Where to Watch ‘Connections with James Burke’
Connections, created, written, and presented by science historian James Burke, is back!
The series premiered in the UK in 1978 and the United States in 1979. The docuseries is centered around the history of science and inventions and how certain discoveries have changed our world forever. Burke has been applauded for his presentation style in the series, and its success led to several sequels, including Connections 2 (1994), Connections 3 (1997), and the current series Connections with James Burke (2023).
Where can I watch ‘Connections with James Burke?’ (2023)
You can watch the six-episode series Connections with James Burke on the streaming service Curiosity Stream. All episodes are available now.
Who is James Burke?
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James Burke is a science historian, author, television producer, and broadcaster. He is best known for being one of the main presenters of the BBC1 science series Tomorrow’s World from 1965 to 1971. He created and presented Connections and its sequel, The Day the Universe Changed (1985). Burke was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, and earned his BA and MA degrees from Jesus College, Oxford, studying Middle English. He worked in Italy and later moved to London to work for the BBC.
In addition to working on television, he has been a regular writer for Scientific American and Time. He has contributed to several podcasts and newspaper articles and has been a consultant to the SETI project. Burke received both the gold and the silver medals of the Royal Television Society.
What is ‘Connections with James Burke’ (2023) about?
The six episodes in Connections with James Burke on Curiosity Stream are titled “Seeing the Future,” “The End of Scarcity,” “In the Net,” “None of This is Real,” “Designer Genes,” and “Limitless Energy.” Each episode takes you through history to the future through some interesting connections. The show focuses on why the future is being shaped by the events that are happening right now. Burke suggests that seemingly unrelated events or inventions could lead to powerful outcomes or innovations in the future.
What was the original ‘Connections’ about?
Connections explores historical progress throughout the decades. Burke takes an event or innovation from the past and traces its path throughout history to see what it led to in the modern world. Often, these instances don’t seem to connect, but Burke makes the case brilliantly. For instance, one of the episodes from the original series explores the invention of plastics due to the development of a type of Dutch cargo ship. One of the most popular episodes first aired in 1978 and followed the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, leading to the eventual invention of the printing press.
Can I watch the original ‘Connections’ series?
The original series episodes are available to watch on YouTube.
