Partners: BBC with The Open University; distributed by DCD Rights Length: 2 x 60 minutes
Aired: August 2014 (BBC4)
Rights available: Worldwide excluding the UK and Eire
We are surrounded by stuff, and its ubiquitous nature tends to render it inconsequential in our eyes. But professor Mark Miodownik believes it’s nothing of the sort, and in this two-part special, he illuminates the stories behind the stuff in an effort to elevate the everyday. From razor blades (invented by King Camp Gillette in 1901) to foam rubber (discovered by accident in the 1930s), to stockings and plywood, Miodownik acts as our guide, spiriting us through the material world and its wonders.