How We Got to Now
{{EngvarB|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox television
| image =
| caption =
| alt_name =
| genre = Factual
| creator =
| based_on =
| developer =
| writer =
| director =
| presenter = Steven Johnson
| starring =
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme =
| endtheme =
| composer =
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| num_series = 1
| num_episodes = 6
| list_episodes =
| executive_producer =
| producer = Diene Petterle
| editor =
| location =
| cinematography =
| camera =
| runtime = 60 minutes
| company = {{Plainlist |
| channel = {{Plainlist |
| first_aired =
| last_aired =
| related =
}}
How We Got to Now is a British-American factual television series that was broadcast on PBS in 2014 and BBC Two in 2015. The series was commissioned by the BBC in the United Kingdom and made by Nutopia, a British-American production company in the United States.{{cite web|url=http://www.televisual.com/news-detail/Nutopia-to-make-How-We-Got-to-Now-for-BBC-and-PBS_nid-3105.html|title=Nutopia to make How We Got to Now for BBC and PBS|work=Televisual.com|author=Pippa Considine|date=7 August 2013|access-date=26 March 2015}} The six-part series, presented by Steven Johnson, explores the legacy of great ideas.
Production
The factual series is a co-production between Nutopia, a British-American production company, and PBS. The producer is Diene Petterle, a Brazilian-born British film, television and theatrical producer,{{cite web|url=http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/otherresources/interviews/DienePetterle.htm|title=Hardly a conventional British theatrical couple|work=British Theatre Guide|author=Philip Fisher|access-date=3 April 2015}} and the executive producers are Jane Root, Peter Lovering, and Michael Jackson.{{cite news | url=http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/commissioning/bbc-cooks-up-nutopia-science-series/5058997.article | title=BBC cooks up Nutopia science series | work=Broadcast Now | date=7 August 2013 | access-date=17 February 2014 | author=White, Peter}} A companion book was published by Riverhead Books and a companion website has been created to explore present day innovations. The show was distributed by BBC Worldwide and received funding from the CPB/PBS Program Challenge Fund.{{cite news | url=http://www.televisual.com/news-detail/Nutopia-to-make-How-We-Got-to-Now-for-BBC-and-PBS_nid-3105.html | title=Nutopia to make How We Got to Now for BBC and PBS | work=Televisual | date=7 August 2013 | access-date=17 February 2014 | author=Considine, Pippa}}
Episodes
- Clean - from sewers to clean rooms
- Time - from pendulum clocks to radiometric dating
- Glass - from cristallo to smart phones
- Light - from spermaceti oil to fusion reactors
- Cold - from ice harvesting to air conditioning
- Sound - from phonautograph to ultrasound imaging
The historical characters who appear include Thomas Edison, Clarence Birdseye, Frederick McKinley Jones, Willis Carrier, Tim Berners-Lee, Hedy Lamarr, and Mark Zuckerberg.{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-author-steven-johnson-to-host-new-pbs-series-how-we-got-to-now20130807-story.html | title=Author Steven Johnson to host new PBS series, 'How We Got to Now' | work=Los Angeles Times | date=7 August 2013 | access-date=17 February 2014 | author=Tobar, Hector}}{{cite news | url=https://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2013/how-we-got-to-now/ | archive-url=https://archive.today/20131003221306/http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2013/how-we-got-to-now/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=3 October 2013 | title=HOW WE GOT TO NOW With Steven Johnson |publisher=PBS | date=6 August 2013 | access-date=17 February 2014}}[https://www.pbs.org/show/how-we-got-now/ PBS.org: How We Got to Now]
Broadcast
The series premiered in the US in the fall of 2014 on PBS.{{Citation|title=How We Got to Now|url=https://www.pbs.org/show/how-we-got-now/|language=en-US|access-date=2018-11-02}} The series also premiered in Australia on ABC from 26 February 2015.{{cite web|publisher=TV Tonight|first=David|last=Knox|title=Airdate: How We Got to Now|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2015/02/airdate-how-we-got-to-now.html|date=24 February 2014|access-date=24 February 2015}}
Reception
Robert Lloyd of Los Angeles Times wrote, "Thought-provoking and fun to watch."{{Cite web |last=Lloyd |first=Robert |date=2014-10-15 |title=Review: 'How We Got to Now' a fun look at six big ideas, their legacies |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-how-we-got-to-now-review-20141014-column.html |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}
Awards
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{BBC programme}}
- {{IMDb title|tt3106210}}
{{Steven Berlin Johnson}}
Category:2014 British television series debuts