Darwin's Dangerous Idea

Written and presented by Andrew Marr, Darwin's Dangerous Idea traces the widespread impact of Charles Darwin's work from its inception to the modern day. This insightful three-part series shows how so much of the way we see the world is fundamentally shaped by Darwin's Dangerous Idea. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by the mechanism of natural selection is one of the most powerful and influential scientific theories ever proposed. Its impact has reached far beyond the world of science. It has profoundly shaped society, economics and the arts.

In Darwin's Dangerous Idea, Andrew explores the impact of Darwin's ideas on religion, politics and our understanding of the natural world, tracing Darwin's idea across Europe, the United States and South America. The series begins by looking at Darwin's impact on religion and morality, and how the great debate about his ideas is still raging.

In the second programme, Andrew explores how Darwin's theory came to be used and abused throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries to justify notions of racial superiority, imperialist expansion and genocide. He also reveals recent cases where Darwin's theory has been combined with genetics and used to eradicate debilitating conditions by screening populations for genetically-based illnesses.

The final episode explores the importance of Darwin's ideas to our understanding of the natural world and the future of the planet. Andrew argues that Darwin's revelations about evolution give key insights into the future of humankind and the planet. He suggests it is the failure to combine these insights with politics that could be leading us to environmental disaster and humanity's own extinction.