Horizon
BBC2, 1/6 9:00pm - 10:00pm Tuesday 13 October Addiction expert John Marsden kicks off a new run of the science series with an excellent programme about drink. Alcohol is central to our society and its rituals, Marsden argues. But what does it do to us? He turns guinea pig to find out, taking intravenous alcohol while having a scan to see what happens to his brain. It's a brilliant scene, watching inebriation happen before our eyes, shorn of all its social niceties. Other diversions include the drunken monkeys of St Kitts and evidence that teenagers are less susceptible to the intoxicating effects of drink (ie they need a lot to feel drunk) but more vulnerable to the effect on learning and memory. All very sobering.
VIDEO Plus+: 3313
Subtitled, Widescreen, Audio-described
Showing on BBC HD on Friday at 9pm
Directed by: Nicola Stockley
radiotimes
