The Real Thing

Season 1

1980 · 6 episodes · 2h 6m in all

Six-part series.

Episodes

1. 1

   1. The Private Eye

   20 Mar 1980 · 21 min

   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?'

2. 2

   2. This Way Up

   8 Nov 1983 · 21 min

   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

3. 3

   3. Time Out of Mind

   15 Nov 1983 · 21 min

   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'

4. 4

   4. The Memory Lingers On

   22 Nov 1983 · 21 min

   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?

5. 5

   5. The View from Within

   29 Nov 1983 · 21 min

   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.

6. 6

   6. Life Sentence

   6 Dec 1983 · 21 min

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