It's Only a Theory is a British television panel game show, first aired on BBC Four in 2009. It was conceived by and starred Andy Hamilton and featured Reginald D. Hunter as a regular panelist. Announced by the BBC in April 2009, the eight-episode series was produced by Hat Trick Productions.

It's Only a Theory
Created byAndy Hamilton
Directed byPaul Wheeler
Ian Lorimer
StarringAndy Hamilton
Reginald D. Hunter
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageLanguage
No. of series1
No. of episodes8
Production
ProducerAdam King
Running time30 minutes
Production companyHat Trick Productions
Original release
NetworkBBC Four
Release6 October (2009-10-06) –
24 November 2009 (2009-11-24)

The panelists discuss theories "about life, the universe and everything" submitted by professionals and experts. The panel debates each theory and decides whether it is worth keeping.[1]

Guests

edit

The two regular panelists were joined by one guest in each of the episodes.

Episode Guest Original air date
1 Clare Balding 6 October 2009 (2009-10-06)
2 Martha Kearney 13 October 2009 (2009-10-13)
3 Kirsty Wark 20 October 2009 (2009-10-20)
4 Clare Balding 27 October 2009 (2009-10-27)
5 Martha Kearney 3 November 2009 (2009-11-03)
6 Vince Cable 10 November 2009 (2009-11-10)
7 Dermot Murnaghan 17 November 2009 (2009-11-17)
8 Clare Balding 24 November 2009 (2009-11-24)

Reception

edit

The first episode in the series received a number of reviews from critics. Writing for The Times, Andrew Billen gave the programme 3 out of 5, saying it "must be the most intelligent parlour game since QI".[2] Describing the idea for the programme "strange", Sam Wollaston for The Guardian said: "I'm not sure it totally works. But it doesn't really matter, because you get to see cool people like Aubrey de Grey [who submitted a theory], who clearly should get his own show."[3] However, The Independent's Tom Sutcliffe found it "very difficult to work out what it's for or how it's meant to work", going on the say: "It isn't that the machinery doesn't work, it's that they completely forgot to put the machinery in."[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Andy Hamilton and Reginald D Hunter claim It's Only A Theory". BBC Press Office. 3 April 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  2. ^ Billen, Andrew (7 October 2009). "Criminal Justice; Blitz: The Bombing of Coventry; It's Only a Theory". The Times. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  3. ^ Wollaston, Sam (7 October 2009). "It's Only a Theory and Blitz: The Bombing of Coventry". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  4. ^ Sutcliffe, Tom (7 October 2009). "Last Night's Television – It's Only A Theory, BBC4; Blitz: The Bombing of Coventry, BBC2". The Independent. London. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
edit