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 by | Andy Hamilton |
| Directed by | Paul Wheeler Ian Lorimer |
| Starring | Andy Hamilton Reginald D. Hunter |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | Language |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Adam King |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Hat Trick Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Four |
| Release | 6 October – 24 November 2009 |
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
editThe two regular panelists were joined by one guest in each of the episodes.
| Episode | Guest | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clare Balding | 6 October 2009 |
| 2 | Martha Kearney | 13 October 2009 |
| 3 | Kirsty Wark | 20 October 2009 |
| 4 | Clare Balding | 27 October 2009 |
| 5 | Martha Kearney | 3 November 2009 |
| 6 | Vince Cable | 10 November 2009 |
| 7 | Dermot Murnaghan | 17 November 2009 |
| 8 | Clare Balding | 24 November 2009 |
Reception
editThe 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- ^ "Andy Hamilton and Reginald D Hunter claim It's Only A Theory". BBC Press Office. 3 April 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Wollaston, Sam (7 October 2009). "It's Only a Theory and Blitz: The Bombing of Coventry". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ^ 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.
