Wonderland: Science Fiction in the Atomic Age — Season 1
About this season
This four-part series explores the history of science fiction in the atomic age. It looks at the creation of the atomic bomb by Robert Oppenheimer and others, the Cold War, and the many varieties of science fiction expression in all media.
Episodes (4)
1. Mary Shelley to Isaac Asimov
Aired 3 April 2025 • 46 min
This episode explores early science-fiction writers, including Mary Shelley (Frankenstein), Jules Verne (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) and HG Wells (Things to Come and The Time Machine). Plus, the possibility of nuclear apocalypse, as portrayed in works including Herman Kahn's On Thermonuclear War, Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove, Sidney Lumet's Fail Safe, Nevil Shute's On the Beach and Peter Watkins' The War Game.
2. Arthur C. Clarke to Ray Bradbury
Aired 10 April 2025 • 46 min
This episode focuses on the work of authors including Arthur C Clarke and Ray Bradbury.
3. Margaret Atwood to Ted Chiang
Aired 17 April 2025
A look at the genre's ability to foretell the shape of future society, touching on the works of Canadian novelist and poet Margaret Atwood and American writer Ted Chiang. Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale created a more political, dystopian model to illustrate relations between genders becoming oppressive. Though not a prolific author, Chiang has produced prestigious works such as Arrival, Understand and Division by Zero.
4. Quatermass to Christopher Nolan
Aired 24 April 2025
Space travel redefines human potential, reviving exploration and conquest while inspiring innovation and unity as we reach for the cosmos.