The Genius of Design   Narrator: Denis Lawson Acorn Media UK RRP: £19.99 AV9799 Certificate: E Available 07 June 2010

This compelling five-part series tells the story of design from the Industrial Revolution through 20s modernism, the impact of war and freedoms of a post-war world, the swinging '60s, the designer '80s and up to the present day...

The Genius of Design looks at the world we live in and how it has changed over the years. We live in a designed world, made by us - and for us - and overseen by a diverse group of specialists that we call designers.

The five episodes include:

Ghosts in the Machine: The Industrial Revolution saw a wealth of anonymous creators developing objects for life and work, yet it also gave birth to a new generation of designers from Wedgwood to William Morris. Includes interviews with Dieter Rams and J Mays, Ford Motors' global head of design.

Designs for Living: In the 1920s and 30s, did the future lie in the radical vision of the Bauhaus or the British love affair with mock-Tudor? Throughout Europe, open-plan living, the fitted kitchen and tubular steel furniture entered the mainstream, while in the US, designers explored the dreams of the American consumer. Featuring Niels Diffrient and Tom Dyckhoff.

Blueprints for War: When nations go to war designers are in the front-line. From the Sten gun made by British toy-makers to the all-wood Mosquito fighter-plane, the stories reveal how 'good design' shifts dramatically when survival is at stake. Featuring Desert War veteran Peter Gudgin and designer Michael Graves.

Better Living Through Chemistry: The post-war 50s and 60s offered a world of opportunity with the possibilities of plastic married to liberating lifestyle choices, from seamless plastic chairs to a bed with built-in stereo and cigarette lighter. In Japan, radio came pocket-sized, leading to the revolutionary Walkman. Featuring Sony master designer Teiyu Goto, Alberto Alessi and Stephen Bayley.

Objects of Desire: From the 70s to 90s, designers set the tone for many lives and lifestyles. But as the threat of global warming redefines how we make or break the world, they prove they have a vital role to play. Featuring Philippe Starck, Marc Newson, Jonathan Ive and Stephen Fry.

Of all of these episodes I found Blueprints for War to be far and away the most interesting. It looks at aspects that most people will be unaware of - like the fact that the Mosquito bomber was designed and constructed by furniture makers; how the Sten gun Mk. II was mass produced by the UK largest toy manufacturer - who also managed to simplify the design and manufacturing process; and the almost perfect German Tiger Tank which simply couldn't stand up to the mass produced Russian tanks.

I was a little surprised to see that there was no look at two specific areas of design: packaging, in particular bottled water, and mobile phones. Design for bottled water basically moved a nation away from free tap water to over priced spring (or in some cases filtered water) where what we are buying into is nothing more than packaging. And mobile phones would have been interesting as they've gone from heavy chunky items that were carried around in a large case, to tiny lightweight items that much easy to carry around. The phone is now a status symbol and if you don't have the latest you are looked down on by your peers.

While a fascinating series, there are huge gaps in the history of design which could have been filled quite easily. Video recorders, CD players and TVs weren't really touched upon. Nor were watches (the digital watch era would have been interesting to have explored). A look at home entertainment design would have just about completed this series.

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Nick Smithson