It Is Rocket Science!. Helen Keen. Copyright: BBC
It Is Rocket Science!

It Is Rocket Science!

  • Radio stand-up
  • BBC Radio 4
  • 2011 - 2014
  • 12 episodes (3 series)

Comic but scientifically accurate look at the science and history of space exploration. Hosted by Helen Keen. Stars Helen Keen, Peter Serafinowicz and Susy Kane.

Press clippings Page 2

"Onwards to Mars!" was a catchphrase for 1920s' rocket club members and Helen Keen demonstrates a similar enthusiasm in this entertaining four-part series, romping through the often surprising history of rocket science. Featuring deadpan Peter Serafinowicz as "The Voice of Space", this week's show describes space pioneers Robert H Goddard, Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky and Hermann Oberth.

Stephanie Billen, The Observer, 6th March 2011

Quirky, offbeat and original, this four-part history of space travel and rocketry blends comedy and science. There are plenty of jokes, but also sharp sketches of three pioneers in the 1920s and 1930s - Russia's Eduardovich Tsiolovsky, America's Robert H Goddard and Germany's Hermann Oberth. Next week: Wernher von Braun.

The creator (at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2008), co-writer and main female performer is Helen Keen, clearly someone to watch.

Paul Donovan, The Sunday Times, 6th March 2011

Helen Keen pays tribute to the founding fathers of rocket science in this clever, offbeat comedy series, based on her successful Edinburgh Fring show. She guides us through the universe - 'that infinity of violent cold, seemingly without creation or culture, that great astral Aberdeen' - with help from Peter Serafinowicz, who is tremendously good value as The Voice of Space.

Daily Mail, 6th March 2011

Here's an odd, entertaining and genuinely educational series. Three nerd-wits give a comic account of the history of space exploration. They're informed, enthusiastic and funny, and make you realise what a great adventure rocket science is.

Daily Mail, 5th March 2011

An offbeat but factually accurate account of the science of rockets begins with three fathers of modern rocket science, including 19th-century Russian visionary Eduardovich Tsiolovsky and his dreams of orbiting space stations and Martian colonies.

The Independent, 5th March 2011

Irreverent comedy and aerospace engineering don't seem an obvious fit, but It Is Rocket Science, performed by Peter Serafinowicz, Helen Keen and Susy Kane, proves that fact-based boffin buffoonery works. The trio present an accurate account of the history of rocket science, starting in late-19th century Russia with Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky's dreams of space stations.

The Guardian, 5th March 2011

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