The BBC has done it again. They have managed to produce an enlightening, entertaining show around science. After BBC Four's The Story of Maths, BBC Two has made Einstein and Eddington, a drama revolving around the intertwining lives of both scientists. And the result is superb.

The feat is rare enough to be mentioned: David Tennant is outacted. Andy Serkis' performance as Albert Einstein is so true to nature that one could believe he is the real thing. The hair, the accent, the eccentricity - everything is pitched perfectly. David Tennant's performance as a scientist, on the other hand, while still really good, has less depth than Andy Serkis'. It is quite possible that, as a true Brit, Eddington was much more reserved than Einstein, and that Tennant had less room for variations on the approach to science. Still, he more than made up for it by depicting someone who is tormented by personal loss, and by personal ethics.
For much more than just a documentary about how Einstein's theory came to light, Einstein and Eddington is about the two men in a far wider context than science. They get caught up in the war, where Eddington loses more than a friend, and Planck loses a son. But both men are apalled by the use of science in the battle of Ypres, and stand up against the scientific consequences of the war (cut-off relations). They are both profoundly humane, and fragile. Einstein's descent to inferno is particularly striking, if maybe not brought in, or explained properly. But in the end, science triumphs and Einstein gets the fame that we all know.
If, from the political point of view, and on both men's private life, BBC Two's drama is intensely politically correct, the stance that the show takes on science is much more interesting. Newton's laws were entwined so tightly with politics and British glory that it became a dogma. And some people were not ready to be proven wrong: there was nothing left to be proven, and Newton had said it all. The relationship between science and God are explored in a way that I have never seen before on television - particularly when Eddington says Newton's theory leaves room for God. Eddington's religious beliefs were not hidden, nor shown to be hindering his research. It is very refreshing to see a non-dichotomous view of religion and science, for once.
If you have not seen this great drama yet, quick, iplayer it! (only available from the UK I believe).