Maths on the Horizon

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to plug tonight's Horizon [BBC Two 9pm] featuring Oxford mathematician Marcus du Sautoy and everyone's favourite QI fall guy, comedian Alan Davies.

Alan hates maths - but is that just because he doesn't understand it? Enter Marcus with some explanations of how maths can help in all kinds of situations; from correctly sizing up probabilities to playing beautiful passing football.

The BBC tell us: 'Together they visit the fourth dimension, cross the universe and explore the concept of infinity. Along the way, Alan does battle with some of the toughest maths questions of our age. But did his abilities peak 25 years ago when he got his grade C O-Level? Or will Alan be able to master the most complex maths concept there is?'

You can whet your appetite with some great probability and football related video clips on the BBC website. So will Marcus change Alan's mind about maths by the end of the show? You'll just have to watch and find out...

'Horizon: Alan and Marcus Go Forth and Multiply' airs tonight on BBC Two at 9pm.

UPDATE: You can watch the programme on iPlayer (next 20 days).