The Real Thing

1980•21m•8.3/10

Documentary

Ratings

🎬TMDb

8.3/10(3)

Asking how you tell what's real and what isn't sounds like an obvious question. But in this series of six programmes, James Burke shows that the more you think about it the harder it is to answer. After all, what have you got, apart from your five senses, to prove those senses are giving you the real thing?

Open in PickFlick

Production

BBC Studios

Language

Status

Ended

First Aired

March 20, 1980

Last Aired

December 6, 1983

Networks

BBC Two

Created By

James Burke

Where to Watch

Region US · Lang EN

No providers available for this region.

Available in Your Library

Seasons & Episodes

Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.

Season

The Private Eye

Air date: 1980-03-20

James Burke employs a detective to illustrate how the senses pick up clues from the outside world, how the brain solves the mystery and decides what is out there. Illustrates how easy it is to fool the best detective and asks: 'What is reality?'

This Way Up

Air date: 1983-11-08

James Burke goes to the top of the Blackpool Tower and turns upside down to discover how the ears talk to the eyes and how we know which way is down

Time Out of Mind

Air date: 1983-11-15

In order to answer the question 'When is reality?' James Burke finds himself in a Salvador Dali-like landscape and examines what motivates man, why light can never stand still and why one man's 'now' can be another man's 'then'

The Memory Lingers On

Air date: 1983-11-22

From the stage set of 'The Mousetrap', James Burke examines the memory and asks: does it stay the same, how does it influence everyday actions and is the script for the future already written - from memory?

The View from Within

Air date: 1983-11-29

Looks at the complexity of the brain handling the simplest activity. James Burke's consciousness steps out of his body for a while to demonstrate how it acts as 'Mission Controller' for his own private universe.

Life Sentence

Air date: 1983-12-06

James Burke considers whether language is the way in which reality is shared.