The Secret Genius of Modern Life - Season 1
Season 1
Episodes
Bank Card
Hannah Fry takes a look at the bank card. This humble piece of plastic is often taken for granted, but it's the digital key to accessing cash and is packed full of extraordinary technological innovations - including some with surprising and sinister origins.
Hannah is granted the first ever TV access to Visa's European bank card data centre, discovers why we have Russian spies to thank for contactless payments, and finds out how the CIA and a 1950s housewife helped kickstart the bank card revolution.
Food Delivery App
Hannah Fry tucks into the tech behind food delivery apps like Deliveroo and Just Eat, which are now used by 24 million people in the UK.
Hannah meets the R&D team behind food delivery titan Deliveroo, finds out how pensioners ordering Greggs revolutionised food delivery, and discovers how pizza made us fall in love with the internet in the 1990s.
Virtual Assistant
Hannah Fry delves into the inner workings of virtual assistants, such as Google Assistant and Siri, which are now found in almost half of all UK homes.
Hannah goes behind the scenes with Alexa's chief scientist, reveals how secret technology invented to hunt U-boats led to their targeted hearing, and discovers modern wireless networks' debt to a 1940s Hollywood star.
Electric Car
Hannah Fry discovers why innovations in meat packing almost derailed the electric car revolution and how a breakthrough in camcorder batteries led to Elon Musk's electric empire, as well as demonstrating how not to drive a multimillion dollar prototype car of the future.
Fitness Tracker
With around a third of the population now owning fitness trackers, Britain has become a nation obsessed with tracking its every move.
Hannah Fry finds out how 1970s car crashes helped us to count our steps, why high-altitude WWII dog-fights led to a crucial health monitor and how fitness trackers are even being used to catch killers.
Trainer
Did you know that a family feud created two of the world's biggest trainer brands? Hannah Fry visits Ebay's authentication centre, where they are waging war against fake high-value trainers. She discovers how American breakfast waffles transformed our trainer soles, and how an 18th century tea set led to the use of celebrity endorsement.
Recently Updated Shows
NCIS
NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) is more than just an action drama. With liberal doses of humor, it's a show that focuses on the sometimes complex and always amusing dynamics of a team forced to work together in high-stress situations. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a former Marine gunnery sergeant, whose skills as an investigator are unmatched, leads this troupe of colorful personalities. Rounding out the team are Anthony DiNozzo, an ex-homicide detective whose instincts in the field are unparalleled and whose quick wit and humorous take on life make him a team favorite; the youthful and energetic forensic specialist Abby Sciuto, a talented scientist whose sharp mind matches her Goth style and eclectic tastes; Caitlin Todd, an ex-Secret Service Agent; and Timothy McGee, an MIT graduate whose brilliance with computers far overshadows his insecurities in the field; Assisting the team is medical examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, who knows it all because he's seen it all, and he's not afraid to let you know. From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, these special agents travel the globe to investigate all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties.
Landman
Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, Landman is a modern day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs. The series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it's reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.
The Creep Tapes
Based on a collection of videotapes in the secret vault of the world's deadliest and most socially uncomfortable serial killer, who hires his victims to film him for the day under false pretenses, each episode exposes a new victim from one of the fabled 'Creep Tapes'.
America's Funniest Home Videos
ABC's longest-running primetime entertainment show, America's Funniest Home Videos, returns for season 36 this fall with the same mission -- giving families something genuinely funny to enjoy together on Sunday nights.
"AFV," the longest-running primetime entertainment show in ABC history, returns for season 36 with the same mission - to provide viewers with hysterical moments that fly by at a dizzying pace.
The Real Housewives of Potomac
Just up the river from our nation's capital lies a hidden gem—Potomac, Maryland. Its rolling hills, gated mansions, sophisticated prep schools, and exclusive country clubs all serve to keep the area invitation-only. Sprinkled throughout this community are a handful of old-line, wealthy African-American families who have historically broken racial barriers to provide a life of privilege for their children. The Real Housewives of Potomac follows the upscale lives of six intriguing, well-to-do women: Gizelle Bryant, Katie Rost, Karen Huger, Charrisse Jackson-Jordan, Robyn Dixon, and Ashley Darby, all of whom have fought for their places in this society by way of legacy or marriage. In a town where entry is granted only through class, pedigree, and lineage, how far will these ladies go to secure their spot at the top of this prestigious circle?