Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention (2010)

I don't normally watch documentaries, I prefer to get my facts from books as I find them easier to digest, and I'd rather watch TV for laughs and drama to escape into. So I can safely say that without the Wallace & Gromit element I wouldn't have bothered with the World of Invention. I'm glad I did though as it turned out to be a fascinating series, interspersed with amusing new Aardman animations, that was also more adult orientated than the presence of Wallace & Gromit would imply. 

The series showcased inventions and innovations from transport, energy production and myriad other areas, and explained them clearly alongside interviews from often wacky inventors. The show didn't poke fun or dumb anything down. Ashley Jensen's narration was amusing and not intrusive, the Welsh narrated comedy segments of failed inventions from yesteryear were actually funny, and 'Mr Jem's' slots where Jem Stansfield put together ideas that never got off the drawing board were intriguing. I have to confess that occasionally, despite the clear explanations, I got utterly lost as to how some of the inventions worked, and resorted to oohing and aahing at the fancy new space-suits, or the crab-like creature built out of plastic pipes and pop bottles. The World of Invention was an interesting, fact-filled series, disguised as a light-hearted Wallace & Gromit vehicle, where really the two were a sideshow to the main event.