosmic tea party created everything in the universe.

Aired 10 May 2010 • 30 min

Liz Bonnin launches a large experiment to learn about the nation's sense of smell, and Dallas Campbell investigates new evidence that life on Earth might have originated in space. Dr Yan Wong hands out free wine to shoppers in Rugby, and on the 25th anniversary of Back to the Future, Jem Stansfield tries to build a car fuelled by junk. Last in the series