BBC Focus Magazine
By Immediate Media
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Podcast Description
The latest news from the team behind BBC Focus Magazine - a popular UK-based science and technology magazine. To find out more, visit sciencefocus.com
| Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
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1 |
BBC Focus Magazine - March 2012 | Neuroscientist Richard Davidson on how to master your emotions; Next generation Smartphones; And biologist Liz Bonin on Super Smart Animals. | 21 2 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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2 |
BBC Focus Magazine - February 2012 | Kitty Ferguson on Stephen Hawking; The co-creator of BBC One's Sherlock on the science of deduction; And the Kindle Fire in the spotlight. | 2 2 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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3 |
BBC Focus Magazine - January 2012 | Susan Greenfield on how technology could be changing the brain; Mark Post on making synthetic meat; And the Focus team discuss fitness gadgets. | 19 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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4 |
BBC Focus Magazine - December 2011 | Physics professor Lisa Randall answers questions about the Universe; Mark Surman from Mozilla on how to tell stories on the world wide web; And the Focus team discuss what they want for Christmas. | 22 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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5 |
BBC Focus Magazine - November 2011 | Hollywood film maker Andrew Niccol on staying forever young; Steven Pinker on the decline of violence; The new iPhone 4S. | 27 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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6 |
BBC Focus Magazine - October 2011 | Physicist Jim Al-Khalili on his science heroes; Copying volcanic eruptions to combat climate change; Set-top boxes that connect to the world wide web. | 30 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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7 |
BBC Focus Magazine - September 2011 | The head of the UK space agency on whether we could launch spacecraft from our shores; Gadget of the month; BBC Click radio presenter Gareth Mitchell answers your questions. | 26 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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8 |
BBC Focus Magazine - August 2011 | Neutron research at the ILL nuclear reactor; Dallas Campbell's top moments from the new series of Bang Goes the Theory; BBC Click radio presenter Gareth Mitchell answers your questions. | 2 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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9 |
BBC Focus Magazine - Summer 2011 | Theoretical physicist and author Michio Kaku on our lives in 2050 and BBC Click radio presenter Gareth Mitchell answers your questions. | 1 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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10 |
BBC Focus Magazine - July 2011 | Bestselling author Jon Ronson talks about his new book The Psychopath Test; How to prevent the next disaster; And the verdict on which ultra-thin laptop to buy. | 6 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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11 |
BBC Focus Magazine - May 2011 | Bill McGuire on why the Japan earthquake was so devastating; The verdict on whether it's worth buying the iPad 2; And the worst things that could happen to you in space. | 6 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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12 |
BBC Focus Magazine - April 2011 | Brian Cox on his new series Wonders of the Universe; The big question: are we still evolving? And the verdict on the Nintendo 3DS. | 9 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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13 |
BBC Focus Magazine - March 2011 | The rocket scientist creating the world's fastest car; The murderers who unwittingly kill in their sleep; And our pick of the hottest gadgets for 2011. | 7 2 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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14 |
BBC Focus Magazine - February 2011 | What makes us rebel; The escalating cyberarms race; And the king of the tablet computers revealed. | 17 1 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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15 |
BBC Focus Magazine - January 2011 | Special effects guru Chris Corbould; Why it's good to be dirty; Gadgets to help keep your New Year's resolutions. | 15 12 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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16 |
BBC Focus Magazine - December 2010 | Lewis Dartnell on finding ET; Mega-Waves 30m-high walls of water; And the lowdown on the no-hands XBox Kinect. | 12 11 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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17 |
BBC Focus Magazine - November 2010 | Nic Radford on building Robonaut; How your brain has evolved to be deceived; And the best whizz-bang fireworks. | 22 10 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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18 |
BBC Focus Magazine - October 2010 | UFO hunter Peter Davenport; Why we are all 21st century addicts; And brain powered games. | 6 10 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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19 |
BBC Focus Magazine - September 2010 | Modern-day spy tech; In search of the 'genius gene'; And the new Amazon Kindle. | 1 9 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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20 |
BBC Focus Magazine - August 2010 | Geneticist George Church on synthetic life; How to fake a masterpiece; And the boys play with remote-controlled toys. | 2 8 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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21 |
BBC Focus Magazine - Summer 2010 | New 'UK Digital Champion' Martha Lane Fox; The asteroid sample mission returning to Earth; And is it worth getting a 3D TV? | 2 7 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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22 |
BBC Focus Magazine - July 2010 | The Gadget Show's Jason Bradbury; The science of fear; The new world of augmented reality; And the best electric bikes out there. | 2 6 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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23 |
BBC Focus Magazine - June 2010 | Meet the creator of the Avatar Na'vi language; The weird worlds out there in the cosmos; The world's fastest man on four wheels; And kit for the World Cup Season. | 5 5 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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24 |
BBC Focus Magazine - May 2010 | How to use maths to bet big and win; Cutting-edge forensic techniques to catch crooks; A real-life Iron Man; And Macs take on PC's. | 9 4 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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25 |
BBC Focus Magazine - April 2010 | Science fiction author Stephen Baxter on terraforming; How to spot a liar; And the quirkiest office gadgets out there. | 10 3 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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26 |
BBC Focus Magazine - March 2010 | The new robots that hunt in packs; Busting the world's biggest myths; Andy takes a hammer to J's iPhone. | 5 2 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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27 |
BBC Focus Magazine - February 2010 | We reveal the ultimate sights to see in the solar system; Cloud computing explained; Does the iPhone beat the SmartPhone contenders? | 15 1 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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28 |
BBC Focus Magazine - January 2010 | Robert Matthews looks at earth's fate when the solar system dies; Why your name spells how successful you are; The e-reader that beats the Amazon Kindle. | 11 12 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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29 |
BBC Focus Magazine - December 2009 | An exclusive interview with aerospace engineer Burt Rutan; We bust some climate change myths; We test out some cool techno musical instruments. | 11 11 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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30 |
BBC Focus Magazine - November 2009 | An exclusive interview with David Attenborough; The gory details of forensic science; What would really happen if the world was about to end? | 16 10 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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31 |
BBC Focus Magazine - October 2009 | The scientists making the impossible possible; Food facts for hungry minds; The world's most fearsome beasts. | 17 9 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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32 |
BBC Focus Magazine - September 2009 | How to negotiate a hostage release; What we will do when there are 9 billion of us on earth; Find out what the next Facebook is. | 27 8 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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33 |
BBC Focus Magazine - August 2009 | Liz Bonnin discusses the new science show Bang Goes The Theory; The storm that's brewing in the cosmos; Why Sod's Law can't be proved. | 13 8 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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34 |
BBC Focus Magazine - Summer 2009 | Astronomy guru Patrick Moore remembers the historic first Moon landing; The next big step for mankind; Get kitted out with the best gear for the festival season. | 10 7 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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35 |
BBC Focus Magazine - July 2009 | BBC presenter Jimmy Doherty applies science to farming; Everything you want to know about the end of your life; How to spot whether you're addicted to the internet. | 4 6 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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36 |
BBC Focus Magazine - June 2009 | Boy racer cum Science Minister Paul Drayson; The robots taking over on the battlefield; How to survive the digital switchover. | 8 5 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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37 |
BBC Focus Magazine - May 2009 | The physicist who's also a priest; The real threat from bioterrorism; We check out the new batch of electric cars. | 9 4 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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38 |
BBC Focus Magazine - April 2009 | Focus finds out how to dodge asteroids - and gets insurance in case one hits; How to print your own organs; Google takes on the other knowledge heavyweights - Microsoft and your Dad. | 10 3 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 39 | VideoBBC Focus Magazine - Vodcast Destruction Therapy | BBC Focus Magazine takes a destructive approach to anger management issues. | 19 2 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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40 |
BBC Focus Magazine - March 2009 | Why the space station is playing dodgeball with orbiting junk; Madcap ways to save Earth from climate catastrophe; How to hack YouTube. | 18 2 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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41 |
BBC Focus Magazine - February 2009 | Richard Dawkins on arguments with creationists; How to get the perfect iHome; Anger management with sledgehammers. | 26 1 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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42 |
BBC Focus Magazine - January 2009 | Award-winning science fiction author Ken MacLeod on the ultimate space safari; The science of shopping; How to stream live video. | 23 12 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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43 |
BBC Focus Magazine - December 2008 | Actor Andy Serkis, aka Gollum, on motion-capture tech; The secret of success; The boys get behind the wheel to test out one of the best sat navs. | 28 11 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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44 |
BBC Focus Magazine - November 2008 | The car you'll be driving in 2030; Mini-laptops on test; The truth about Hollywood science. | 30 10 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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45 |
BBC Focus Magazine - October 2008 | Philippe Cousteau Jr on visiting his grandfather's submersible garage; Inside the mind of a gang member; NASA's most dangerous shuttle mission ever. | 7 10 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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46 |
BBC Focus Magazine - September 2008 | TV presenter Danny Wallace asks why he hasn't got a personal robot yet; The nuclear detectives are on the polonium trail; Discover why refs get it wrong. | 4 9 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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47 |
BBC Focus Magazine - August 2008 | Robert Matthews investigates the origins of our universe; Controlling the car using just the power of your mind; The boys are down the pub to pit an elephant against a shark. | 7 8 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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48 |
BBC Focus Magazine - Summer Special 2008 | Focus joins the search for the Higgs Boson particle; Ian Taylor investigates the science of interrogation; Andy Ridgeway gets his DNA decoded and explores the age of genetic diagnosis. | 7 7 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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49 |
BBC Focus Magazine - July 2008 | What would happen to earth if the entire human population disappeared over night? Dr Stephen Baxter predicts; Does homeopathic medicine really work? Former physicist Simon Singh tries acupuncture; Discover the truth about sex in space. | 19 6 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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50 |
BBC Focus Magazine - June 2008 | Imagine a building over 800 metres tall, Focus investigates the future of the 'Superscraper'; Online poker is the new craze, but is winning all just down to luck? Focus takes a look at the Ministry of Defence's secret lab. | 14 5 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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51 |
BBC Focus Magazine - May 2008 | Where does our universe really end? Paul Parsons finds out that scientists have suggested many answers; Find out why males could be a dying breed; Focus discovers why, when scientists get it wrong the consequences could be disastrous. | 17 4 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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52 |
BBC Focus Magazine - April 2008 | Andy Ridgeway speaks to comedian Bill Bailey about the Museum of Curiosity; Who's watching your virtual character in cyber space? The boys have fun with best April fools gadgets around. | 25 3 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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53 |
BBC Focus Magazine - March 2008 | Physicist Brian Cox tells Focus what's wrong with gravity; Pushing the human body to its physical extremes; The Focus team take a look at the weirdest syndromes out there. | 25 2 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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54 |
BBC Focus Magazine - February 2008 | Saba Douglas-Hamilton talks about her new series Unknown Africa; Robert Matthews explains why diamonds aren't forever; The Focus team discuss whether planet earth is alone in the dark? | 24 1 08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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55 |
BBC Focus Magazine - January 2008 | Astronomer Nigel Henbest on the ancient cultures that drew inspiration from the skies; Robert Matthews investigates why depression is sweeping the nation; Focus chat about the crazy scales that rate everything from pain to poo. | 20 12 07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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56 |
BBC Focus Magazine - December 2007 | Arthur C Clarke talks about the possibility of extra terrestrial life; The science behind Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy; Remote controlled toys you don't want to go without this Christmas. | 26 11 07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 56 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Content is fine but sound quality is appalling!!
I have tried to listen to this in my car, and one moment it sounds like they are all in the bathroom, the next we have an interviewer in the bathroom and the guest on a mobile phone on top of Ben Nevis in force 10 gale. It goes from too quiet to make out what is being said to so loud and distorted I think I was bleeding out of my ears before I got to the volume control. Who is running this shambles? Have they so small a budget they can't duck down to Maplins and buy some 21st century recording gear and some foam to put on the walls? All a crying shame, because what I can hear of the content is informative and presented in a tidy format.
Has potential but...
I decided to give this a go after buying my first issue of Focus magazine. I have to say, (as others also have), that the variation of the quality and volume of the audio is quite distracting at times. I also get the impression that when there are phone interviews, sometimes the interviewer sounds really detached and disinterested in what the interviewee has to say. The level of challenge and depth of questions when the 'cast' are chatting between themselves on a subject could also do with improvement! Sometimes, the topics are really way too brief to be useful, or irrelevant in the context of science! (If I want a rundown of the best vacuum cleaners I'll get a Which? magazine!) If you're interested in science, firstly I wholeheartedly recommend the (Focus) magazine. Secondly, try listening to the SETI podcast 'Science radio for thinking species' - (a shining example of how an interviewer should ask questions). In summary, this is only going to get a 3/5 from me. (Please note that this opinion is based on listening from the beginning of the series, so these are the first ten or so podcasts).
Could be much improved
As mentioned already, the sound quality is poor especially when Jenny Osmond is presenting, this is bizarre given that one would expect the Focus team to be using relatively new technology. There's a wide range of topics covered but apart from Gareth Mitchell, who really does shine against the others, the presenters really need to be a lot more energetic and genuinely enthusiastic about the topics they discuss rather than repeatedly and sarcastically comment, "How Interesting...", on a fellow presenters' story.
