In this series, Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson hosts unscripted, one-on-one discussions over the course of 60 minutes with philosophers, scientists, campaigners, entertainers, and historians.

Andrew Pontzen is a professor of cosmology at University College London. He has written for the New Scientist, BBC Sky at Night and BBC Science Focus; lectured at the Royal Institution; appeared on BBC, Amazon Prime and Discovery Channel documentaries; and contributed to BBC Radio 4 programmes including Inside Science and The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry.

The Universe in a Box

We are part of an incredible chain of events stretching 13.8 billion years into the past and even further into the future. But what does that future hold? Will we ever truly understand our cosmic home? And how do scientists study the entire universe?

The Universe in a Box is Andrew Pontzen's tribute to simulations – the remarkable computer codes that, over the last century, have allowed us to grasp the distant past and far future of the universe. It reveals the stories of pioneering scientists who unlocked the mysteries of the cosmos, and reframes our understanding of galaxies, black holes, and space itself.