The Nature of Things was a series of science shows broadcast on the BBC in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In true Ri tradition, the programmes were filmed in the lecture theatre and structured around sequences of practical science demonstrations.
Lawrence Bragg, Director of the Ri at the time, with the assistance of Senior Technician Bill Coates leads the audience on a scientific journey through spectacular experiments. Bragg once remarked that one should “never talk about science, show it to them”. The Nature of Things follows this advice to the letter, aiming to inspire a "deep interest in the science of everyday things".
Like the CHRISTMAS LECTURES, the programmes were structured around a series of demonstrations and were filmed as a lecture in the Ri's theatre. Although the filming took place with an audience of adults, the series was aimed at children and broadcast on children's television.