Films of Fact: A History of Science in Documentary Films and Television

Britain has long been recognised for its pivotal role in the development of documentary cinema, yet its fine tradition of scientific and medical documentaries remains unknown. Films of Fact is the first in-depth history of the subject. It describes how science films for the public began with amateur naturalists and inventors, and that science, technology and medicine were highly significant subjects in the heyday of British documentary between 1930 and 1950. This study demonstrates how science became a treasured part of broadcasting amidst the birth of postwar non-fiction television; central to the narrative is Paul Rotha, a pioneering advocate of science documentaries from the mid-1930s onwards and a significant figure in the evolution of documentary at the BBC in the 1950s. Written by a historian of science specialising in the public culture of science, this volume is a landmark text on a crucial yet rarely explored aspect of British public culture. Discussed are films such as Cheese Mites (1903), The Coming of the Dial (1933) and World of Plenty (1943), and television programmes including Eye on Research (1957-1961) and Horizon (1964 onwards).

About the Author:
Timothy Boon is Chief Curator at the Science Museum, London. He is a historian and curator of science, technology, medicine and films, and has published extensively on these subjects