Richard Hammond's Invisible Demographic...

This is another TV-based quickie, I'm afraid. I know, I know, I'll do better next time, I promise. Anyhow, I happened to catch some of Richard Hammond's latest foray into science programming, following on from Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections and Richard Hammond's Blast Lab. I like Hammond, he's amiable enough and I enjoy his Top Gear exploits, but this new show of his puzzles me. In Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds (do I see a pattern emerging?) we are shown all those amazing phenomena that are, as one might imagine from the title, invisible to the human eye... and for good reason, it turns out.

Ever want to eat food again? Then don't watch the piece about the romantic meal. Vinegar Eels, Cheese Mites and bacteria were the order of the day. How about public transport? Do people sneeze on it and you still use it anyway? Well don't, because those fuckers can travel a whole tube carriage at 100 miles an hour and contain what Hammond referred to as a 'payload' of bacteria and viruses (sneezes that is, not ill commuters). What about snow? Pretty, isn't it? Wrong, it's incredibly dangerous. When it settles it forms bonds and when a weak layer of snow loses its bonds we get a massive avalanche that can and will kill you.

Now, I didn't watch the whole programme. Perhaps there was a shot of a windswept Hammond at the end saying "don't have nightmares" but it strikes me as odd that there's an audience for this. It's one big Watson 'Them' tagline joke (complain to me, if you don't know what this is) of a show. I'm just off to scrub my epidermis off with a brillo pad and to disinfect the kitchen, see you tomorrow...