The range of serendipitous discoveries is enormous. In order to give the series some structure, we gave a general theme to each programme.

Programme 1, entitled "Things that Go Flash in the Dark", is about serendipity linked to strange glows on land, in the sea and in the air. This ranges from the discovery of phosphorus to the explanation behind Will o’the Wisps.

Programme 2 focuses on microbes. Some people will already know that there was an element of luck in the discovery of antibiotics, but did you know about the flukey whale bacteria that are pointing the way towards better detergents or the chance liaison that led to a new understanding of bacteria in the gut.

Programme 3 is all about the spectrum. Humans thought that light was limited to what we could see, but (often by chance) we realised that light had a spectrum that ranged beyond the visible. There are serendipitous discoveries linked to radiation that are behind the invention of the microwave oven and the most compelling evidence for the Big Bang.