Catalyst (TV program)
| Catalyst | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Science |
| Presented by | Graham Phillips |
| Theme music composer | David Chapman, Zig Zag Lane |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Ingrid Arnott |
| Producer(s) | Geraldine McKenna, Paul Schneller, Matthew Lovering, Adam Collins, Karen Appathurai |
| Editor(s) | Vaughan Smith, Andrew Glover, Meredith Hopes, Rowan Tucker-Evans, Chris Spurr, Lile Judickas |
| Camera setup | Kevin May, Ron Ekkle |
| Running time | 30 minutes (2001-2016) 60 minutes (2017-) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | 480p (SD) |
| Original release | 9 August 2001 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Quantum (1985–2001) |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Catalyst is the ABC's primary science journalism television series and the only science show on primetime television in Australia. Launched in 2001, it replaced Quantum, which had ceased the previous year. Catalyst is regularly broadcast on ABC 1 at 8:00 pm on Tuesdays and at 11:30 am Saturdays, and is also repeated on ABC News 24 on Saturdays at 4:30 pm.
Catalyst celebrated its tenth year of production in 2010.
The show broadcasts stories on scientific themes, and in particular significant recent developments and discoveries. It focuses primarily on stories relevant to Australia, but the series covers international developments as well. It attempts to convey information in a way that is not only accurate but also interesting and informative to the general population, often discussing the ethical, political, and other implications of scientific discoveries and research as well as the discoveries themselves.
The show's website describes it as follows:
"Catalyst, Australia's flagship weekly science program, showcases Australian and global science discoveries that impact us all.
At Catalyst we know that scientific discovery and the use of scientific knowledge is a dynamic force that can inspire and activate us.
Prime examples of Catalyst featured segments include "Corporate Psychopaths", "The Truth About Vitamins", and "Smell and Schizophrenia".
The show originally was broadcast in a 30 minute format. Following a series of controversies and an internal review of the programme, the ABC announced in November 2016 that Catalyst will shift to a 60 minute format starting 2017.
The Catalyst team is composed of specialised science journalists, each with different specialisations and roles.
A series of episodes (Heart of the Matter, Parts 1 and 2) broadcast in October 2013 which questioned the link between saturated fat, cholesterol and heart disease, as well as the widespread use of anti-cholesterol drugs known as statins, have come under fire from doctors and the National Heart Foundation of Australia. The Foundation estimates that in the wake of those episodes up to 55,000 patients may have stopped taking their medication, leading to a potential increase in heart attacks and strokes over the next five years. In May 2014 the ABC removed both episodes from its website, after an internal review found that the second episode (but not the first) involved one breach of ABC standards on impartiality and there was a problem of omission of important information.
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