NOVA: The Elegant Universe with Brian Greene

The Elegant Universe with Brian Greene, based on the acclaimed physicist’s best-selling book, explores science’s most elaborate and ambitious theory, the string theory. Preparing such a topic—little of which can be seen or filmed—for television was equally ambitious. Yet host Brian Greene makes the abstract concrete, the complicated clear, and the improbable understandable in this entertaining yet sophisticated program. Blending factual story telling with animation, special effects, and trick photography, the producers turn the universe upside down and inside out in their quest to explain the fundamental laws of the science. A rich accompanying Web site enables users to deepen and apply their knowledge and explore ideas with interactive games and demonstrations. Also available are a downloadable version of the complete series and an excellent teacher’s guide complete with activities, puzzles, and resources for further study. This program and its related Web site may have opened the world of physics to the largest number of television viewers ever to approach the topic. The Elegant Universe with Brian Greene was written, produced and directed by Joseph McMaster and Julia Cort and edited by Jonathan Sahula and Dick Bartlett. Paula S. Apsell served as executive producer, with David Hickman as series producer. Lauren Aguirre served as executive editor for the Web site. Peter Tyson served as editor in chief, with senior web designer Anya Vinokou and senior web developer Brenden Kootsey. The program was produced for WGBH/Boston and Channel 4 in association with David Hickman Films, Sveriges Television, and Norddeutscher Rundfunk. A Peabody goes to The Elegant Universe with Brian Greene, for an amazing ride through the wonders and possibilities of our universe.