FORCES OF NATURE, BBC1, 9pm

SO bees are wizard mathematicians? That’s one of the comical revelations in this new science series from the trendy professor, Brian Cox.

This first episode, The Universe In A Snowflake, examines the structures and patterns which appear in nature. A snowflake, under the microscope, forms an intricate pattern, but what does it mean? It’s not just there to look pretty, so why are they so detailed? And why are planets spherical? And why do bees create hexagons in their hives? What do all these patterns tell us about the world? We start off in Spain, where villagers compete to form tall human pyramids. Viewed from above, we can see how the pattern of pushing, inter-linked people holds up the pyramid – even so, the children who clamber to the top sometimes tumble. In human geometry versus gravity, you can guess who’ll win. But Himalayan bees steal the show. Cox explains bees worked out long ago that hexagons are the most efficient structure for storage in a confined space. It took humans a lot longer to realise this. “The bees knew what human mathematicians didn’t.”

BRIEF ENCOUNTERS, STV, 9PM

REMINISCENT of Shirley Valentine and The Full Monty, this new drama series is set in the depressed North of England of the 1980s. Men are being made redundant and there’s nothing for the women but child-minding and cleaning, so if a gal wants to make some money maybe she can do it by peddling lingerie and vibrators?

Inspired by the real stories of Ann Summers saleswomen, and set to a catchy 1980s soundtrack, this show is all jolly good fun. It tries to be deep by touching on themes of male desperation, unemployment, poverty and women’s sexual liberation, but it’s really just about wives having a giggle at the various “marital aids” and strappy, lacy, ribboned knickers they’re required to sell.