It's Only a Theory
| 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 |
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.
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
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 |
| 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
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
- ^ "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. 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.
