BBC4 to explore parallel universe

Mark Everett, lead signer with US rock group Eels, will uncover the story of his late father, a quantum physicist who predicted the existence of parallel universes, for a BBC4 documentary.

Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives has been commissioned to mark the 50th anniversary of Hugh Everett's controversial theory of quantum mechanics that opened up the possibility of parallel universes.

Hugh wrote the theory as part of his PhD at Princeton University, but it was ignored by the scientific community, leading him to abandon academia to join the defence industry.

At 19, Mark found his father dead at home, having suffered a heart attack, but his work was rediscovered posthumously.

Mark has said that his father never discussed his work, being too wrapped up in his theories to spend much time with his family.

For the doc, Mark goes across the US in search of the man he barely knew, meeting his old college pals, family friends and colleagues and taking a crash course in quantum mechanics to get to grips with his father's work.

Martin Davidson, BBC Vision's acting genre head for specialist factual, ordered the 60-minute doc, which was produced and directed by Louise Lockwood for BBC Scotland.

Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives will air at the end of November.