The Secret Genius of Modern Life

The humble bank card is often taken for granted. But it’s the digital key to accessing cash and is packed full of extraordinary innovations, including some with sinister origins. In this extraordinary technology documentary, mathematician Hannah Fry discovers why we have Russian spies to thank for contactless payments and finds out how the CIA helped kick-start the bank card revolution.

Food delivery apps like Deliveroo and Just Eat are now used by billions around the world and their technology has changed the way we all eat. Mathematician Hannah Fry meets the R&D team behind food delivery titan Deliveroo, finds out how pensioners ordering baked goods revolutionized the future of the industry, and discovers how pizza made us fall in love with the internet during the 1990s.

Virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri, are now found in millions of homes. In this jaw-dropping science documentary, mathematician Hannah Fry goes behind the scenes with Alexa’s chief scientist, reveals how secret technology designed to hunt German U-boats led to their targeted hearing and discovers modern wireless networks' debt to a 1940s Hollywood star.

Electric cars could change the way we all drive while also helping to save the planet. In this intriguing technology documentary, Hannah Fry discovers why innovations in meat packing almost derailed the electric car revolution and how a breakthrough in camcorder batteries led to Elon Musk’s electric empire. She also demonstrates how not to drive a multimillion-dollar prototype car of the future.

With around a third of the population now owning fitness trackers, many have become obsessed with tracking every move in the name of their future well-being. In this compelling science documentary, Hannah Fry finds out how 1970s car crashes helped us to count our steps, why high-altitude WWII dogfights led to crucial health technology and how fitness trackers are even being used to catch killers.

Trainers, or sneakers, are a multi-billion-dollar business with a devoted, obsessive following. In this technology documentary, Hannah Fry visits eBay’s authentication center, where they are waging war against fake high-value tennis shoes. She discovers how American breakfast waffles transformed our sneaker soles and how an 18th-century tea set led to the use of the celebrity endorsement.