Universe review – Brian Cox’s trip to the stars is sheer cosmic cowardice

As the professor guides us through the solar system via excessive CGI and poetic chat, you can't help but think his latest quest would be more effective if it wasn't so dumbed down

I don't know how you make an hour-long programme that takes you slowly through 14bn years of history, but the BBC and Prof Brian Cox have done it with the first episode of Universe. Possibly it is a space-time paradox that only the good professor himself could solve. (Please do not write in if I deployed the phrase space-time paradox" incorrectly. I am an arts graduate who begins this series not entirely sure whether solar systems are bigger than galaxies, and needs this programme very much, even if I cannot honestly say I enjoy it.)

The four-part BBC Two series, as you have probably guessed from the title, will eventually deal with just about everything astrophysical. But the opener is all about stars - especially our big yin, the sun. It is pegged to Nasa's Parker solar probe's mission, though mentions of this are brief bookends. In between, Cox does his thing.