Horizon Specials Pandemic: A Horizon Guide 2009
7.4/10 by 27 users
In the wake of the swine flu outbreak, virologist Dr Mike Leahy goesw back over 50 years of BBC archives to explore the history of pandemics: waves of infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites. Inspired primarily by the Horizon back catalogue, he works his way through the diseases that have been tackled head-on through the 20th Century: polio, malaria, smallpox, AIDS, and up to the present day with SARS and the H5N1 bird-flu virus. Each pandemic episode tells us something about the world and our place within it. In his trip through the ages and the archives, Dr Leahy charts science's ongoing battle with nature and questions which one is winning. He makes a reasonable fist of the exercise, but is somewhat up against it as his source material can be patchy - first triumphant about man's successes and then defeatist when the previous triumph didn't work out quite as planned, etc.
- Released: 2009-08-09
- Runtime: 60 minutes
- Genre: Documentary
- Stars:
- Director:
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2. The Case of the Ancient Astronauts 1977-11-25
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3. The Mind's Eye 1980-01-28
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4. 25 Years in Space 1982-12-25
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6. Beyond the Moon 1984-07-21
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7. Biology at War: A Plague in the Wind 1984-10-29
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8. Twenty-First Birthday 1985-05-20
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9. Halley's Comet - The Apparition 1985-11-25
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10. Halley's Comet - The Encounter 1986-03-13
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11. The Diary of Discovery 1988-09-28
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12. Making an Honest Fiver 1990-06-06
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15. Red Star in Orbit: The Mission 1990-12-21
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16. A Close Encouter of the Second Kind 1992-07-10
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17. Hide and Seek in Iraq 1992-08-23
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18. The Truth About Sex 1992-10-12
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19. Assault on the Male 1993-10-31
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20. 30th Anniversary - The Far Side 1994-05-23
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21. Twice Born 1995-02-14
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22. Einstein: The Miracle Year 1996-03-17
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23. Einstein: Fame 1996-03-18
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24. BSE: The Invisible Enemy 1996-11-17
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25. BSE: The Human Experiment 1996-11-18
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26. Molecules With Sunglasses (Update) 1996-12-09
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27. Ice Mummies: The Ice Maiden 1997-01-30
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28. Ice Mummies: A Life in Ice 1997-02-06
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29. Ice Mummies: Frozen in Heaven 1997-02-13
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31. Antarctica: The Ice Lives 1997-10-30
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32. Antarctica: The Ice Forms 1997-11-06
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33. Antarctica: The Ice Melts 1997-11-13
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35. Darwin: The Legacy 1998-03-29
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36. Longitude 1999-01-04
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37. Fat Files: Born to Be Fat 1999-01-07
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38. Fat Files: Fixing Fat 1999-01-14
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39. Fat Files: Living on Air 1999-01-21
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40. Atlantis Uncovered 1999-10-28
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41. Atlantis Reborn 1999-11-04
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45. Inside the Internet 2000-06-10
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46. Life on Mars 2001-01-11
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47. Destination Mars 2001-01-18
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48. What Sank the Kursk? 2001-08-08
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49. First Olympians: A Horizon Special 2004-07-23
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50. Everest: Doctors in the Death Zone (1) 2007-09-23
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51. Everest: Doctors in the Death Zone (2) 2007-09-30
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52. Lost Horizons: The Big Bang 2008-09-04
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53. How Mad Are You? (1) 2008-11-11
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54. How Mad Are You? (2) 2008-11-18
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55. 40 Years on the Moon 2009-07-09
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56. Pandemic: A Horizon Guide 2009-08-09
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57. Mars: A Horizon Guide 2009-11-15
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59. Diet: A Horizon Guide 2010-01-07
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62. Japan Earthquake: A Horizon Special 2011-03-27
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63. The Space Shuttle: A Horizon Guide 2011-04-10
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66. Extinct: A Horizon Guide to Dinosaurs 2011-09-21
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67. The Hunt for Higgs: A Horizon Special 2012-01-09
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68. Woof! A Horizon Guide to Dogs 2012-03-01
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69. The Hunt for AI 2012-04-03
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70. Stuff: A Horizon Guide to Materials 2012-04-19
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71. Blink: A Horizon Guide to the Senses 2012-07-11
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72. Immortal? A Horizon Guide to Ageing 2012-07-17
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73. Mission to Mars: A Horizon Special 2012-07-31
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76. Mend Me: A Horizon Guide to Transplants 2013-03-27
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77. Tomorrow's World: A Horizon Special 2013-04-11
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79. Comet of the Century: A Horizon Special 2013-11-23
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80. The £10 Million Challenge 2014-05-22
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81. The Transit of Venus: A Horizon Special 2012-06-05
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100. The Great British Drought 1976-05-26
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101. Festival 77: Horizon 2002 1977-08-26
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102. Darwin's Dream 1977-09-23
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103. A Killer in the Village - Update 1984-04-02
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104. Life Story 1987-04-27
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105. Sex: A Horizon Guide 2013-09-11
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106. Climate Change: A Horizon Guide 2015-03-04
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107. The Mystery of Murder: A Horizon Guide 2015-03-09
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108. The Horizon Guide to AI 2018-09-04
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110. Jimmy Carr and the Science of Laughter 2016-09-11
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111. Horizon Special: The Vaccine 2021-06-16
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112. The Life and Times of El Niño 2006-01-03
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114. Impact! A Horizon Guide to Car Crashes 2013-10-21
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115. Cat Watch 2014 - A Cat's Eye View 2014-10-07
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116. Cat Watch 2014 - The Lion in Your Lap 2014-10-08
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117. Cat Watch 2014 - Cat Talk 2014-10-09
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118. What's The Right Diet For You? Part 1 2015-01-12
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119. What's The Right Diet For You? Part 2 2015-01-13
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120. What's The Right Diet For You? Part 3 2015-01-14
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121. Journey to the Moon: A Horizon Special 2019-07-17
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122. Alastair Campbell: Depression and Me 2019-05-21
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123. Ice Station Antarctica: Part One 2016-05-21
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124. Ice Station Antarctica: Part Two 2016-05-28
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125. Coronavirus Special - Part 1 2020-04-09
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126. Coronavirus Special - Part 2 2020-05-19
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127. Coronavirus Special - What We Know Now 2021-02-25
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128. Horizon Special: The Vaccine 2021-06-16
