What to watch
Britain’s Greatest Invention BBC TWO, 8.30PM
Around the turn of the millennium, the BBC seemed to be churning out surveys of our national greatness on a weekly basis, with the public voting on everything from the 100 Greatest Britons (number one: Winston Churchill) to which listed buildings would get a lick of paint in Restoration. Britain’s Greatest Invention feels like a lower-key affair in comparison but it is no less interesting: seven celebrities pick an object to champion and trawl the Science Museum for supporting evidence, before the nation casts its vote. Even if the public has voting fatigue in the wake of last week’s General Election, this is still an enjoyable conceit.
The personable and knowledgeable pairing of Hannah Fry and Ant Anstead introduce the programme, before, among others, Angela Rippon advocates on behalf of Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming and antibiotics, Nick Knowles flies the flag for 19thcentury stonemason Joseph Aspdin and his concrete, and Trevor Mcdonald praises of John Logie Baird’s television. Surprisingly, Tim Bernerslee has missed out. Surely, his fans will take to his World Wide Web to vent their frustrations. Gabriel Tate