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This programme contains
very strong language
and some scenes of a sexual nature
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00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:09,840
BIRDS CHIRP
ORCHESTRAL MUSIC SWELLS
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00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,560
Have you ever looked around
at the limitless majesty
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00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:14,400
of creation and wondered?
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00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:18,640
Wondered what all these forests,
valleys, mountains and puddles
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00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:20,360
are actually for?
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00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:24,000
Wondered how many buildings were
knocked down to make way for them?
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00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,440
And who granted
the planning permission?
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00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:29,600
Wondered about all the incredible
yet musky animals
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00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:31,360
we share our planet with?
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00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:32,920
What's up with them?
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00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:36,160
From pointless ants to long-necked
horse monsters,
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00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:40,240
from repugnant wombats
to beautiful elephants,
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00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:42,280
what do the creatures want?
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00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:44,880
And why do they refuse to tell us?
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00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,960
And then, of course,
there's us, humanit-kind.
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00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:52,320
Have you ever wondered
how we got here?
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00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:53,800
Wondered where we're going?
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00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,520
Wondered about the biggest
mystery of all -
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00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:58,720
what is the meaning of life?
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Well, I haven't, but others have.
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00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:05,080
For thousands of years,
thinkers, artists, authors
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00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:09,240
and my aunt Carol have struggled
to define humankind's purpose.
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Is life's meaning a riddle
that even can be answered?
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And if so, should we listen
or cover our ears to avoid spoilers?
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00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,880
In this landmark documentary
special, I'll travel the globe
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to walk in slow motion
through picturesque locations,
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get up close to some of the most
significant molecules in existence
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and meet a variety of academics,
experts and professional mammals
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to ask some of the most significant
questions you can say with a mouth.
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Hello, who are you?
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I'm Brian Cox,
professor of particle physics
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at the University of Manchester.
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Can I call you Brian,
or do you prefer Cox?
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So join me, Philomena Cunk,
as I uncover the point of it all.
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This is Cunk On Life!
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00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:54,400
ORCHESTRAL MUSIC SWELLS
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00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:08,680
Welcome to our universe,
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00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:12,640
a limitless expanse
peppered with stars, planets
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00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:14,960
and assorted space muck.
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00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,200
It's where you live.
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00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,560
In fact, you're somewhere
in this photo,
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but we don't know where
because the universe is so vast,
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00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:27,960
we simply can't make you out,
even with YOUR ears.
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00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:36,280
Gazing into this infinite tapestry
makes us ask questions not
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just about where the ceiling's gone,
but deep questions that strike
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at the very core of our arseholes.
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Questions like, how did it get here?
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00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:52,400
Who are you?
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00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:56,200
I'm Douglas Hedley, and I teach
the philosophy of religion
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at the University of Cambridge.
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So...why are we here?
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00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:04,720
You mean why human beings exist?
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00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,960
No. I mean why are we here in... Is
this near your house or something?
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00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:10,320
No.
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00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:13,120
It took me 90 minutes to get here
on the Piccadilly line.
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00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,960
There are countless theories
about how the universe got here,
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00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:22,880
and the earliest one comes
from the wacky world of religion.
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00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:24,680
This is the good Old Testament,
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00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:28,080
the first entry in the
Christian cinematic universe.
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Jesus isn't in this one.
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It's mainly about
his bad-tempered dad,
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a man so mysterious we still only
know him by his stage name,
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God.
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00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,760
Um, I'm going to go straight
in at the deep end.
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Is there a God?
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Yes.
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Oh, that was quick.
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Mm.
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Great.
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Um, has anyone proved it?
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No, except to their
own satisfaction.
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00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:56,680
Does God have a brother
called Simon?
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No.
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00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,640
But they can't prove that either
so he might have.
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The universe could have been
created by Simon.
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00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:09,120
The Old Testament claims God -
and/or Simon - created our universe
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in just seven days.
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It sounds like a lot to achieve
in such a short space of time but,
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unlike us, God wasn't constantly
interrupted by iPhone notifications.
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God started by saying,
"Let there be light."
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Which makes sense because he needed
to be able to see what he was doing.
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Then he divided light from dark,
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like I do when I'm doing
a clothes wash.
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Next, he created the firmament,
whatever that is,
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and the oceans and the stars.
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For his next trick, God filled
the oceans with water animals,
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or fish as they're sometimes known,
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and the heavens with
sky beasts, or birds.
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00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:48,720
Then he infested the earth
with insects, reptiles, mammals,
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and whatever category of things
slugs are.
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And, finally, for his
crowning achievement,
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he created perhaps the only thing
worth celebrating -
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us.
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Here on the planet of Italy
is the Sistine Chapel.
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Inside it is an astonishing
collection of images created
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by overachieving painter-decorator
Michael AN Gelo.
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This artwork took him four years
to complete,
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ruining a perfectly good ceiling
in the process.
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But whatever you think of it,
what it depicts is momentous -
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the moment God created life
by jizzing us out of his hands.
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This image of the most significant
fingerbang in history has inspired
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visitors to the Sistine Chapel
for many centuries,
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and visitors to this replica
for less time than that.
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It's perhaps the greatest
masterpiece in all of art,
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but also the most annoying
to look at.
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When I gaze up at it, I'm struck
by a sense of wonder,
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but mainly by a crick in my neck.
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When Michelangelo painted
the Sistine Chapel,
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did he start on the floor and then
they flipped the building over?
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Or was it always on the ceiling?
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The painting was always
on the ceiling.
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It's quite high up, isn't it?
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Did Michelangelo use
a really long brush,
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00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:11,000
or did he have really long arms?
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Um, well, he had to stand up on top
of some scaffolding
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and bend his head backwards.
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Wouldn't paint drip down into
his eyes when he was doing it?
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Yeah. I bet he was blinking
the whole time sort of like....
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Like that.
He doesn't complain about that,
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but he must have done.
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However he did it, painting
the Sistine Chapel must have been
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a great upper body workout.
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How strong were Michelangelo's arms?
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Like, if a mad priest had leapt on
his back while he was painting it,
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would he have been able to
reach around and pull him off?
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00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:43,560
Oh, yeah, I think so.
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00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:47,160
I think Michelangelo was quite
muscular. He must have been. Mm.
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00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:49,240
Or if he wasn't...
So he could really yank him off!
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00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:51,560
I think he could have done, yeah.
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00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:54,200
The man God's creating here
is called Adam.
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He's one half of the first
celebrity couple, Adam and Eve,
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played here by actors who happily
signed a nudity waiver.
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00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:04,200
Of course, the real Adam and Eve
wouldn't have had tattoos
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00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:06,040
we'd have to paint over
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00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:08,680
or intimate piercings we'd have to
ask them to take out
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00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,360
and hand to our researcher
for safekeeping.
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00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:14,480
We've pixelated the offensive parts
of their bodies,
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00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:17,480
a technology that wasn't available
in Old Testament times,
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00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:21,960
which is why I can see everything,
even though I don't really want to.
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00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:25,520
Adam and Eve weren't just
the first humans to exist,
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but the first humans
to disappoint their dad.
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God had hidden the secret
of knowledge
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inside a delicious-looking fruit,
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and then forbidden them to eat it
for some fucking reason.
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But eat it they did.
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00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:41,400
An early example of an Apple product
hastening the downfall of humankind.
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This was the original sin,
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and ever since, all humans
have been considered sinful.
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Sinners worry God might
punish them,
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but what about you?
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Well, um, I'm a sinner
like anybody else.
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No, I mean should they worry about
you punishing them?
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Uh... No.
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God realised he needed help
keeping us sinful humans in check
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and he knew just who to call on.
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This is Holy Moses,
the most successful influencer
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of Old Testament times,
very much the Mr Beast of his day.
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One day, God invited Moses
to the top of Mount Sinai
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and handed him a set of rules
for life carved on stone tablets.
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It was the world's first
and heaviest press release.
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God commanded Moses to spread
this message far and wide,
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which must have been annoying
for Moses,
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because he'd have to carry
the tablets back down on foot
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and probably didn't have room
in his rucksack.
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00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:52,520
How many Ten Commandments
were there?
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How many? Well, you just named them.
Ten.
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So there were ten Ten Commandments.
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There weren't 100 commandments.
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There were ten...commandments.
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00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:03,960
There were ten...commandments.
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Yes. That's it.
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These shalts and shalt nots
are a set
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of terms and conditions
for humankind.
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All Christians had to agree
to abide by them
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and also accept occasional
promotional messages from God
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on subjects that may interest them.
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How did God manage to boil
his terms and conditions
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00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:26,240
down to just ten points when the
iPhone end user license agreement
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is about 100 pages long?
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00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:30,680
Well, it just proves the point
that God is God,
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and so he's a lot more concise
than we are.
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Is it a legally binding contract?
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It is a covenant,
which is a covenant of love
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between God and God's people, so...
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00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:41,400
No, I meant the iPhone one.
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In a bid to stay
in God's good books,
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00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:47,520
devout followers
avoid sinful pleasures
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like lusting after sloths
during their lifetimes.
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00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:57,560
Not everyone thinks
enjoying yourself is bad.
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00:09:57,560 --> 00:10:00,120
Some people dedicate their lives
to hedonism,
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00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,240
the sleaziest -ism there is.
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00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:03,960
Apart from jism.
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00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:09,080
Entire cities have been built
for hedonist pursuits -
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00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:12,600
impressive, opulent cities
like Swansea in Wales,
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00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:14,720
and also this place.
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00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:19,040
This is Las Vegas,
Spanish for The Vegas.
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00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:23,160
With its culture of casinos, strip
clubs and round-the-clock drinking,
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00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:26,320
it's a mecca for people
who aren't going to Mecca.
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00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:30,440
Vegas is a shimmering visual
metaphor for human indulgence,
201
00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:32,160
according to our director,
202
00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:34,840
and too far away and expensive
for us to film in,
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00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:37,720
according to our producer,
who lost the argument.
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00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:44,880
Given its reputation, Las Vegas
is also known as Sin City,
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00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,480
which is short for Cincinnati,
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00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:50,760
or would be if that wasn't
a different place altogether.
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00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,560
Many of the tourists who flock here
each year hope
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00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:56,880
that what happens in Vegas
stays in Vegas.
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00:10:56,880 --> 00:11:01,040
Maybe that's true, but on the other
hand, God sees everything,
210
00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:04,480
even that thing my ex, Sean,
used to do with his thumb.
211
00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:08,840
Worse still, God doesn't just know
about the sinful things you've done,
212
00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:10,960
he also knows
about the sinful things
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00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,680
you're merely thinking of doing.
214
00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:15,760
God knows everything we're thinking.
215
00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,120
That's a data privacy nightmare,
isn't it?
216
00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,000
Is there a way to opt out?
217
00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:22,440
Not that I'm aware of.
218
00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:26,960
Could you put God off the scent
by only thinking decoy thoughts?
219
00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:30,520
Like only thinking the opposite of
what you actually think?
220
00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:31,720
Would that work?
221
00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:35,800
I don't think so. No.
222
00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:38,000
Because you're not just dealing
with a God who is omniscient,
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00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:40,200
knows everything, you're also
dealing with a God
224
00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:42,520
who is omnipotent, is all powerful.
225
00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:44,640
I'll be honest.
This relationship with God
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00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:46,520
throws up a lot of red flags.
227
00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:48,840
He's watching us all the time.
228
00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:50,360
He sets rules.
229
00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:52,800
He's got a terrible temper.
230
00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:54,360
He even thinks he's God.
231
00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:57,040
Isn't he basically
just a toxic narcissist?
232
00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:00,760
If you follow God's rules
religiously,
233
00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:03,920
you'll ascend to the Kingdom
of Heaven, which sounds great.
234
00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:06,160
Although if you're old when you die,
235
00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:09,080
you might not want to be
going up a lot of stairs.
236
00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:13,160
In Heaven, nobody has to work
any more.
237
00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:15,760
The most that will be asked
of you is doing the washing-up.
238
00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:18,880
But since all earthly appetites
will have been sated,
239
00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,000
we can only be talking about
the odd mug.
240
00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,320
The alternative to Heaven is Hell,
241
00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:27,440
a fiery pit of damnation
and eternal torment,
242
00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:30,360
which currently only
has two stars on TripAdvisor.
243
00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:33,120
This is quite a spiritual show.
244
00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:36,040
Can I ask about our souls?
245
00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:40,480
Do we get judged for the cleanliness
of our souls when we get to heaven?
246
00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:44,080
I think we get judged by
how we've acted in the world.
247
00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:47,760
When we look into our souls,
what do we find there?
248
00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:52,520
Well, it depends how far
we're prepared to look into it.
249
00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:53,920
How far you look up?
250
00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:55,080
Yeah.
251
00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:59,840
God's unforgiving nature means
his believers try to stay
252
00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:05,040
in his good books through a form of
organised grovelling called worship.
253
00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:12,880
King of Heaven
254
00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:46,640
Many find praising God in this way
gives them a purpose in life -
255
00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:48,400
sucking up to the boss.
256
00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:51,720
If God's up there
looking down on us,
257
00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,040
why do we kneel when we pray?
258
00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:57,400
Kneeling is the expression
259
00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:00,640
of a sense of awe and holiness.
260
00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:03,520
Yeah, but what's the point
in kneeling, though, all bent over?
261
00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:05,600
You know, it's terrible acoustics.
262
00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:07,440
Wouldn't it be better
to stand up
263
00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:09,680
and shout a list of demands
up to the sky?
264
00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:12,200
God is not in the sky literally.
265
00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:13,240
Right.
266
00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:15,200
So where is he?
Has he got an address?
267
00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:19,160
God is present
268
00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:23,480
in all places and all times.
269
00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:25,440
What, even, like, in cupboards?
270
00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:29,920
Well, you've raised a very important
question here,
271
00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:37,840
because one way of thinking
about the Divine presence
272
00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:40,760
is in terms of his knowledge.
273
00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:45,440
So maybe God is not located
in the cupboard,
274
00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:50,600
but he knows about the state
of affairs in the cupboard.
275
00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:53,520
Uh, sorry,
is he in a cupboard or not?
276
00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:57,440
Not everyone believes God is solely
responsible for giving us life.
277
00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,000
Other origin stories are available.
278
00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:03,200
The man slowly moving toward you
279
00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:06,120
is unshaven Victorian genius
Charles Darwin.
280
00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:09,320
One day, Darwin rode a beagle
to the Galapagos Islands,
281
00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:13,560
where an exotic tortoise gave him
an idea in the form of a theory,
282
00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:17,800
a theory that human bodies hadn't
always been human bodies.
283
00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:22,360
Why do we say our ancestors
came in apes?
284
00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:25,480
Our ancestors came...?
285
00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:26,720
In apes.
286
00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:27,920
Ah.
287
00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:29,520
They didn't come from apes.
288
00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:33,440
Apes and ourselves came
from something else.
289
00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:34,680
A chimp.
290
00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:37,520
Sort of... You know,
it's not exactly like a chimp
291
00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:40,280
or a modern ape or ourselves.
Right.
292
00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:41,840
So we didn't come in a chimp?
293
00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:43,640
No.
294
00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,640
It's hard to believe we all
mutated from monkey meat,
295
00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:49,200
unless you consider all life
is basically the same
296
00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:50,840
at a microscopic level.
297
00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:53,880
Lots of things are alive,
from tiny microbes
298
00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:56,000
to bigger microbes.
299
00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:59,840
Every life form is made of cells,
like a prison,
300
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:02,920
which is probably why existence
is so depressing.
301
00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:04,920
It's a life sentence.
302
00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:08,000
Just like the sentences I say in
this programme about life.
303
00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:11,680
Are cells worth having?
304
00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:14,040
Well, without cells we wouldn't be.
305
00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:16,280
We're made up of trillions of cells.
306
00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:20,560
We all came from a single cell,
so they're really important to us.
307
00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,320
Are my cells dividing
and multiplying all the time?
308
00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:26,320
Like, even when I'm sitting
here now?
309
00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:28,360
Since you've been sat there,
they've probably...
310
00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:31,640
You've had about a million cell
divisions going on in your body.
311
00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:34,280
Ugh, no wonder I feel
so worn out all the time.
312
00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:37,800
Cells couldn't multiply
without this -
313
00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:41,920
the Ikea instruction manual
for life, DNA.
314
00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:45,520
DNA is tiny, yet complex,
like Tom cruise.
315
00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:49,400
It would take a typist over 50 years
to type out the DNA sequence,
316
00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:50,760
which would be stupid
317
00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:53,440
because she could just
cut and paste it and go home.
318
00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:55,960
I call her "she" because of
unconscious bias,
319
00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,680
which is in my DNA and not my fault.
320
00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:00,840
Have you heard of DNA?
321
00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:03,480
Yes.
322
00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:05,200
Do we all have D and A,
323
00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:08,360
or do some of us have D or A,
but not both?
324
00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:14,600
No, it's not D and A,
it's three letters - DNA.
325
00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:18,160
Can you tell by looking at me
whether I have DNA?
326
00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:21,640
Well, I know you have DNA
because you're a living organism
327
00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:23,360
and all life has DNA.
328
00:17:23,360 --> 00:17:26,200
My mate Paul tried to create
a new life form
329
00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:29,080
by inserting his DNA
into a grapefruit.
330
00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:33,560
But halfway through the experiment,
the greengrocer started hitting him.
331
00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:36,120
Why is science so controversial?
332
00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:41,560
I'm sorry that...that question
didn't follow
333
00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:43,720
from your story of the DNA...
334
00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:46,120
No. It changed, yeah.
335
00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:49,480
One of life's biggest mysteries
is how it's possible for me to look
336
00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:52,280
both like my mother...
337
00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:55,960
..and my father at the same time,
338
00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:58,880
even though I've only got one face.
339
00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:02,080
Is it true the most important thing
we can do as humans
340
00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:04,400
is piss in our jeans?
341
00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:06,160
Pass on our genes.
342
00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:07,560
Pa...? Sorry?
343
00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:09,520
Sorry, it's "pass on our genes."
344
00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:11,560
Oh, right. Um...
345
00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:16,480
Is it true the most important thing
we can do as a human is...
346
00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:18,120
..pass...
347
00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:20,000
..pass on our genes?
348
00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,440
Well, I don't know if
it's the most important thing,
349
00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:26,080
but it is very important,
because what it means is
350
00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:30,680
that you pass on your genes
from you to your child.
351
00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,040
What if I don't want to pass on
any of mine?
352
00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:35,200
Then, um... Then you don't have to.
353
00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:36,880
Right. How can I avoid it?
354
00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:38,680
Well, um...
355
00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:40,040
You have to make love.
356
00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:43,560
What, to avoid passing on my genes?!
357
00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:48,480
All living things reproduce,
358
00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:51,040
which means all
living things procreate -
359
00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:52,720
dogs, lions,
360
00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:54,280
pigs, penguins,
361
00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:56,120
monkeys, shell monsters,
362
00:18:56,120 --> 00:18:57,760
elephants, horses,
363
00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:00,280
David and Victoria Beckham,
and pigs again.
364
00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:02,080
The female reproductive organs
365
00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:04,840
are largely hidden indoors
for safekeeping
366
00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:08,000
and are normally only visible
behind some kind of paywall.
367
00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:11,840
By contrast, the male genitals,
or "Mr Genitals",
368
00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:13,640
live on the outside of the body,
369
00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:15,640
where they can be
easily photographed
370
00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:18,680
and DMed to a potential mate
without consent.
371
00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:21,040
So which bit's the penis?
372
00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:22,800
So the penis is over here.
373
00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:24,400
It's this bit here. Right.
374
00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:27,520
I'll talk quietly.
I don't want to wake it.
375
00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:29,000
This is a flaccid penis.
376
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:32,280
So for sexual intercourse,
it has to become erect.
377
00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:35,760
So what happens, then?
What bit goes where?
378
00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:38,640
So this penis needs to become erect.
Yeah.
379
00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:42,400
And then it will be put into
the vagina here during intercourse.
380
00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:46,120
And he's going to ejaculate
sperm through his penis
381
00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:47,880
and then into the woman's vagina.
382
00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:50,000
Pfft. Christ.
383
00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,920
I hope nothing like that
ever happens to me.
384
00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:56,440
The disappointingly flavoured soup
that vomits from the penis
385
00:19:56,440 --> 00:20:00,120
contains millions of plucky young
tadpoles which swim their way up
386
00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:02,840
through the female pipework
towards an egg
387
00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:07,400
and then kamikaze into it like
a tiny 9/11 happening up a lady.
388
00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:11,400
This is where, incredibly,
the miracle of life begins
389
00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:16,240
and the precise moment that
a woman's right to choose ends.
390
00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:19,600
Nine months after conception,
391
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:22,760
the infant painlessly slides
through the lady's front hole
392
00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:24,480
and out into the world.
393
00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:29,560
It then slowly mutates from a baby
into an actual human being.
394
00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,000
But what exactly is a human being?
395
00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:35,800
What percentage of people
have a human body?
396
00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:39,840
All humans have a human body.
397
00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:41,320
What about people holding a cat?
398
00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:44,320
Have they got a human body
and a cat's body?
399
00:20:44,320 --> 00:20:46,240
Or does it not work that way?
400
00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:48,560
No, the two are completely separate.
401
00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:52,320
The human is a human
and the cat is a cat.
402
00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:56,680
Human biology has existed almost
as long as humans themselves,
403
00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:58,240
if not longer.
404
00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:00,680
It involves a complex arrangement
of skin
405
00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:03,600
and meat machines called organs.
406
00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:05,480
Put these organs in a plastic bag
407
00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:08,760
and walk around a shoe shop
with them and you'd be arrested.
408
00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:12,000
But put them in the right order
and you've got a human body,
409
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,200
an exquisitely constructed machine
410
00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:16,760
that also farts and eats crisps.
411
00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:21,960
Our organs are so gory some people
can't bear to see images like this.
412
00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:25,320
If you're one of those sensitive
viewers, look away five seconds ago.
413
00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:31,200
Is the correct term for all this
offal or gore?
414
00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:33,000
All this stuff? That is...
415
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,040
This is called the intestine.
416
00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:38,760
If you pulled an intestine out,
how long would it be?
417
00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:40,800
It would be many metres.
418
00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:43,000
OK, but why are you
pulling it out?
419
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:46,440
We wouldn't normally pull it out
unless there was a disease process.
420
00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:48,840
Right. So you don't know
why it's happening?
421
00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:50,040
No.
422
00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:52,960
All these slimy innards need
a surrounding structure to stop them
423
00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:55,680
slopping onto the floor
for passers-by to slip on.
424
00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:59,320
We wouldn't be upstanding
citizens if it wasn't for this -
425
00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:02,000
the human skeleton,
of ghost train fame.
426
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:03,440
It's incredible to think
427
00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:06,200
that there's one of these inside
some of us.
428
00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:10,880
Did you know only 40% of people
have skeletons?
429
00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:14,280
Where did you get this figure from?
430
00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:16,320
It's true.
I saw a video about it.
431
00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:19,560
You only find out if you've got
a skeleton after you die.
432
00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:21,880
Some people are just solid meat.
This is...
433
00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:23,920
You know Burt Lancaster,
the actor?
434
00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:27,120
He was solid meat, apparently,
like a sausage.
435
00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:30,440
Every human being has a skeleton.
436
00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:33,000
That figure is 100%.
437
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:34,880
Did you know knees are a con?
438
00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:36,200
Why do you say that?
439
00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:38,640
Apparently, if you walk everywhere
without bending your legs,
440
00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:41,040
you can prolong your life
by about eight years.
441
00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:43,200
I went running this morning.
442
00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,240
How would I run
without bending my knees?
443
00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:48,120
I'm not saying you didn't
bend your knees. Yes.
444
00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:51,400
I'm just saying that
if you didn't bend your knees,
445
00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,040
you could prolong your life
by eight years.
446
00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:57,760
Although it does make stairs
a problem, I'll grant you that.
447
00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:01,080
The most important bit of
the human body is up here
448
00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:04,400
in the driver's compartment,
or skull.
449
00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,360
Imprisoned within every skull
is a creature we've enslaved
450
00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:09,000
to do our thinking for us -
451
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,040
a sort of smart cauliflower
known as the brain.
452
00:23:13,120 --> 00:23:15,920
So this is a brain. This is a brain.
453
00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:19,280
How many of these are in
an average head?
454
00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:20,920
We have one each.
455
00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:23,920
Just the one?
Just the one brain.
456
00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:27,520
The brain doesn't just tackle
complex tasks like blinking
457
00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:31,040
or making porridge,
it also handles trivial things
458
00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:33,840
like our entire human consciousness,
459
00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:36,880
the origins of which
are a complete mystery.
460
00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:41,520
Does the brain generate
the consciousness,
461
00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:45,280
or does the consciousness operate
the brain?
462
00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:47,600
You'll find lots of disagreement
about this... Oh, I'm sorry,
463
00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:51,320
and I'm supposed to remind you to
keep your answer... What was it?
464
00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:53,800
"Coherent for our
fuckwitted viewers."
465
00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:55,680
It is a complicated question.
466
00:23:55,680 --> 00:24:00,160
My view is that the brain
generates consciousness,
467
00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:02,840
but consciousness gives us
the ability to do things
468
00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:05,800
that we wouldn't be able to do
if we weren't conscious.
469
00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:07,200
Thank you.
470
00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:11,680
And, apparently, I...I wasn't
supposed to read that card aloud,
471
00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,520
so...apologies to you at home.
472
00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:19,600
All of this leads to a fundamental
human question,
473
00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:21,160
who am I?
474
00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,760
Not me, obviously. I'm on the telly
so people know who I am.
475
00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:26,120
But who are you?
476
00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:27,880
What are you doing here?
477
00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:30,400
And is any of this really happening?
478
00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:35,360
When we have a thought -
like, if I picture a windmill,
479
00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:38,200
how real is that windmill?
480
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:40,360
It's not real.
It's not real?
481
00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:42,160
It's in your... It's in your mind.
482
00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:45,320
Why did I picture a windmill,
though? Is it a clue?
483
00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:46,800
A clue to...?
484
00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:48,200
Something. I don't know.
485
00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:50,080
It depends what you were
thinking about.
486
00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:52,200
What's inside the windmill?
487
00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:55,240
Um, it depends what you were
thinking about.
488
00:24:56,400 --> 00:25:00,240
What if someone lives inside
the windmill
489
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:04,160
and I'm not imagining them,
they're imagining me?
490
00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:09,080
This is a very unusual way to think
about how imagination works.
491
00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:13,640
Imagination is a side-effect
of having a mind,
492
00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:15,800
and some believe it can be enhanced
493
00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:19,400
with the use of
mind-expanding drugs.
494
00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:22,560
When hippies took
mind-expanding drugs,
495
00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:24,960
how much wider did their minds get?
496
00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:27,480
Did their skulls ever pop open?
497
00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:28,920
Their skulls didn't pop open,
498
00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:33,520
but it meant that they were more
open to ideas and philosophies
499
00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:36,560
and concepts they might not have
previously considered.
500
00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:41,400
You know when people talk
about opening their third eye?
501
00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:45,880
That's what my mate Paul calls
the hole in the end of his penis.
502
00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:48,560
Why would anyone want to widen that?
503
00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:52,920
The use of psychopathic drugs in
the 1960s also led popular figures
504
00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:56,600
to contemplate more spiritual
aspects to human existence.
505
00:25:56,600 --> 00:26:00,360
When the Beatles dropped acid
and went to India,
506
00:26:00,360 --> 00:26:04,680
did they actually go
or was that part of the trip?
507
00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:08,400
No, they did actually go to India,
and they visited an ashram
508
00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:10,440
and they visited gurus while they
were out there.
509
00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:12,400
It changed the stuff they said,
didn't it?
510
00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:15,040
They said, "All you need is love."
511
00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:18,880
And then George Harrison said,
"All things must pass."
512
00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:21,600
Those were spiritual messages,
weren't they?
513
00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:26,480
So when Paul said he was simply
having a wonderful Christmas-time,
514
00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:29,080
was there a deeper meaning there?
515
00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:31,760
I don't know if there was a deeper
message there, and that was a bit
516
00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:34,760
later that Paul was having
a wonderful Christmas-time.
517
00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:38,200
Yeah. My ex, Sean, sang that to me
in bed once
518
00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:40,280
during an intimate moment.
519
00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:43,800
Honestly, I went as dry
as a cat's tongue.
520
00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:48,240
Rock stars also popularised
meditation as a way to clear
521
00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:50,640
the stresses of modern life
from the mind.
522
00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:53,120
Do you have to sit down to meditate,
523
00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:55,680
or could I do it at the same time
as something else,
524
00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:59,800
like driving or
operating heavy machinery?
525
00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:01,240
Some people do...
526
00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:04,080
So Buddhists, for example,
do walking meditation
527
00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:05,560
so you don't have to sit down.
528
00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:09,000
Does meditation help
our souls relax?
529
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:10,360
Yes.
530
00:27:10,360 --> 00:27:12,360
Meditation does help
our souls relax.
531
00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:14,200
Yes. Yeah.
532
00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,480
Let's take a moment
to realign ourselves
533
00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:19,000
with our present reality together.
534
00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:21,280
We're going to do
a guided meditation now,
535
00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,120
so feel free to join in at home.
536
00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:26,120
Close your eyes.
537
00:27:26,120 --> 00:27:28,760
Slow your breathing.
538
00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:30,400
Now breathe in.
539
00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:32,440
INHALES SHARPLY
540
00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:34,480
CHIMES TINKLE
541
00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:42,360
Sorry, breathe out.
542
00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:44,400
EXHALES SHARPLY
543
00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:49,560
Become aware of the rise
and fall of your belly.
544
00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:52,840
Feel the fabric of your clothes
on your skin.
545
00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:55,240
Why is it that particular material?
546
00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:58,840
Was it sewn together
by a child in a sweatshop?
547
00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:02,160
Probably best not to think
about that, actually.
548
00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:03,560
Listen to my voice.
549
00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:06,960
Why have they put a sort
of echo effect on it?
550
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:09,200
I think it's so that when they show
this footage of me,
551
00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:12,160
it sounds like these are my thoughts
echoing in my mind.
552
00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:14,160
But we filmed that weeks ago.
553
00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:16,400
Hang on. Where am I now?
554
00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:19,000
Hang on, that's... That's me
waking up and standing.
555
00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:20,560
That's not meant to happen.
556
00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:23,080
Help! I'm still here!
557
00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:24,920
Oh, God, I've got separated from my
own body!
558
00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:26,440
They said this might happen. Help!
559
00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:27,920
GUN COCKS
Help!
560
00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:29,560
GUNSHOT
THUD
561
00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:31,600
OFF AIR TONE
562
00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:36,480
Well, our apologies
for that.
563
00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:39,720
We had a duplicate consciousness
stuck on the voiceover track,
564
00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:44,640
so we've had it shot and can shortly
rejoin Cunk On Life.
565
00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:48,560
Who's that walking through
an awesome landscape,
566
00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:49,920
recording a piece to camera?
567
00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:51,520
It's your very own Philomena Cunk!
568
00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:53,360
Featuring a vaguely realistic face,
569
00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:55,920
similar clothing, and a total
lack of mannerisms.
570
00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:58,560
But that's not all! Philomena also
sprouts facial hair,
571
00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:01,160
witnesses the Crucifixion
and lays eggs!
572
00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:04,160
Pop off her head, tip her over
and, whoops-a-daisy, real blood!
573
00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:06,120
And the fun doesn't end
with mopping that up.
574
00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:09,080
Philomena pilots her very own
spacecraft, the USS Triceratops,
575
00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:10,720
with her intergalactic friends,
576
00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:14,160
Captain Shitpeas, Mrs Benson
and Barnaby 9.
577
00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:15,600
Together, they tour the galaxy,
578
00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:17,360
repairing black holes
and mutilating cattle.
579
00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:19,480
Philomena Cunk and Pals,
available from all good retailers.
580
00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:22,000
May contain pine nuts. Side-effects
include spontaneous combustion
581
00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:24,240
and melancholy. Terms and conditions
available on our website.
582
00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:27,920
Do not feed after midnight. Remember
to hydrate forever and ever. Amen.
583
00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:32,400
Coming up on Cunk On Life...
584
00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:35,640
Meet a man facing oblivion
on death row.
585
00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:38,440
I ask a philosopher to probe
our souls.
586
00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:42,360
Do philosophers spend a lot of time
thinking about our souls?
587
00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:47,680
And I visit the Large Hadron
Collider for some astro chat
588
00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:49,840
with Professor Brian Cox.
589
00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:51,920
What's a black hole?
590
00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:53,120
A black hole...
591
00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:55,560
Sorry. A hole of colour.
592
00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:58,360
But first,
let's take a sideways look
593
00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:01,520
at the suffocating inevitability
of death.
594
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:07,440
Death is the great leveller.
595
00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:10,160
In life you might have been
a billionaire, supermodel,
596
00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:12,840
president and king,
but the moment you die,
597
00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:15,400
you start rotting like
a sausage in a lay-by.
598
00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,320
The big unknown is how you'll die.
599
00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:23,240
You might die falling off a ladder
or a cliff,
600
00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:25,360
or into a lake full of knives.
601
00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:27,280
You could be hit by a car or a bus,
602
00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:29,520
or a tractor if you're rustic.
603
00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:32,680
Maybe you're already dead and
watching this from beyond the grave,
604
00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:36,320
which would be a shame because you
won't count towards the ratings.
605
00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:40,520
Statistically, which is more common,
athlete's foot or death?
606
00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:43,720
Death is infinitely more common.
607
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:46,320
In fact, it is guaranteed
for all of us.
608
00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:48,160
How soon after death is it safe
609
00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:51,440
to resume your regular
day-to-day activities?
610
00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:56,040
You can't resume your day-to-day
activities once you're dead.
611
00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:57,360
How would you?
612
00:30:57,360 --> 00:31:00,160
So you can't do anything?
You can't even listen to a podcast?
613
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:02,160
You can't listen to anything.
614
00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:05,480
If you played a podcast to a corpse,
615
00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:08,280
would really none of it go in?
616
00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:10,760
Absolutely nothing would go in.
617
00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:14,240
One downside of our big brains
is we're the only creatures
618
00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:16,280
who are aware that death
is inevitable.
619
00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:19,920
Although if you lined ten dogs
in a row and shot them one by one,
620
00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:24,160
the dog on the end would probably
get the gist by about dog four.
621
00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:27,800
Of course, it's easy to forget
about death until it happens to you,
622
00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:30,120
at which point your brain
gets wiped anyway.
623
00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:32,520
It wasn't like that
in medieval times.
624
00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:34,400
Back then, thanks to plagues, wars,
625
00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:36,320
and a general undercurrent
of violence,
626
00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:38,600
people were casually
familiar with death.
627
00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:42,000
In fact, they got FOMO
when they didn't die.
628
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:45,560
And this matey relationship
with their own mortality
629
00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:47,920
was reflected up their art.
630
00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,720
This is Bruegel's Triumph of Death,
631
00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:56,840
which depicts an army of the undead
violently laying waste to humankind
632
00:31:56,840 --> 00:32:00,000
in scenes unlikely to be adapted
into a Pixar movie.
633
00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:04,040
It's terrifying to think
that this actually happened.
634
00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:06,520
We're lucky Bruegel managed
to capture this image
635
00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:09,080
before he, too, was captured
by the skeletons.
636
00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:12,000
In fact, I'm surprised he could
paint at all.
637
00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,160
My hands would have been shaking
so much
638
00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:16,640
I'd have had my own eye out
with the brush.
639
00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:20,920
What the fuck is this?
640
00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:25,480
Well, it's a scene of imagination.
641
00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:32,040
But it's not a scene that Bruegel
would have actually witnessed.
642
00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:34,600
I mean, but it could happen,
couldn't it?
643
00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:38,680
PROFESSOR SIGHS
No, it couldn't happen.
644
00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:41,200
Misinformation is getting
so sophisticated.
645
00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:42,640
It's terrifying.
646
00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:47,280
For years, morbid art
like this depicted an ominous figure
647
00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:50,520
dispatching human souls
with a scythe.
648
00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:53,040
That's this man, the Grim Reaper.
649
00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:54,600
Don't worry, I haven't gone mad.
650
00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:56,760
It only looks like there's
no-one there.
651
00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:59,640
In fact, you won't be able to see
the Grim Reaper at home
652
00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:02,760
unless you're going to die
within the next 24 hours.
653
00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:06,880
What happens after death
is the subject of huge debate.
654
00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:10,120
Some think that after you die,
you evolve into a ghost -
655
00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:13,680
a sort of low-tech hologram
made of haunted smoke.
656
00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:15,920
Scientists say ghosts don't exist,
657
00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:18,840
even though they've been caught
on camera loads of times,
658
00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:21,720
like in Poltergeist
and Poltergeist II
659
00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:23,720
and the remake of Poltergeist.
660
00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:26,640
In fact, ghosts have been caught
on camera more often
661
00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:29,520
than scientists have.
So who's real now?
662
00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:34,680
Shall we move on to more
hardcore scientific stuff?
663
00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:37,960
OK, so ghosts.
664
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:40,200
When a human body dies,
665
00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:44,720
which hole does the ghost come out
of, north or south?
666
00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:52,120
I don't regard ghosts as a hard
scientific subject, I'm afraid.
667
00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:55,320
Let me tell you something.
Don't dismiss it.
668
00:33:55,320 --> 00:34:00,720
In 2021, my aunt Carol got engaged
to a man called Bob Collins.
669
00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:06,320
But one day, he just vanished
and cleared out her bank account.
670
00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:09,360
And when she looked up the name
Bob Collins,
671
00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:12,800
she discovered he'd died in 1958.
672
00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:15,440
He'd been a ghost all along.
673
00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:18,280
Could he not just have been someone
impersonating Bob Collins?
674
00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:21,840
No, no. There were photos
of Bob Collins in 1958
675
00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:24,120
and he looked totally different,
676
00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:29,080
which proves he'd disguised himself
so she wouldn't know he was a ghost.
677
00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:31,480
You can't explain it, can you?
It's terrifying.
678
00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:33,880
Isn't the easier answer
that he doesn't look like him
679
00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:36,240
because it's a different
person altogether?
680
00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:39,920
No, it...
681
00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:45,160
It's a ghost.
682
00:34:45,160 --> 00:34:49,000
Death, tragedy and suffering
have always been part of human life.
683
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:51,120
Struggling with lives of
ceaseless misery,
684
00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:54,320
people began to wonder whether
any kind of god exists at all.
685
00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:57,720
But for centuries,
686
00:34:57,720 --> 00:34:59,960
no-one dared voice that suspicion
687
00:34:59,960 --> 00:35:03,080
in case God did exist
and smited them shitless.
688
00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:06,840
But that was about to change.
689
00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:11,960
It's 1883, and German philosopher
Friedrich Nietzsche is hard at work
690
00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:15,160
in his study, putting his thoughts
on paper.
691
00:35:16,720 --> 00:35:18,960
Don't worry, he can't hear me.
692
00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:21,000
He's about to write one
of the most controvers...
693
00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,040
PHONE RINGS
694
00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:26,520
SILENCES PHONE
695
00:35:28,720 --> 00:35:30,200
He's about to write
696
00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:33,160
one of the most controversial
catchphrases in history,
697
00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:36,280
three little words
by the name of
698
00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:38,440
God is dead.
699
00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:40,920
Nietzsche said, "God is dead,"
didn't he?
700
00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:43,040
And now he's dead himself.
701
00:35:43,040 --> 00:35:44,400
Who's next?
702
00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:47,560
Did he name the killer
before he died?
703
00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:49,800
Nietzsche? No.
704
00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:51,880
I think he thought that...
705
00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:57,960
..people should realise
that they had constructed a god
706
00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:00,840
that actually wasn't doing them
as much good as they thought,
707
00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:04,840
and people need to realise not,
perhaps, that he was dead,
708
00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:06,960
but that he hadn't existed.
709
00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:08,800
So he's saying that we killed him?
710
00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:11,680
In effect.
711
00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:13,360
But I wasn't even born.
712
00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:14,720
No. Yeah.
713
00:36:14,720 --> 00:36:17,160
Nietzsche can fuck off.
714
00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:18,560
Mm.
715
00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:22,120
Can we be sure
God didn't kill himself?
716
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:24,680
You know, cos you never know
what people are going through.
717
00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:28,120
It's possible.
718
00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:31,840
Nietzsche's proclamation
that God was dead
719
00:36:31,840 --> 00:36:34,400
caused an intellectual firestorm,
720
00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:38,120
as writers and thinkers debated
the decline of religious authority
721
00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:40,800
in an increasingly
secularised world -
722
00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:42,840
107 years before the release
723
00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:46,560
of unrelated Belgian techno anthem
Pump Up The Jam.
724
00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:49,280
Pump Up The Jam
by Technotronic
725
00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:13,800
on the dance floor
726
00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:15,920
the party's at
727
00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:50,840
But if Nietzsche was right
and God is dead,
728
00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:54,200
it means we've got no higher
entities judging our lifestyles,
729
00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,520
except the people
from the flat upstairs.
730
00:37:56,520 --> 00:37:59,080
It could create a terrifying
moral vacuum
731
00:37:59,080 --> 00:38:02,040
in which people feel free
to behave atrociously,
732
00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:05,680
like they did in the entertainment
industry of the 1970s...
733
00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:07,840
..and the '80s...and the '90s...
734
00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:10,880
..the 2000s, the 2010s, and today.
735
00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:13,200
Luckily, moral guidance was on hand,
736
00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:15,440
thanks to the world of literature.
737
00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:21,080
There were a lot of influential
Russian writers
738
00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:25,320
in the 19th century -
Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky,
739
00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:28,120
Turgenev, Turnover and Pushkin.
740
00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:30,720
Who was best?
741
00:38:30,720 --> 00:38:32,120
I like Pushkin.
742
00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:33,240
Yeah? Yes.
743
00:38:33,240 --> 00:38:34,920
What about Turnover?
744
00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:37,840
Turnover is...
745
00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:39,600
What did he write?
746
00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:42,800
Oh, I don't know.
It's in my notes.
747
00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:44,280
Um...
748
00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:48,760
Um, "The main influential Russian
writers were Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky,
749
00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:51,560
"Turgenev - turn over -
750
00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:53,000
and Pushkin."
751
00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:55,440
I think... It's all right if you've
not heard of him, it's fine. No.
752
00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:57,680
You shouldn't be embarrassed.
I hadn't heard of him either.
753
00:38:57,680 --> 00:38:59,760
Yeah. No, no.
754
00:38:59,760 --> 00:39:03,120
This is one of the literary
world's greatest moral thinkers -
755
00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:05,840
Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky,
756
00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:08,760
seen here enjoying himself
at a party.
757
00:39:08,760 --> 00:39:11,320
He wrote many books still not read
to this day,
758
00:39:11,320 --> 00:39:13,200
but his most celebrated work,
759
00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:16,280
his absolute Tour de France,
his unopened masterpiece
760
00:39:16,280 --> 00:39:18,280
Crimean d'Punishment.
761
00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:22,040
Crime And Punishment grapples
with individual freedom,
762
00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:25,400
the role of authority,
and the complexities of morality.
763
00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:27,280
What would you give it out of ten?
764
00:39:28,600 --> 00:39:30,080
I'd give it nine, I think.
765
00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:31,640
Nine? Yeah.
766
00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:34,080
Nine.
767
00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:38,640
Punishment hasn't changed much
since Dostoyevsky's day,
768
00:39:38,640 --> 00:39:41,800
although incredibly, in some
countries, if an offender's crime
769
00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:46,640
was really bad, the authorities will
actually cut their sentence short...
770
00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:48,280
..by killing them.
771
00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:52,080
Capital punishment forces us to ask
questions like - Does it hurt?
772
00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:56,240
Are tickets available? And -
What's the view like from seat 6A?
773
00:39:56,240 --> 00:40:00,000
And also other more profound
moral questions.
774
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,840
Why do we say people are facing
the electric chair
775
00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:05,000
when they've got their backs to it?
776
00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:06,840
Well, I think you're taking it
too literally there.
777
00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:09,480
What we mean by facing
the electric chair is...
778
00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:11,480
..is facing an inevitable death.
779
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:15,760
This is Waylon Jackalope IV.
780
00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:19,080
In 2019, he skinned six people alive
781
00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:22,160
and was rewarded with
his own Netflix documentary
782
00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:24,800
and a guest spot on death row.
783
00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:27,920
And I'm delighted to say
he's joining us right now.
784
00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:31,120
So, Waylon, you murdered six people.
785
00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:33,560
Where do you get your ideas from?
786
00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:35,960
It's kind of tough for me
to dwell on.
787
00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:41,000
All I can say is, um, the Waylon
Jackalope that killed those folks
788
00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:44,640
was a...was a different man
to the one you see today.
789
00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:48,040
What, so it wasn't you?
You're innocent?
790
00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:51,280
Well, no, ma'am, I killed them.
791
00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:53,160
Oh, thank God for that.
792
00:40:53,160 --> 00:40:58,160
So, um, have you been on death row
before or is this your first time?
793
00:40:58,160 --> 00:40:59,600
First time.
794
00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:01,400
You're facing the electric chair.
795
00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:03,760
Aren't you worried
about what's going to happen?
796
00:41:03,760 --> 00:41:08,000
I've made my peace with the Lord
and I'm ready to meet him.
797
00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:11,480
Yeah, but aren't you scared
it'll hurt? It's millions of volts.
798
00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:15,400
My mate Paul says your liver fries
and your kidneys pop
799
00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:17,920
and your bowels go into reverse flow
800
00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:21,280
and shoot boiling shit up into
your throat, which chokes you.
801
00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:23,400
Apparently, it'd be
genuinely more humane
802
00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:25,480
to just pay some of the other
inmates to hold you down
803
00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:26,880
and physically pull your head off.
804
00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:34,360
Anyway, um, best of luck.
805
00:41:36,280 --> 00:41:39,360
Actually, before you go, could you
just do a quick promo thing
806
00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:41,960
for us into that phone?
807
00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:45,600
Could you say,
"Watch me die on Cunk On Life"?
808
00:41:45,600 --> 00:41:47,440
It's for TikTok. It's only short.
809
00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:52,480
Watch me die on Cunk For Life.
810
00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:54,640
ON Life. On Life.
811
00:41:55,920 --> 00:41:59,720
Watch me die on Cunk On Life.
812
00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:04,640
There you go. Wasn't hard, was it?
813
00:42:04,640 --> 00:42:08,920
Why does the electric chair
only do one person at a time?
814
00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:13,480
Could you have an electric bench
that does about seven in one go?
815
00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:16,080
You probably could.
You definitely shouldn't.
816
00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:19,000
It would be quicker, though,
and you can do them in batches.
817
00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:21,560
It would be quicker, but we'd have
to accept that the death penalty
818
00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:25,720
was a sensible and useful thing to
do, and I don't accept that, so...
819
00:42:25,720 --> 00:42:28,920
Electrocuting people
isn't very ecofriendly, is it?
820
00:42:28,920 --> 00:42:31,960
Could we steam them
to death instead?
821
00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:37,840
Um, I'm sure there are other ways
of administering the death penalty
822
00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:40,440
that might be more ecofriendly.
823
00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:42,840
I think the preference
would be to not do it at all.
824
00:42:42,840 --> 00:42:45,360
In a just and moral society,
825
00:42:45,360 --> 00:42:48,200
is it better to kill
one innocent person
826
00:42:48,200 --> 00:42:51,080
than to save one innocent person?
827
00:42:51,080 --> 00:42:53,280
It's never going to be better
to kill an innocent person,
828
00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:55,360
I don't think.
829
00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:58,920
Contemplating weighty, big-bummed
life and death dilemmas
830
00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:03,960
in a godless universe opens the door
to nihilism and existentialism,
831
00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:07,280
two of the hardest to spell
concepts in philosophy.
832
00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:11,920
So nihilism is the view
that nothing,
833
00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:15,280
absolutely nothing matters.
834
00:43:15,280 --> 00:43:19,320
Why don't people mention they're
nihilists on their dating profiles?
835
00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:21,440
Like, I went on a date with a bloke,
836
00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:24,280
and 20 minutes in he said he was
a nihilist
837
00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:27,280
and that because human existence
is futile,
838
00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:29,440
there was no point
continuing with the date.
839
00:43:29,440 --> 00:43:31,960
Then he left and I had to pay.
840
00:43:31,960 --> 00:43:35,000
Was he a nihilist or just a prick?
841
00:43:35,000 --> 00:43:36,720
Probably both.
842
00:43:36,720 --> 00:43:38,600
Yeah, as I suspected.
843
00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:43,880
Nihilism is the belief that life
is meaningless
844
00:43:43,880 --> 00:43:47,320
and nothing is worth believing in
except more nihilism.
845
00:43:47,320 --> 00:43:51,760
Existentialism is the same as that,
but using longer words.
846
00:43:51,760 --> 00:43:56,320
Who's the most famous existentialist
in history?
847
00:43:56,320 --> 00:43:59,320
Probably Jean-Paul Sartre.
848
00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:01,880
Right. See, I'd have said it was ET.
849
00:44:03,880 --> 00:44:06,480
This is the first
celebrity existentialist,
850
00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:09,560
Parisian writer Jean-Paul Sartre
and Ringo.
851
00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:12,040
Sartre saw things differently
to everybody else,
852
00:44:12,040 --> 00:44:14,400
partly because of his
questioning mindset,
853
00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:16,720
but mainly because of those eyes.
854
00:44:16,720 --> 00:44:19,280
I mean, seriously, he could
probably see the back
855
00:44:19,280 --> 00:44:22,480
of his own ears with them
or write two books at once.
856
00:44:22,480 --> 00:44:26,360
That's why he was such a prolific
author, writing book upon book
857
00:44:26,360 --> 00:44:30,240
outlining his existentialist
theories, decades before the release
858
00:44:30,240 --> 00:44:34,280
of unrelated Belgian techno anthem
Pump Up The Jam,
859
00:44:34,280 --> 00:44:36,120
which you heard earlier.
860
00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:39,320
Someone told me that cats are a good
example of something
861
00:44:39,320 --> 00:44:42,280
that lives like an existentialist.
862
00:44:42,280 --> 00:44:46,320
A good life for an existentialist,
if there is such a thing,
863
00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:51,000
is a matter of creating
your own goals and values
864
00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:53,120
and sincerely following them.
865
00:44:53,120 --> 00:44:56,440
For example, my cat reacts
to his environment
866
00:44:56,440 --> 00:44:59,760
rather than just being dragged
around by others.
867
00:44:59,760 --> 00:45:03,160
How do you know cats aren't
thinking about their existence?
868
00:45:03,160 --> 00:45:06,880
They might be really anxious
and when they say meow,
869
00:45:06,880 --> 00:45:10,320
they're expressing their own pain,
like, "Me, ow!"
870
00:45:10,320 --> 00:45:12,680
Well, cats have pain.
871
00:45:12,680 --> 00:45:16,240
They don't behave in a way
that seems to suggest
872
00:45:16,240 --> 00:45:18,320
a level of self-consciousness.
873
00:45:18,320 --> 00:45:20,720
Cats lick their own bumholes,
don't they?
874
00:45:20,720 --> 00:45:24,520
Are all existentialists
supple enough to do that?
875
00:45:24,520 --> 00:45:26,000
Uh, no.
876
00:45:27,480 --> 00:45:32,560
Being overwhelmed with existential
angst is part of being human.
877
00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:38,960
Some of the greatest artists
in history have tried to express
878
00:45:38,960 --> 00:45:40,800
the agony of the human condition,
879
00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:44,000
and so have ones who could only
paint as badly as this.
880
00:45:45,080 --> 00:45:48,920
This is Edvard Munch's The Scream,
the first major existentialist
881
00:45:48,920 --> 00:45:51,000
statement to later become an emoji.
882
00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:54,440
What inspired Eddie Munch
to paint this?
883
00:45:54,440 --> 00:45:57,600
It was an experience
he'd had walking with his friends.
884
00:45:57,600 --> 00:45:59,080
But I've been on bridges
885
00:45:59,080 --> 00:46:01,840
and you don't find me
painting about it.
886
00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:04,720
How come we can't hear him?
Is he on mute?
887
00:46:04,720 --> 00:46:07,920
No. It's nature
that is screaming loudly,
888
00:46:07,920 --> 00:46:10,920
and we all could hear
nature screaming loudly.
889
00:46:10,920 --> 00:46:15,040
So is this one of the few examples
of a silent painting?
890
00:46:15,040 --> 00:46:16,400
All paintings are silent.
891
00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:19,400
If Edvard Munch knew
we wouldn't be able to hear it,
892
00:46:19,400 --> 00:46:22,240
why didn't he wait till
this bloke's mouth was closed
893
00:46:22,240 --> 00:46:24,920
before painting him?
It's just annoying.
894
00:46:24,920 --> 00:46:27,800
I've noticed he's not moving either.
Why is that?
895
00:46:27,800 --> 00:46:32,960
Because he's rooted to the spot
by the deep emotion he finds.
896
00:46:32,960 --> 00:46:35,920
So it's a freeze-frame
of a painting.
897
00:46:35,920 --> 00:46:40,280
It's a freeze-frame of a mood.
898
00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:43,720
Drew Barrymore dies at the start
of this painting, doesn't she?
899
00:46:43,720 --> 00:46:47,360
Do you know if they've got Scream 2
in this gallery as well?
900
00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:48,840
Scream 2? Yeah.
901
00:46:48,840 --> 00:46:50,880
I'm afraid I don't know Scream 2.
I mean...
902
00:46:50,880 --> 00:46:53,840
But this was based on the film,
wasn't it?
903
00:46:53,840 --> 00:46:55,600
I don't think he'd seen the film.
904
00:46:55,600 --> 00:46:59,680
It's a painting of an experience
he'd had. Yeah.
905
00:46:59,680 --> 00:47:01,560
But not a physical experience,
906
00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:05,040
an emotional and
psychological experience. Right.
907
00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:07,200
We paint our souls.
908
00:47:07,200 --> 00:47:10,080
Why do we paint our souls?
909
00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:12,400
The more agonised and miserable
the artwork,
910
00:47:12,400 --> 00:47:13,920
the more people like it.
911
00:47:13,920 --> 00:47:17,040
And no dead, agonised artist
is bigger than miserable redhead
912
00:47:17,040 --> 00:47:21,600
and own ear vandal,
Vincenzo Van Beethoven Gogh.
913
00:47:21,600 --> 00:47:25,320
As you can see from this photograph,
Van Gogh actually resembled
914
00:47:25,320 --> 00:47:27,240
a painting in real life,
915
00:47:27,240 --> 00:47:30,080
making a career in art inevitable.
916
00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:33,040
Several of his works,
such as Sad Flowers,
917
00:47:33,040 --> 00:47:34,560
Scary Night
918
00:47:34,560 --> 00:47:38,040
and Woofy McPoker
have fetched millions at auction.
919
00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:42,800
ยฃ22,500,000 for the last time.
920
00:47:44,360 --> 00:47:46,920
This is one of his most
famous works,
921
00:47:46,920 --> 00:47:49,160
Wheatfield With Crows.
922
00:47:49,160 --> 00:47:52,240
At first glance,
it's a simple rural scene.
923
00:47:52,240 --> 00:47:56,280
But look closer and you'll see
it's actually very badly made.
924
00:47:56,280 --> 00:47:58,120
Take these birds.
925
00:47:58,120 --> 00:48:01,640
Apparently they're crows,
but it's impossible to know
926
00:48:01,640 --> 00:48:03,480
cos there's no detail at all.
927
00:48:03,480 --> 00:48:05,400
Some are big, some are small,
928
00:48:05,400 --> 00:48:07,800
some have more wings than others.
929
00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:11,640
Looking at this, it's hard to
believe Van Gogh had actually even
930
00:48:11,640 --> 00:48:14,080
seen a crow or a wheatfield,
931
00:48:14,080 --> 00:48:16,120
or even held a brush before.
932
00:48:17,280 --> 00:48:19,160
Look at those strokes.
933
00:48:19,160 --> 00:48:20,640
They're sloppy.
934
00:48:20,640 --> 00:48:23,320
It's like he painted it
wearing boxing gloves.
935
00:48:23,320 --> 00:48:25,080
It's just not good enough.
936
00:48:25,080 --> 00:48:27,320
In fact, it's actively bad.
937
00:48:27,320 --> 00:48:31,440
Van Gogh's life, and by extension,
our world, would have been improved
938
00:48:31,440 --> 00:48:33,480
if he'd never painted anything,
939
00:48:33,480 --> 00:48:36,600
not even a bog door
in a home for the blind.
940
00:48:36,600 --> 00:48:38,480
Anyway, that's my view.
941
00:48:38,480 --> 00:48:40,120
What do you think?
942
00:48:43,760 --> 00:48:47,000
Of course, most people aren't
miserable like Van Gogh.
943
00:48:47,000 --> 00:48:49,240
They're miserable like themselves.
944
00:48:52,040 --> 00:48:54,640
They simply don't have time
to channel their pain
945
00:48:54,640 --> 00:48:58,200
into artistic expression
because they're too busy working.
946
00:48:58,200 --> 00:49:02,280
And work is something we all learn
to barely tolerate.
947
00:49:02,280 --> 00:49:05,480
Ever since the earliest cavemen
went to work for the first cunt,
948
00:49:05,480 --> 00:49:09,240
people have hated their jobs,
partly cos those jobs were awful.
949
00:49:10,320 --> 00:49:13,360
For centuries, most jobs involved
manual labour,
950
00:49:13,360 --> 00:49:15,040
like lugging heavy coal around
951
00:49:15,040 --> 00:49:18,520
and tilling the fields while someone
sketched you for posterity.
952
00:49:18,520 --> 00:49:22,240
But as our world gets more modern
and full of all plastic and metal
953
00:49:22,240 --> 00:49:25,080
and stuff, the nature of work
has changed.
954
00:49:25,080 --> 00:49:27,400
Now jobs are even worse,
955
00:49:27,400 --> 00:49:31,440
which contributes to an
ever-growing sense of hopelessness.
956
00:49:31,440 --> 00:49:34,360
Humans have to work a lot,
don't they?
957
00:49:34,360 --> 00:49:36,760
Can work ever be truly rewarding?
958
00:49:37,960 --> 00:49:39,520
Yeah, I think so.
959
00:49:41,200 --> 00:49:43,720
What, even for him?
960
00:49:43,720 --> 00:49:46,080
All he does is hold a stick all day.
961
00:49:46,080 --> 00:49:48,000
There's no way that's rewarding.
962
00:49:48,000 --> 00:49:49,400
Or meaningful.
963
00:49:49,400 --> 00:49:52,000
There's no skill involved.
964
00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:54,080
We wouldn't even need a machine
to replace him,
965
00:49:54,080 --> 00:49:56,440
just like a bracket
and a stand'd do.
966
00:49:56,440 --> 00:49:58,840
Can't be fulfilling
in the slightest.
967
00:49:58,840 --> 00:50:02,840
He holds that stick more than
he holds his loved ones.
968
00:50:02,840 --> 00:50:05,120
If you think of the things
he's missed out on
969
00:50:05,120 --> 00:50:08,600
just holding that fucking stick
like a slave,
970
00:50:08,600 --> 00:50:10,760
you don't get that time back,
you know.
971
00:50:12,120 --> 00:50:13,800
Wasted his life.
972
00:50:15,800 --> 00:50:17,840
ORGAN MUSIC ECHOES
973
00:50:19,960 --> 00:50:22,160
Very echoey in here, isn't it?
974
00:50:22,160 --> 00:50:24,240
Phil would have hated that.
975
00:50:24,240 --> 00:50:25,760
Wouldn't he, Ian?
976
00:50:28,680 --> 00:50:29,840
You're next.
977
00:50:30,920 --> 00:50:33,320
Can we have a minute for atmos,
please?
978
00:50:37,160 --> 00:50:40,040
Life itself can sometimes
feel like a horrible burden
979
00:50:40,040 --> 00:50:42,080
from which there is no escape.
980
00:50:42,080 --> 00:50:44,000
But, luckily, help is at hand.
981
00:50:44,000 --> 00:50:47,440
That's why I've come to leading
streaming platform Streamberry
982
00:50:47,440 --> 00:50:49,280
to see how they help
distract viewers
983
00:50:49,280 --> 00:50:51,400
from the bottomless misery
of existence.
984
00:50:54,560 --> 00:50:58,520
Here at Streamberry, we're
passionate about providing our users
985
00:50:58,520 --> 00:51:00,920
with entertainment that speaks
to them on a personal level
986
00:51:00,920 --> 00:51:02,280
about their needs,
987
00:51:02,280 --> 00:51:05,440
not just as a consumer,
but as a mammal.
988
00:51:05,440 --> 00:51:09,320
We monitor our viewers'
emotional state at all times,
989
00:51:09,320 --> 00:51:11,920
and we've discovered most
of them are locked in a state
990
00:51:11,920 --> 00:51:14,240
of existential helplessness.
991
00:51:14,240 --> 00:51:16,880
And I imagine you want to fix that.
992
00:51:16,880 --> 00:51:20,600
Yes. That's why we launched a suite
of programming aimed at viewers
993
00:51:20,600 --> 00:51:24,680
who have given up all hope,
which is 116% of them.
994
00:51:24,680 --> 00:51:28,000
These shows are grouped together
into genre brackets that help
995
00:51:28,000 --> 00:51:32,120
despairing viewers locate content
that really speaks to their mood.
996
00:51:32,120 --> 00:51:35,120
We're currently seeing maximum
growth in a category called
997
00:51:35,120 --> 00:51:36,760
Standing On A Ledge Right Now.
998
00:51:36,760 --> 00:51:38,120
And what's that?
999
00:51:38,120 --> 00:51:41,520
That's programming aimed at viewers
standing on a ledge right now,
1000
00:51:41,520 --> 00:51:43,800
usually watching on their phone.
1001
00:51:43,800 --> 00:51:45,960
Naturally, we don't want
them to jump.
1002
00:51:45,960 --> 00:51:48,880
That would negatively
affect engagement.
1003
00:51:48,880 --> 00:51:52,240
And what about the little ones?
Is there anything for them?
1004
00:51:52,240 --> 00:51:56,720
Yes, actually. One of our newest
releases is a show aimed at kids...
1005
00:51:56,720 --> 00:51:59,120
..standing on ledges. Wow!
1006
00:51:59,120 --> 00:52:02,360
And I think we've got an
exclusive preview of that right now.
1007
00:52:05,840 --> 00:52:07,880
WHIMPERING
1008
00:52:10,800 --> 00:52:13,360
GASPS
1009
00:52:13,360 --> 00:52:15,240
Hey, mister, don't jump!
1010
00:52:15,240 --> 00:52:16,360
Why not?
1011
00:52:16,360 --> 00:52:19,360
Well...
JAUNTY TUNE PLAYS
1012
00:52:19,360 --> 00:52:22,480
like life's lost its meaning
1013
00:52:22,480 --> 00:52:25,480
will need careful cleaning
1014
00:52:25,480 --> 00:52:28,480
you just wouldn't survive
1015
00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:34,120
Um... OK.
1016
00:52:34,120 --> 00:52:37,240
in all of its wonder
1017
00:52:37,240 --> 00:52:40,480
and sunshine and thunder
1018
00:52:40,480 --> 00:52:43,480
In sorrow they'd drown
1019
00:52:47,120 --> 00:52:49,160
Uh-uh...
1020
00:52:59,240 --> 00:53:01,480
Argh! He's right!
1021
00:53:11,920 --> 00:53:14,360
Agh... Oh, OK.
1022
00:53:14,360 --> 00:53:16,120
Yay!
1023
00:53:23,240 --> 00:53:24,720
Argh! Uh-oh!
1024
00:53:29,720 --> 00:53:31,120
Hmm.
1025
00:53:31,120 --> 00:53:33,720
SIREN WAILS
1026
00:53:33,720 --> 00:53:36,400
Well, thanks, Jacqui.
That was really enlightening,
1027
00:53:36,400 --> 00:53:38,680
and Streamberry seems fantastic.
1028
00:53:38,680 --> 00:53:40,080
Thank you. Thank you.
1029
00:53:40,080 --> 00:53:41,480
Great.
1030
00:53:41,480 --> 00:53:42,600
Brilliant.
1031
00:53:42,600 --> 00:53:44,560
Thank you.
1032
00:53:44,560 --> 00:53:45,800
Yeah.
1033
00:53:48,320 --> 00:53:49,840
Still to come...
1034
00:53:49,840 --> 00:53:52,600
Will computers recode
the meaning of life?
1035
00:53:52,600 --> 00:53:56,800
Will we ever be able to upload
our souls to a computer?
1036
00:53:56,800 --> 00:53:59,120
I take a closer look at cloning.
1037
00:53:59,120 --> 00:54:04,000
If you clone twins, do you get
two copies of one of them
1038
00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:06,240
or one copy of both of them?
1039
00:54:06,240 --> 00:54:09,520
Brian Cox gives a scientific view
of the firmament.
1040
00:54:09,520 --> 00:54:12,800
Isn't it a waste of energy
leaving the stars on at night?
1041
00:54:12,800 --> 00:54:14,320
No.
1042
00:54:14,320 --> 00:54:16,960
But, first,
time to contemplate our fate
1043
00:54:16,960 --> 00:54:18,720
in a pitiless, godless universe.
1044
00:54:20,160 --> 00:54:23,640
With God dead and existential
despair all the rage,
1045
00:54:23,640 --> 00:54:27,640
it seemed humankind was all alone
in the universe.
1046
00:54:27,640 --> 00:54:30,920
We were back to square one,
staring up at the night sky
1047
00:54:30,920 --> 00:54:32,760
and wondering how it got there.
1048
00:54:32,760 --> 00:54:37,440
To find out, we'd have to reopen
the biggest cold case of all time.
1049
00:54:43,200 --> 00:54:46,440
The Bible had claimed the universe
was God's creation.
1050
00:54:46,440 --> 00:54:48,520
But now we knew that that was a lie,
1051
00:54:48,520 --> 00:54:51,600
we'd have to come up with
a new implausible theory.
1052
00:54:53,280 --> 00:54:56,440
It's October 5th, 1923.
1053
00:54:56,440 --> 00:54:59,680
An astronomer, Edwin Hubble,
is about to make
1054
00:54:59,680 --> 00:55:01,400
an incredible discovery.
1055
00:55:02,680 --> 00:55:06,480
Peering through his telescope, he
becomes the first human to observe
1056
00:55:06,480 --> 00:55:09,840
a Cepheid variable star
in a galaxy beyond our own.
1057
00:55:11,120 --> 00:55:13,560
Hubble raced home to tell
his wife, Grace,
1058
00:55:13,560 --> 00:55:16,720
who had loyally supported him
throughout his career.
1059
00:55:16,720 --> 00:55:20,440
"I've done it!" he cried,
but in his voice instead of mine.
1060
00:55:20,440 --> 00:55:23,840
"I've fundamentally altered
our concept of the universe."
1061
00:55:23,840 --> 00:55:26,520
"Oh, darling, that's wonderful,"
she replied.
1062
00:55:26,520 --> 00:55:30,440
Her eyes shone with pride
and they embraced.
1063
00:55:30,440 --> 00:55:34,360
As they kissed hungrily, their
excitement gave way to passion
1064
00:55:34,360 --> 00:55:38,080
and they moved to the bedroom,
hurriedly shedding their clothes.
1065
00:55:40,880 --> 00:55:42,560
Flesh pressed on flesh...
1066
00:55:42,560 --> 00:55:44,920
STRING MUSIC PLAYS
1067
00:55:44,920 --> 00:55:47,720
..as they explored each other's
bodies with carnal abandon.
1068
00:55:47,720 --> 00:55:49,640
EROTIC MOANING
1069
00:55:49,640 --> 00:55:53,320
Together they steadily built
towards a crescendo of ecstasy,
1070
00:55:53,320 --> 00:55:55,800
their faces contorting with bliss.
1071
00:55:55,800 --> 00:55:58,720
MUSIC CUTS OUT
PANTING
1072
00:55:58,720 --> 00:56:01,080
MOANING
HEAVY BREATHING
1073
00:56:11,440 --> 00:56:13,720
STRING MUSIC PLAYS
SHE CRIES OUT
1074
00:56:13,720 --> 00:56:17,280
And a mutual orgasm shuddered
through their bodies.
1075
00:56:20,440 --> 00:56:25,000
There they lay, quietly entwined,
exhausted yet resplendent
1076
00:56:25,000 --> 00:56:28,200
in the warm afterglow
of their union.
1077
00:56:28,200 --> 00:56:30,920
And then Hubble mopped up
the damp patch with his vest.
1078
00:56:33,120 --> 00:56:36,560
Hubble's discovery paved the way
for a ground-breaking theory
1079
00:56:36,560 --> 00:56:39,280
about how our universe was formed,
1080
00:56:39,280 --> 00:56:42,880
a theory that still excites nerds
to this day.
1081
00:56:42,880 --> 00:56:46,360
Why do people say the universe
came out of a big bag?
1082
00:56:47,600 --> 00:56:49,400
I think you mean Big Bang.
1083
00:56:49,400 --> 00:56:51,080
A big bag that went bang?
1084
00:56:51,080 --> 00:56:53,600
No, no, just a Big Bang. No bag.
1085
00:56:53,600 --> 00:56:58,040
Has anyone ever claimed
responsibility for the Big Bang?
1086
00:56:59,720 --> 00:57:01,280
It just happened.
1087
00:57:01,280 --> 00:57:03,720
So we're no nearer finding
a culprit?
1088
00:57:05,000 --> 00:57:06,800
The Big Bang is a theory,
1089
00:57:06,800 --> 00:57:09,640
and like all theories,
no-one understands it.
1090
00:57:09,640 --> 00:57:11,920
And if they come too close
to working it out,
1091
00:57:11,920 --> 00:57:14,600
they're assassinated by the CIA.
1092
00:57:14,600 --> 00:57:18,200
But if it did happen, the Big Bang
filled the universe with matter.
1093
00:57:19,560 --> 00:57:21,040
This is an atom.
1094
00:57:21,040 --> 00:57:24,040
It's so tiny,
you probably can't see it
1095
00:57:24,040 --> 00:57:25,720
even if you're watching in 4K.
1096
00:57:25,720 --> 00:57:27,640
In fact, it's so small,
1097
00:57:27,640 --> 00:57:30,560
chances are I dropped it
before we started filming.
1098
00:57:30,560 --> 00:57:35,000
You, me and everything around us
is made from these.
1099
00:57:35,000 --> 00:57:38,280
Apart from this coat,
which is 100% cashmere.
1100
00:57:38,280 --> 00:57:40,880
What's the point of atoms?
1101
00:57:40,880 --> 00:57:43,800
You know, do we really need them,
or could we just do without?
1102
00:57:43,800 --> 00:57:47,040
We do really need them,
because we are made of atoms.
1103
00:57:47,040 --> 00:57:48,960
Everything in the world is made
of atoms,
1104
00:57:48,960 --> 00:57:51,280
so without them we wouldn't be here.
1105
00:57:51,280 --> 00:57:53,640
Are eyes made of atoms?
1106
00:57:53,640 --> 00:57:54,840
Yes.
1107
00:57:54,840 --> 00:57:57,440
Cos my mate Paul
did ketamine once,
1108
00:57:57,440 --> 00:58:01,360
and he said he started counting
all the atoms in his eyes.
1109
00:58:01,360 --> 00:58:04,320
Then he tried to eat a towel
and he ended up in hospital.
1110
00:58:04,320 --> 00:58:05,480
OK.
1111
00:58:05,480 --> 00:58:07,440
Are my feet made of atoms?
1112
00:58:07,440 --> 00:58:08,880
Yes.
1113
00:58:08,880 --> 00:58:10,800
I mean, I could save... Why...
1114
00:58:10,800 --> 00:58:13,040
..save you the bother by...
Everything you say... Everything?
1115
00:58:13,040 --> 00:58:16,160
Absolutely everything?
All stuff is made of atoms.
1116
00:58:16,160 --> 00:58:17,840
Are thoughts made of atoms?
1117
00:58:17,840 --> 00:58:19,840
Well, no... Well, no,
thoughts are...
1118
00:58:19,840 --> 00:58:22,200
Well, there you go, then.
OK. But thoughts...
1119
00:58:22,200 --> 00:58:23,920
OK.
1120
00:58:23,920 --> 00:58:26,200
You might think nothing's smaller
than atoms,
1121
00:58:26,200 --> 00:58:28,080
but as usual, you'd be wrong.
1122
00:58:28,080 --> 00:58:31,040
Incredibly, atoms themselves are
made of even smaller
1123
00:58:31,040 --> 00:58:32,760
subatomic particles.
1124
00:58:32,760 --> 00:58:36,320
Scientists have spent literally
decades attempting to explain
1125
00:58:36,320 --> 00:58:37,960
why these are interesting.
1126
00:58:37,960 --> 00:58:39,960
To no avail.
1127
00:58:39,960 --> 00:58:43,120
Perhaps that's why, deep underground
near Geneva,
1128
00:58:43,120 --> 00:58:47,000
they built a gigantic machine called
the Large Hadron Col-lidder.
1129
00:58:47,000 --> 00:58:49,840
It smashes
subatomic particles together,
1130
00:58:49,840 --> 00:58:52,640
recreating the conditions
of the Big Bang.
1131
00:58:52,640 --> 00:58:55,400
And I'm actually walking
into it now,
1132
00:58:55,400 --> 00:58:59,840
wearing a hard hat
in case a proton falls on me.
1133
00:58:59,840 --> 00:59:03,440
So this is this is the actual
Large Hadron Colander.
1134
00:59:03,440 --> 00:59:06,640
So am I right in thinking
that this might prove the existence
1135
00:59:06,640 --> 00:59:08,720
of chakras within the human body?
1136
00:59:08,720 --> 00:59:10,320
No.
1137
00:59:10,320 --> 00:59:12,360
You're not interested in chakras?
1138
00:59:12,360 --> 00:59:15,520
No, in the same way I'm not
interested in ghosts.
1139
00:59:15,520 --> 00:59:19,640
But my aunt Carol, she can sense
chakras in someone's body,
1140
00:59:19,640 --> 00:59:22,440
and she doesn't need any machines.
1141
00:59:22,440 --> 00:59:24,600
This could explode at any minute,
couldn't it?
1142
00:59:24,600 --> 00:59:28,320
No. How fast do the protons
in this thing go?
1143
00:59:28,320 --> 00:59:32,280
99.999999% the speed of light.
1144
00:59:32,280 --> 00:59:34,720
Your sense of smell is faster,
isn't it?
1145
00:59:34,720 --> 00:59:36,040
No.
1146
00:59:36,040 --> 00:59:38,480
Well, how come that when someone's
frying bacon
1147
00:59:38,480 --> 00:59:41,440
and you walk in the kitchen,
you can smell it straight away
1148
00:59:41,440 --> 00:59:43,080
before you've even seen it.
1149
00:59:43,080 --> 00:59:45,520
Have you ever tried putting
bacon in here?
1150
00:59:47,360 --> 00:59:48,560
No.
1151
00:59:48,560 --> 00:59:50,680
Yeah, you should try it.
You might make quantum bacon.
1152
00:59:50,680 --> 00:59:52,040
Would that make it more interesting?
1153
00:59:52,040 --> 00:59:53,360
A little bit.
1154
00:59:53,360 --> 00:59:56,240
Why would it be more interesting?
Cos what it's trying to do...
1155
00:59:56,240 --> 00:59:58,600
I'm desperately... I'm trying to
help you out here.
1156
00:59:58,600 --> 01:00:00,760
I'm trying to, like, make it
1157
01:00:00,760 --> 01:00:03,320
even slightly more interesting
than it is.
1158
01:00:03,320 --> 01:00:08,080
But what it did was it detected
a thing called a Higgs particle.
1159
01:00:08,080 --> 01:00:13,480
Without the Higgs particle, you, me,
and everything else that we know of
1160
01:00:13,480 --> 01:00:16,360
in the universe, none of those
things would exist. Right.
1161
01:00:16,360 --> 01:00:21,520
In 2012, the mega boffins at CERN
discovered something incredible -
1162
01:00:21,520 --> 01:00:23,840
the Higgs "bosom".
1163
01:00:23,840 --> 01:00:26,320
Because of its significance
in explaining
1164
01:00:26,320 --> 01:00:30,200
how our universe was made, the Higgs
"bosom" is sometimes referred to
1165
01:00:30,200 --> 01:00:34,760
as the God particle, but it could
also be called the Allah particle
1166
01:00:34,760 --> 01:00:38,080
because we can't show you
any pictures of it.
1167
01:00:38,080 --> 01:00:41,320
No less an authority than the man
I just spoke to claimed
1168
01:00:41,320 --> 01:00:45,160
it was the biggest scientific
discovery in his lifetime...
1169
01:00:45,160 --> 01:00:48,200
I think this is the biggest
scientific discovery in my lifetime.
1170
01:00:48,200 --> 01:00:52,240
..and that it stood with the great
scientific discoveries of all time.
1171
01:00:52,240 --> 01:00:56,760
And it stands with the great
scientific discoveries of all time.
1172
01:00:56,760 --> 01:00:59,680
Can the Higgs boson rewind time?
1173
01:00:59,680 --> 01:01:00,920
No.
1174
01:01:02,080 --> 01:01:04,360
Can it tell when an earthquake
is going to go off?
1175
01:01:04,360 --> 01:01:05,720
No.
1176
01:01:05,720 --> 01:01:07,400
Can it make food spicier?
1177
01:01:07,400 --> 01:01:09,040
It's just a particle.
1178
01:01:09,040 --> 01:01:12,360
It's like saying, can an electron...
1179
01:01:12,360 --> 01:01:15,080
..tell when an earthquake is going
to go off?
1180
01:01:15,080 --> 01:01:16,680
Can it? No. Oh.
1181
01:01:16,680 --> 01:01:20,480
Subatomic particles - the tiniest
things in existence -
1182
01:01:20,480 --> 01:01:24,200
can simultaneously exist in
two different states at once,
1183
01:01:24,200 --> 01:01:28,560
just like Liam Hemsworth,
who's sexy AND boring.
1184
01:01:28,560 --> 01:01:31,440
In other words, science moves
in mysterious ways,
1185
01:01:31,440 --> 01:01:32,800
just like God does,
1186
01:01:32,800 --> 01:01:37,120
which was awkward because scientists
had decided God didn't exist.
1187
01:01:37,120 --> 01:01:40,400
So they invented a whole new kind
of science,
1188
01:01:40,400 --> 01:01:43,600
the science of things that
don't make scientific sense.
1189
01:01:43,600 --> 01:01:47,520
And to make it sound official,
they gave it a clever name.
1190
01:01:47,520 --> 01:01:49,600
What is quantum mac-physics?
1191
01:01:49,600 --> 01:01:51,640
Quantum physics is...
1192
01:01:51,640 --> 01:01:55,400
So quantum mechanics is our best
theory of how the world works.
1193
01:01:55,400 --> 01:02:00,000
It describes everything that
we've observed, other than gravity.
1194
01:02:00,000 --> 01:02:02,120
Do mirrors run on quantum physics?
1195
01:02:03,440 --> 01:02:06,280
Run? Yeah.
1196
01:02:06,280 --> 01:02:09,720
As in... Well, according to quantum
physics, mirrors shouldn't work.
1197
01:02:09,720 --> 01:02:11,680
They're a miracle.
1198
01:02:11,680 --> 01:02:13,800
That's not correct.
1199
01:02:13,800 --> 01:02:17,040
Quantum theoryonics proves
there's infinite multiverses,
1200
01:02:17,040 --> 01:02:19,080
like in Marvel films, doesn't it?
1201
01:02:19,080 --> 01:02:21,440
That's one interpretation
of the theory.
1202
01:02:21,440 --> 01:02:24,440
How many infinite multiverses
are there?
1203
01:02:24,440 --> 01:02:27,200
If there were an infinite number
of multiverses,
1204
01:02:27,200 --> 01:02:29,600
then the number of multiverses
would be infinite.
1205
01:02:29,600 --> 01:02:31,600
See, I think there's two -
1206
01:02:31,600 --> 01:02:34,040
ours and the one in mirrors.
1207
01:02:36,040 --> 01:02:38,960
Mirrors are windows into
other universes, aren't they?
1208
01:02:38,960 --> 01:02:40,040
No.
1209
01:02:40,040 --> 01:02:42,600
My mate Paul says they run
on quantum power
1210
01:02:42,600 --> 01:02:45,600
and that's why you can see
into an alternative dimension
1211
01:02:45,600 --> 01:02:48,680
in which everything's the same
as our realm but backwards.
1212
01:02:48,680 --> 01:02:50,200
What does Paul do?
1213
01:02:50,200 --> 01:02:53,880
Well, he worked in a tennis ball
factory where he had to catch
1214
01:02:53,880 --> 01:02:56,880
the tennis balls, but he was fired
from that, and now he's unemployed.
1215
01:03:02,000 --> 01:03:04,280
Sorry, am I wasting your time?
1216
01:03:04,280 --> 01:03:05,680
Yeah.
1217
01:03:07,160 --> 01:03:11,680
By the end of the 20th century,
science had tried to outdo religion
1218
01:03:11,680 --> 01:03:15,680
by explaining creation,
unpicking the fabric of existence,
1219
01:03:15,680 --> 01:03:17,800
and discovering the God particle.
1220
01:03:17,800 --> 01:03:19,760
For its next trick,
1221
01:03:19,760 --> 01:03:24,200
it tried to emulate God himself
by creating life.
1222
01:03:24,200 --> 01:03:27,080
The first-ever thing to be cloned
was Dolly the sheep,
1223
01:03:27,080 --> 01:03:29,160
daughter of Dolly, the other sheep.
1224
01:03:29,160 --> 01:03:31,560
Dolly became the most famous sheep
in history,
1225
01:03:31,560 --> 01:03:34,400
although to be fair,
that's a low bar.
1226
01:03:34,400 --> 01:03:36,880
Of course, cloning raises
awkward questions
1227
01:03:36,880 --> 01:03:39,600
about our sense of identity.
1228
01:03:39,600 --> 01:03:42,480
If I get copied, am I still unique?
1229
01:03:42,480 --> 01:03:44,560
Or is the clone me more unique
1230
01:03:44,560 --> 01:03:47,120
because it's a clone,
which is cooler?
1231
01:03:47,120 --> 01:03:49,720
What makes me me and you you?
1232
01:03:49,720 --> 01:03:52,800
And us us and we we?
1233
01:03:52,800 --> 01:03:55,360
But rather than being replaced
by clones,
1234
01:03:55,360 --> 01:03:58,880
it's more likely we'll be replaced
by something else we created -
1235
01:03:58,880 --> 01:04:01,960
computers, which are becoming
so clever
1236
01:04:01,960 --> 01:04:05,480
they might one day
outsmart their masters.
1237
01:04:05,480 --> 01:04:09,440
Will a computer ever be clever
enough to play chess?
1238
01:04:09,440 --> 01:04:12,160
Computers are already clever enough
to play chess.
1239
01:04:12,160 --> 01:04:14,600
Really? This is chess
we're talking about.
1240
01:04:14,600 --> 01:04:19,440
Yes. Years ago, computers overtook
human beings at chess.
1241
01:04:19,440 --> 01:04:21,840
But do they know
what all the pieces do?
1242
01:04:21,840 --> 01:04:23,400
Like, even the little horse ones?
1243
01:04:23,400 --> 01:04:24,720
Yes.
1244
01:04:24,720 --> 01:04:26,960
But the horse ones move in
random directions, don't they?
1245
01:04:26,960 --> 01:04:28,440
There's no pattern to it.
1246
01:04:28,440 --> 01:04:31,520
No. No, there is. They...
They just move...
1247
01:04:31,520 --> 01:04:34,720
..two in one direction and one
in the other, so... Oh, right.
1248
01:04:34,720 --> 01:04:37,400
Did the computers
work that out for us?
1249
01:04:37,400 --> 01:04:40,560
Not content with playing chess,
computers are getting better
1250
01:04:40,560 --> 01:04:44,640
at emulating other, more human,
less chess-like pursuits.
1251
01:04:44,640 --> 01:04:48,840
One of the first examples of AI was
a piece of software called Eliza,
1252
01:04:48,840 --> 01:04:50,800
which stands for something.
1253
01:04:50,800 --> 01:04:53,120
Eliza simulated a psychiatrist.
1254
01:04:53,120 --> 01:04:56,160
It would ask you how you were
feeling and respond to your reply,
1255
01:04:56,160 --> 01:04:59,640
but it was basic. It couldn't do
everything a psychiatrist can do.
1256
01:04:59,640 --> 01:05:02,160
It couldn't walk round the desk
or overcharge you,
1257
01:05:02,160 --> 01:05:04,960
start an affair with its secretary,
cook an omelette, or go...
1258
01:05:04,960 --> 01:05:07,000
SHE BABBLES
1259
01:05:29,640 --> 01:05:32,520
Today AI is everywhere
and all around us,
1260
01:05:32,520 --> 01:05:34,360
in our homes and in our hands,
1261
01:05:34,360 --> 01:05:36,960
with digital assistants
like Siri... Hi, there!
1262
01:05:36,960 --> 01:05:39,680
..Alexa, and that Google one
no-one remembers.
1263
01:05:39,680 --> 01:05:41,960
Seriously, it might as well be
called Cuthbert.
1264
01:05:41,960 --> 01:05:45,160
But when people talk about AI,
most of them are thinking about
1265
01:05:45,160 --> 01:05:48,760
generative AI chatbots like
this - ChatGPT,
1266
01:05:48,760 --> 01:05:50,840
which is so good at mimicking humans
1267
01:05:50,840 --> 01:05:52,840
we might as well fucking
kill ourselves.
1268
01:05:52,840 --> 01:05:55,720
Or at least that's what it
just told me.
1269
01:05:55,720 --> 01:05:58,600
People worry a lot about AI.
1270
01:05:58,600 --> 01:06:00,200
What about you?
1271
01:06:01,840 --> 01:06:04,600
You mean am I worried about...?
1272
01:06:04,600 --> 01:06:07,040
No, I mean should they worry
about you?
1273
01:06:08,400 --> 01:06:09,480
N... I-I...
1274
01:06:09,480 --> 01:06:12,240
I hope not. I hope not.
I mean, I'm...
1275
01:06:12,240 --> 01:06:14,560
People are worried
about artificial intelligence
1276
01:06:14,560 --> 01:06:18,160
because they think maybe one day
it'll replace us human beings.
1277
01:06:18,160 --> 01:06:20,760
I'm a human being.
Why should they be worried about me?
1278
01:06:20,760 --> 01:06:23,840
No. No, no, the letter U.
1279
01:06:23,840 --> 01:06:26,800
They're all vowels, aren't they?
Oh, I... A-I-U.
1280
01:06:26,800 --> 01:06:29,240
What does the U in AI stand for?
1281
01:06:30,760 --> 01:06:33,080
There isn't a U in AI.
1282
01:06:33,080 --> 01:06:36,400
So it's a secret, then?
The computer's hidden it?
1283
01:06:36,400 --> 01:06:40,160
I'm more than machine or man,
1284
01:06:40,160 --> 01:06:43,560
more than a fusion of the two.
1285
01:06:43,560 --> 01:06:46,040
Of course, us humans aren't
about to be slaughtered
1286
01:06:46,040 --> 01:06:48,560
by the nightmarish robots
of science fiction.
1287
01:06:48,560 --> 01:06:50,160
We're about to be slaughtered
1288
01:06:50,160 --> 01:06:52,680
by the nightmarish robots
of real life.
1289
01:06:53,920 --> 01:06:58,080
Now as humans stand on a precipice
at the edge of a cliff face,
1290
01:06:58,080 --> 01:06:59,760
peering into a bottomless abyss
1291
01:06:59,760 --> 01:07:02,160
and wondering if there's a void
underneath it,
1292
01:07:02,160 --> 01:07:05,640
the question of life's purpose seems
more urgent than ever,
1293
01:07:05,640 --> 01:07:08,600
and even experts are confused.
1294
01:07:08,600 --> 01:07:12,360
Is there a point to human existence?
1295
01:07:12,360 --> 01:07:15,080
And if there is, what is it?
1296
01:07:15,080 --> 01:07:17,720
And when you're answering, bear
in mind that if it's too long,
1297
01:07:17,720 --> 01:07:21,160
we have to overlay funny pet videos
over part of the screen
1298
01:07:21,160 --> 01:07:23,520
so viewers don't get bored.
1299
01:07:23,520 --> 01:07:27,760
Well, we want our lives
to have meaning.
1300
01:07:28,880 --> 01:07:31,280
And the question is,
1301
01:07:31,280 --> 01:07:37,040
is that meaning
something that we construct,
1302
01:07:37,040 --> 01:07:40,920
which is what the German philosopher
Nietzsche would say,
1303
01:07:40,920 --> 01:07:46,040
or is meaning something that we
discover in the world?
1304
01:07:46,040 --> 01:07:49,520
Maybe that meaning is generated
by God,
1305
01:07:49,520 --> 01:07:53,120
or maybe that meaning
just happens to be
1306
01:07:53,120 --> 01:07:55,360
part of the fabric of the universe.
1307
01:07:56,440 --> 01:07:59,440
Why are poos tapered at the end?
1308
01:07:59,440 --> 01:08:01,880
Are they that shape
when they're inside us
1309
01:08:01,880 --> 01:08:05,320
or do our bums mould them
into that shape?
1310
01:08:07,400 --> 01:08:09,600
Sorry, that's for the poo expert.
1311
01:08:09,600 --> 01:08:12,880
Although you're here, so do
you fancy answering it or...?
1312
01:08:12,880 --> 01:08:15,240
I don't think I know enough
about human biology
1313
01:08:15,240 --> 01:08:16,920
to give you an accurate answer.
1314
01:08:16,920 --> 01:08:18,600
Fair enough. Yeah.
1315
01:08:19,720 --> 01:08:23,400
Throughout this landmark epic,
which you have definitely enjoyed,
1316
01:08:23,400 --> 01:08:26,160
my quest for meaning
has taken me around the world
1317
01:08:26,160 --> 01:08:28,440
and into several
buildings, downstairs
1318
01:08:28,440 --> 01:08:31,080
and, at one point,
onto a bouncy castle.
1319
01:08:31,080 --> 01:08:34,600
From religious ecstasy
to nihilistic defecation,
1320
01:08:34,600 --> 01:08:36,400
from great works of literature
1321
01:08:36,400 --> 01:08:38,560
to that awful fucking painting,
1322
01:08:38,560 --> 01:08:42,160
humankind's quest
for meaning has never let up.
1323
01:08:42,160 --> 01:08:44,280
And now my work here is done.
1324
01:08:44,280 --> 01:08:46,680
I hope you found it illuminating.
1325
01:08:46,680 --> 01:08:50,120
Now it's time for me to find out
the meaning of life in other worlds.
1326
01:08:50,120 --> 01:08:51,560
Goodbye.
1327
01:08:58,920 --> 01:09:01,320
Do authors sign their books
at the end,
1328
01:09:01,320 --> 01:09:03,240
like when you write a letter?
1329
01:09:03,240 --> 01:09:06,960
Like, "That's Crime And Punishment,
the end.
1330
01:09:06,960 --> 01:09:09,200
"Yours sincerely,
Dostoyevsky."
1331
01:09:11,280 --> 01:09:13,600
Seldom, I think.
1332
01:09:13,600 --> 01:09:17,920
Why does the human eye have a nerve
connecting it directly to the anus?
1333
01:09:17,920 --> 01:09:19,600
It doesn't. It does,
1334
01:09:19,600 --> 01:09:22,400
because when you pick your bum,
you sort of go like that.
1335
01:09:23,760 --> 01:09:26,760
When the penis goes into a lady,
1336
01:09:26,760 --> 01:09:29,560
why does it keep backing out
and going back in?
1337
01:09:29,560 --> 01:09:32,440
Can't it just go in,
get it done and leave?
1338
01:09:32,440 --> 01:09:36,080
Were our souls created
during the Big Bang?
1339
01:09:36,080 --> 01:09:38,000
Depends what you mean by our souls.
1340
01:09:38,000 --> 01:09:40,600
You know what I mean by our souls.
1341
01:09:40,600 --> 01:09:43,120
It's a shame they only make semen,
isn't it?
1342
01:09:43,120 --> 01:09:44,600
If they made tomato soup,
1343
01:09:44,600 --> 01:09:48,080
you could share a nice mug of it
in bed afterwards.
1344
01:09:48,080 --> 01:09:52,040
Is it harder to enter the
Kingdom of Heaven since Brexit?
1345
01:09:53,600 --> 01:09:57,120
I don't think Brexit has anything
to do with the Kingdom of Heaven.
1346
01:09:57,120 --> 01:09:58,920
Doesn't matter.
Or Hell, for that matter.
1347
01:09:58,920 --> 01:10:02,280
My mate Paul says if you look
in a mirror for about an hour,
1348
01:10:02,280 --> 01:10:04,920
it's possible to trick
your consciousness into thinking
1349
01:10:04,920 --> 01:10:06,840
it's inside the other you,
1350
01:10:06,840 --> 01:10:11,080
and then you can run off before it
can jump back out and get you.
1351
01:10:11,080 --> 01:10:12,480
He said he managed it once,
1352
01:10:12,480 --> 01:10:14,680
but about a second
after he started running,
1353
01:10:14,680 --> 01:10:17,000
he caught his balls on a door handle
1354
01:10:17,000 --> 01:10:19,360
and ended up rolling
around on the floor in agony
1355
01:10:19,360 --> 01:10:23,240
while his consciousness watched him
from the mirror, pissing itself.
1356
01:10:23,240 --> 01:10:27,600
I don't think your consciousness
can go inside a mirror.
1357
01:10:27,600 --> 01:10:29,320
I do worry about Paul.
1358
01:10:30,480 --> 01:10:34,040
I think he just hasn't
found his role in society.
1359
01:10:34,040 --> 01:10:36,800
So you're in the Big Bang gang?
1360
01:10:36,800 --> 01:10:38,600
The Big Bang...
Gang.
1361
01:10:38,600 --> 01:10:40,360
The Big Bang gang?
The Big Bang gang.
1362
01:10:40,360 --> 01:10:42,240
I think we're all in
the Big Bang gang. Are we?
1363
01:10:42,240 --> 01:10:45,560
Yeah. Could you say that
down that lens there, please?
1364
01:10:45,560 --> 01:10:48,320
Yeah. I'm in the Big Bang gang.
You're in the Big Bang gang.
1365
01:10:48,320 --> 01:10:49,760
You're in the Big Bang gang.
1366
01:10:49,760 --> 01:10:51,800
We're all in the Big Bang gang.
139612
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