In case anybody has been hiding away on the Galapagos islands and missed the news, this documentary series is one of the first of a number of Darwin-related events scheduled for this coming 150th anniversary year of Darwin’s and Wallace’s 1858 speech on natural selection to the Linnaean Society and the first publication, the following year, of On the Origin of Species.

The Genius of Charles Darwin

The first episode was broadcast last Monday, August 4, at 2000 BST, Channel Four in the UK.  The next episode will be broadcast at 2000 this evening, August 11.  The third and final episode will follow at the same time next Monday evening.

The first episode can now be viewed online on the Pharyngula blog..

In the UK only, the episodes may also be viewed after broadcast on the 4OD website: http://www.channel4.com/4od/index.html

For 4OD, you need a reasonably up-to-date PC (not a MAC) running Windows.

The programme should not be mistaken for another with a similar name also featuring Richard Dawkins, called “Genius: Charles Darwin”, from 1999, which is available on Youtube and elsewhere.

And for those outside the UK who don’t want to wait until this is possibly shown elsewhere, such as myself, you can find it HERE. I watched a little to see the quality and I can report that it’s excellent. It’s going on DVD today so I can get comfortable on the couch to enjoy…

jholt - 11 August 2008 11:39 AM

And for those outside the UK who don’t want to wait until this is possibly shown elsewhere, such as myself, you can find it HERE. I watched a little to see the quality and I can report that it’s excellent. It’s going on DVD today so I can get comfortable on the couch to enjoy…

Thanks.  Part 2 is apparently already up, HERE.  I haven’t checked this so use at your own discretion.

I watched both parts last night and really enjoyed it! He poses some good questions.

I’ve seen parts one and two

one was good but the second just seemed like dawkins using this chance to get his critics into a debate in person

“In this episode of the ‘Genius of Charles Darwin’ i’ll go into something Darwin didn’t, thus making the title a tad misleading”

Tony Sidaway - 12 August 2008 12:36 PM

Thanks.  Part 2 is apparently already up, HERE.  I haven’t checked this so use at your own discretion.

Thank you Tony. I’m going to start this morning and by this afternoon I’ll give a quality report…

jholt - 13 August 2008 07:36 AM

Tony Sidaway - 12 August 2008 12:36 PM

Thanks.  Part 2 is apparently already up, HERE.  I haven’t checked this so use at your own discretion.

Thank you Tony. I’m going to start this morning and by this afternoon I’ll give a quality report…

Quality is good. I’ve also run a scan on both. The DVD I made also turned out good.

Just finished watching the second part. Chimps can breed with humans?   

Duh didn’t that Jerry Springer? With Dawkins and wife…

Nice guys finish…. first?

Yes, well, maybe… this has actually been studied more than I imagined. See under the Research heading - Nice Guy - wiki

Part three can now be found on the internet.

Check your local YouTube for it and enjoy. What a great series. I think the third episode was my favorite, all about the yahoos who continue to deny evolution, while maintaining complete ignorance of why anyone believes it in the first place.

Premitive1 - 22 August 2008 09:29 PM

I think the third episode was my favorite, all about the yahoos who continue to deny evolution, while maintaining complete ignorance of why anyone believes it in the first place.

Yes, I thought one scene was particularly priceless.  A woman in a creationist organisation lectured Dawkins (!) about how there were no transitional forms.  He said they were in the museums, and calmly described the transition from the reptilian jaw to the mammalian jaw, which involves bones in the reptilian jaw ending up in the mammalian inner ear.  She looked stunned, like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.