‘Horizon’ (BBC2) rarely fails to hit the mark. It’s no secret that ‘thetvreviewguy’ loves good science programmes even though he was hopeless at all his school science subjects; he suspects he isn’t the only one like this. Last Monday’s show was all about colour; how do we perceive it, what do different colours mean, can they make us feel powerful or powerless? As usual, there was some very interesting stuff discussed that only occasionally fell near pointyhead territory. Narrated mellifluously by Samantha Bond (she of ‘Moneypenny’ fame), we found out some fascinating facts about colours. Okay, so red is associated with danger and passion and if we ‘see red’ we get angry. But if we sit in a red painted room, time slows down rather than speeds up, unlike in a blue room where it seems to pass by more quickly. Reds and browns are also believed to make us hungry; all of these assertions are based on empirically established facts yet many of them can sound silly or made up. We see how the Namibian Himba tribe, in some amazing footage, are able to distinguish the subtlest blue, which jumps out at them in a visual test, but are unable to distinguish a clear blue (in our eyes) among a sea of greens. This is said to be due to there being fewer words in the Himba vocabulary to describe colour. ‘Horizon’ has been going since 1964 and has, despite some minor criticisms, always managed to provide entertaining educational television for the non-expert. While ‘thetvreviewguy’ may not be a fully fledged scientist, he knows what he likes and enjoyed this colourful dissertation on the visual world.
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